Crown XLS 1000 , pre amp help / advice needed.

[martin8708]

Well in our pursuit of a band PA , I have acquired a Crown XLS 1000.
I don't have a mixer yet , but I plugged the amp into a cab to check that all was working , and the output is very low .

My thinking is , hmm, 1100 watts in bridged mode is quite a fair amount of juice , how will this work as a Bass amp with some sort of pre-amp with a basic EQ section .

I am a novice in this department , so please bear this in mind , I am guessing I need a Pre-amp to prepare the signal for the power amp . I am sure I read somewhere on this forum that the Crown XLS range need quite a strong signal from a pre amp , so any advice on this topic will be gratefully appreciated.
Two possibilities which are available to me locally are a Sansamp bass driver delux , and a Joe Meek VC1 QS mic preamp being sold from a local studio.

I know Discreet has dabbled in the black art of using power amps for bass , any other BC members using PA amps for Bass?

Many Thanks in advance .
Martin.

[dincz]

The Joe Meek preamp will drive the XLS1000 without any problem. It can give around 20V of output signal if you need it - but the XLS1000 needs only 1.4V. No idea about the Sansamp's output level although the manufacturers say it will drive a power amp.

[discreet]

Yes... using a pre-amp with a power amp... I got my best results with a Zoom B3, but you need to make sure your settings are optimum. The B3 is not set up that well for use as a pre-amp by default. You may find this of interest...

[url="http://www.talkbass.com/forum/f36/zoom-b3-preamp-936505/"]http://www.talkbass....-preamp-936505/[/url]

A Tech-21 VT Bass worked very well too, and a standard Sansamp will work fine. I'm guessing the new Zoom MS-60B would also be a good choice but I haven't tried one... yet.

As you say, you should see 1100W bridged @ 4 ohms and 700w bridged @ 8 ohms... nice.
Crown power amps are the canine's orbs.

Edited April 4, 2013 by discreet

[Wil]

I used to use a Sansamp RBI with the XLS 700, and it kicked arse. Probably the most capable rig I've owned tbh. I stopped using it in bridged mode however because it kept cutting out (I guess from overheating) - unbridged into a 4ohm Schroeder 410L it was plenty, plenty loud and clear however.

[craigcapener]

Many people use a preamp/poweramp combination. It's great for getting a sh*t-tonne of clean power and. You are right in that you need a preamp to boost your input signal to a 'line level'. There are many many options to choose from with preamps, you can look at pedals or rack units but its best to shop around really and look for what suits your style of playing best, best thing is, if you don't get on with one you can just swap them around. Good luck!

[martin8708]

Many thanks for your help guys, I had a chat the owner of our local music shop and he recommended a more bass specific pre amp like the Zoom or the Sansamp Bass Driver . Mic and guitar pre amps may not bring out the best in the bass guitar ( followed by a lengthy explanation about roll off frequencies ) which kind of just went over my head .

Thanks for the Talkbass link , Discreet, as I am a bit of a techno-idiot I will probably steer towards the SansAmp for the sake of simplicity , as setting up the Zoom according to our American friend is a bit like landing an Apollo capsule on the moon .

Many Thanks again.

Edited April 6, 2013 by martin8708

[discreet]

[quote name='martin8708' timestamp='1365271598' post='2037532']
Thanks for the Talkbass link , Discreet, as I am a bit of a techno-idiot I will probably steer towards the SansAmp for the sake of simplicity , as setting up the Zoom according to our American friend is a bit like landing an Apollo capsule on the moon.
[/quote]

You're welcome, but the B3 really isn't complicated! Being an American, CharlieC tends to use ten words where one would do. For the cash it's a total bargain considering what you get. The ability to blend together amp sims is a real plus and a truly immense tone is possible. You don't have to use all the facilities available. I didn't.

Edited April 6, 2013 by discreet