Jack Posted January 4, 2018 Share Posted January 4, 2018 (edited) Hello, I'm tempted by the Ashdown ABM 500 EVO IV head (despite being largely ampless, a new situation has come up!) but it doesn't have a rear input. Why do so many companies do this? It's acceptable(ish) on micros that aren't usually mounted in a rack and the ears are kind of extras, but this is a purely rackmount-only head that you can't really use in a rack due to it's design.... Anyway, has anyone had a peek inside? Do you think a tech would be able to rewire the 'line input' on the back that I wouldn't use so that it replaces the input jack in the circuit? I know that this would be trvial on a hand-wired, point to point head but it may be impossible if the jacks are directly mounted on the PCB. Any thoughts, experiences, or even gut shots of ABM IV amps would be appreciated!! Thanks, Jack Edited January 4, 2018 by Jack Edited for tone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
largo Posted January 4, 2018 Share Posted January 4, 2018 I’m struggling to understand why you would want the input to be on the rear. Don’t basses plug into the front even when an amp is rack mounted? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ashdown Engineering Posted January 4, 2018 Share Posted January 4, 2018 Confused by this one Jack... It’s a rack head and most people rack them so what is it that you feel about the design that mean it can’t be rack mounted? Also the EVO IV is the 600 not 500 head... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack Posted January 4, 2018 Author Share Posted January 4, 2018 Hi! Firstly, thanks for posting on here, I really think it adds a lot when you guys and other companies interact directly with your customers. IME, the lack of a rear input means that anyone using a tuner, a wireless, other preamps or effects can't plug in neatly. You really have to leave a spare rack space above an amp so that you can route cables from the back (whereall of the other rack gear ever made has the I/O) to the front for the bass amp. Hey don't get me wrong, first world problems and all that, but it does seem an odd design choice. You folks really know your onions and you've sold more amps than me so fair enough. GK's heads are designed the same way too, so there must be a reason but I can't think of it. I just don't imagine many people who buy the RC versions of your head are just putting the head in a 2u rack and leaving it at that, otherwise they'd probably have bought a stand alone version of the head. They're probably using at least a wireless, which will have its output on the back. Yes, sorry, 600W. Fantastic amps by the way. I used to own about 80kg of MAG full stack that was my first proper amp and I loved it. In recent years I think my tone goals moved away from your amps but I've come around and I think the new Evo IV stuff is a huge leap forward from the previous. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ashdown Engineering Posted January 4, 2018 Share Posted January 4, 2018 Pre amps and rack fx which would generally speaking be modulation/delays etc would want to bypass the pre amp in the vast majority of cases hence why there is an FX loop in and out on the back of the head, these are all as you say items that you would leave wired in which they can be and many people do. There is also a line in which is direct to the power amp on the back of the amp... As for the main input for your instrument or wireless the main reason it is on the front and in the position it is is that it is the furthest place in the amp away from the big toroid output transformer which if was near to your input would introduce lots of hum and other unwanted noise to the proceedings. Hope that helps. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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