Chris1127 Posted November 18, 2008 Share Posted November 18, 2008 I'm now the proud new owner of a GP12smx preamp - not my first trace as I had (and stupidly sold) a v-type 600H head about 4 years ago, however my first soon-to-be rack setup. My intention is to match it up with Peavey 115bw and 210bw cabs (which I have still to locate!!) - just wondering what suggestions people had power amp-wise really? Plan is to just use the 115 for practicing and hook up the 210 for gigs, but no idea whether i should run them biamped of two (or one stereo) amp or just linked using the internal passive crossovers off a mono amp, or what to do really. I've got a really old Carlsbro S600M 300 a side power amp, real heavy beast with a massive torroidal transformer thats bridgeable to (i think) 800w - isnt rackmount at present but can soon sort that with some rack ears. I was gonna give that a go to start but just thought I would ask for any advice or tips really. Cheers!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris1127 Posted November 19, 2008 Author Share Posted November 19, 2008 ok, have managed to add a Peavey 115bw cab to add to the equation since yesterday, going to see how I get on with the Carlsbro amp at practice on Friday. Know its a minor grizzle really but the line in's and speaker out's are all on the front of the Carlsbro, but the signal outs are all on the back of the Trace - would like to hide away all the wiring at the back of a 4u rack eventually so the Carlsbro is only a stop gap - would welcome any suggestions as far as power amp options go. Just for reference the preamp has full range stereo jack outs, or stereo high outs and mono low outs through the onboard adjustable crossover. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fraktal Posted November 20, 2008 Share Posted November 20, 2008 You can never go wrong with QSC power amps. Sure, they arent the cheapest ones around, but their technology is decades ahead most other brands. They have some series using switching mode power supply, so they are incredibly light without sacrificing tone/power at all, plus you can do silly things like I used to with my old 2400 PLX: Wiring both channels on bridged mode to a sennheisser headphone, turning on the power amp at full volume and laugh my ass off while playing music on it during hours without the headphone blowing up... That was FUN! Their electronics will protect your speakers against failure, so such a power amp might save you serious bucks in the long run. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris1127 Posted November 20, 2008 Author Share Posted November 20, 2008 cheers - seem to be a few at reasonable prices on ebay at the moment. Are earlier ones just as good? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fraktal Posted November 22, 2008 Share Posted November 22, 2008 As far as I know QSC have always had a very high reputation, so I suppose older models will also be nice. Anyway, if you provide links we can maybe help you choose. And remember not all QSC series use switching mode power supplies, so the weight might vary a lot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheRinser Posted November 23, 2008 Share Posted November 23, 2008 I know it's a bit late and I don't want to rain on your parade. I had almost that setup, the AH600SMX is a 2x300W power amp and I ran it with a peavey 210 and 115. I ended up just using the 210 on pretty much all gigs and the 15 didn't really add that much volume or bass. The 210 actually had a fuller range tone. I now have a peavey 210 and 410 and they complement each other and the amp perfectly. I was thinking about going for 2 210s, for a relatively light, modular rigs on the (sort of) cheap you couldn't really argue with it. May still do so in the future. Anyway, let me know how you get on with the 210/115, you may yet love it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve-soar Posted November 24, 2008 Share Posted November 24, 2008 Plus one for the QSC amps. I have a QSC PLX 3102, 3100 watts at 4 ohms, dead light and the bottom end that my cabs put out is a joy because of the massive headroom. The fan is also the quietest I've heard on any amp and you can pick them up second hand for a resonable amount. As Fraktel said they are a safe bet to use with any cabs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris1127 Posted January 16, 2009 Author Share Posted January 16, 2009 cheers for the replies, progress been a bit slow but assembled lots of bits so far, got a SWR 2x10 needing a replacement driver from alex5string on here, and picked up a bright box with 3 vintage Motorola 15ohm flared horns and a crossover from the local tip/recycling centre for a fiver yesterday - not sure its necessary but for the money it was worth a punt Got a replacement cone today for the SWR, so just need to hook it all up and see how I get on. Money wise I need to stick with the s600m for the mean time but its always proved reliable in the past so hopefully it will see me through - however will be putting a bit of cash aside aiming for a QSC at some point in the next 6 months Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lfalex v1.1 Posted January 19, 2009 Share Posted January 19, 2009 (edited) Dont' want to spoil the party, but my QSC has proven utterly unreliable. As did the pre-amp with which it was mated. Went back to the (reliable) 15 year-old Trace set-up it was intended to improve upon... Primarily because I didn't have to fret about it not working when I most needed it to! Edited January 19, 2009 by Lfalex v1.1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
.gif.9ad672bb8b84505709f76b39c8c256ec.gif)
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.