Ashdown RM500 or Orange Little Bass Thing?

[four/five]

Time to start saving my back, my existing equipment consists of Trace,ABM 500 or Ashdown MK 12 band graphics heads plus either a Markbass STD original 2*10 or Hartke 4*10.

Trying to stay with a UK company (yes I know they’re all made in China). So it’s Ashdown or Orange. The Orange LBT is seemingly easily available but the Ashdown RM500 is rather scarce. In fact there are one or two sites saying “not available and one saying discontinued “ which seems odd. Unless Ashdown have a new one in the pipe line.

 

Has anyone out there used either of these amps or switched from one to the other?

 

As regard to speakers the Markbass is just about manageable but the Hartke has to go. 
Thinking of replacing it with an Orange OCB112 for use at smaller gigs(if there are any)

Music played is general covers mostly from the 60’s to 80’s.

[fretmeister]

It's now the RM500Evo-ii

 

If you just search for RM500 it will show the old model as out of stock because it is discontinued.

The RM800 Evo-ii comes up used on here sometimes and it would give a bit extra headroom.

 

I've got the RM800evo-ii and it's really good. I use it a Barefaced Super Twin (very lightweight and tilt back wheels) and it takes whatever I throw at it, be that my usual big band jazz gig, or rock jams with friends.

 

I've not tried the Orange but I like the demos and I'd like to.

[Lozz196]

I have the RM500 EVO-2, it’s the fullest sounding Class D amp that I’ve had. It’s very versatile, nice & powerful, and light/portable. Plus Ashdowns legendary customer service in the unlikely event of a problem.

[four/five]

Thanks for the replies. Having already got and used Ashdown amps certainly steers me to the RM500 Evo11 and

especially as the “legendary service” is in house.

I assume Orange being UK also so their own in house service if the “magic smoke “ ever appears.

 

Ive now found a couple of Evo11’s but they do seem in short supply even at the larger retailers.

 

 

[uk_lefty]

The Ashdown RM amps don't have as much of a "baked in sound" as the Orange amps I've tried. So if you want a clean sounding amp the Ashdown is very good, you can use pedals or its onboard tube drive to rough it up. All Orange amps I've used seem to have no clean setting at all (I've never owned one, always used on shared backline or rehearsal rooms so I am likely to be wrong through lack of patience with these).