Choice between Warwick Pro Fet 3.1 and Ashdown RM 800 Evo - Help Needed

[djk]

I've been offered a choice of these two amps as a swap for a cabinet.

 

My playing consists of the odd open mic night with a friend and a regular small jam session. Being in my 70's I'm not expecting to play the O2 or the Albert Hall so volume isn't high on my list of requirements, in fact I've just built two BassChat BC110 cabs using speakers from an old Asdown 210, each rated at around 150 watts. I'm also about to build a 1x15, again using an Ashdown driver. This time rated at 200 watts, so I'd have the option of running a 1x10 with the 1x15 @ 8 ohms, capable of handing IRO 350 watts if ever there was a need.

 

Both the amps are rated in excess of the capabilities of the drivers, but at 4 ohms. The Warick is rated at 300W @ 4 ohms, the Ashdown 800 watts, again @ 4 ohms. My career was in electronics so I understand all about impedance and that either amp connected to a 16 ohm driver it will produce less volume. Both amps are solid state, so no problems using high impedance drivers as there would be with a tube amp. I'm sensible so will not be cranking up the volume to max.

 

So my question is, which one would you chose? 

 

There's agood reason for wanting to swap rather than sell the cabinet, so selling and using the money to buy something else is not an option, otherwise I'd buy another TC Elecronic 250 Thrust, as I have one already and use it with one of the 1x10's

 

Many thanks for your thoughts.

 

(I think I spend as much time building gear as playing these days)

 

 

Edited Saturday at 21:33 by djk
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[Beedster]

Ashdown 👍

[Lozz196]

Yup, Ashdown 

[spyder]

Ashdown.🎶🎶🎶🎶

[itu]

11 hours ago, djk said:

The Warwick is rated at 300W @ 4 ohms, the Ashdown 800 watts, again @ 4 ohms. My career was in electronics so I understand all about impedance and that either amp connected to a 16 ohm driver it will produce less volume. 

Less volume, here you mean less wattage? Loudness will not be reduced a lot, that depends on the sensitivity of the cabs. 

 

Of course there other specs like weight that may affect your choice, but you have most likely far better after sales and support with Ashdown. 

[Beedster]

2 hours ago, itu said:

….. but you have most likely far better after sales and support with Ashdown. 

…and most likely far better tone 👍

[Mudpup]

Ashdown 

[jonno1981]

I recall the 3.1 was really underpowered and heavy. The 3.2 was night and day over the first version. I’d get the ashdown. 

[Mokl]

Ashdown 

[BassAdder60]

Ashdown 🤟👍

[djk]

It looks like a clean sweep for the Ashdown, which was my thought.

 

Hopefully there's no problems either way with the exchange.

[ardi100]

I think I had the 3.2 Warwick and I now have an RM 800. I used to really like the tone I got from the Warwick. A sound engineer once told me my lovely recorded tone was due to the boutique kit I had (Korean Squire Jazz, said Warwick through an EBS cab!).

 

That all said, the Ashdown tone is wonderful, the amp is much lighter and you never now when you'll need the watts.

 

Ashdown for me.