Revolutionary Power Amps (Historical)

[Special J]

I still have one of those single space BGW's (150?). Had to be the heaviest single space electronic device ever. I had to bust it out a couple of years ago because I needed a headphone amp. Still worked great!

 

How about Carver amps? Very lightweight for their time, and made real power.

 

More recently, Lab Gruppen is taking a lead in amplifier technology as far as power/weight/size ratios. Oh yeah, they sound great too. I'm making the push to have our entire inventory of QSC amps replaced by Lab Gruppens within a year.

 

I'm very impressed with Powersoft's offerings as well. They seem like amazingly engineered amps.

[WynnD]

I knew a Hammond C-3 player in the band Casey Jones, how many bands with that name could there possibly be, played a Phase Linear 400 through a pair of modified 145 Leslies. I believe the Leslies had an Altec Lansing 421-8H on the bottom and an Atlas 100 horn driver up top. Anyway, they played the Castle in Morgantown W.Va. and had the best rock organ sound for a difficult to cover club of 500+ college students. (No mics on that keyboard.)

[agedhorse]

 

How about Carl Countryman and the first switch-mode power amp? As I remember he was getting about 2000W from a single power amp in the very early 70s.

 

 

You sure you aren't confusing Carl with Wayde Stewart or Walter Woods? I don't remember Carl having a power amp of any type, but I may have missed something.

[agedhorse]

 

I knew a Hammond C-3 player in the band Casey Jones, how many bands with that name could there possibly be, played a Phase Linear 400 through a pair of modified 145 Leslies. I believe the Leslies had an Altec Lansing 421-8H on the bottom and an Atlas 100 horn driver up top. Anyway, they played the Castle in Morgantown W.Va. and had the best rock organ sound for a difficult to cover club of 500+ college students. (No mics on that keyboard.)

 

 

I've got a pair of fresh rcones w/ NOS parts sitting on the shelf looking for a new home...

[Axisplayer]

As a teenager in high school I bought a SAE pre-amp/power amp, Gerrard turntable, and some EPI module series speakers for my bedroom stereo. It replaced my 10 watt Kenwood power amp with matching pre-amp, and just fair speakers. Although it was a nice setup for a high school kid, I lusted for the system next door. The man had a Revox recorder, Dual turntable, McIntosh pre-amp & power amp, and Klipsch speakers.

 

Man I miss those EPI speakers. It was my greatest loss when I finally had a tweeter die and I drove through 3 states with that cabinet in my car to get it serviced, only to find out they didn't have the right tweeters any more. I parked them both at the curb for the trash man. The SAE power amp died in a tragic fire (self induced) a few months later and the pre-amp died due to component failure a year later. The guy next door still had his gear running perfectly when he died in 1999 (all but the Revox which he no longer used and the belts eventually had given out.) His son still listens to the system today.

[J.]

I've got a pair of fresh rcones w/ NOS parts sitting on the shelf looking for a new home...

Is there any oddball audio component for which you don't have a replacement that just happens to be "sitting on the shelf?" How big is your workshop anyway?

[The Chinese]

 

Anybody remember BGW and SAE?

 

 

I have seen LOTS of BGW Amps in installs that i have done. When I was building a stage in Thailand, they had 2 racks full of BGW750's... They are very prevalent in the Post Production audio world. We ended up replacing them with QSC DCA Amps, mostly because we had to drive these enormous Turbosound TSW24 Subs... and the 1300w just wan't going to move enough air in those beasts-we needed 105dB at almost 30'. That being said, I was seriously jonesing to somehow get htose beasts back to L.A. somehow.. but shipping was just too expensive.

[agedhorse]

Is there any oddball audio component for which you don't have a replacement that just happens to be "sitting on the shelf?" How big is your workshop anyway?

 

It's a 3000 square foot shop stuffed into 1500 square ft. Several HC Forumites have been over for a shopoing spree and I canusually find something useful. I admittedly have way (actually that's WAY) too much stuff but it all sells eventually.

[RoadRanger]

I'd be surprised if he couldn't come up with a rotary spark gap if someone needed one .

[andertone]

Guess I'm an old dinosaur as well.

 

First decent PA setup was a Phase Linear 400 powering Altec Voice of the Theaters, and for the UCSB Student union we had crown 150 and 300's in a biamp JBL system (big at the time)

 

Used both CS400 and CS800s back in the lead sled era, almost

indestructable.

 

Now use QSC PLX amps, maybe not the latest but still great

 

Phil

[J.]

I'd be surprised if he couldn't come up with a rotary spark gap if someone needed one .

Well, at least I know who to ask if I need a part that I can't find elsewhere!

 

This is slightly off topic, but what about early attempts at powered speakers? I know this isn't exactly a PA speaker, but the Acoustic 361 was a fairly successful powered speaker setup for bass guitar, where the "head" unit was only a preamplifier.

[Gordon Sound]

I inherited one of those power amplifiers out of a accousic bass cab. I built it into some kind of box and used it as a monitor amps for Keggars back in High school- powered a radio shack dual 10" with a peizo colum. I think I sold it to community theatre, with a RS mixer for sound FX

[agedhorse]

The whole combo amp configuration was a precursor to powered speakers actually.

 

I forgot a couple of sucessful power amps that came out of Japan... the Yamaha P series (2050,2100, 2200 etc) and the Ramsa WP series. Both were solid performers.

[Axisplayer]

I had a P2200 for some EAW subs my band had back around 1981. Never had an issue with it.

[Gomer Pyle]

 

I had a P2200 for some EAW subs my band had back around 1981. Never had an issue with it.

 

 

What EAW subs were you using, I'm fighting with myself whether or not to sell my BH800s. I love them but never want to move their 260lb bodies around again.

[Imwithpepe]

 

The whole combo amp configuration was a precursor to powered speakers actually. I forgot a couple of sucessful power amps that came out of Japan... the Yamaha P series (2050,2100, 2200 etc) and the Ramsa WP series. Both were solid performers.

 

 

Geez, I've still got a Ramsa WP-1200 in a club I work at. Runs a single SM15v in bridged mono mode. Solid amp though.

 

I'd also like to nominate the Soundtech PS series amps. Not the greatest amps that hit the market but they were light as could be and only used one rack space. Definitely worth the price of admission though.

[madjack]

 

Geez, I've still got a Ramsa WP-1200 in a club I work at. Runs a single SM15v in bridged mono mode. Solid amp though. I'd also like to nominate the Soundtech PS series amps. Not the greatest amps that hit the market but they were light as could be and only used one rack space. Definitely worth the price of admission though.

 

 

Actually I still have a Yamaha P2100 in my rack powering two monitors, and a Soundtech PS1300 which powers four SX200 cabs for FOH tops. Both amps work great. The only problem I've ever had with either was with the Soundtech; one binding post got damaged and needed to be replaced.