Members ryanstanley Posted November 13, 2006 Members Share Posted November 13, 2006 so say i wanted to get a seperate preamp and power amp. i understand most of any tone alteration that's going to take place will happen in the preamp, so does the kind of power amp even make much of a difference, as long as it's powerful enough? i mean, it's a pretty straightforward function... take original signal, amplify to specified volume level. as long as it's not a tube power amp anyway so would i be good to go just spending a couple hundred on a cheap 1000w power amp? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members oldivor Posted November 13, 2006 Members Share Posted November 13, 2006 I'd say power amps are important. They amplify your preamp and bass. If the power amp sounds crap the whole thing does. I often feel that people cheap out on a good power amp. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members PaulyWally Posted November 13, 2006 Members Share Posted November 13, 2006 In theory... yes. In reality... no. Amplifiers are loaded with circuitry that can alter the sound. The THD, CMRR, and slew rate are important factors in determining the end product. Some amps clip sooner than others. Amp 'A' at 1000 watts will not be as loud as amp 'B' at 1000 watts. Bla bla bla... Also... amps "technically" have a quasi preamp stage in them that can produce tonal differences. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members ivanthetrble Posted November 13, 2006 Members Share Posted November 13, 2006 I'm sure if you put the same pre-amp with the exact same setting thru two different amps there may be some who could tell the difference in blind testing but if the amps were of good quality I would think the difference would be very, very small. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members ryanstanley Posted November 13, 2006 Author Members Share Posted November 13, 2006 Originally posted by oldivor I'd say power amps are important. They amplify your preamp and bass. If the power amp sounds crap the whole thing does. I often feel that people cheap out on a good power amp. well i just dont understand the difference. unless cheap power amps end up hurting the signal.. cause all it's gotta do is make the original signal louder. seems to me, that any way you go about that, as long as it isn't clipping or coloring your tone (which if you simply amplify the original signal that shouldnt happen), it should always end up the same Originally posted by Pauly Wally In theory... yes. In reality... no.Amplifiers are loaded with circuitry that can alter the sound. The THD, CMRR, and slew rate are important factors in determining the end product.Some amps clip sooner than others. Amp 'A' at 1000 watts will not be as loud as amp 'B' at 1000 watts. Bla bla bla...Also... amps "technically" have a quasi preamp stage in them that can produce tonal differences. so you're saying they DO color the tone then? and cheaper ones are worse about it? well that's all i needed to know, i guess Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members catphish Posted November 13, 2006 Members Share Posted November 13, 2006 if ya go DI they make no difference at all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members psychepsilo Posted November 13, 2006 Members Share Posted November 13, 2006 Whoops... sort of replied to the wrong person. You can save a little more money by looking at its BRIDGED power levels. A 1000 watt power amp is usually 1000 watts PER CHANNEL. If you're not running stereo or 2 channels you can add the two channels together (bridging)... hence if you need/want 1000 watts you can save bucks by getting a 500 watt/channel amp and bridging it (again, make sure to check it's bridged power... a 500 watt/channel amp bridged to 1000 watts is merely an assumption on my part to make talking about it easier and avoid listing all the differences between brands... it's not always the case. 500 watts/channel might bridge to 8-900, etc. depending on the brand). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members oldivor Posted November 13, 2006 Members Share Posted November 13, 2006 Originally posted by ryanstanley well i just dont understand the difference. unless cheap power amps end up hurting the signal..cause all it's gotta do is make the original signal louder.seems to me, that any way you go about that, as long as it isn't clipping or coloring your tone (which if you simply amplify the original signal that shouldnt happen), it should always end up the same Well two trucks can carry the same amt of dirt and go the same speed but they're different. One can go faster longer without over heating. One might have more bite too it. etc etc For some reason I have good ears and can normally hear things most people can so it might just be me..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members FreestyleIntruder Posted November 13, 2006 Members Share Posted November 13, 2006 Originally posted by ryanstanley seems to me, that any way you go about that, as long as it isn't clipping or coloring your tone (which if you simply amplify the original signal that shouldnt happen), it should always end up the sameso you're saying they DO color the tone then? and cheaper ones are worse about it? The world is an imperfect place. Ann Coulter sells books, British players don't win Wimbledon and amplifiers don't have perfect input/ouput characteristics. Translation: yes, they will colour the sound to an extent. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members psychepsilo Posted November 13, 2006 Members Share Posted November 13, 2006 Originally posted by ryanstanley seems to me, that any way you go about that, as long as it isn't clipping or coloring your tone (which if you simply amplify the original signal that shouldnt happen), it should always end up the same Keep in mind that clipping BEFORE you get to the amp can create harmonic frequency distortion that you can't necessarily hear, but which can damage the amp, your speakers, or both. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members FreestyleIntruder Posted November 13, 2006 Members Share Posted November 13, 2006 Originally posted by oldivor Well two trucks can carry the same amt of dirt and go the same speed but they're different. One can go faster longer without over heating. One might have more bite too it. etc etc For some reason I have good ears and can normally hear things most people can so it might just be me..... Dude you've gone all Ted Stevens on us Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members oldivor Posted November 13, 2006 Members Share Posted November 13, 2006 Originally posted by FreestyleIntruder Dude you've gone all Ted Stevens on us Who the hell is Ted Stevens? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members psychepsilo Posted November 13, 2006 Members Share Posted November 13, 2006 Originally posted by oldivor For some reason I have good ears and can normally hear things most people can so it might just be me..... It's not just you. Some are born with better hearing, some are trained/practiced to hear those differences, some are both. I bet, like me, if you pay attention and move your head a couple inches one way or the other you can hear a difference too. I wouldn't recommend spending a whole LOT of extra money just to cater to the few people like you and I though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members PaulyWally Posted November 13, 2006 Members Share Posted November 13, 2006 Originally posted by ryanstanley so you're saying they DO color the tone then? and cheaper ones are worse about it?well that's all i needed to know, i guess Yes... many do. But not by design. So while they're not suppose to alter tone, there are many power amps that will. But there are plenty out there that do very little to alter the tone. Mackies are pretty good.... and they're expensive. There's better out there, at a higher cost too. They are about right for the price. Crowns aren't too bad IMO. Middle of the road in sound and price. Peavey's seem to deaden the sound IMO. QSC is pretty inexpensive... and they clearly don't sound as good as high-end stuff. But they sound better than they are priced. Good for someone on a budget. Yamaha sounds fairly SS to me. Sort of metallic, in a way. I no likey. And I've used other off-brands that, while they did the job, they just didn't sound all that great. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members oldivor Posted November 13, 2006 Members Share Posted November 13, 2006 Originally posted by psychepsilo It's not just you. Some are born with better hearing, some are trained/practiced to hear those differences, some are both. I bet, like me, if you pay attention and move your head a couple inches one way or the other you can hear a difference too. I wouldn't recommend spending a whole LOT of extra money just to cater to the few people like you and I though. yar, I can tell from the other end of the house if the TV is on. I'm not talking about a lot. I'm just saying don't buy the cheapest thing known to man. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members psychepsilo Posted November 13, 2006 Members Share Posted November 13, 2006 Originally posted by oldivor I'm just saying don't buy the cheapest thing known to man. Damn straight. We're trying to be as professional as we can be, right? Don't buy crappy tools. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members FreestyleIntruder Posted November 13, 2006 Members Share Posted November 13, 2006 Originally posted by oldivor Who the hell is Ted Stevens? Republican Senator for AK It was the truck analogy that did it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members rastafarian_nz Posted November 13, 2006 Members Share Posted November 13, 2006 Originally posted by psychepsilo Damn straight. We're trying to be as professional as we can be, right? Don't buy crappy tools. Ahem. I'll have you know my budget happens to dictate otherwise, mister. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members oldivor Posted November 13, 2006 Members Share Posted November 13, 2006 Originally posted by psychepsilo Damn straight. We're trying to be as professional as we can be, right? Don't buy crappy tools. yup yup yup. Originally posted by FreestyleIntruder Republican Senator for AK It was the truck analogy that did it Kick ass. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members psychepsilo Posted November 13, 2006 Members Share Posted November 13, 2006 Originally posted by rastafarian_nz Ahem. I'll have you know my budget happens to dictate otherwise, mister. "Patience is a virtue." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members i_wanna_les_paul Posted November 13, 2006 Members Share Posted November 13, 2006 My opinion - There is a difference in the sound quality of power amplifiers. It's the same inherent difference you'll find with any audio component. The quality/type of caps, transistors, power supplies, etc. will all change the sound quality. However, IMO, for bass, you may never notice a huge difference. Humans are not really designed to have excellent discretion in sound difference on the low- and upper-end of the audio spectrum. A good amplifier can smooth the mids and clear up the treble - this is generally where people will notice the sound quality difference. For bass, behind a band, it will be difficult for the audience and you to discern the audio quality in an amp. However, don't forget that your damping comes from the power amplifier as well as the speakers. Dustin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members rastafarian_nz Posted November 13, 2006 Members Share Posted November 13, 2006 Originally posted by psychepsilo "Patience is a virtue." And impatience is a good excuse. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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