Class D bass head amps?

[xlrogue6]

I've been using the Bugera Veyron Mosfet and really like it. Of course the 2000 watt rating on this thing is marketing weaselspeak, but it's certainly got plenty of power, somewhere in the 600-800 watt range by my ears (none of my test gear will keep a class D power amp happy under test situations). I A/B'd it with the D800 (which is surprisingly affordable, actually) and actually liked the Bugera better.

[rv_bass]

So I’m wondering if class D amps are better suited for guitar than bass, since guitars generally require less power for equal volume (if that’s the correct way to state it)?  Like Bill, I have the DCM200L & F-2B set up that I use for guitar and it’s plenty loud and warm (with the F-2B) for my needs.

[elwoodblue]

I use a Stewart Class D amp to follow the F-1X. There is plenty of overhead for bass.
BTW, it was the only amp in the rack that kept running on a hot day in the sun (all the mackies went thermal  ).


 In a youtube vid, Randall mentions his start modding fenders, he charged a dollar a
minute,most mods would take 6 or 7 minutes...so if he was going to make any money,
he'd have to build 'em from scratch.
  I have one of those early snakeskin Bass 130 heads, at one point it was in the San Francisco Goodwill Bin !!

I think my Stewart amp is 17lbs. , still way better for challenging stairways than the Sunn2000s.


+1 for good Class 'D'  amps.

[alembic76407]

my Class D amp, Carvin B1000 and two Phil Jones Bass C8 Cabinets

[bigredbass]

Correction:  The first 'Boogie' made for sale, and not a modded Fender:

http://www.mesaboogie.com/amplitudes/2013/September/the-first-mesa-the-bass-450-by-randall-smith.html

[mario_farufyno]

Class D are better suited for those who doesn't want to carry a ton each time need to go to a gig or rehearsal. Despite the I have love for my Carvin BX500,  there is nothing like a full tube driven amp (pre and power). Their compression and harmonic enhancement when pushed makes them unsurpass, but some need to compromise sometimes. I don't want to ruin my back and can't afford a roadie everytime.

The good news is that they finally learned how to make those class D amps efficient to reproduce low frequencies.

ps.: Have to mention that it had hard times in some poorly grounded venues. It stoped for a brief moment, like 10 seconds, but imagine how was geting mutted in a middle of a song for that lapse.

[edwin]

Been very happy with the sound and whomp I get with my Crest CA6 and have been thinking about getting a Crest ProLite amp for times when I want to use something more compact but this newer version of the D800 sure looks like a contender, too.

I love my ProLite 3.0, so I highly recommend it. I would just caution you about running bridged. I have a smoked K140 and Faital driver as evidence of its prodigious output. Oops.

[mavnet]

Love my little Demeter Minnie 800D - weighs nothing, pushes a lot of air quite cleanly. Using either F2B or a pedal version "F2B" from Bucharest to drive it, with a Cali76 Compact Deluxe between the bass and the preamp.

[StephenR]

I love my ProLite 3.0, so I highly recommend it. I would just caution you about running bridged. I have a smoked K140 and Faital driver as evidence of its prodigious output. Oops.

I thought you had a Peavey IPR that you were happy with? Didn't realize you had gotten a Crest.

I have never run a power amp in bridged mode and don't plan to start but thanks for the warning. The ProLite 3.0 has been looking good to me but I am reluctant to ditch my CA6. Sounds great and the low end is massive. Part of me would love to lose the extra weight and get something more portable but must admit I have a low regard for anything digital. To me digital = disposable at the point when the technology moves on or the device breaks and there are no longer parts available to fix it. I certainly would enjoy having a chance to give the ProLite a test run, though.

[sonofa_lembic]

Not a fan of class D amps.  I have owned a bunch of the small amps going back as far as my high power Walter Woods.  I have also owned the pinnacle of class D power amps like the Powersoft K2.  In every instance, the sound is shrill and edgy on the top end.  They also do not produce as solid a low end to my ear.  They tend to sound distorted to me.  I keep a 2000 watt Bugera Veyron in the car when I go to gigs as a backup, but it will never replace my A/B power amps for quality of tone and response.  I just started using a class H amp which is basically a version of an A/B amp, and it has been excellent.  One thing about switching amps is they are light weight like a class D, but because they have no massive transformer in them, they are more sensitive to power variations which can trigger the safety circuits.  I was on a gig recently where there was a drop in power through one of the outlets I was plugged in to.  That loss of steady power would trip the safety on the amp, and it would shut off for 10 seconds before starting up again.  The remedy was to plug into the next outlet, and I had no issues for the rest of the gig.  Prior to making this switch of outlets, I plugged in my Bugera Veyron, and it was unaffected by the drop in power.  I am not sure if it was a result of it being class D or if it was the fact that my A/B amp runs at 4600 watts.  The tiny class D amps are certainly back savers, and are quick and easy to set up on the job, but to really hear what my Alembic basses can do, I need an F2B or F1X with a very powerful A/B power amp. 
My inspiration of the day-Thank God For Senator Bob Corker's Honesty In Saying What Needed To Be Said.

[sonofa_lembic]

Been very happy with the sound and whomp I get with my Crest CA6 and have been thinking about getting a Crest ProLite amp for times when I want to use something more compact but this newer version of the D800 sure looks like a contender, too.

I love my ProLite 3.0, so I highly recommend it. I would just caution you about running bridged. I have a smoked K140 and Faital driver as evidence of its prodigious output. Oops.

I am surprised that you are having issues blowing drivers with bridged power.  I always run 4600 watts bridged, and am going in to two Genzler 12-3 Array cabinets which are rated at only 350 watts handling capacity.  Two years later, and about 500 gigs, I have had no issues whatsoever.  It is not the power that blows speakers, it is a distorted signal.  Most of the time, an amp runs at below 100 watts.  It can spike to higher wattage, but if you have a ton of headroom, when it does spike, the signal will be clean.  Having the amp bridged for higher wattage and thus headroom, is what will potentially save your speakers.  I regularly push those cabinets to the limit of what anyone can handle sonically, so I am not babying them by any means.  The long and short of it is more power, more headroom, fewer blown speakers.

[rv_bass]

So in general, do you suggest using an amp with more power than your speakers are rated for? For instance, I have a 12” guitar cab rated for 60w and the option on my amp to run either 60w or 100w.  Do you suggest setting the amp for 60w or 100w?  I have it on 60w now in an attempt to avoid damaging the speaker.  Thanks.

[lbpesq]

Rob, I don't think you would have a problem running the Carvin at 100w into your 60w cab.  A 100w D class amp isn't nearly as loud as a 100w A or A/B class tube amp.  OTOH, if it sounds good at the 60w setting, why mess with it?

Bill, tgo

[David Houck]

As a reminder, our board is a politics-free community.

[lbpesq]

Moder Dave,  huh???  Is there something political about class D vs. class A/B?

Bill, tgo