Did you ever wonder why pro amps are thin little rack mount devices and home audio amps are big heavy monsters with half the power? The main reason is that home audio amps have huge transformers, big or many capacitors, and the power supply to effortlessly manage huge power demands. A 200 wpc amp like a Parasound A21, will have a much better impact than the thin strip amps claiming huge amounts of power. Pro amps are for PA systems.
Ideas For A Beefy Solid State Amp For Subwoofer Duties
Hey,
I'm trying some different things with my system and having another dabble with DSP for LF, basically a revamp of a failed 'Swarm' experiment.
I have 4 subs where I've pulled the plate amps and I want to drive each from either a pair of stereo amps or 4 monoblocks.
Two of the drivers are high excursion 15" drivers and two are 12" diameter. The 15" were driven by older 400w plate amps and the two 12" have newer Dayton-Audio 500w plate amps. I don't want to retain any of the plate amps (longer story).
I'd like to budget around $1500 - $2000 max for the amps for all 4 subs, and would likely purchase used.
I've looked at a few pro amps including the Crown XLS2502 2 Channel which puts out a healthy 775w / 4 ohms and actually has a reputation for very good sound quality. Two of those come in under budget.
Then I've looked at a couple options from Bel Canto, but they come in above budget at the power level required.
The original NuForce 9's can be had for under a grand a pair, but they're less than optimal in terms of power. Obviously the common thread here is finding amps with a high damping factor.
Any suggestions?
Thoughts on pro audio gear for this type of application?
Is Class D the way to go?
Main speakers are Dunlavy III driven by Thor 60w tube monos.
Cheers
Rooze
I'm trying some different things with my system and having another dabble with DSP for LF, basically a revamp of a failed 'Swarm' experiment.
I have 4 subs where I've pulled the plate amps and I want to drive each from either a pair of stereo amps or 4 monoblocks.
Two of the drivers are high excursion 15" drivers and two are 12" diameter. The 15" were driven by older 400w plate amps and the two 12" have newer Dayton-Audio 500w plate amps. I don't want to retain any of the plate amps (longer story).
I'd like to budget around $1500 - $2000 max for the amps for all 4 subs, and would likely purchase used.
I've looked at a few pro amps including the Crown XLS2502 2 Channel which puts out a healthy 775w / 4 ohms and actually has a reputation for very good sound quality. Two of those come in under budget.
Then I've looked at a couple options from Bel Canto, but they come in above budget at the power level required.
The original NuForce 9's can be had for under a grand a pair, but they're less than optimal in terms of power. Obviously the common thread here is finding amps with a high damping factor.
Any suggestions?
Thoughts on pro audio gear for this type of application?
Is Class D the way to go?
Main speakers are Dunlavy III driven by Thor 60w tube monos.
Cheers
Rooze
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- 17 posts total
The go-to amp for this application is the Dayton SA1000. It has all the power, with EQ, level, filters, boost, and phase adjustments that make it pretty much the perfect sub amp. Very affordable at Parts Express, great support and customer service too. I have 2 of them for 4 subs, but one would do just fine. You do not need 2 for stereo, that is a myth, there is no stereo. Simply wire the subs in series or parallel to achieve the total impedance load you want for the amp. Depending on your sub impedance you might want to use 2 amps, but it simply is not necessary otherwise. In any case you can get 2 of them brand new for well within budget. Totally the way to go. |
why not get 4 subwoofer plate amps and build small enclosures? parts express has a 500w amp for 325 https://www.parts-express.com/Dayton-Audio-SPA500-500W-Subwoofer-Plate-Amplifier-300-807?gclid=EAIaI... |
Or do this one:
Parasound NewClassic 2250 v.2 Two Channel Power Amplifier-Audio Advisor I have one and it is a great sounding amplifier and it is on sale for $999. It is a stereo amplifier so get two of them so each channel drives one sub. It puts out healthy power at lower impedances, but do verify it meets your power needs. |
Interesting comments. @russ69 it’s been on my mind, the point you make about lightweight amps with lots of watts, versus heavy hitters weighing 100lbs that deliver a lot less power, at least on paper:) I suppose SMPS help in this regard, but yes... point taken. @millercarbon I’ve been messing around with powered subs and plate amps and I want to try a different approach. In theory, once all the hardware and cabling is in place, the room measured and DSP working, I should be able to pull out one amp and replace it with another, with only basic software tweaks to the DSP. Then I can see how one amp compares to the next and which sounds better. Look at it a different way - roughly speaking, we slice up the sound of our systems into 3 fairly equal portions - high frequency, midrange and bass. When looking at the attention to detail and the money we spend on powering the HF and Mids, it seems crazy handing over bass duties to a crappy little plate amp mass-produced in China and sold here for a few hundred bucks. I know, you can pick many holes in my logic, but for me it makes sense...and... it’s another project and more stuff! I have all the hardware other than the amps, so I’m almost ready to rock and roll. @spatialking thanks, I’ll check those out. Rooze |
- 17 posts total