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Help me choose a compact pro amp for under $1,000

post #1 of 24
7/29/10 at 5:23pm
Thread Starter 
I'm interested in some pro amps choices that are lightweight, compact, as quite as posible (low fan noise), efficient, reliable, be in the 3,000-4,000watt range and most important, cannot go over $1,000. I will also consider used ones in very good shape. This amp will be used to power a just acquired Audiopulse LMS Ultra 15" driver that will go in a 7cf box w/18" PR's, tuned to 16hz and a low pass filter used at 15hz or so with Rane PE17 eq.

These are amps I like so far, QSC PLX 3402/3602. Ricci also mentioned to me Yamaha P7000S and Crown XS1200. What else should I consider? Thanks.
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post #2 of 24
7/29/10 at 5:45pm
Thread Starter 
By the way, I'm also considering Funky Waves new, soon to be tested 2,400watts rms (4,000watts peak) big plate amp, if they decide to sell it. That is supposed to be around $750 or so. I would like a big plate amp if posible. Why? it's practical, no fan noise and no space taken in my limited shelf space.
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post #3 of 24
7/29/10 at 5:53pm
The Yamahas are supposed to be real quiet. Supposedly the fan rarely if ever comes on.
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post #4 of 24
7/30/10 at 12:25pm
I picked up a pair of Face Audio F1200 recently and the fan noise is not that bad. They are very good looking amps and used they can be picked up for cheap. My pair came to about $430 each shipped so I took the plunge.

I have a pair of LMS 18" on the way so I am going to test the F1200 against my PLX3402 in the next couple of weeks so I will let you know how it goes. I did do the fan mod on my PLX3402 so I assume it is probably quieter that the F1200. To be honest I like the Face F700 better than my PLX2502 so that is why I took the chance on the F1200.

Personally I have no problem recommending the PLX3402 as it has served me extremely well for about 3 years now. It replaced a Crown K2 which was good but the 3402 had more punch to it. If I needed an ultra quiet amp I would have no problem using a K2 though.
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post #5 of 24
7/30/10 at 12:47pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by mjaudio View Post

I picked up a pair of Face Audio F1200 recently and the fan noise is not that bad. They are very good looking amps and used they can be picked up for cheap. My pair came to about $430 each shipped so I took the plunge.

I have a pair of LMS 18" on the way so I am going to test the F1200 against my PLX3402 in the next couple of weeks so I will let you know how it goes. I did do the fan mod on my PLX3402 so I assume it is probably quieter that the F1200. To be honest I like the Face F700 better than my PLX2502 so that is why I took the chance on the F1200.

Personally I have no problem recommending the PLX3402 as it has served me extremely well for about 3 years now. It replaced a Crown K2 which was good but the 3402 had more punch to it. If I needed an ultra quiet amp I would have no problem using a K2 though.

mj/ what city are you in?
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post #6 of 24
7/30/10 at 1:32pm
audiolines has quite a large collection of amps, some used (rentals), some scratch and dent, many new in box.

http://www.audiolines.com/Pro-Audio/...essional-Amps/

you might want to poke around there a bit. the qsc's that you mention would likely be my pick at your pricepoint. they appear to pretty much meet spec and i can't recall anybody complaining about them. the 2402 is an older version, and like all older versions, it suffers from "upgrade depreciation". a little under your power point, but you may be able to find one for a song. audiolines has the 2502, which is also just under your power point for just over your pricepoint.
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post #7 of 24
7/30/10 at 1:52pm
How about the Marathon MA-5050? Bosso seams to really like these amps and after a quick google search the price seems right.

http://www.compuplus.com/Audio/MARAT...s-1034104.html

I have never dealt with compuplus personally but on google they have a 4.4 out of 5 star rating from over 10,000 responses.

I saw someone mention this seller before as well:

http://www.karaokeequipment.com/mara...fier.html?base

For me there price is higher because of the shipping, I don't know about you.

The specs on this amp look great and with Bosso's endorsement it should be a good amp.
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post #8 of 24
7/30/10 at 2:30pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by mjaudio View Post

How about the Marathon MA-5050? Bosso seams to really like these amps and after a quick google search the price seems right.

http://www.compuplus.com/Audio/MARAT...s-1034104.html

I have never dealt with compuplus personally but on google they have a 4.4 out of 5 star rating from over 10,000 responses.

I saw someone mention this seller before as well:

http://www.karaokeequipment.com/mara...fier.html?base

For me there price is higher because of the shipping, I don't know about you.

The specs on this amp look great and with Bosso's endorsement it should be a good amp.

I continue to like this amp.

Twice, I've popped a fuse by pushing a sine wave at 6Hz to find it's limits. I pop in a new fuse, everything works as advertised.

I have them on a 20A dedicated line each and have no negative experiences to report.

The fans are the quietest vs the American Audio, Crown and QSC amps in the rack.

The only gripe I have is that it has TWO Mercedes headlights (super-bright blue LEDs) to indicate the amp is on.

Otherwise, it looks good in the rack, is relatively quiet, has great features and protection devices that work well and response to 5Hz at a great price.

What's not to like?

Bosso
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post #9 of 24
7/30/10 at 3:15pm
Now bosso has me thinking of trying one out my-self. Were do you pick up your amps from bosso so we know who is reliable?
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post #10 of 24
7/30/10 at 3:26pm
bosso, i seem to recall comments about you torching your amps or having several "failures" or however it was characterized. was it all just blown fuses that you could replace and get back up and running?

also, can you unhook the wire from the ciruit board to the lights that are driving you crazy or are they soldered in there? could an inline resistor be a diy fix for this relatively minor nuissance? or how about a full blown dimmer switch for the headlights? lol.
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post #11 of 24
7/30/10 at 3:29pm
What works really well is a little dab of black paint. It will really mute the light output, and leave a little halo of blue instead. It will not completely stop the light unless you do a few coats.

It's been what I've done for years.
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post #12 of 24
7/30/10 at 3:29pm
ma-5050...eight bills through amazon, though out of stock at the moment.
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post #13 of 24
7/30/10 at 3:32pm
"What works really well is a little dab of black paint. "

clever.
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post #14 of 24
7/30/10 at 3:39pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by LTD02 View Post

bosso, i seem to recall comments about you torching your amps or having several "failures" or however it was characterized. was it all just blown fuses that you could replace and get back up and running?

also, can you unhook the wire from the ciruit board to the lights that are driving you crazy or are they soldered in there? could an inline resistor be a diy fix for this relatively minor nuissance? or how about a full blown dimmer switch for the headlights? lol.

IIRC, that was the American Audio 5001 that he liked at first but then had issues with and not the Marathon 5050.

I would try out that dab of black paint. I don't have any annoying LED's yet, myself.
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post #15 of 24
7/30/10 at 3:49pm
i thought the problem with the aa was the fans that sounded like jet engines, but you may be right...bosso?
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post #16 of 24
7/30/10 at 4:42pm
I picked up my MA-5050 the below location (645.00). It was here the next day and I have no complaints. I will be honest in that I have never pushed mine like bosso has his, mine just cruises on by.

http://www.karaokeequipment.com/mara...amplifier.html

James
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post #17 of 24
7/30/10 at 4:56pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by LTD02 View Post

bosso, i seem to recall comments about you torching your amps or having several "failures" or however it was characterized. was it all just blown fuses that you could replace and get back up and running?

also, can you unhook the wire from the ciruit board to the lights that are driving you crazy or are they soldered in there? could an inline resistor be a diy fix for this relatively minor nuissance? or how about a full blown dimmer switch for the headlights? lol.

That was the American Audio V5001 fiasco. I sent it to Chas who cooked it, sent it back for repair, cooked it a second time, sent it back for repair and had it sent to me where it arrived damaged. I received a new one and WOTW cooked it.

Serious PITA. There is obviously a protection circuit that fails and they refuse to acknowledge it.

No such problems with the MA5050.

Bosso
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post #18 of 24
7/30/10 at 4:58pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by exojam View Post

I picked up my MA-5050 the below location (645.00). It was here the next day and I have no complaints. I will be honest in that I have never pushed mine like bosso has his, mine just cruises on by.

http://www.karaokeequipment.com/mara...amplifier.html

James

That is the link I have been looking for. That is a pretty good $$$/Watt price!!
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post #19 of 24
7/30/10 at 5:01pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by exojam View Post

I picked up my MA-5050 the below location (645.00). It was here the next day and I have no complaints. I will be honest in that I have never pushed mine like bosso has his, mine just cruises on by.

http://www.karaokeequipment.com/mara...amplifier.html

James

Yes, this is the best vendor as far as I know. A good friend of mine went to the recent show in Vegas and spoke to the owner on my behalf. He said the amps were temporarily out of stock because the latest shipment was held up for upgraded components.

I have no idea what that means in reality, but they appear to be available again through Karaoke Equipment at a near-dealer price.

Bosso
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post #20 of 24
7/30/10 at 5:33pm
"That was the American Audio V5001 fiasco. I sent it to Chas who cooked it, sent it back for repair, cooked it a second time, sent it back for repair and had it sent to me where it arrived damaged. I received a new one and WOTW cooked it."

that is both kind of funny and sad at the same time. sorry that you went through it all.

so the ma-5050 is solid? their site seems kind of shady like maybe some foreign guys looking to dump product, but if you say they are solid, that's good enough for me.
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post #21 of 24
7/30/10 at 5:34pm
nice pull exojam!
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post #22 of 24
7/30/10 at 5:57pm
Thread Starter 
Thanks guys for all your feedback. I now find myself with plenty of options for sure, which I guess is a good thing. I've been doing some more research on the amps models mentioned here and so far, these two models are drawing my attention more than the others;

1. The Marathon MA-5050 looks to be a great amp, specially considering its price. I need a unit a bit smaller, but I did found the Marathon MA-4040. It has big power, 4,000watts (enough for my needs), is a little smaller and has a very good price. From Bosso's comment, it seems to be performing very well with no issues found so far.

2. Yamaha P7000S amp. Not as powerful, but still very strong at 3,200watts. Very compact/lightweight and also a good price, all pluses. From some of the comments I've read, it's a very reliable amp and runs great (the cooling fan hardly kicks in).
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post #23 of 24
7/31/10 at 2:09pm
What I like to do for annoying lights is just a small strip of black electrical tape.
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post #24 of 24
7/31/10 at 3:29pm
Thread Starter 
Ricci, good tip.

I found another amp, QSC PL340, well under a grand used. It's compact, black color (to match my av gear) and powerful at 4,000watts. Also, the big Funky Waves plate amp has been getting tested and its numbers are looking promising.
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