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Need a pro-audio amp recommendation for my mains!

1254 Views 15 Replies 9 Participants Last post by mawst95, Jan 6, 2006

mawst95

Discussion Starter · Dec 19, 2005

I am looking for some extra 2-channel power for my Energy C-9's and I happen to fall into the "watt-is-a-watt" camp with a temporary membership to the "Can't afford a regular amp" camp.

Yes. I know this has been discussed a lot and I spent about 8 hours scouring through threads last night on the subject. Currently I have a QSC RMX 1450 bridged powering my DIY Image Dynamics sub and I'm pretty happy with it. Modded with a new fan and it works well very quietly.

What I want now though is to give my C9's their own power source and leave my 54TX for surround duties. The C9's are 8ohm and about 90db efficient, so I don't think this will be a big load for any pro amp. My rmx is working 4ohm bridged right now and I haven't seen it flinch. I would be perfectly happy getting another rmx 1450, but I was wondering if any of the other options out there might give me more power at a lower price point, particularly since my mains won't be a difficult load.

I was wondering if something like the berringher EP2500 would provide more power for the same price.

Other options I've been considering....

Mackie m1400i

Tapco J1400

Carvin HD1800

Do I definitely want A/B power for mains? Is ~400+W from the EP2500 better than ~250W from the QSC? If I'm not driving an extreme load, will the transformer size differences matter? I do want something I can mod to make quieter without worrying that the amp will fry under an 8ohm load if the fan is pushing less air.

Thanks for any advice or recommendations.

Matt

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jvgillow

· #2 · Dec 19, 2005

Well first of all if you are driving a pro amp with a 8 ohm load it's probably cruising along without breaking a sweat at all... most of them are designed for loads down to 2 ohms.

Since you already own a QSC amp why not disconnect it from your subwoofer and try it out with your main speakers? I did that a little while ago with my 1450 to see if there was any improvement from my Pioneer 1015 in stereo mode... I actually ended up liking the Pioneer sound a little more at regular volumes. I think I would still benefit from running a separate amp on my front speakers in 7.1 mode.

mawst95

Discussion Starter · #3 · Dec 19, 2005

Quote:

Originally Posted by jvgillow
Well first of all if you are driving a pro amp with a 8 ohm load it's probably cruising along without breaking a sweat at all... most of them are designed for loads down to 2 ohms.

Since you already own a QSC amp why not disconnect it from your subwoofer and try it out with your main speakers? I did that a little while ago with my 1450 to see if there was any improvement from my Pioneer 1015 in stereo mode... I actually ended up liking the Pioneer sound a little more at regular volumes. I think I would still benefit from running a separate amp on my front speakers in 7.1 mode.

I've been meaning to make a second RCA-to-1/4 input to try it out but I haven't had time yet. I also figured that the boost from 100W to 200W from the Pio to the 1450 might not be as earthshattering or revealing as going from the Pio to an EP2500 or the Tapco J2500 or something that is 300W+ x 2 @ 8ohm. I want at least 2.5x the Pio's spec'd power rating to make it worth it. 300+ watts from the tapco or berrihnger for

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thylantyr

· #4 · Dec 19, 2005

Stick with QSC RMX series.

jvgillow

· #5 · Dec 19, 2005

The 1450 is 280w x 2 @ 8 ohms. If that doesn't give you enough power then you must have one huge room.

mawst95

Discussion Starter · #6 · Dec 20, 2005

Quote:

Originally Posted by jvgillow
The 1450 is 280w x 2 @ 8 ohms. If that doesn't give you enough power then you must have one huge room.

16 X 22 X 9'

SteveCallas

· #7 · Dec 20, 2005

If you are already comfortable with the QSC 1450, I would probably go with another one.

Quote:

but I was wondering if any of the other options out there might give me more power at a lower price point

With this said though, the Carvin hd1800 is the best option. 350 x 2 at 8ohm - it was on sale for $279 over the summer, and if you bring it up, they may still honor it.

jaysoffian

· #8 · Dec 20, 2005

I just ordered the Behringer A500 from PE. They've got a 45-day return policy. I figured I'd try it out. I looked on eBay for a bit for a used QSC or Crown. There were a few options but they were either older amps (Power 3 series e.g.) or more than I wanted to spend. Shipping is also kinda expensive on these things due to their weight. PE includes the shipping. Probably the best option is to be patient and wait for something to show up on Craig's list.

This is to replace a 300 watt BASH that powered my 10" subs and got taken out by lightning. The subs are 4 ohm each and I haven't decided yet whether to run the amp bridged with the speakers in serial or to run each on its own channel. I don't think the A500 bridges at 4 ohm, only 8.

Anyway, I couldn't really find any reviews one way or the other on the A500 so I figured I'd give it a shot. It has unbalanced RCA inputs in addition to the balanced ones so that's a small but nice feature.

Question for folks using pro amps - do you power them off when you're done with your system or leave them on? Do they typically have a standby mode? The manuals don't indicate it one way or the other (which probably means they don't).

j.

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jvgillow

· #9 · Dec 20, 2005

I always turn off my QSC amp. It draws about 0.5A at idle so I'd rather conserve the electricity. Also I don't want my sub to pop loudly when my BFD gets powered on with the rest of the main system. I don't think I've seen a pro amp with 12V trigger inputs so you can't have them turn on automatically when your receiver is powered on.

I'd be interested to hear what you think of the Behringer A500, j. The couple reviews I found here and on the web said the capacitance was lower than it should be so you might find that it runs out of juice with your subs. Either way, you've got yourself covered with the return guarantee like you said.

cneely8

· #10 · Dec 22, 2005

>I don't think I've seen a pro amp with 12V trigger inputs so you can't have them turn on automatically when your receiver is powered on.

SteveCallas

· #11 · Dec 22, 2005

I'm gonna guess it's 15 and not 20amp capable though?

DBryant

· #12 · Dec 22, 2005

I use the same thing and they are 20amp rated. They are made for a shop light and shop vac-which can draw some power on their own. These current sensing outlets work great for powering on amps.

fsrenduro

· #13 · Dec 22, 2005

I tried one of those Sears auto switches and couldn't get my receiver to trigger my amps. Since it is made for shop use I think it's expecting to see a higher draw on startup.

I went with an autoswitching power strip from here:

http://www.bitsltd.net/SmartStrip/buy.htm

The cool thing about these is that the have a sensitivity dial so you can adjust it to work with any draw, and they're pretty cheap.

Looks like they're rated for 15 amps.

DBryant

· #14 · Dec 22, 2005

Maybe they changed them? Mine came from sears, works with my HK-430 and is rated for 20 amps...

TJEli

· #15 · Dec 22, 2005

I use X-10 appliance outlets. They are x-10 remote controled and I have them programmed into my Sony 3200 universal. I have turn on marcos for my sub equipment so it doesnt pop.

The Behringer EP 1500 and 2500 are nearly identical copies of QSC RMX amps.

-Eli

mawst95

Discussion Starter · #16 · Jan 6, 2006

Update: picked up a Carvin DCM2500 for a little over $400. Missed out on a RMX2450 for a bit more, but I'm interested in seeing what the Carvin can do....

500 x 2 @ 8ohm.

I might put the 1450 on my mains, and bridge the carvin for 2500W on my sub....

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