mixdown Posted January 24, 2019 Posted January 24, 2019 Hi all Looking for some collective wisdom from those who might have used a pro audio power amp (e.g. Crown, Phonic, etc) in a hi-fi system. I have one sitting in the garage that used to power the foldbacks for my band. 500wpc at VERY low THD and with 2 monster toroidal transformers..........
t_mike Posted January 24, 2019 Posted January 24, 2019 There is no reason why it wouldn't work well, some SNA members use pro amps. Try it and see how it sounds, that's the real proof.
colinm1 Posted January 24, 2019 Posted January 24, 2019 some can be quite hard sounding there made for a specific purpose and sound quality is quite low on the list but worth a try id love to try a 2mc or a quested power amp
anewmission Posted January 24, 2019 Posted January 24, 2019 I use pro power amps, yamahas and brystons sound great. Same with hafler and crown. If they dont sound musical with speakers you could definitely use them for passive subs which would be amazing with that much power. If you use a pro power amp for subs make sure you have something to do frequency cut offs like an equalizer or minidsp
tubularbells Posted January 24, 2019 Posted January 24, 2019 (edited) 49 minutes ago, Pops110 said: @Tubularbells. Runs some I believe. After running a plethora of high end amps (both tube & solid state) i've settled on some 1990's vintage studio amps (Ashly), one for each channel and seriously couldn't be happier. Cheap as chips as pro audio guys no longer want them cos' there too heavy and audiophiles don't know of their existence (yet). Some say pro audio gear was build for survival rather than sound quality but not these. My FET2001 Series 3 were the last of a dying breed where sound quality mattered as much as longevity. Massively overly built and super easily accessible for servicing (none of this remove 100 screws to replace 1 cap crap) these are IMO giant killers. Have a chat with the Ashly guru @knight2001dts and he'll set you straight. Edited January 24, 2019 by Tubularbells 4
anewmission Posted January 24, 2019 Posted January 24, 2019 After running a plethora of high end amps (both tube & solid state) i've settled on some 1990's vintage studio amps (Ashly), one for each channel and seriously couldn't be happier. Cheap as chips as pro audio guys no longer want them cos' there too heavy and audiophiles don't know of their existence (yet). Some say pro audio gear was build for survival rather than sound quality but not these. My FET2001 Series 3 were the last of a dying breed where sound quality mattered as much as longevity. Massively overly built and super easily accessible for servicing (none of this remove 100 screws to replace 1 cap crap) these are IMO giant killers. Have a chat with the Ashly guru [mention=141054]knight2001dts[/mention] and he'll set you straight. These rarely come up in australia. Did you get them here or posted from the US?
tubularbells Posted January 24, 2019 Posted January 24, 2019 Got them from the US with each amp costing under $500. Shippings a killer though due to their weight but still good vale when you see/hear what's on offer. @knight2001dts owns dozens of Ashly's and has done for many years so that's where I heard them first.
mixdown Posted January 24, 2019 Author Posted January 24, 2019 Would I be right in saying that the pre-amp has more effect on sound quality than the power amp?
andyr Posted January 24, 2019 Posted January 24, 2019 24 minutes ago, mixdown said: Would I be right in saying that the pre-amp has more effect on sound quality than the power amp? No! Andy
anewmission Posted January 24, 2019 Posted January 24, 2019 Would I be right in saying that the pre-amp has more effect on sound quality than the power amp?People will say different things. I personally like to find a power/pro amp that i really like and either go straight in with a dac/recording interface/console or use a passive ldr preamp if i need more inputs. Even just a non powered rca/xlr switch. I dont like to colour my music. The closest it sounds to what it would have in the studio it was recorded in is what i am after. Sometimes i even use yamaha ns10m monitors because theres about a 80% chance thats what they would have used in the studio if the music was recorded after 1977. 1
anewmission Posted January 24, 2019 Posted January 24, 2019 Got them from the US with each amp costing under $500. Shippings a killer though due to their weight but still good vale when you see/hear what's on offer. [mention=141054]knight2001dts[/mention] owns dozens of Ashly's and has done for many years so that's where I heard them first.I did some research last night ans noticed how similar the internals of this amp are to yamaha pc2002m and the p2200. Which are usually between 1k aud and 2k aud.Which is interesting becausw i love those amps. What transformers are you using? I noticed your model is not switchable from 110v to 230v
knight2001dts Posted January 24, 2019 Posted January 24, 2019 (edited) Hi! thought I would chime in since @Tubularbells mentioned my addiction for these amps in an earlier post That’s one of the good things about these amps - they are easily converted from 120 -> 240v just by moving some spade connectors for the transformer windings around on the internal terminal strip. Even the original 120v fan can run on half the winding..... I have a mixture of the old-school FET series amps which used the 2SJ50 and 2SK135 combo for the output stage.... which comes with the bonus of a negative temperature co-efficient meaning that as they warm up, they won’t thermally run-away - the complete opposite occurs! It is a kind of self-protect (which is why these particular amps didn’t blow output stages often). The later ashly’s use different output devices and also had some protection circuits added, so became a little more complex in design. I have been running my original FET-2000m amps since 1993 without issue - only ever having to use some contact cleaner on the input attention pots and replacing a fan or two. I am going to be re-capping them soon too - caps at the ready!! Great amps for the $ and buckets of power from the massive transformer and cap (2x15000uF) combination...... cheers! Edited January 24, 2019 by knight2001dts Typos on stupid phone 1
anewmission Posted January 24, 2019 Posted January 24, 2019 Hi! thought I would chime in since [mention=122789]Tubularbells[/mention] mentioned my addiction for these amps in an earlier post [emoji14] That’s one of the good things about these amps - they are easily converted from 120 -> 240v just by moving some spade connectors for the transformer windings around on the internal terminal strip. Even the original 120v fan can run on half the winding..... I have a mixture of the old-school FET series amps which used the 2SJ50 and 2SK135 combo for the output stage.... which comes with the bonus of a negative temperature co-efficient meaning that as they warm up, they won’t thermally run-away - the complete opposite occurs! It is a kind of self-protect (which is why these particular amps didn’t blow output stages often). The later ashly’s use different output devices and also had some protection circuits added, so became a little more complex in design. I have been running my original FET-2000m amps since 1993 without issue - only ever having to use some contact cleaner on the input attention pots and replacing a fan or two. I am going to be re-capping them soon too - caps at the ready!! Great amps for the $ and buckets of power from the massive transformer and cap (2x15000uF) combination...... cheers!Wherw abouts in australia are you? Im considering buying a few
knight2001dts Posted January 24, 2019 Posted January 24, 2019 I’m in Melbourne..... if you’re considering buying some to try, you are probably better to try and get your hands on something like the later FTX series amps as parts are easier to find if needed (especially output devices). They show up quite frequently on EBay and some of the pro-audio marketplace sites in the USA... shipping is again the real killer and can often be more than double what you pay for the amp itself. Don’t fuss too much about physical condition as they can be sprayed up easily and also will probably get a bit bent when shipped. As long as it is all there, and working - maybe ask for a photo or two with the lid off to see if the output devices are all original and not aftermarket subs. cheers!
anewmission Posted January 25, 2019 Posted January 25, 2019 I’m in Melbourne..... if you’re considering buying some to try, you are probably better to try and get your hands on something like the later FTX series amps as parts are easier to find if needed (especially output devices). They show up quite frequently on EBay and some of the pro-audio marketplace sites in the USA... shipping is again the real killer and can often be more than double what you pay for the amp itself. Don’t fuss too much about physical condition as they can be sprayed up easily and also will probably get a bit bent when shipped. As long as it is all there, and working - maybe ask for a photo or two with the lid off to see if the output devices are all original and not aftermarket subs. cheers!Just out of curiosity have you ever heard a yamaha p2200 or pc2002m? If so how would you compare the ftx series?There is a guy with 4 series iii amps on ebay usa.Led vu metres definitely dont look as nice as analogue ones. But still having any vu metres is better than none.
knight2001dts Posted January 25, 2019 Posted January 25, 2019 Sorry I haven’t heard the Yamaha’s you mention, but AFAIK they are transistor output stages? The difference in audio between a MOSFET output stage and a transistor output stage is quite significant.... To my ears at least, the MOSFET output stage has a more valve like sound where a transistor output stage has a much brighter (and when using my jbl horns) and harsher top end. Probably best to have a listen to a mosfet amp first to see if it is the sound you’re after? cheers
anewmission Posted January 25, 2019 Posted January 25, 2019 Sorry I haven’t heard the Yamaha’s you mention, but AFAIK they are transistor output stages? The difference in audio between a MOSFET output stage and a transistor output stage is quite significant.... To my ears at least, the MOSFET output stage has a more valve like sound where a transistor output stage has a much brighter (and when using my jbl horns) and harsher top end. Probably best to have a listen to a mosfet amp first to see if it is the sound you’re after? cheersYeh the yamahas have amazing mids. I like to listen to rock sometimes and it really makes distorted guitars sound chunky and how they should be. Just like mesa boogie guitar amps, its all about the mids with heavy rock.I do see the ashlys are 0.1%thd and the yammies 0.05%. Whether there is actually much of a difference in hearing this im not sure.You should also check out either the p2200 or pc2002m. Id be interested to hear what you think considering both the yammies and ashlys are used in studios.If the ashlys werent so ugly i would have ordered them allready haha. I wonder how difficult it would be to replace the front plate with some noce big vu meters
knight2001dts Posted January 25, 2019 Posted January 25, 2019 I quite like the VU meters on the Ashly but that’s just me There isn’t a lot of space behind the front plate to put meters as the modules run nearly full length and in front of the transformer is about the only space left. You would have to have the panel laser cut to put meters in but you could possibly get away with some smaller ones. I see that one of those 4 FTX sIII amps has now sold - did you take the plunge? They have been sitting there for a while - the shipping on those is extremely high. cheers!
anewmission Posted January 26, 2019 Posted January 26, 2019 I quite like the VU meters on the Ashly but that’s just me [emoji4] There isn’t a lot of space behind the front plate to put meters as the modules run nearly full length and in front of the transformer is about the only space left. You would have to have the panel laser cut to put meters in but you could possibly get away with some smaller ones. I see that one of those 4 FTX sIII amps has now sold - did you take the plunge? They have been sitting there for a while - the shipping on those is extremely high. cheers!No i havent jumped on one yet. The seller would not give me a definitive answer on shipping prices. There are a few for sale in japan also. I wonder if the shipping from japan would be any cheaper. These amps seem to come up alot in multiple units. I guess they are being used in concert halls and cinemas
A9X Posted January 29, 2019 Posted January 29, 2019 I've run a lot of pro amps for years, mainly Yamahas as they powered my PA for years and I never broke one. I use Quest QA4004 for the subs, a QA3004, Samson 3200, Yamaha P2500S, P3500, P2350 powering the surrounds (all speakers active) and the mains use a pair of P7000S to drive the 4 15" drivers, 1ch/driver. These only run below 300Hz though.
Zaphod Beeblebrox Posted January 29, 2019 Posted January 29, 2019 On 25/01/2019 at 8:09 AM, mixdown said: Would I be right in saying that the pre-amp has more effect on sound quality than the power amp? Nope. It's far more complex than that. It depends on speakers, power amps and preamps. Speaker choice, in particular, will affect amplifier choice significantly. 1
JD1 Posted January 30, 2019 Posted January 30, 2019 Hi I have a Yamaha pro amp that's a 1000 watts a side. It's a PX 10 about 12 months old and in as new condition. I will be putting it in the classifieds shortly.
anewmission Posted February 3, 2019 Posted February 3, 2019 I quite like the VU meters on the Ashly but that’s just me [emoji4] There isn’t a lot of space behind the front plate to put meters as the modules run nearly full length and in front of the transformer is about the only space left. You would have to have the panel laser cut to put meters in but you could possibly get away with some smaller ones. I see that one of those 4 FTX sIII amps has now sold - did you take the plunge? They have been sitting there for a while - the shipping on those is extremely high. cheers!Still looking for a pair of the ftx series. I should have jumped on the ones on ebay but i couldnt buy with out knowing how much i would be paying for postage.Just wondering what you think of quad 405s? As they were used alot in studios also
goldhenry Posted February 3, 2019 Posted February 3, 2019 I’m not sure if this will be of interest- https://lenwallisaudio.com/products/secondhand/v2-2000-professional-power-amplifier/ Not too pretty and it says it is light weight for portability Also $900 but perhaps ONO
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