usapang POWER AMPS

[jm the mute]

i'm a noob when it comes to rack/pre-amp/power-amp setups...and I have a few questions (I tried gearpage...wala akong ma-gets...mashadong 1st world ang pagka-advance nila hehe)
1.) are there specific power amps for guitar amplification purposes?
2.) can all power amps be used with modellers like axe fx/ eleven rack..etc. etc.)
3.) can all power amps be used with any guitar speaker cabs?
4.) tubes or solidstate?

[royc]

1.) are there specific power amps for guitar amplification purposes?

Yes. Stereo power amps do not color or change the sound from the source and the guitar will sound sterile. Guitar amps are designed to color the sound from the guitar.

2.) can all power amps be used with modellers like axe fx/ eleven rack..etc. etc.)

Non-guitar power amps can and should be used with modellers that has speaker emulation.

3.) can all power amps be used with any guitar speaker cabs?

It has to match in terms of power and impedance. 

4.) tubes or solidstate?

Debate is similar to guitar tube amp vs solid state amps

[jm the mute]

1.) are there specific power amps for guitar amplification purposes?

Yes. Stereo power amps do not color or change the sound from the source and the guitar will sound sterile. Guitar amps are designed to color the sound from the guitar.

2.) can all power amps be used with modellers like axe fx/ eleven rack..etc. etc.)

Non-guitar power amps can and should be used with modellers that has speaker emulation.

3.) can all power amps be used with any guitar speaker cabs?

It has to match in terms of power and impedance. 

4.) tubes or solidstate?

Debate is similar to guitar tube amp vs solid state amps

nice. thanks. nakikita ko kasi ung mga naka-display na power amps sa audiophile, akala ko lahat yun pwede pang power amp sa guitar pre-amp.

[guitaricci]

I have a Fender Rumble 60 bass amp na may "Power Amp In" na input. Dun ko minsan kinakabit yung iphone interface ko kung minsan ayaw ko mag headphones. hehe

Guitar -> Line 6 Sonic Port In ->Positive Grid Bias (via iPhone) ->Line 6 Sonic Port Line Out ->  Bass Amp Power Amp In

 

[royc]

nice. thanks. nakikita ko kasi ung mga naka-display na power amps sa audiophile, akala ko lahat yun pwede pang power amp sa guitar pre-amp.

yes puede naman basta may amp + cab emulator

[24Fret]

Pwede ring powered speakers hanap ka lang ng maganda ang tunog.

[titser_marco]

Hmm, I've always thought that power amps are just that, power amps, and that a power amp section of a bass amp, guitar amp, or hifi system would all be FRFR designs. My thinking and understanding is that all the coloration happens in the preamp stage and the power section essentially just amplifies whatever signal is fed into it. Is this a misconception, i.e. Amp builders don't make their power sections FRFR (with the exception of hifi systems)?


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[royc]

Hmm, I've always thought that power amps are just that, power amps, and that a power amp section of a bass amp, guitar amp, or hifi system would all be FRFR designs. My thinking and understanding is that all the coloration happens in the preamp stage and the power section essentially just amplifies whatever signal is fed into it. Is this a misconception, i.e. Amp builders don't make their power sections FRFR (with the exception of hifi systems)?


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That is true for hifi amplifiers which are designed to reproduce the sound, not create the tone. With tube amps, guitarists discovered that increasing the volume of the power amp section causes tube distortion (other components in that section contributes to the distorted tone aside from the power tubes) that are pleasing to the ears. This is the reason why the clean channel of a solid state guitar amp stays clean even if you max the gain, and there is a separate channel that emulates a distorted tube power amp section with an overdriven sound even at low gain.

Guitar amps CREATE the tone, so both the preamp and power amp sections have knobs to color the tone (even its speaker is not FRFR and is designed to breakup and add to the tone). Hifi amps and speakers REPRODUCE the tone as accurately as possible, that is why they are designed to be full range flat response. Distortion of a solid state guitar amp generally happens at the preamp stage.

[titser_marco]

Yes, your point about power amps coloring the tone is correct, but I am not too certain whether that kind of coloration is built into the design of the power amp. After all, that coloration already happens beyond the linear operating region of the amp and in a way, it doesn't exactly apply. Additionally, it may be the same case for Hi Fi tube power amps when driven beyond their ideal operating range/ Arguably, amp designers may have deliberately designed guitar power amp sections to distort more easily / distort a certain way after guitar players started looking for OD'd power sections.

I guess my real Q is that in the linear operating region of power amps -- HiFi, guitar, etc -- is whether FRFR performance is seen in the aforementioned power sections. I ask this in the context of someone who owns a POD XT and looking to plug into the power section of an old rackmount bass amp to drive FRFR speakers. I asked Raul Q the exact same question and he responded that yes, the bass amp's power section is flat. I'm no engineer, so I deferred to him on that point. Willing to hear alternative explanations, as I'm not exactly the most well-versed person on this.

That is true for hifi amplifiers which are designed to reproduce the sound, not create the tone. With tube amps, guitarists discovered that increasing the volume of the power amp section causes tube distortion (other components in that section contributes to the distorted tone aside from the power tubes) that are pleasing to the ears. This is the reason why the clean channel of a solid state guitar amp stays clean even if you max the gain, and there is a separate channel that emulates a distorted tube power amp section with an overdriven sound even at low gain.

Guitar amps CREATE the tone, so both the preamp and power amp sections have knobs to color the tone (even its speaker is not FRFR and is designed to breakup and add to the tone). Hifi amps and speakers REPRODUCE the tone as accurately as possible, that is why they are designed to be full range flat response. Distortion of a solid state guitar amp generally happens at the preamp stage.

[royc]

I read somewhere that you can use a bass amp for an acoustic so it could be flat.