ART SLA amps bridged - Am I imagining a quaility difference?

J

joegold

Fractal Fanatic
Hi

I've been using an SLA 1 in bridged mono mode for several months now with my Ultra and have been, for the most part, quite satisfied with the tones I'm getting. I'm driving a single EVM-12L in an open backed Pearce cabinet.

For one reason or another I was tinkering today and hooked up the SLA1 in stereo mode using just Channel 1 in mono.
At similar sounding levels to the way I play it bridged, I thought it sounded just a very little bit sweeter and more musical in unbridged mode.
Hard attacks are a little bit rounder and less harsh. The highs and lows are a bit clearer.

Is it likely that I'm imagining all this? (The difference is very very subtle.)

Do ss power amps when bridged typically have different specs (besides the higher power output) from the regular published specs of the amp when used unbridged?
I.e. Higher THD etc.?
 
Errrr . . . in the "audiofool" world, it has long been the opinion that bridging does not sound quite as good as well-designed amp channels used unbridged. Some high-end amp manufacturers refuse to include bridging circuits, for that reason. Typically an amp's ability to remain stable into lower impedances will also suffer when bridged.

So, yes, it's very possible. And I would expect the impact of bridging to be subtle but audible, but the extent to which you hear it may be different with different speakers. (No speaker has a linear impedance curve - the exact impedance will vary with frequency.)
 
joegold said:
Hi

I've been using an SLA 1 in bridged mono mode for several months now with my Ultra and have been, for the most part, quite satisfied with the tones I'm getting. I'm driving a single EVM-12L in an open backed Pearce cabinet.

For one reason or another I was tinkering today and hooked up the SLA1 in stereo mode using just Channel 1 in mono.
At similar sounding levels to the way I play it bridged, I thought it sounded just a very little bit sweeter and more musical in unbridged mode.
Hard attacks are a little bit rounder and less harsh. The highs and lows are a bit clearer.

Is it likely that I'm imagining all this? (The difference is very very subtle.)

Do ss power amps when bridged typically have different specs (besides the higher power output) from the regular published specs of the amp when used unbridged?
I.e. Higher THD etc.?
Click to expand...

I had exactly the same experience with my Carvin DCM 600.
 
I wish ART, or any other company making a power amp that has bridging capability, would publish the specs for bridged mode as well.

I'm thinking that I'm gonna run the SLA1 in unbridged mode from now on.
It's still plenty loud.
But I like the idea of having all that extra headroom in bridged mode.
Guess I'll save it for really loud gigs where I need to be in mono.

Stereo @ 100 watts per side is plenty loud with this thing.
But I play in stereo so infrequently these days.
 
if you email ART they will send you the specs i did for the sla-2 and posted the specs i got from art here if you look through my post you will find them... cant help on sla 1 though... but yeah email them you'll get a response....
 
This factored into my choice of an SLA2 over a 1. I can run unbridged and still have boatloads of headroom on one channel while still having a spare channel. Or use two cabs in stereo if I want to (but I'm still too lazy for that.
 
twentytwenty said:
I run into one side of an SLA-2 and I am starting to make it clip at about half volume.
Click to expand...

"Half volume" on the Axe or on the SLA2?
If the latter, then try turning down the Axe and turning up the SLA2.

Either way, if you're clipping the SLA2 you must be playing really loud.

Does this happen with a clean tone or an overdriven tone?

Are the red output clip leds also lighting on the Axe?
 
joegold said:
twentytwenty said:
I run into one side of an SLA-2 and I am starting to make it clip at about half volume.
Click to expand...

"Half volume" on the Axe or on the SLA2?
If the latter, then try turning down the Axe and turning up the SLA2.

Either way, if you're clipping the SLA2 you must be playing really loud.

Does this happen with a clean tone or an overdriven tone?

Are the red output clip leds also lighting on the Axe?
Click to expand...

The other option is that your speakers are not very efficient.
What drivers are you using?
 
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