An hour with the Velocity 300 (versus Sure Electronics 100Wx2 Class D)

Chris Hurley

Power User
My velocity 300 arrived today and I've had a chance to spend about an hour with it and the Axe-II. I bought the '300 because I wanted a rackmount poweramp to drive guitar cabinets and I have 1U to put it in. I've been using a Sure Electronics 100Wx2 power amp board which when mounted in a small chassis and combined with a 150W laptop power supply weighs basically nothing. I've also got a pair of EH 22 Calibers that I sometimes use and I have previously used an SLA-2 and a Carvin DCM200L.

The selling points of the Velocity 300 are:

* 1u
* Useful Resonance and Presence controls (called Reactance and Definition)
* Relative low cost
* Relative weight

After about an hour, I find that the Velocity works very well with guitar cabinets. The tone controls are very, very handy for guitar applications because it allows you to easily adjust and add some depth or clarity to your tone depending on your situation. Playing hard rock, I love the sound of that reactance control but I would imagine that when playing with a band I could dial it back since the bass guitar lives there anyway and I might as well let the amp run cooler from not having to deal with the extra power requirements of the low end.

How does it compare?

Much more enjoyable than I remember the SLA being from the start. The SLA can be tamed with EQ but the binding post outputs stink for guitar cabinets. This amp is heavy like I remember the SLA being but it is managable.

I don't still have the Carvin, but I'm virtually positive that if I put it head-to-head with the Velocity that I'd find the velocity to be more useful and enjoyable from the extra power and tone controls. The big advantages of the carvin are extreme lightweight and cost.

Compared to the Class-D amps that I have, the Velocity mostly offers the convenience of the tone controls and extra power. The EH power amps have a bright switch that can give just the right amount of extra clarity for certain situations but its on or off. There's no option for the low end other than to menu dive. Within its power limits, the EH amps sound every bit as good as the velocity. The Sure Electronics board is similarly loud in practice and sounds roughly equivalent but it has no tone or volume options at all unless you count tiny switches on the board.

For guitarists that are using guitar cabs, I think the Velocity is worth your time. I can't speak to its reliability yet because I've just got it and I don't know if I'll keep it. For someone playing guitar cabs at home at less than bone-crunching volumes, I continue to recommend the EH poweramps, especially if you can find them for less than normal price.


Another item came in the mail today too- Vox Tonelab ST. FAIL.
 
Thanks for the review. I second the recommendation for the V300 + guitar cab combination for the same reasons you describe.
 
Its surprising that I *never* see the old Velocity 250 or 300 on ebay. I had a 250 and sold it when I started building amps. It had been reliable for something like a decade but maybe they all died off.

No shortage of 100's and 120's which don't have nearly the same reputation.
 
I have been interested in one of these for a while now and might pick one up. Cant seem to find the depth size anywhere. Will this fit in a shallow case? Do you know the actual depth measurement? Also is this a class D amp? Dont really know what any of the differences are. Do you want class D or no? Thanks for the good review.
Rock !!
 
I have been interested in one of these for a while now and might pick one up. Cant seem to find the depth size anywhere. Will this fit in a shallow case? Do you know the actual depth measurement? Also is this a class D amp? Dont really know what any of the differences are. Do you want class D or no? Thanks for the good review.
Rock !!


The depth of the V300 is extremely shallow. I have a gator shallow rack case and the V300 has plenty of room to spare. For reference, it is shallower than the Axe-Fx.

The V300 is a class AB amp. Class D is more efficient than class AB, but class D is never used for guitar amps.
 
I've been seeing more people using these class D power amps now more then ever before. they're supposed to be more efficient power and cost wise. Carvin makes an HD1500 classD power amp thats 300watt/channel@8ohms for $325.00. I know there are people on here using it to power their axefx and 412's and im considering getting it.
 
i bought a velocity 300 a few weeks ago. i agree with what's been said above. sounds very good.

i haven't used it with a axe fx ultra/ii yet (i'm on the G66 waiting list, since late january '11), so i've been running a mesa/boogie v-twin or mark v --> v300 --> 2 mesa cabs.
very enjoyable.
 
Its not accurate to say that Class D is never used for guitar amps. It certainly can be used- the Electro Harmonix 22 Caliber and 44 Magnum poweramps are definitely for guitar and they are Class D. The Crate Powerblock was class D. Ampeg made/makes a class D amp for bass. I believe SWR may have a class D amp for bass.

Class D evidently has unique challenges (to include keeping high frequency switching noise out of the signal) for the designer but there doesn't seem to be any reason why a decent Class D amp can't work great.

More and more I'm finding that while I like the Velocity really well, I like my little Sure Electronics board with 150W laptop power supply just as well.
 
I have a velocity 100 and don't like the sound at all compared to the several other solid state and tube power amps I have. I'm sure the extra controls on the 300 help and its not the same animal, but the 100 just doesn't sound good with the ultra.
 
The depth of the V300 is extremely shallow. I have a gator shallow rack case and the V300 has plenty of room to spare. For reference, it is shallower than the Axe-Fx.

The V300 is a class AB amp. Class D is more efficient than class AB, but class D is never used for guitar amps.
Thanks for the reply. I have the same case and needed to know it would fit. About the class AB / D thing. I guess my question is about reliability. Dont really want to buy an amp that’ll fry in know time. If class D was more reliable than I would look elsewhere. Dont really care how heavy it is just need the 1u fit.
 
I'm glad someone has posted about this, this has been one in my sight for a while now. I've read about reliability issues with the 300 in reviews, but I don't always shoot something down on the first review or two I read. Glad to hear everyone has had a good experience on here with it so far.
 
Thanks for the reply. I have the same case and needed to know it would fit. About the class AB / D thing. I guess my question is about reliability. Dont really want to buy an amp that’ll fry in know time. If class D was more reliable than I would look elsewhere. Dont really care how heavy it is just need the 1u fit.


Reliability depends on how well it's designed. There's no inherent reliability problems in either class AB or class D. If an amp is poorly designed and there is inadequate heat dissipation, the reliability will be worse since many electronic components deteriorate with heat.

It's hard to determine a product's reliability without going deep into the design. Some may have excellent mechanical design but poor electrical design and vice versa.
 
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