Axe FX power amp under 500

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bmullet00

Member
Hey guys, I posted a thread a little while ago about me getting my first Axe FX, im the 15 year old, anyway, ive decided to get a poweramp and cab instead of powered speakers, since money is very tight, what would be the best power amp for the Axe under 500$ish? Im very new to this whole scene so sorry for being a noob :lol I would need enough power to play at gigging volumes, any help would be greatly appreciated, thanks dudes.
 
ART-SLA 1 or 2 is a great one at $200 or less. I used it for a while and it was great. Mark Day had some youtube videos using it.

I use CLRs now but I still use the SLA2 for playing music when I am not using the Axe.
 
I'm currently using the ehx 0.22 calibre amp in a pedal form. Works pretty well as advertised. I do believe the 0.22 model is phrase out and replaced with the 0.44 one. Google it. :)

However I'm keeping a look out on the isp stealth amp. Seems to be solid.
 
Above mentioned would be fine, but in addition there is one from ISP for 350 new. Used Matrix GT1000 would be the best option if it's in your price range. For at home/practice volume levels nothing beats the EHX Magnum 44 in price. The Magnum I can vouch for as I personally have one, but wouldn't use it live as it might not provide enough volume before it starts to saturate the signal. Many other brands out there like QSC, but you'd likely need to be searching for something used.

Basically they all sound very nearly the same as for the most part they are just flat, but a lot of people report them as having a different "feel" to them. I would guess this has to do with some having a mosfet design which is the closest you will get to a "tube feel" while still retaining a flat signal. Matrix I know uses mosfet and I believe QSC does for some as well, so just research into one of this design and in your price range would be my advice.

Oh...not to mention the biggest thing to look out for is to make sure that you get one that can correctly match the impedance of your guitar cab.
 
I'm looking into a pair of Custom Tones power amps, $195 each, 30w @ 8ohm... not enough to really push a 412 I would imagine, but a pair for 2 112's should work well.
 
hussamd said:
ART-SLA 1 or 2 is a great one at $200 or less. I used it for a while and it was great. Mark Day had some youtube videos using it.

I use CLRs now but I still use the SLA2 for playing music when I am not using the Axe.
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I'll add a second for the SLA-2... I had one when I first started with my Axe Fx and it was very good.

Downsides: very heavy and as deep as the Axe Fx, also requires banana plug cables.

Upsides: quiet, no fans, 1U, well built.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
 
The SLA-1 is a good amp. I have one, and for a few hundred bucks it's hard to beat. If you need the extra head juice, go with the SLA-2.....
 
Another vote for Carvin, for the money it has to be one of the best bang for the buck when it comes to SS power amps in the U.S. If size is a factor then as already mentioned the Matrix GT800 or 1000FX single space amps then ART SLA 2 for size and budget.
 
I picked up a Behringer iNuke 6000 earlier this year. It completely outdoes every other poweramp in the same price point.

I've used it to power a pair of 412 1960b cabs. I've used it to power our FOH mid highs a couple times, and I was astonished to find it out perform some QSC amps that cost 5 times as much when powering subs.
 
Severed said:
I picked up a Behringer iNuke 6000 earlier this year. It completely outdoes every other poweramp in the same price point.

I've used it to power a pair of 412 1960b cabs. I've used it to power our FOH mid highs a couple times, and I was astonished to find it out perform some QSC amps that cost 5 times as much when powering subs.
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How about Rocktron Velocity 300?
 
Here's the best thread I could find on the Rocktron: http://forum.fractalaudio.com/amps-cabs/71223-rocktron-velocity-300-ir-frequency-response-plots.html

The premise of the rocktron is cool, but it doesn't sound like they really pulled it off and instead just added some tone controls. You can dial it in flat though and it seems that a lot of people like having those added controls, so as always ymmv.


To the OP:
My personal suggestion would be something along the lines of the QSC GXD 4, which would be at the top of your budget at $499. It is relatively new on the market, so it has no real track record, but I think Class D power amps with onboard DSP have come of age much like digital modeling. I have the PLD series, which is the GXD's older brother, and am very happy with it. The PLD series has been on the market for about 2 years now and initially had some growing pains, but they've ironed those out and I would have to believe that a lot of the tech in the GXD trickled down from the PLD series.

The reason I suggest something like this is because even though you're sure you want to use a guitar cab today, maybe someday you might want to check out passive studio monitors or something like an Atomic CLR passive. A power amp like the GXD 4 will let you safely power any of those options with it's limiter which is rated for 5W-400W @ 8ohms. Plus it has both twist lock/speakon connectors and speaker binding posts, it was designed for use in both live sound and installation applications, so if someday you want to re-task the power amp you could even use it in your high end home theater for a biamped center speaker with a DSP crossover in the power amp. This power amp will grow with you within reason. It will never have more channels and never have more than 400W a side @ 8 ohms.

Sure, you could use something like the SLA-2 for all of those tasks or a DCM1504L, but the limiter makes it a lot safer if you're trying to power a 25W 8ohm 1x12 guitar cab. Admittedly, the other DSP functionality will probably not be very useful to you, but who knows? Also, the unit is 2U which may be a factor.

Check out this guy's band in a rack which uses the limiter in the PLD to power guitar cabs and a bass cab at the same time Rig Rundown - Band In A Rack (Continued) - SevenString.org. The same sort of thing can be done with the GXD, of course with 2 fewer channels. The setup is similar to what Periphery are doing with their PLD 4.3.

The iNuke DSP would be very similar to the GXD, but with more wattage per buck.

Edit: Noticed spec sheet for the GXD, damping factor is only 100. This amp was not made for subwoofers, but should be suitable for the guitar's midrange frequencies.
 
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Kingjimmi said:
Here's the best thread I could find on the Rocktron: http://forum.fractalaudio.com/amps-cabs/71223-rocktron-velocity-300-ir-frequency-response-plots.html

The premise of the rocktron is cool, but it doesn't sound like they really pulled it off and instead just added some tone controls. You can dial it in flat though and it seems that a lot of people like having those added controls, so as always ymmv.


To the OP:
My personal suggestion would be something along the lines of the QSC GXD 4, which would be at the top of your budget at $499. It is relatively new on the market, so it has no real track record, but I think Class D power amps with onboard DSP have come of age much like digital modeling. I have the PLD series, which is the GXD's older brother, and am very happy with it. The PLD series has been on the market for about 2 years now and initially had some growing pains, but they've ironed those out and I would have to believe that a lot of the tech in the GXD trickled down from the PLD series.

The reason I suggest something like this is because even though you're sure you want to use a guitar cab today, maybe someday you might want to check out passive studio monitors or something like an Atomic CLR passive. A power amp like the GXD 4 will let you safely power any of those options with it's limiter which is rated for 5W-400W @ 8ohms. Plus it has both twist lock/speakon connectors and speaker binding posts, it was designed for use in both live sound and installation applications, so if someday you want to re-task the power amp you could even use it in your high end home theater for a biamped center speaker with a DSP crossover in the power amp. This power amp will grow with you within reason. It will never have more channels and never have more than 400W a side @ 8 ohms.

Sure, you could use something like the SLA-2 for all of those tasks or a DCM1504L, but the limiter makes it a lot safer if you're trying to power a 25W 8ohm 1x12 guitar cab. Admittedly, the other DSP functionality will probably not be very useful to you, but who knows? Also, the unit is 2U which may be a factor.

Check out this guy's band in a rack which uses the limiter in the PLD to power guitar cabs and a bass cab at the same time Rig Rundown - Band In A Rack (Continued) - SevenString.org. The same sort of thing can be done with the GXD, of course with 2 fewer channels. The setup is similar to what Periphery are doing with their PLD 4.3.

The iNuke DSP would be very similar to the GXD, but with more wattage per buck.

Edit: Noticed spec sheet for the GXD, damping factor is only 100. This amp was not made for subwoofers, but should be suitable for the guitar's midrange frequencies.
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Thanks a lot dude, you just saved me a lot of research lol.
 
Boogie291 said:
How about Rocktron Velocity 300?
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In my opinion, I'd pass on, as it costs way to much for what it gives you.

1st. Figure what you need to drive your speakers efficiently. If you are not sure, look up "solid state power amps and clean headroom."
2nd. look at what's out there that will give you that power handling within your budget
3rd. Spend about 10 minutes looking shit up online and comparing the specs.
4th. Go to a music store and try out the amps in person.

Also, don't believe every review you read on the internet (good or bad). Even YouTube video's can be doctored. A lot of people go out of their way to post misinformation because they are fanbois of certain brands, or worse, just complete idiots that have no clue, blow stuff up, and blame the gear. look at things subjectively with an open mind and also with your setup in mind, not that other guys setup where it worked perfectly for him.
 
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