Been thinking about getting a Matrix power amp but.....

I've been a tube amp guy ever since I got my first Marshall DSL50.

When I tried a used one at GC, the sound was like a revelation.

Since then, I've had a number of tube amps but I finally settled on the two that I built, JCM800 clone, and SLO50 clone.

Now that I have the Axe III, I usually run the outputs to the returns of one or both my amps.

Can a solid state power amp like the Matrix provide that thud, bottom end, whatever you want to call it, that a tube amp has?

The tube power amp choice I was thinking of is a Fryette 1U LXII, or 2502.

dinky
 
I've used a few tube power amps with the AFXIII but much prefer using my SS power amp (a Crest CA9). I assume the Matrix ones sound great as well.
 
Thanks all...

I did watch Leon's low resonant frequency a while ago and did followed his instructions with both my 2x12 cabs just to see.

As per tube or SS, my mind is not set on tube....I'd rather get a SS, but I was curious what additional opinions I could get.

I read a lot about the SS vs tube, before posting and as usual there's lots of opinions.
 
A while ago I bought an FM3 to replace my previous live rig (VHT Pittbull Ultra Lead and a big pedalboard). First I tried using the power amp of the VHT and this sounded amazing, but it felt stupid to carry an expensive tube head just for the sake of using the power amp. The best alternative seemed to find an old VHT 2/50/2 or 2/90/2, but by coincidence I stumbled upon a Matrix GT1000FX for a price I could not ignore.

In all honesty, my guitar sound is far better now and I have all the punch, thumb and whatever 'mojo' I desire. And I play in a loud post-metal band that often requires a thick wall of sound.

So, I would definitely suggest trying a SS solution.
 
Something to consider is the speakers you are going to use. It is advised to match the speakers to the matrix amp.

In normal stereo operation (per channel basis) it wants to provide up to 150watts into a 16 ohm load and 300 watts into a 8 ohm load.
This is the advise from the manual anyway,
If you are using a 2 speaker can wired in series giving you 16 ohms then I believe you will want to use speakers that sit around 70-90 watts mark per speaker @ at 8 ohms each.

I’m not following this rule and I use a 300 watts cab with red backs, sound beautiful but I do wish I paid attention to the manuals statement of speaker/amp matching- just so I’m sure I’m not gonna over load my matrix.
 
A higher wattage cab will not damage the amp in any way. The cab's power rating is what it can safely handle, not what it draws from the amp. The amp just sees an impedance load of however many ohms regardless of the rating on that load. It will provide the same amount of power to a 25 watt greenback as it does to a 300 watt EV speaker if they have the same impedance. It will just be far easier for the amp to damage the 25 watt speaker, so using a higher wattage rated cab is safer.
 
Being from the jazz world, I have used alot of solid state amps. I have an Acoustic Image Clarus 4 plus. This is small head that is 600 watts. It is a great solution for an Axe Fx because EQ wise it is flat at 12 O'clock. The are super portable and fairly in expensive used at around 500-600 but they are have lots of features as well and really sound great with pedals as a stand alone amp. I had a Matrix and that is also a good solution, and a pretty cheap solution is a QSC K12 as well, but those kind of sound thuddy and can be sterile at times but they work fairly well. They are just not an "amp" set up.

For the Acoustic Image, I had a 112 made for it and I can remove the head, mount it in or even use the cab as a standalone with another head. I am working on have a 212 version made.
 

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Also, the whole thing weighs in at 19 lbs! and if you have a backline or a bigger cab you can run this as well with the AC
 
A solid state amp shouldn't care what wattage the speakers are. Just don't blow the speakers up.

People talk pejoratively about using an underpowered SS amp with a high powered cab, but it's not the cab wattage that's the problem. It's running the SS amp so hard that it clips and the transients blow up the speakers even if they are rated way beyond the rating of the amp. The amp would have damaged lower wattage speakers too.
 
A solid state amp shouldn't care what wattage the speakers are. Just don't blow the speakers up.

People talk pejoratively about using an underpowered SS amp with a high powered cab, but it's not the cab wattage that's the problem. It's running the SS amp so hard that it clips and the transients blow up the speakers even if they are rated way beyond the rating of the amp. The amp would have damaged lower wattage speakers too.

Yeah that's old BS spouted by sales people trying to talk folks into buying a bigger amp to go with the speakers they wanted. Car audio places were terrible about that. They'd try to convince you that you needed a more powerful amp to drive the speakers correctly like it was somehow going to damage the cab if you didn't. Snake oil sales at its best.
 
All good advise!

First off, I don't gig, so weigh wouldn't be an issue.

As for speakers, I have (2) 2x12 cabs I built Mesa sized. One is loaded with v30's, the other Eminence V1218 and both are wired for 16ohm's.

The V30 is closed back, the other open.
 
after many rounds of switching SS amps around, for at home / low volume usage I like my Mesa 112 cabs (V30, C90) best with 2 Ehx 44 Magnum pedal amps, compared to with my Matrix GT10000Fx which I use with 2 Atomic Reactor FR Cabs. Go figure - maybe because I have not been able to accurately find the resonant frequency of those Mesa cabs (widebody ported) - tried the rattle test several times, but inconclusive.
 
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Yeah that's old BS spouted by sales people trying to talk folks into buying a bigger amp to go with the speakers they wanted. Car audio places were terrible about that. They'd try to convince you that you needed a more powerful amp to drive the speakers correctly like it was somehow going to damage the cab if you didn't. Snake oil sales at its best.

I mean, if you clip the amp and send a square wave into your speakers... in the day I sold lots of replacement HF diaphragms to 'sound guys' that did this.
 
To the OP...

I'm running an old Crown XS700 into a pair of 4x12s. I'm thrilled.

Do the LF resonance thing and rock out.
 
I run a Matrix GT1600fx with my Engl pro 4x12.Its loud.haha I'm sure a mesa 2.90 powered with my Axe3 and Engl cab would sound better than the Solid state amp. But with the weight difference, my lower back is little more important to me than fatigued ears. 95% of the time I play through my two headrush frfr 108's at home or with live drummers. Just as loud and I can use cab impulses in my overall tone instead of bypassing cab impulses when using my S.S amp and cab.
 
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