Best poweramp for Axe III (Goal: LOUDDDDD)

Not to poop on the fryette love (I own a PS100 and LX II), but their customer service leaves a lot to be desired. I owned a third piece of fryette equipment but returned it after I couldn’t get ahold of fryette to work through my issues. I tried for a month to get a response…

I wouldn’t recommend fryette gear personally.
 
axes said:
The "Fryette stuff" are among the best tube guitar amplifiers in the world used by many of the elite of guitar players. I know Crown makes great stuff but don't try to convince me that a general purpose Class D amp would be able to do the same or even come close.
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Sure. But it's expensive, heavy and not needed since the emulation is doing the heavy lifting here. I dare you to pick them out in a blind test done in the normal conditions the original poster is going to be in. You won't be able to but it would be fun to watch you try.
 
luckymethod said:
Sure. But it's expensive, heavy and not needed since the emulation is doing the heavy lifting here. I dare you to pick them out in a blind test done in the normal conditions the original poster is going to be in. You won't be able to but it would be fun to watch you try.
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I still really dislike this recommendation for many reasons.
First of all, it's very easy to blow your speakers out with an amp of this power rating.
Second, plugging in a guitar cab will require a Speakon - Jack cable which is not necessarily something that's readily available in a gig situation should anything break - not a huge issue, sure, but a Jack - Jack speaker cable is much more readily available.
And, well... after a year of experimenting with different power amps and cabs, I don't really agree with the emulation doing the heavy lifting. If you've ever used a modeler with a poweramp and traditional guitar cab you'll know that no matter how much you want it to, power amp emulation is the part that's not going to translate just as good as everything else. If you want to feel the heavy hitting dynamics through your guitar cab you'll have a much harder time achieving that with a solid state PA.
 
rossipedia said:
I'm not an expert, but I remember reading or watching something that explained how the way that tube amps work means they achieve more pleasing sounds at higher volumes, or maybe they achieve higher overall amplitude at a given power rating than a solid state amp does.
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Watts are watts. That part is exactly the same. The difference is more about where in the amp's total output capacity it's rated wattage actually lands. Tube amps can commonly output well beyond their clean rated output when cranked into comparatively pleasing breakup. Solid state amps tend to distort hard and ugly when pushed beyond their rated output.
 
eascott333 said:
Have the 800w Matrix power amp, does the job well paired with my 1960A, however it caps out rather quickly (maxed out volume and limiter light on but not quite distorting the speaker). For anyone else I think its perfectly loud, but for my band which is essentially a high tech modern doom band, I need to make my rig to be absolutely SCREAMING loud. My first option was to run the out I use to run my cab through the return of my 6505, which worked exactly how I wanted until about the 3rd time I had to lug it into my truck and unload it at rehearsal, realizing even at my ripe old age of 21, that I had to cut down on the gear I use. Any options for a power amp that can keep up with a full blast tube amp? Hopefully something thats a bit more bang for the buck in these hard times? And would my issue be resolved with a tube power amp specifically due to how they react with speakers or would I be able to find a solid state amp that does the trick?
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I have the both Matrixes (GT800fx and GT1000fx). They are plenty loud, and I've played Arenas without them breaking a sweat and never had the volume up on the units full blast. I have blown speakers before I ever got them that loud. This was running two 4x12s or 2x12s in stereo. The LED turning on or illuminating is not indicating that you're reaching full power, but rather 12.5% of the power etc. I would consult the manual to determine if you're getting it loud enough.

For clarity, if you're coming out of output 3 or 4 into the Matrix, the Out 3/4 knobs on the AxeFX3 should be fully clockwise for unity gain (set at the unity gain setting in the i/o). Then you control your stage volume with the A or B knobs from the Matrix amp.

If it's still not loud enough (which I would be very surprised by). You can use the Matrix is Bridged mode and keep the volume going.
 
eascott333 said:
Have the 800w Matrix power amp, does the job well paired with my 1960A, however it caps out rather quickly (maxed out volume and limiter light on but not quite distorting the speaker). For anyone else I think its perfectly loud, but for my band which is essentially a high tech modern doom band, I need to make my rig to be absolutely SCREAMING loud. My first option was to run the out I use to run my cab through the return of my 6505, which worked exactly how I wanted until about the 3rd time I had to lug it into my truck and unload it at rehearsal, realizing even at my ripe old age of 21, that I had to cut down on the gear I use. Any options for a power amp that can keep up with a full blast tube amp? Hopefully something thats a bit more bang for the buck in these hard times? And would my issue be resolved with a tube power amp specifically due to how they react with speakers or would I be able to find a solid state amp that does the trick?
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How are you running the Matrix into the 1960A? Mono from one channel of the Matrix? Bridged? What speakers are in your 1960A?
 
axes said:
I still really dislike this recommendation for many reasons.
First of all, it's very easy to blow your speakers out with an amp of this power rating.
Second, plugging in a guitar cab will require a Speakon - Jack cable which is not necessarily something that's readily available in a gig situation should anything break - not a huge issue, sure, but a Jack - Jack speaker cable is much more readily available.
And, well... after a year of experimenting with different power amps and cabs, I don't really agree with the emulation doing the heavy lifting. If you've ever used a modeler with a poweramp and traditional guitar cab you'll know that no matter how much you want it to, power amp emulation is the part that's not going to translate just as good as everything else. If you want to feel the heavy hitting dynamics through your guitar cab you'll have a much harder time achieving that with a solid state PA.
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  1. get a lower rating then. the original poster seems to be looking for something fit for demolition jobs so I posted the most powerful model they make.
  2. Easily solved - this is how I have it connected to my Mesa cab
  3. emulation: if you don't think the Axe 3 does a good job at emulating a power amp you're in the wrong forum
 
A lot of replies on this one lol, I run the matrix bridged into the 16ohm input of the cab, maybe my issue isn't necessarily volume, but maybe the amplitude from the added harmonics of a tube amp. Because on my own Im definitely loud enough, but when my other guitarist (100w pedal baby into open back orange 2x12 and closed mesa 2x12) and bass player (Peavey TMAX into ported Ampeg 4x10) start playing along, I get drowned out fast. We tune down to F as well, so clarity is obviously an issue, however I find that I just need to be able sit just above them in a room mix. The 6505 power amp section definitely did the trick, but I can't risk loading it in my truck, weight isn't entirely the issue either, just need everything in the same place.
 
I also intend to run a 2x12 in parallel as well, did all of these experiments, was mainly looking for some tips on how I could maximize clarity. Just found that solid state amps are definitely "loud" enough, but don't quite cut like tube driven circuits in the context of a low tuned metal band
 
eascott333 said:
A lot of replies on this one lol, I run the matrix bridged into the 16ohm input of the cab, maybe my issue isn't necessarily volume, but maybe the amplitude from the added harmonics of a tube amp. Because on my own Im definitely loud enough, but when my other guitarist (100w pedal baby into open back orange 2x12 and closed mesa 2x12) and bass player (Peavey TMAX into ported Ampeg 4x10) start playing along, I get drowned out fast. We tune down to F as well, so clarity is obviously an issue, however I find that I just need to be able sit just above them in a room mix. The 6505 power amp section definitely did the trick, but I can't risk loading it in my truck, weight isn't entirely the issue either, just need everything in the same place.
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Its entirely in how you are dialled in then.

Why do you want to be above them in the band mix instead of sounding like a unit?
 
luckymethod said:
this is by far your best bang for buck, forget about the Fryette stuff, needlessly expensive.

https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/XLS2502--crown-xls-2502-power-amplifier
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This is bad advice. Without exaggeration, Fryette makes some of the best dedicated tube power amps money can buy at any price.

Also, @eascott333 does your 4x12 cab have a 4 ohm out? Try running that Matrix amp into the 4 ohm jack if there is one and you’ll get way, way more power out of it.
 
He's running it bridged mode (520 watts into 16 ohms). Wattage is not the problem here. His cab with a pair of 60 watt speakers in it is only rated for about 240 watts. Pumping in more wattage is just going to blow a speaker even faster.
 
mr_fender said:
I'll wager a guess: add a low cut and dial in more mids. T75's are a bit scooped sounding. The GT800 gives 520 watts into 16 ohms bridged. That's already considerably more than your cab and speakers are rated for. If that's not enough, something else is wrong.
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I agree with @mr_fender . Since you're using the Matrix in bridge mode with 520W of power, that means you're well within the clean headroom of the amp. You don't need more power or volume. In fact, your speakers likely can't handle much more power or volume.

It seems that what's really going on is that power amp section of the Peavy 6505 is coloring the sound in a way that you like whereas the solid state power amp is only reproducing what you put into it.

I would suggest setting up your rig so that you can A / B through the two power amps. Then, make a copy of your presets and tweak the copies to sound the same through the Matrix amp as the original presets sound through the 6505 power section.
 
luckymethod said:
emulation: if you don't think the Axe 3 does a good job at emulating a power amp you're in the wrong forum
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Maybe you should have just read and taken what I wrote literally instead of making an offhand remark that's simply full of shit and not at all what I've said. :sweatsmile:
I've never said anything about the Axe 3 not doing a good job at emulating a power amp. What I've literally said is "I don't really agree with the emulation doing the heavy lifting" and even added "you'll have a much harder time achieving that with a solid state PA".
The Axe 3 does a wonderful job at emulating the characteristics of wildly colorful tube power amps. I was talking about how that fantastic emulation translates (especially in terms of dynamics that you would expect from a tube amp) to a power amp and cab.
I've experienced it first hand multiple times that no matter how good you are at emulating characteristics, the dynamics will be very different with a SS or tube power amp especially if the SS amp is Class D which is a quite different animal from Class AB amps as far as fidelity goes.
I also have to agree with what's been said before about tube poweramps (in this case the 6505 PA) having a certain coloration that could be preferable to the quite linear reproduction of SS poweramps. And this is exactly how I feel about using a SS PA vs a tube PA. For me they still don't really come close to tube poweramps for guitar purposes.
If you think it's up to you whether I'm in the wrong forum or not then maybe you're the one in the wrong forum? :sweatsmile:
 
eascott333 said:
Have the 800w Matrix power amp, does the job well paired with my 1960A, however it caps out rather quickly (maxed out volume and limiter light on but not quite distorting the speaker). For anyone else I think its perfectly loud, but for my band which is essentially a high tech modern doom band, I need to make my rig to be absolutely SCREAMING loud. My first option was to run the out I use to run my cab through the return of my 6505, which worked exactly how I wanted until about the 3rd time I had to lug it into my truck and unload it at rehearsal, realizing even at my ripe old age of 21, that I had to cut down on the gear I use. Any options for a power amp that can keep up with a full blast tube amp? Hopefully something thats a bit more bang for the buck in these hard times? And would my issue be resolved with a tube power amp specifically due to how they react with speakers or would I be able to find a solid state amp that does the trick?
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So you're maxing out an 800 watt poweramp into a 300 watt cab and want more volume?

Forgive me if I'm misunderstanding something, but coming from the PA world, OP is really risking blowing a speaker...
 
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