Matrix GT1600FX

I had never tried one until I picked up a used Gt1000- 2u this week.
Using a modest 1x12 CAB with a V30.
It sounds great.

Pretty noticeable improvement from the decent studio monitors I had been using for years.
I am sure there are others that would do great, but this was an eye opener.
 
sidsin said:
Hello people!

Looking to get this for my AXE FX III. Any reviews? And any idea how long has it been out of stock for?

Wondering if GT800 or GT1000 will be good enough? Or should I wait for the 2U units? The only reason I ask is I've heard there are some fan noise issues with the 1U units.
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Hello sidsin, when considering how big a Matrix amp you want/need, it’s important to consider the impedance you will be running the amp at. Which of course is determined by the cabinet impedance. You only get the maximum output at 4ohms, so if your cabinet is 8 you will get just over half the wattage out of the Matrix. Unless you are planning to run mono bridged.

I had the GTX1600 then upgraded to the GT2000FX, because my 4x12’s were 8ohms and I was clipping on palm mutes. Clipping a switch mode power supply amp is very ugly, you don’t want to ever see that red light, even on short peaks, you will definitely hear it.

Otherwise, Matrix amps are great, very quiet and neutral with tight solid bass extension. Get the most powerful Matrix your speakers can handle. There’s a GT2000FX up on Reverb right now.

As for Matrix being out of amp stock, It’s probably because of the worldwide chip shortage. Switch mode power supply amps require digital processing, so I’m guessing they will be out of stock for a while.
 
Joel.Brown333 said:
Why would this be any better than say a Crown XTi 2002 ? Or any other good quality PA power amp ? I'm looking to replace my Marshall amps that I'm only using the power amp portion of. I'm just trying to understand what, if any, differences there are.
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Crown power amps, those with transformers, had a sound I could recognize and did not like. They always sounded harsh with a midrange honk, not flattering. Maybe their SMPS amps are better.
 
Regarding availability of the 1600, I watched the website for months and finally emailed sales one day to get an ETA and they said they had one and updated the website so I could order. Maybe try reaching out and see if you experience the same.

It’s fantastic, sounds way better than SD PowerStage 700. I run with a 4x12 loaded with f12-x200s
 
Joel.Brown333 said:
Why would this be any better than say a Crown XTi 2002 ? Or any other good quality PA power amp ? I'm looking to replace my Marshall amps that I'm only using the power amp portion of. I'm just trying to understand what, if any, differences there are.
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It won't. You can use any SS rack that is transparent. QSC, crown, carvin, ECT....fan noise maybe an issue with alot of rack amps tho. Fans are easily modded and replaced for around $10. Also reliability could be an issue with cheaper amps. Cheap class D amps can also sound bad although newer ones like the ice power have vastly improved.
 
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stereotactic said:
I had the GTX1600 then upgraded to the GT2000FX, because my 4x12’s were 8ohms and I was clipping on palm mutes. Clipping a switch mode power supply amp is very ugly, you don’t want to ever see that red light, even on short peaks, you will definitely hear it.
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I'm not sure if this is what you are referring to, but the light on the front of matrix power amps is not a clipping light. It comes on at 10% of the maximum output. Plenty more headroom if you are seeing the light. I have no idea why they chose to do it that way.
 
I just bounce the lights.

Attenuator’s on ~ 2:00 and AxeFX volume knob on 9-1:00 depending. Lights start blinking around 11:00-12:00
 
Does anybody else in this thread just laugh at the powerstage stuff? I looked into the pedal-sized version and just stopped when I couldn’t even find a wattage rating for 16ohms. It’s probably 50 watts(solid state!) You can bridge a gt1000fx for like 500 watts into 16 ohms, which is exactly what you need to play in a big boy band with half stacks and loud drums.
 
MicroMort said:
I'm not sure if this is what you are referring to, but the light on the front of matrix power amps is not a clipping light. It comes on at 10% of the maximum output. Plenty more headroom if you are seeing the light. I have no idea why they chose to do it that way.
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I have spoken to Andrew the head engineer of the company multiple times, and he confirmed the red led on the 1600 and 2000 is a clip light. It is not a pre clip warning light and you do not want to see it because it indicates you are hitting the top of an ugly square wave. I could hear it and that’s why I kept buying the most powerful Matrix amp I could…
 
stereotactic said:
I have spoken to Andrew the head engineer of the company multiple times, and he confirmed the red led on the 1600 and 2000 is a clip light. It is not a pre clip warning light and you do not want to see it because it indicates you are hitting the top of an ugly square wave. I could hear it and that’s why I kept buying the most powerful Matrix amp I could…
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@Lightningboy can you confirm?

That's good to know... I know for sure the GT1000FX light comes on at 10%. Seems very odd they would switch it up for other models. But yeah! If you're clipping then you're clipping I guess, and it's good to take care of that.
 
So if the lights says your clipping, what does your ears tell you? clipping means what, distorting the output? So your overpowering the speakers or sending to much signal to the matrix from the axeiii? I can not imagine pushing the power amp so hard it can't stay clear at any band volume I've experienced in a single 2 x12 at 120 watts or so , a single 1x12 is maybe rated at what 80 watts or less so your trying to push 300 watts into a 80 watt speaker and your surpriseed its clipping? Maybe I'm missing something
 
My advice on all things that involve audible options:

Get your hands on one and try it in your band/music room/bedroom/studio situation. There is endless internet lore about how people can hear parts in amps, and tell you the oxygen content and color of paint on the walls of the room the amp was assembled in. It’s rubbish, and tells you nothing about whether you’ll like it with you playing your guitar using your settings through your speakers in your environment. Nothing but your ears are going to tell you if it’s good enough for you.

It makes for good banter, but gets you only minimally closer to a real answer.
 
That's correct, I've got a 1000gt and have zero problems, it's very easy to connect and operate at crazy loud levels or whisper volumes used with a 2x12 and 4x12 separately.
 
MicroMort said:
@Lightningboy can you confirm?

That's good to know... I know for sure the GT1000FX light comes on at 10%. Seems very odd they would switch it up for other models. But yeah! If you're clipping then you're clipping I guess, and it's good to take care of that.
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I’ve never used the Matrix 1000, so I don’t know exactly how their indicator lights work. But if there is no red LED I guess it is just a signal indicator for those models. I have used Mesa 2/90’s, Hafler 500’s and 3 Matrix models. The Mesa is a tube amp so it clips softly without ugly artifacts. Those don’t have clip lights on them because when you hit clipping level if you send it a hotter signal, it just stops getting louder and that’s how you know you’re clipping. The Haflers were mosfet and had transformers and the red clip lights were more like a warning, so when they “clipped” it wasn’t really noticeable. But the Matrix amps do not have transformers to blunt transients because they are switch mode power supply designs. So when they clip you hear it and it’s ugly.

But the Matrixes are by far the most neutral and powerful amps I have used, with the trade off being you really don’t want to ever clip them, even on a transient…
 
316ms said:
So if the lights says your clipping, what does your ears tell you? clipping means what, distorting the output? So your overpowering the speakers or sending to much signal to the matrix from the axeiii? I can not imagine pushing the power amp so hard it can't stay clear at any band volume I've experienced in a single 2 x12 at 120 watts or so , a single 1x12 is maybe rated at what 80 watts or less so your trying to push 300 watts into a 80 watt speaker and your surpriseed its clipping? Maybe I'm missing something
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Clipping basically means the point you are causing the amplifier to distort the waveform of the incoming signal measured against the waveform going out to the speaker, to a significant degree. There are different kinds of power amp distortion, some more gradual and audible than others. With a switch mode power supply power amp like the Matrix, the wave form is very clean with very low distortion, but only up to the point of clipping at which it changes drastically. And this clipping only happens on transient peaks, like palm muting or turning on a boost pedal in your signal chain.

When you clip an SMPS Matrix amp, the top of the wave form is cutoff and flattened like a square, which sounds bad to most people. It’s clipping distortion is very dark, hard and grainy. In my opinion, it’s the ugliest power amp distortion of all and to be avoided at all costs. Hence my posts about getting the most powerful Matrix your cabinets can stand and making sure to calculate the available Matrix watts based on your cabinet’s ohms…
 
I can confirm w my experiences that a gt1000fx lights aren’t “clipping” indicators.

I thought it was something like -12 or -6 db down from max output
 
stereotactic said:
Clipping basically means the point you are causing the amplifier to distort the waveform of the incoming signal measured against the waveform going out to the speaker, to a significant degree. There are different kinds of power amp distortion, some more gradual and audible than others. With a switch mode power supply power amp like the Matrix, the wave form is very clean with very low distortion, but only up to the point of clipping at which it changes drastically. And this clipping only happens on transient peaks, like palm muting or turning on a boost pedal in your signal chain.

When you clip an SMPS Matrix amp, the top of the wave form is cutoff and flattened like a square, which sounds bad to most people. It’s clipping distortion is very dark, hard and grainy. In my opinion, it’s the ugliest power amp distortion of all and to be avoided at all costs. Hence my posts about getting the most powerful Matrix your cabinets can stand and making sure to calculate the available Matrix watts based on your cabinet’s ohms…
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Thanks for the explanation, great stuff! My post was basically a question to the OP who seems to think his power amp.is clipping. Does it sound bad, maybe I should have been more literal. Regards
 
Ok. The older amps did not have the clip lights on them and just had signal lights. Those were basically pink coloured. Newer models have signal and clip. Signal is now green and clip is red. It is unusual to get one of the amps to clip especially with that much power available. Sometimes you see a "bleed" from the signal lights illuminating and pseudo lighting the clip LED with reflection giving a soft light. Obviously if the red clip is lighting up hard then that is not the case. It is the number one reason our amps have that much power in them to avoid clipping at all costs. I remember in the early days someone asked us for a custom "2000" from one of the PA amps as all they ran was backline no micing up from the PA and basically ran a wall of amps to the audience direct. Different circumstance and playing styles and genres so different horses for different courses as they say. That's why we have the bigger amps just in case people do need the extra. For 99% of players though the 800 and 1000 are more than enough.
 
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