Power amp Help

Hywel Thomas

New Member
Hello

I am looking for a power amp for my Axe Fx 2 and wanted to know peoples experiences with PA power amps compared to power amps designed for preamps

Thanks in advance for your advice
 
You want the cleanest, flattest power amp out there such that your Axe simulations and IRs sound as close as possible to their intended tone. You can use anything of course, but if what you use colors your tone you'll be fighting it forever. Clean class D power like the Matrix.
 
Most power amps are flat, some newer ones have dsp and a lot of fancy stuff you wont need, so take that in mind. Newer amps are much lighter than the amps of yore.
 
Most power amps are flat, some newer ones have dsp and a lot of fancy stuff you wont need, so take that in mind. Newer amps are much lighter than the amps of yore.

agreed, but I think he possibly meant tube PAs vs SS PAs.
 
Just depends what you want

There are pretty clean and flat amps, and then there are tube power amps that actually color the sound. You'd want to run the later with power amp modeling off on the Axe, while with the former, you can take advatange of the Axe power amp emulation, since basically all your power amp is doing is making stuff louder.

Realize of course that running a tube power amp means your more limited in the tones it produces, and you may need to crank it a bit to get the response your after.

I'd personally go with something like a Matrix power amp if I were you. I don't think tube power amps really are worth their cost anymore
 
Thanks all for the replies

Rotti was right, I was originally asking about PAs vs SS PAs, but all of this is helpful

Matrix is the top tier just comparing them all to be honest get a good feel of the best. I am running it an orange 2x12, small shows so need for big cabs
 
Crown XLS is great, cheap, and a 3 year warranty. Very clean and that's what the guys at accugroove use and that is high end stuff.
 
I use a Matrix in my gig rig.
I just did a rig with a Fractal artist using a Quilter Tone Block and was very impressed.
 
I use a Matrix in my gig rig.
I just did a rig with a Fractal artist using a Quilter Tone Block and was very impressed.

Hi Matt just wondering, with the Quilter did you switch off the power amp sim in the AXE FX? And does the quilter has enough headroom for punchy cleans?
thx
 
I haven't looked around lately, but I don't think there's anything out there to compete with the Matrix for power amp duties and letting the Axe FX do its job. Good price point too with all the right connections.
 
You want the cleanest, flattest power amp out there such that your Axe simulations and IRs sound as close as possible to their intended tone. You can use anything of course, but if what you use colors your tone you'll be fighting it forever. Clean class D power like the Matrix.

Class A/B not Class D.
 
I've found that Fryette/VHT 2/50/2 and 2/90/2 both work great with my Axe-Fx II XL+. I'm a Diezel fanboy, but I replaced my amazing VH4 with the AF and 2/90/2. I couldn't be happier. The combination works amazingly well. I've dialed in presets for the blue and silver faced VH4, Diezel Herbert, Mesa Mark IIC+, Friedman HBE, etc.. They all sound wonderful. I wouldn't be able to tell the difference between the "real" and AF versions.
 
I use a Carvin DCM1540L. It's a class A/B SS power amp. Works great, inexpensive, but you will need banana clip speaker cable.
 
Class A/B not Class D.
A/B is push/pull, which yes, you want for a guitar tone (or class A)...

But I'm pretty sure Luke referenced flat PAs for the purpose of using the AxeFx's own PA modeling. In that sense he's "correct" (though neither is necessarily the only way to do it... in the same sense, you are "correct" if the Axe's PA modeling is disabled).
 
My favorite power amp to my ears but not my back is my Mesa Boogie Stereo Simul-Class 2:Ninety, some people just call it the 290 or 2:90. I've always left the Axe-Fx II Power Amp Sim on no matter what I've connected to.

I stopped using my 2:90 bc of my back and I hate paying for new tubes, so I got a Crown XLS2000 which is super light and gets nice and loud. I ended up going the FRFR route and am very happy with my pair of Yamaha DXR12 powered cabs.
 
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