Power Amp Modeling with SS Power Amp + Direct FOH Setup

Kelleys Heroes said:
Seymour Duncan recommends turning off power amp simulations with this amp for "optimal results". One of the reasons people like these good SS amps like this is because they are designed to sound like good guitar amps, not neutral or flat.
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The PowerStage IS neutral with the EQ straight up. Therefore leaving the power amp modeling on is better. I’ve owned one. It’s a good amp.
 
The True Cab Circuitry is only on the XLR out, so I don’t think it needs to be disabled as it doesn’t affect the speaker out.
 
IAmThePepperoniKing said:
The PowerStage IS neutral with the EQ straight up. Therefore leaving the power amp modeling on is better. I’ve owned one. It’s a good amp.
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I have one. I dunno if it's technically neutral or not but it sounds awesome with power amp modeling on. And I like that I can tweak the EQ a little if I want to.

The only time I even tweaked the EQ was when I tested using cab modeling through a real cab. I was a little surprised I was able to get a usable sound by tweaking the 700's EQ a little.

Anyway, it's a great amp imo. I use it with my EVH stealth's power section for a w/d/w setup and it sound phenomenal imo.
 
Deadpool_25 said:
I have one. I dunno if it's technically neutral or not but it sounds awesome with power amp modeling on. And I like that I can tweak the EQ a little if I want to.

The only time I even tweaked the EQ was when I tested using cab modeling through a real cab. I was a little surprised I was able to get a usable sound by tweaking the 700's EQ a little.

Anyway, it's a great amp imo. I use it with my EVH stealth's power section for a w/d/w setup and it sound phenomenal imo.
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I liked it a lot, but I’m “downgrading” to the 200, because I just don’t need 700 watts nor stereo, and the 200 fits in the front pocket of my bag.
 
Really appreciate the responses here. Super interesting to hear how many folks are using it with power amp modeling on in the Fractal which is making me less weary about trying one, especially since it wouldn’t be the sound going to FOH for me anyway.
 
Deadpool_25 said:
I have one. I dunno if it's technically neutral or not but it sounds awesome with power amp modeling on. And I like that I can tweak the EQ a little if I want to.

The only time I even tweaked the EQ was when I tested using cab modeling through a real cab. I was a little surprised I was able to get a usable sound by tweaking the 700's EQ a little.

Anyway, it's a great amp imo. I use it with my EVH stealth's power section for a w/d/w setup and it sound phenomenal imo.
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Seems like an odd choice to use with a Fractal because of the features, but that being said I'm interested to play through one. What kind of a cab do you use, and how would you describe the amp's "straight up" clean sounds? Also interesting to hear that people might be dialing in sounds with an amp, and then using the Fractal's output for FOH. EVen if the amp is only slightly colored in the power amp section, it's not exactly going to be the same.
 
Kelleys Heroes said:
Also interesting to hear that people might be dialing in sounds with an amp, and then using the Fractal's output for FOH. EVen if the amp is only slightly colored in the power amp section, it's not exactly going to be the same.
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The fact that you are using a cab on stage and sending an IR to FOH means that they won’t be the same anyway. IRs are going to add colour by the microphone (and mic positioning) that was used to create them.
 
Kelleys Heroes said:
Seems like an odd choice to use with a Fractal because of the features, but that being said I'm interested to play through one. What kind of a cab do you use, and how would you describe the amp's "straight up" clean sounds? Also interesting to hear that people might be dialing in sounds with an amp, and then using the Fractal's output for FOH. EVen if the amp is only slightly colored in the power amp section, it's not exactly going to be the same.
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I use it in a few different ways.

In one setup I'll use it to power the wet cabs (custom 2x12s with V30/Creamback mix) in a w/d/w setup with my evh powering the dry cab (Mesa 4x12).

Alternatively, I'll just use it in a stereo setup with the pair of 2x12s, or in a mono setup with any of the cabs.

The Duncan power amps are actually pretty common for use with modelers. They're pretty well regarded in the "Amps and Cabs" section of the forum here. I also remember Plini was using one years ago with his Axe II to power his stage cab while sending another signal to foh.
 
Kelleys Heroes said:
Seems like an odd choice to use with a Fractal because of the features, but that being said I'm interested to play through one. What kind of a cab do you use, and how would you describe the amp's "straight up" clean sounds?
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Are these amplifiers an odd choice? Yes and no. The Power Stage series amplifiers are very compact and lightweight for the level of power they output. The smaller models can be mounted on or under a pedal board which could be really convenient to use with the FM3 or FM9. While you are correct that they are equipped with features aimed at other use cases, these amplifiers are also serviceable as the power amp for a modeling device. I have used the PS 700 both with the Axe-FX III into a traditional guitar cabinet as well as with the FM9 into a pair of passive Atomic CLR FRFR cabinets. I find that it is a fine choice for either use case.

To the extent that the PS 700 does color the tone you can compensate for that with the myriad of parameters in the FAS device of your choice. I agree that there are better power amps if you want the ultimate in audio fidelity, but the widespread availability and convivence of their form factors still make these amplifiers attractive when compared with other commercially available options. All of the higher fidelity options of comparable power are designed as rack mount devices. You could build a better suited power amp from the parts like @Mystic38 did, but a lot of people won't have the knowledge necessary to get that done.

I will note (as many others have) that the form factor of the PS 700 is clearly aimed at stand alone use rather than use in a rack. It only offers 1/4 inch inputs (no XLR) and the inputs are on the front. That is fine if it is sitting on top of a cab by itself, but it makes for really ugly cable management if you have it rack mounted. Also, the power switch is on the back of the amp which can be frustrating if you have it rack mounted. Then there's the fact that it is 1.25 U, so it takes up 2 U of rack space and it looks odd. On the plus side, there's plenty of room for air flow around the amp when racked. The single volume knob is great if you have two matching cabinets connected and want them volume matched, but not so great if you have cabinets with differing speaker efficiencies since they will have different volume levels with the same output power from the amp. Additionally, the amp does not offer bridge mono operation which would be a benefit for someone using it with a bass guitar cab.
 
RevDrucifer said:
Not sure what differences there are between the 700 and 170 aside from power, but I use a 170 and leave the power amp modeling on in the FM9, while I start the EQ on the 170 flat, it’s what I tweak to suit the room I’m in so I don’t have to alter any presets.
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This is why I find the EQ an actually attractive feature. I just finished a 7 week tour of Europe and every room was different of course, so it’s nice to be able to make basic tweaks per room without having to dive into the FM9 on the fly. Good to hear that PA modeling being left on isn’t a huge issue, because doing so would allow me to leave my amp blocks as I have them currently
 
ScottCryptodira said:
This is why I find the EQ an actually attractive feature. I just finished a 7 week tour of Europe and every room was different of course, so it’s nice to be able to make basic tweaks per room without having to dive into the FM9 on the fly. Good to hear that PA modeling being left on isn’t a huge issue, because doing so would allow me to leave my amp blocks as I have them currently
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Overall, I find my time in Fractal-Land far more fullfilling when I don’t sweat the small stuff. Turn the knobs till it sounds good, done! My eyes glaze over when the deep dives into numbers and graphs pop up.
 
ScottCryptodira said:
This is why I find the EQ an actually attractive feature. I just finished a 7 week tour of Europe and every room was different of course, so it’s nice to be able to make basic tweaks per room without having to dive into the FM9 on the fly. Good to hear that PA modeling being left on isn’t a huge issue, because doing so would allow me to leave my amp blocks as I have them currently
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Cryptodira? I'm pretty sure I've seen your band. Tour Phoenix in the last...idk...10
years? Lol
 
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