Power Amp Quality Does Matter - No Hype

S

secondruleis

Member
As I write this it sounds like I am stating the obvious but I thought I would post about my experience with different power amps and the AxeFx to save someone the trouble.

For the record, I have played high-end, boutique tube amps for most of my life and still own (but don't often use) many great amps and cabinets. A few years back I took the plunge into the Fractal world but couldn't make things sound the way I expected them to. After a few false starts I jumped back in and settled on a FRFR setup first with Atomic CLRs and later with Friedman ASMs. Although this sounded good, I slowly migrated to a power amp and guitar cabinet. That's where the trouble began.

I usually by the best gear I can afford bit this time I chose to purchase a Behringer iNuke for power because it was high wattage and a quarter of the price of a Matrix amp. I also assumed that solid state power is pretty consistent and thought I would be frugal and "smart" this time. Despite everyone's love for Matrix amps I assumed it was just "hype". Everything sounded ok to me at first with the iNuke. But after playing some shows, I really noticed a lack of low end definition and everything just sounded kind of crappy. I tried to tweak it to no avail.

So, I went ahead and order a Matrix GT1600FX fully expecting the difference between it and the iNuke to be minimal if even noticeable. I was as wrong as can be. The difference is staggering. Night and day. The matrix sounds better in every way. The low end is there, the presence and definition is there and this setup pushes air like the real deal. My setup sounds like a raging, amazing tube amp.

I'm stating the obvious here but thought I would share my experience. Just go and buy a Matrix amp. Don't mess around folks. It can happen to you. :)
 
Totally agree- long ago I learned ( mostly from watching my dad buy things over and over because they were crap) that I would rather save up for a quality product ( not just guitar stuff- but anything) than buy a piece of garbage. Matrix makes great stuff - enjoy your amp!!
 
Yep - Think of the money once - Rest of the time you have to live with what you purchased.

Thanks
Pauly
 
I have a Carvin DCM1540 1500w amp. It's made with an aluminum chassis so it's petty light.
I don't like the fact has a 2U form factor so I typically run my Matrix 1000w amp with the 1U size.
I keep the Carvin at home and when I plug each channel into a 4x10 cab it really can stop traffic on a busy street near my house.
Very noticeable power over the Matrix, but both are way more than I need.
It's just fun sometimes. :)
 
I use a Carvin DCM2000Lx as my power amp. It's lightweight (Class D), super clean, and powerful. Very pleased with it.
 
I recently upgraded from an early '70's AMPEG power amp section (VT-22, 100W 6L6's) to a Carvin DCM200L (200W in bridged mode). The improvement in clarity was stunning. It's hard to beat.... 1-U rack space amp and weighs only 4 pounds. Can't say enough about the quality and affordability of Carvin amps.
 
OP, so are you using the Matrix with guitar amps or passive FRFRs? Which ever, you dig that sound better than the CLRs and Friedmans?
I use a Matrix GT1000 with a Matrix NL12 and regular guitar cabs-Germino 2x12 or Pure 64 1x12. Been thinking about trying active CLR, but might wait for the new Matrix hinted at. But then again I don't want to get too lost in the IR search. Not knowing any better I pretty satisfied with my sound, but of course want to try. I don't play out or are a band.
 
I started out doing the FRFR thing with two active Atomic CLRs. My band uses in-ears so this was purely additive and great during rehearsals. But we noticed that I some smaller venues we missed the throw and stage volume of real cabs. So we made the switch. Our ears and FOH still get the speaker IR but our power amps/cabs do not for obvious reasons. Clearly in our situation we could roll without cabinets on stage but we certainly missed not having them.

Now, everything sounds and feels "right". I'm sure this is just because we have spent our lives playing amps and cabs.

As for FRFR, I really dig the freedom and fidelity of calling up different cabs. And it sounded great. It just didn't sound like a guitar cabinet does.


garyrogue said:
OP, so are you using the Matrix with guitar amps or passive FRFRs? Which ever, you dig that sound better than the CLRs and Friedmans?
I use a Matrix GT1000 with a Matrix NL12 and regular guitar cabs-Germino 2x12 or Pure 64 1x12. Been thinking about trying active CLR, but might wait for the new Matrix hinted at. But then again I don't want to get too lost in the IR search. Not knowing any better I pretty satisfied with my sound, but of course want to try. I don't play out or are a band.
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