Power amp recommendations

I'm about to pull the trigger on a Monoprice 300-Watt (150w RMS x2) 1U Amplifier to power a couple of Yamaha Club series floor monitors. It's only $99 bucks on the Monoprice website and the reviews look pretty good, except for some fan noise.
 
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I'm about to pull the trigger on a Monoprice 300-Watt (150w RMS x2) 1U Amplifier to power a couple of Yamaha Club series floor monitors. It's only $99 bucks on the Monoprice website and the reviews look pretty good, except for some fan noise.
I totally get staying in a budget, but to a point, you get what you pay for. I have no idea on what you are about to order, but let us know what you think of them. I hope it sounds great!
 
I totally get staying in a budget, but to a point, you get what you pay for. I have no idea on what you are about to order, but let us know what you think of them. I hope it sounds great!

I hope it sounds great too!

If you're a studio musician then yeah you probably want to have the best sounding reference speakers that you can get. If you're a band/live performer then don't get too hung up on having perfect sound quality. I choose my gear for live shows and I've seen first hand how stuff gets treated in those environments... I wouldn't want to bring expensive/high-end speakers there. Plus, what you hear on stage will not be what your audience hears through the FOH...you're at the mercy of the sound guy... unless of course your rig is the FOH. Also, on stage with the other musicians and the mains thundering next to you, those high end speakers will sound no better than something half the price. Sometimes I'm happy to just be able to hear myself at all. At my last show my personal monitor failed on me, and then the sound engineer for some reason dropped my guitar way out of the stage monitors half way through the show. Argh it was a challenge. Anyway keep in mind that so called "FRFR" systems are nothing new. Any good quality PA speakers can be EQ adjusted to give a pretty flat response. Get a 31-band EQ and the world can be your oyster.
 
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More volume... But volume is not headroom...

Not making a point, just adding a general definition of headroom:
“Headroom is the amount of power between an amp's maximum capable power output and the average amount of power needed to play at a desired listening level.”
 
I hope it sounds great too!

If you're a studio musician then yeah you probably want to have the best sounding reference speakers that you can get. If you're a band/live performer then don't get too hung up on having perfect sound quality. I choose my gear for live shows and I've seen first hand how stuff gets treated in those environments... I wouldn't want to bring expensive/high-end speakers there. Plus, what you hear on stage will not be what your audience hears through the FOH...you're at the mercy of the sound guy... unless of course your rig is the FOH. Also, on stage with the other musicians and the mains thundering next to you, those high end speakers will sound no better than something half the price. Sometimes I'm happy to just be able to hear myself at all. At my last show my personal monitor failed on me, and then the sound engineer for some reason dropped my guitar way out of the stage monitors half way through the show. Argh it was a challenge. Anyway keep in mind that so called "FRFR" systems are nothing new. Any good quality PA speakers can be EQ adjusted to give a pretty flat response. Get a 31-band EQ and the world can be your oyster.

I disagree slightly. Live sound does matter and if you are cutting costs that drastically, why get a world class pro level modeler and pair it with a possibly, and highly likely, sub-standard power amp and speakers? IMO, based on your assessment, just get a used and very cheap Line 6 POD. To each their own, but I tend to want my "Ferrari" to have high quality gas and tires versus super cheap alternatives. Again your reasons are not wrong, I just look at it different. Most here would say that the speakers and power amp do make a huge difference and we have all tried many different types and budget lines, before coming to a happy medium.
 
I just picked up a used gt1000fx. We’ll se how it does. I probably won’t run stereo too much so 1000 Watts should be plenty considering the kemper is 600. Got a 6u roto rolling so I might get a power conditioner. The last thing now is just waiting for my fc 12 which is taking way too long but I digress.

Thanks guys
 
I hope it sounds great too!

If you're a studio musician then yeah you probably want to have the best sounding reference speakers that you can get. If you're a band/live performer then don't get too hung up on having perfect sound quality. I choose my gear for live shows and I've seen first hand how stuff gets treated in those environments... I wouldn't want to bring expensive/high-end speakers there. Plus, what you hear on stage will not be what your audience hears through the FOH...you're at the mercy of the sound guy... unless of course your rig is the FOH. Also, on stage with the other musicians and the mains thundering next to you, those high end speakers will sound no better than something half the price. Sometimes I'm happy to just be able to hear myself at all. At my last show my personal monitor failed on me, and then the sound engineer for some reason dropped my guitar way out of the stage monitors half way through the show. Argh it was a challenge. Anyway keep in mind that so called "FRFR" systems are nothing new. Any good quality PA speakers can be EQ adjusted to give a pretty flat response. Get a 31-band EQ and the world can be your oyster.
I feel that most decent SS amps are transparent enough and that speakers are where to sink the cash. As long as they have enough power for the application... and speaker efficiency plays a big part in that. I use a relatively cheap Carvin 1U amp in a couple of scenarios and the band love the tones I get. Knowing EQ surgery techniques are underrated IMO. I’ve had people shit bricks when they heard what I could do with a Peavey 2x12 combo and a ten band EQ.
 
Tone or feel wise?
both, the B/M/T controls on the unit really help to fine tune your sound. Duncan made this power amp specifically
to be used with Modelers (if I'm not mistaken) so it has a 'bouncier" feel to it than the Matrix does (IMO)
buy one off of Amazon, that was if you don't like it just return it
 
both, the B/M/T controls on the unit really help to fine tune your sound. Duncan made this power amp specifically
to be used with Modelers (if I'm not mistaken) so it has a 'bouncier" feel to it than the Matrix does (IMO)
buy one off of Amazon, that was if you don't like it just return it

Which one do you use? The 170 or 700?
 
^ this , I've gotten much better results using the Power Stage than I ever did using the matrix

I had the same experience with the Power Stage (170 and 700).

I sent the Matrix back, I thought it fell far short of all the hype.
 
I disagree slightly. Live sound does matter and if you are cutting costs that drastically, why get a world class pro level modeler and pair it with a possibly, and highly likely, sub-standard power amp and speakers? IMO, based on your assessment, just get a used and very cheap Line 6 POD. To each their own, but I tend to want my "Ferrari" to have high quality gas and tires versus super cheap alternatives. Again your reasons are not wrong, I just look at it different. Most here would say that the speakers and power amp do make a huge difference and we have all tried many different types and budget lines, before coming to a happy medium.

I don’t think you understand how sound reinforcement works. Most speakers that are “close” to flat response can easily be leveled with EQ. Pink noise generators/RTA have been used for decades to do this. Furthermore what you think is your perfect sound with your perfect speakers is probably going to sound terribly muddy in a band mix. Guitar EQ’d properly in a band mix is not full spectrum, it’s normally pretty limited and thin sounding by itself.
 
I don’t think you understand how sound reinforcement works. Most speakers that are “close” to flat response can easily be leveled with EQ. Pink noise generators/RTA have been used for decades to do this. Furthermore what you think is your perfect sound with your perfect speakers is probably going to sound terribly muddy in a band mix. Guitar EQ’d properly in a band mix is not full spectrum, it’s normally pretty limited and thin sounding by itself.
I do understand sound reinforcement and I have tried many different power amps. I just never got great results from a lower end one. Plus I don't know how much I'd trust the build quality on a $99 power amp. But again, your results may differ and that is great.
 
I do understand sound reinforcement and I have tried many different power amps. I just never got great results from a lower end one. Plus I don't know how much I'd trust the build quality on a $99 power amp. But again, your results may differ and that is great.

Yeah I’m giving it a shot just to see. It hasn’t arrived yet, but I’m running the Axe-fx2 through my mixer —> DBX Driverack PA —> power amp —> Yamaha SM12V speakers right now in stereo and it’s sounding pretty killer. The Drivrack already has the EQ curve for those speakers pre-programmed, so it’s super easy to set up. I have no complaints right now. I’ll let you know how the monoprice amp works out after I get it.
 
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