Seymour Duncan PowerStage power amps?

Very interested in the PowerStage 170.
At the moment I go direct to FOH and on output 2 I have my active dB Flexsys FM12 wedge just to have an additional monitor and full control.
When I'm not able to bring my Flexsys (fly gigs etc.) I put the EHX Magnum 44 in my luggage and use one of the regular guitar cabs that are available at the venue/festival. The Magnum is very good for the money but I'm pretty sure the PowerStage 170 is much better.
Would be nice to put that on my peal board so I could use it with a passive wedge and also with a regular cab if there's no other choice. Same rig for all shows. I think with the bass/mid/treble knobs it should sound good with both options.

How do you use it? What are your experiences?
 
I would like to know also. Using a 1RU rack mount SS amp now. Behringer 900, apx. 150w per side into a 16 ohm load...just loud enough before clip.
I could throw this in my open back 212 cab. One less thing to schlep in and out!

Can it get LOUD with a 4 pc. band and acoustic kit?
 
I think this is very cool in getting the right pedals and keeping it all in a pedal board. There are so many 'amp in a box' pedals that are basically pre-amps it's getting crazy! I recently ran an AmpTweaker Tight Metal Pro directly into my Mesa 2:90 power amp and I got the best metal tone I have gotten from any rig in my life!!! Cool Stuff!

Here is one running with an AxeFX:
 
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Asphyx74 said:
How do you use it? What are your experiences?
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Output 1 to FOH, Output 2 to a real cab. To me, it sounds fantastic. It's very loud and very clean. Usually i never have it up more than 1/4 of the way. I've had the Matrix, ISP Stealth, and Fryette Powerstation 2. To me, it's a bit more full sounding than the Matrix or ISP and more neutral than the Powerstation. It honestly doesn't sound like Class D power. I've not experienced any clipping or distortion at any volume. The EQ, when flat is actually flat. The controls are very powerful though. It's awesome because I can fine tune for a different cabinet or room without changing the FOH sound or having to mess with another EQ block. I have a Mesa 2x12 at home and an EVH 2x12 in the practice room so its super handy for that. It's just right there on the board. Super light, small footprint. Doesn't get hot. Doesn't seem to loose much/any volume when going from 8 ohm cab to 16 ohm cab, which is great. It's a fantastic product all around.

Also, as stated above, it sounds really good with other amp sim pedals too. I got a chance to try it with the SD Palladium and the ISP Theta. To be honest, both of those units really blew my mind too and sound fantastic, especially the Theta. That thing rips.
 
Very interested in this unit too. Unfortunately it's still not available here and the delivery date got postponed once more some days ago to end of August or something. I wonder if the 170 would be enough for a band or if I better choose the 700?
 
stratos said:
Can it get LOUD with a 4 pc. band and acoustic kit?
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Yes. I have had zero problems with volume with either my 8ohm or 16ohm cab. And I'm in a very loud band. Still haven't had it over noon on the knob. Usually is sitting around 9-11 o'clock. This was also my concern when I bought it. Unless you are going stereo or powering a couple of 4x12 cabs, I would at least give the 170 a shot first. You'll be surprised.
 
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Is this supposed to have a 'tube poweramp feel' kinda like the Matrix? If so, does it do this better than the Matrix?

Is it comparable to an actual tube poweramp like the Powerstation? I know a lot of people seem to really like the power station with the Axe FX.
 
mnemonic said:
Is this supposed to have a 'tube poweramp feel' kinda like the Matrix? If so, does it do this better than the Matrix?
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It's clean power and it responds very well with the AX8/AxeFX. To that end, yes, it feels like a tube amp. I wouldn't say that its any more or less "tubier" than the Matrix. Comparing them, I would say that its maybe a touch bouncier, and doesn't have the congestion in the lower mids that the Matrix does.

I wouldn't say one is better than the other. The PS170 isn't really competing with the Matrix. The PS700 is an excellent choice/alternative to the Matrix and has a larger feature set.

mnemonic said:
Is it comparable to an actual tube poweramp like the Powerstation? I know a lot of people seem to really like the power station with the Axe FX.
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I had the powerstation for a while as well. I actually miss that thing. It sounds great and can be used for a ton of different things. My main complaint is that its sort of a hybrid. If you want to power a cab on stage AND go front of house, there is always going to be a compromise with the Powerstation. If you want the cab to sound great, you really need to set the speaker resonances to 0 and then your FOH feed isn't getting accurate power amp simulation. If you want the FOH to sound great, you are going to be getting the speaker resonances basically double going into the cab and everything has too much highs and lows. With clean power you don't have to worry about either of those situations. If you don't mind just micing your cab then the Powerstation is great. It can also be used in a ton of other ways (reactive load, FX loop, revoicing an existing amp, make a big amp quiet, make a small amp loud, etc).
 
Cool, cheers for the rundown. The 170 does seem like a good solution for me, as the vast majority of my playing is just loud playing at home, and 1000w matrix is overkill.

As much as I do want to try a Powerstation, it's probsbly also overkill for home use. Also I do tend to play for an hour, turn off my amp, then come back later and play again, so it would be a lot of on/off/on/off throughout the day, which I imagine is not amazing for tube amps.

I'm convincing myself, here.
 
was recently in the market for a new/different power amp.

my issues with this product is that there are no inputs on the rear, I avoid B/M/T tone controls on a power amp, there's only 1 "Level" control for 2 channels, and how hot does it get that it needs a fan?

just isn't for me.
 
Asphyx74 said:
Funny. The B/M/T controls are the reason why I am interested :D
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Yeah, the BMT controls on this are great for FRFR applications. If you have a passive wedge or cabinet that is too bass heavy, you can roll some off. Not enough high end? Tweak a little more in.
I might get one of these from MF to try out. You can always return it if it doesn't work out for you.
 
Is the 700 1 Rack space? It looks a bit bigger. I just want to know if this will fit in my 4u space with my Power conditioner and Axefx?
 
A 1U rack is 1.75 inches and the 700 spec is 2.2 inch so slightly more than 1U.

I have a 4U Gator rolling bag and I am able to fit my Furman, AxeFx and Fryette Powerstation. My Powerstation is slightly wider and deeper than the SD700 so it will fit in the Gator. Even though the Gator rack is 4U there is just enough space to fit a small 1U that is not wide or deep to to the wheel compartment with the rack.

I don't think Gator makes the 4U anymore but I was able to find mine in EBay used.
 
The PowerStage is pretty much exactly what I've been asking Quilter to do since they released the original Tone Block. :/
 
So, I have tried a Matrix GT1000, Quilter Pro Block 200, Duncan 170.
For starters, the 170 is PLENTY for anything up to ONE 4X12, with a band. No problem.

The 170 is an excellent option and has Treble, Mid, and Bass controls.
The Quilter Pro 200 is $100 more...it has a bigger footprint, however you also get Reverb, some decent tone shaping controls, a gain control, and most importantly, a second output for a 2nd cab.

The Matrix is a different animal, obviously MUCH more powerful and also capable of running 2 cabs.

After spending some time with each, I would use ANY of these LIVE, I actually have used each of them.
There's no reason any of them wouldn't work for any club show, and even for bigger venue since you'd certainly be micing your cab.

Bottom line is YOUR needs.
If you don't need to run 2 cabs, the 170 is a cheaper, smaller choice with plenty of power. Definitely a great choice for home use and even gigs.
If you need to be able to run TWO cabs, then the "smaller" option is the Quilter. It can fit on a pedalboard if you like.

Should you prefer a rack option, then you are looking at the Matrix and the Duncan 700.
Matrix comes in a variety of versions, 800, 1000, 1500, etc. I have used the Matrix to run a pair of 4X12's at MANY gigs with much success. These are excellent units.

Lot's of good choices out there these days!!
 
I have Tried a lot of different power amps for my Axe Fx 2 and ended up using the PS170 as an emergency option as my current power amp had fried the night before a gig. I ended up getting the ps170 from guitar center( it’s all they had) and was super impressed with its feel and response through a cab. I don’t know if it’s the “best” option if you want FRFR though. If you want the amp in the room feel the Ps170 is a fairly good option. I have no complaints about it.
 
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