power amp for Eleven Rack?

Tube or solid-state, this section goes to eleven!
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Ustyalund
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Post by Ustyalund »

Hi guys. I just "took the plunge" and got a great deal on an Eleven Rack last week, and was planning on using it with one of my QSC K10's... but I'd also like to try using it with a power amp and my Orange 1x12 cab (and then mic it through the PA). I know that cab will color the tone some, but a lot of people have said that it feels more like a 'real' amp live if you use a guitar cab with a power amp vs. a full-range powered speaker.

I'm new to power amps and was wondering if you guys could suggest a good one to use with the Eleven Rack or amp sims in general... and does tube vs. solid-state matter much tonally with those?

I actually have an almost new Crown XLS1000 stereo power amp already. Would that do the job???

Thanks in advance for any advice! Oh, and I'm still looking for the right midi foot controller... and am open to suggestions on that (preferably not something expensive). And can you use a regular wah pedal with a digital rig?? If so, I'm going to stick with my Vox or Crybaby... and won't have the need for a foot controller with a built-in expression pedal.

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Post by plush »

Wanna build new one from scratch - go for IcePower mono or stereo module. They have both integrated AC to DC converter with aux power and very clean D-class output.

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Post by FiveseveN »

Ustyalund wrote: 14 Sep 2020, 11:33 does tube vs. solid-state matter much tonally with those?
It matters insomuch that tube amps typically have high output impedance / low damping and that certainly impacts the frequency response and "feel" of the cab, whatever that means. To implement the same effect with solid-state poweramps we usually use mixed-mode feedback, but there are some special power amps specially designed for special guitarists that just fake it with preamp filtering.
A PA amp like the Crown is by contrast high-damping, but it should provide plenty of headroom for "faking", like when you're using it with speaker simulation and the impulse responses has the characteristic resonance "baked in" (if it was captured using a tube amp).
Ignorance more frequently begets confidence than does knowledge. (Charles Darwin)

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Post by ppluis0 »

Hi folks,

IMHO play an electric guitar with any sort of emulator instead to play plugged it to an authentic tube amplifier and their cabinet, produces the same feeling that play a video game recreating an rally car (or the kind of race car you like), versus drive an authentic car.

With a tube amp or combo rated up to 35 watts we can play in small venues or pubs without any complaints and if there is the case to play in bigger situations an ever one tiny amp will be miked and routed trough PA as the others instruments.

Nowadays it is not always possible to really crank a 100w Marshall in most live situations, so using with a single instrument a Crown amplifier that delivers 700w bridged into 8 ohms is really too much, I think.

Cheers,
Jose

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Post by FiveseveN »

ppluis0 wrote: 15 Sep 2020, 03:38 play plugged it to an authentic tube amplifier
Cool. Why do you think a lot of big touring acts either switched to DSP (mostly Kemper) or have been using it throughout their career (for younger bands)? Is it more likely that they're missing something or that you've made a hasty conclusion based on insufficient data?
Ignorance more frequently begets confidence than does knowledge. (Charles Darwin)

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Post by Optical »

I had an elevenrack a while back. It sounds reasonable with either a solid state or tube power amp. There are power amp types you can switch in the settings to fiddle with the response. Overall I thought it sounded a bit average however. The ADC and DACs were good though so it's a quality interface.

Bajaman has a good design for emulating a tube amp response from a solid state amp. Ive tried it and it feel authentic.
There are the seymour duncan power stage amps which have this feature built in and would work well too.

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Post by soulsonic »

Ustyalund wrote: 14 Sep 2020, 11:33 I actually have an almost new Crown XLS1000 stereo power amp already. Would that do the job???
This would probably work great. At least it's worth a shot as the first thing to try.
"Analog electronics in music is dead. Analog effects pedal design is a dead art." - Fran

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Post by bmxguitarsbmx »

Yeah. Give that Crown power amp a try! If your cab feels lifeless, putting a 4-16 ohm (or more) power resistor in series with the cab can help let the cab get a little freedom to resonate a little. Solid-state amplifiers tend to have a low output impedance and "control" the speaker a little too much, which is what ppluis0 is referring to about Tube amps and real cabs. Good thing Fiveseven was there to dismiss that cork sniffing tube purist! A power resistor does a surprisingly good job of getting some feel back in your tone.

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Post by FiveseveN »

Did you completely disregard my previous reply where I described the very same thing, with examples?
Ignorance more frequently begets confidence than does knowledge. (Charles Darwin)

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Post by bmxguitarsbmx »

No I didn't disregard it. I agree with your first post quite a bit. I'm not sure what actionable items you were describing. A series resistor is actionable. However, there is value in just getting a tube amp and a good cabinet and realistically that will be your best tone. Using the gear you have would be step one of course and if you feel comfortable modding the amps feedback topology, hell yes. More power to you!

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