Conference napalm::commusic_v1

    
    	I  use a "home" preamp and amp at the center of my studio, and
    	It works fo me. -Daniel

    I used to use a 12w per cahnnel pioneer receiver as the power in
    my studio, Now I use a 100w per unisync power amp driven by my
    mixer. Either way works good, the unisync is better than the pioneer
    but I did some decent work using the old technology.
                                     
    dbii

    If you're just using it at home at less than ear-bleeding levels and
    don't have a huge dynamic range in any of the pieces you'll be playing,
    it shouldn't make a great deal of difference.

    If any of the above are false, you would probably be better off going
    with a pro amp.  Others don't have the headroom or tolerance that you'd
    require.

    To add a few sticks to the fire, I'd be interested in hearing some
    opinions on amps in general (like TOA, QSC, Ashley, etc).  I'm kind
    of in the market and need to make a decent decision.

    I'm sure that Chris D. will have something to say about this.

-b

    I dug out an old (1968) Fisher 50W per channel amp and am using
    that for at home monitoring through 2 Technics monster speakers
    a friend permenantly loaned me. This setup actually does just fine.
    I can crank the amp up with no distortion. FWIW, I have a few friends
    with 8-track studios, and they just use a mid-range home stereo
    amps. (The have the logic of "its going to be played on someones
    home stereo, might as well monitor the mix on one")
    I usually plug into the PA when I play out of the studio, but if
    I did it often enough, Id buy a rack mount Yamaha 200W and stuff
    it in my rack.
    
    Pete

    I run the output from my YAM MT2X (4-track/mixer) to an Audionics
    CC-2 power amp.  It is a conservatively rated 70 Watt/channel amp
    I used to use for my main stereo.  Even with the volume cranked
    it sounds gorgeous on the YAM NS20M's!  I am a believer in the 
    theory that you should monitor on equipment as close to what the
    final product will be heard on.  Since I only do studio (ie personal
    enjoyment) work, pro gear wouldn't make much sense for me.
    
    My sense is that you might be able to find a clean 80-100 W/C power 
    amp for home use at a reasonable price more easily than a beefed-up
    professional model.  What have you pro jammers out there found?
    
    Clusters,
    Bill Allen

    
    Like I said in AUDIO, if you're using it in a consumer environment,
    where it will be on a shelf or in a rack undisturbed, and you won't
    be pushing it past normal consumer listening levels for extended
    periods of time (which, by the way, is NOT typical of a lot of studios)
    then your consumer amp should hold up.
    
    But if you're roading it, or pushing it hard, then it's gonna be
    a time bomb. Sooner or later it's gonna fail. They just weren't
    designed for that kind of application. That's one big reason pro
    amps cost more money. Reliability has a price.
    
    Brad, I'll go over a few amps for you. Anyone who isn't interested
    hit NEXT UNSEEN now.
    
    TOA makes good stuff, overall. They make a superb line of background
    sound systems for the contractor as well as very good MI products.
    
    QSC used to be the price/performance leader in the pro market, but
    has experienced a huge growth year in 1988, and have started to
    take themselves a lot more seriously. Thus, they weeded out a lot
    of dealers and just passed a major league price hike. There are
    three pro audio lines; the 1200/1400/1700 Series One, the MX series
    (MX1500,MX2000)and the Series Three. The Series One used to be the
    p/p leader but no more. They are basic analog amps, 3 rack spaces,
    and a minimum of features. The MX series are the 2 rack space switching
    amps competing with Carver and the Peavey DECA. I'll avoid comparing
    anything to Carver because we've had that rathole before. The MX
    series is very much like the DECA and are great amps, smooth and
    powerful. The Series Three are the big muthas, modular construction,
    mega watts, and require 220V. The biggest one puts out 3,000 watts
    and weighs 90 lbs. They are competing with the Crown MacroTechs
    and the big Crest 8000 series.
    
    Ashley Audio is a company known primarily for it's signal processing
    devices, but entered the power amp market with two FET output amps,
    the FET-200 and FET-500. They are fantastic amps, however they
    really never caught on. 
    
    If I were to recommend a small amp right now, it would be the Crown
    Power Base series. They are basically stripped MicroTech amps for
    a bottom line price. No frills. the MicroTechs have better protection
    schemes and balanced inputs, clip lights, etc. The MacroTechs use
    a bigger stronger power supply and have more headroom. The MacroTech
    10,000 will put out 10,000 watts into a ONE OHM load. Sorta like
    a good sounding arc welder. Of course, the old standby D75, D150A,
    DC300A, PSA-2 and Delta-Omegas are still offered.

    BGW is still my personal choice (I have 4 750's amongst the arsenal)
    because I prefer the sound of an analog amp vs. a switching amp.
    The Crown MacroTech and the QSC MX2000 are changing my mind. The
    250 and 750 are still being made, and they have cost reduced the
    750 into the 7500 which is pretty much a 750 with no frills. The
    GTA is BGW's big touring amp to compete with the big Crests and
    QSC series Three.
    
    Ramsa makes great small amps, too. They sport built in limiters
    that make clipping smoother and less damaging.
    
    Yamaha pro amps have always been good and they are still being used
    a lot in studios. They are clean and very quiet.
    
    One final note, about Carver. If light weight is the top priority,
    buy a Carver. Nothing else will even come close in the weight
    department.
    
    CdH