I have built a pair of subs and need poweramps for them. They will play below 100 hz. I need roughly 300 Watts per channel into 4 ohms.
I see the Behringer iNuke 1000 sells at a ridiculously low price, but is the sound quality also very low - or is it less important when used for bass-duties?
Are there other brands or specific amps you can recommend?
I will add subs in the future so 3 or 4 channels would also be welcome, but I was hoping not to spend more than 500$ max.
I see the Behringer iNuke 1000 sells at a ridiculously low price, but is the sound quality also very low - or is it less important when used for bass-duties?
Are there other brands or specific amps you can recommend?
I will add subs in the future so 3 or 4 channels would also be welcome, but I was hoping not to spend more than 500$ max.
Can you provide rationale why the Behringer would be a bad choice for what the OP is needing?
Price too low? Behringer's reputation? Although I'm not sure a T-amp is any "better", and the price/performance ratio of the iNukes seems to beat the Behringer average.
I don't know anything about their reputation, I am just wondering if the iNuke 1000 e.g. is a fantastic value and more than enough for my subs, or whether there are alternatives that would be even better without costing 10x the price. 🙂
I'm a big personal fan of the inukes. They're not perfect and they aren't bulletproof but in terms of value I think they're great. By far the most function for your money.
I think for me it would boil down to "are you using them as part of a paid service?" If yes, consider some higher end amps. If you are not being paid to provide PA, iNukes are just fine.
For undiscerning people (nearly everbody who doesn't work or do audio as a hobby) the full range audio quality is perfectly acceptable. Usually the speakers are a weaker link. For sub use this isn't even an issue.
The big question mark is reliability. I have one that is starting to fail after two years. You have to occasionally apply percussive maintenance to get it to start playing again. I suspect most of the damage is from being abused in every way in the fraternity and often sitting on top of the sub cabinet it's powering, which shakes it to death. Perhaps life in an amp rack would be much less punishing.
I encourage purchasing the DSP version if you think there's ever a chance you'll use it. It's very flexible and incredibly useful.
I think for me it would boil down to "are you using them as part of a paid service?" If yes, consider some higher end amps. If you are not being paid to provide PA, iNukes are just fine.
For undiscerning people (nearly everbody who doesn't work or do audio as a hobby) the full range audio quality is perfectly acceptable. Usually the speakers are a weaker link. For sub use this isn't even an issue.
The big question mark is reliability. I have one that is starting to fail after two years. You have to occasionally apply percussive maintenance to get it to start playing again. I suspect most of the damage is from being abused in every way in the fraternity and often sitting on top of the sub cabinet it's powering, which shakes it to death. Perhaps life in an amp rack would be much less punishing.
I encourage purchasing the DSP version if you think there's ever a chance you'll use it. It's very flexible and incredibly useful.
My mains are Linkwitz LXminis, they are superb. The amp will be used for critical listening to recorded music. Perhaps PA is not the route?
I have dsp.
I have dsp.
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I've gotten some really funny looks from people at parties when I smack the amp to make the subs turn back on.Percussive maintenance!
They make plenty of power but the fans will need to be taken care of. They are loud. You may even get away with no fans depending on your requirements.
This is exactly the sort of thing Behringer gear is famous for. Life in an amp rack may or may not be less punishing - depending on how and how often said amp rack is transported. They are, however, cheap enough to have extras.
Look for a used Crown QSC or other higher end pro amp. You can often find them used and in excellent condition. I recently bought a CDI1000 for 300$ new in the box from someone who bought it on a whim and never used it. One consideration is fan noise. This and many of the other Crown amps have a multiple speed fan setup that works really well. I have yet to hear the fan on it. Many musicians have these pro amps in their homes and never take them on the road where they can get beat up and broken. Those are the ones to look for as a good used amp. If you are worried about Behringer quality then buying a used amp is a good option to pursue. I don't think there is more bang for your buck than an Inuke for driving subs. If you get the DSP model you have crossover, EQ, subsonic filter, phase/delay adjust etc all in one package.
5 years ago I bought a behringer ep4000 for sub duty, ep2000 for monitors and a QSC GX5 for the tops. We have played outside in 105F degree heat at dusty race car tracks, played tons of winter shows when it was -25F outside and the stuff is stored in the trailer throughout the year in those conditions. Five years later, the behringer amps are still kicking. So is the QSC, but the fan is starting to squeal on the qsc.
I was thinking of getting a pair of inukes to power my new lightweight setup. The plan is to run the left channel off one amp and the right off the other. That way, in the rare occasion one dies during a show, we will still have one sub and top until the break. The QSC will be the backup.
If you aren't doing sound for a living and have a backup plan there is no reason to disregard the behringer stuff. 99% of the people listening to you won't know the difference or care you're running behringers.
With that said, go look for a used crown or peavy amp 🙂
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The ribbon cable on my EP2500 failed - more than once. And now it's developed a temperamental high rail driver on one channel. Works at low power all the time, and when it feels like it on high power. I haven't had the time or inclination to track the latest one down. One side of the balanced out on my little Behringer mixer doesn't work anymore. Ok driving unbalanced, which I usually use it for. And I had my Ultrabass subharmonic synth just quit and it went on the scrap heap. I like the 120A much better anyway.
I think the EP4000 is a QSC clone from what I've seen. The conventional Behringer amps like the 4000 are pretty much sorted out and should be reliable. The I Nuke series is a new product with a lot going for it but it sounds like the price point they have chosen does not allow for reliability to be as high as it could be with a few more $$ put into the design. The Crown XLS series is perhaps an example of the difference between the 2 brands. It seems to be getting better reviews but it is more costly. If you look at the cost of an XLS2000 and compare it to a HI Fi amp with anywhere near it's power it is still a very good value.
It's great to have so many choices available from the Pro Audio market to power subs at a reasonable cost.
I agree with the Crown idea. If you can find a perhaps ugly but functional Crown K1 or K2, you'd have something that in my opinion, would be stone reliable, NO cooling fans to mess with either. It's convection cooled.
I have three of them in my system. Power to spare and not the first fan noise.
I have three of them in my system. Power to spare and not the first fan noise.
Or build a set of BPA300s 🙂
I am running 4 PA150s in my main system and more than enough power for a domestic environment.
I am running 4 PA150s in my main system and more than enough power for a domestic environment.
300 watts in 4 ohm suggests that each driver is 75 watts aes.
to get the most out of the driver ,use the driver program power as amp rating.
(sub = 2x12" 150watts aes=300watts program power= 600watts.)
if you don't mind the weight,i would go for a second hand,crest qsc,crown amp.wouldnt be hard to find.
Let me be clear. I really like Behringer equipment. They do good designs that generally work well and is priced competitively.
BUT - you cannot get replacement parts if something goes wrong. The repair shops will tell you the same thing.
As long as they work - they are a good deal. But if something breaks - you're screwed.
So as Dirty Harry said, "How 'bout it, Punk. Do you feel lucky?"
Bach On
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