Difference between a reference amp and regular amp?
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Posted on Sep 27, 2007 03:35 pm
BeerHunter
www.TheLondonProject.ca
Member Since: Feb 07, 2005
Is the only difference between a reference amp and a regular rackmount amp just the wattage?
I blew out a channel on my amp last night and I need to get a new one. I'm going to use the one channel I have left to power a sub and get a new one to power our stage monitors.
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Sep 27, 2007 03:39 pm Sometimes reference amps have different heat dispersion methods so they don't need a fan to suppress noise in the control room and whatnot. They are more focused on flatter responses as well, whereas power amps are more for power with less emphasis on the frequency range in response.
...or that's how I understand it...I am sure many companies use the word "reference" as a buzzword too...
BeerHunterwww.TheLondonProject.caMember
Since: Feb 07, 2005
Sep 27, 2007 03:50 pm Sounds like it may be best suited to run nearfield monitors rather than stage monitors. The one I just blew was a reference monitor and I would like to add an addition reference amp. I somehow need to find out if a Carvin 150W reference amp would have enough juice. The other one I have is 300W but had a lot of headroom still. Carvin boasts true RMS but I'm concerned that 150W is not enough for our jam room. Next step up is 600W and that seems like an overkill.
This is not for gigging. Only for jamming in our practice space. We used it for vocals and for a POD.
www.carvin.com/products/s...150&CID=PWA
glnflwrsHead KnockerContributor
Since: May 20, 2007
Sep 27, 2007 09:15 pm A reference amp is like the old Ford Cleveland engines. When a tolerance is given as .0752" + - .003, you could legally be anywhere from .0722" to .0782". The Cleveland engines, and reference monitors and amps, are held to the specification tighter. Instead of using a .04mFd capacitor that is rated at + -.009mFd, they use one rated + -.oo15mFd.
Tighter specs with higher quality innards.
(did I just write that ? ?..............)
Noize2uCzar of MidiAdministrator
Since: Apr 04, 2002
Sep 29, 2007 03:20 pm glen, nicely done.
BH yes a reference amp is just as stated, although as dB mentioned some companies use it as a buzz word. But a good reference amp is much quieter and has a much flatter response for better reproduction with out the use of and EQ or the like.
And I have always been of the mid it is better to have more power then the speaker set needs then not enough power. Lack of power will just add to the weight the amp must carry and the degradation of the audio. Not that it matters a whole lot if it is just for practice and such.
Just my 2 cents worth.
Sep 29, 2007 03:30 pm And your speakers are actually safer with an overpowered amp at high volume levels, due to the fact that clipping will fry your tweeters...yep.
Noize2uCzar of MidiAdministrator
Since: Apr 04, 2002
Sep 29, 2007 11:08 pm Ya know, I have never fried a set of tweeter's yet. Although I will agree if you are not careful it is indeed an easy thig to do.
Ya just gotta remember how much you can go before hitting the limit of the speaker.
Noize2uCzar of MidiAdministrator
Since: Apr 04, 2002
Sep 29, 2007 11:55 pm Simply put common sense tells me not to clip my amps when I'm driving a set of speakers. I do take extra care not to get myself into that situation. And when playing content of unknown origin or volume I never have a channel cranked up to any substantial volume that could damage my precious gear.
I'm going to bed now.
Sep 30, 2007 12:21 am Nite nite.
Noize, I was coming from the standpoint of someone who is used to low-powered amps for monitoring. You certainly fall outside that category!
I'm happy to have a high-headroom monitor system now, thanks largely to dB, who managed to part with his JBL 4206 monitors and Alesis RA-100 amp. This system is tilting the modular. In other words, it rocks!
Noize2uCzar of MidiAdministrator
Since: Apr 04, 2002
Sep 30, 2007 11:43 am I figured as much, I just felt like being a smart alack.
Nice article by the way, he makes some good points in there that I think most people don't think about at all.
