[PowerTube]

It might sound like a nutty question, but I'm quite serious. Here's the deal.....


Every amp I've owned became a "different" amp when turned up. I could have my perfect sound at bedroom levels, but once it was turned up louder, it became stiffer, more midrange-heavy, etc.... and no matter how I set the EQ, it wouldn't be as good.



So in short, I have the idea to get a small PA system for home use and mike the amp(s). I'm not talking ear-splitting volumes here at all. I'm talking about taking a great sound and raising the volume without it becoming a whole new amp. Plus, it would have more spread and headroom.



What I'm thinking is pretty simple:


Unpowered mixer
Powered PA speakers
Two microphones (possibly more added later)



Are any of you doing this?

 

[Formerly Given To Fly]

It might sound like a nutty question, but I'm quite serious. Here's the deal.....

Every amp I've owned became a "different" amp when turned up. I could have my perfect sound at bedroom levels, but once it was turned up louder, it became stiffer, more midrange-heavy, etc.... and no matter how I set the EQ, it wouldn't be as good.

So in short, I have the idea to get a small PA system for home use and mike the amp(s). I'm not talking ear-splitting volumes here at all. I'm talking about taking a great sound and raising the volume without it becoming a whole new amp. Plus, it would have more spread and headroom.

What I'm thinking is pretty simple:

Unpowered mixer
Powered PA speakers
Two microphones (possibly more added later)

Are any of you doing this?

While I am not doing this, I can empathize with what you are after, to a certain degree. With that said, I have my doubts that a P.A. system will give you what you want, or remain simple, or be less expensive than most other options.

What amp(s) do you have? Can external speaker cabinets be connected?

 

[PowerTube]

While I am not doing this, I can empathize with what you are after, to a certain degree. With that said, I have my doubts that a P.A. system will give you what you want, or remain simple, or be less expensive than most other options.

What amp(s) do you have? Can external speaker cabinets be connected?

I'm actually running a Carvin X100B head across a Carvin 4x12 cab and a Marshall 4x12 (1960A). I would also like to amplify the old Line 6 Flextone II, which I love.

The Carvin rig sounds pretty full, but I would like to get that across additional speakers for some spread.

 

[FireEagle]

The Carvin X100B is amazingly rich, I loved mine for clean tones... Downsized recently and sold it though.

You might check these out... Get your amp turned up and sounding like you want it, then adjust your output to lower levels... or out to monitors or whatever.

https://www.zzounds.com/item--BUGPS...MIzYWCwfmb5QIVYpJbCh01RQdZEAQYASABEgIvNfD_BwE

I would love to have one, as even my little 5w tube amp is too loud for the spare bedroom when turned up where it sounds warm and nasty!

 

[PowerTube]

The Carvin X100B is amazingly rich, I loved mine for clean tones... Downsized recently and sold it though.

You might check these out... Get your amp turned up and sounding like you want it, then adjust your output to lower levels... or out to monitors or whatever.

https://www.zzounds.com/item--BUGPS...MIzYWCwfmb5QIVYpJbCh01RQdZEAQYASABEgIvNfD_BwE

I would love to have one, as even my little 5w tube amp is too loud for the spare bedroom when turned up where it sounds warm and nasty!

Thanks, but that's not where I'm going with this. Modern master volume amps don't get the benefit from being cranked like the old non-master types. In fact, most of them sound best at a much lower volume. I love my current low-volume sounds (from both the Carvin and Line 6) and just want to make that sound "bigger" without changing the sound or feel characteristics.

And yeah, the X100B has an incredible clean sound. I would put it up against a Fender Twin any day of the week.

 

[diablomozart]

this is going to sound a little strange but oh well...could your perception of the amp's sound difference when you increase the volume be a product of your room/environment instead of the amp itself?...depending on the size of your room, at low volumes you'd get less sound reflecting off of the walls, but with more volume you'd get more reflections bouncing back and forth...while this may not be the problem it may be worth investigating by covering any reflecting surfaces (mirrors are very reflective of sound) with a blanket or something then cutting up the volume to see if it helps...while i agree most amps do have a sweet spot often we think its the gear and we ignore the reverb of our playing environment...food for thought...d.m.

 

[PowerTube]

this is going to sound a little strange but oh well...could your perception of the amp's sound difference when you increase the volume be a product of your room/environment instead of the amp itself?...depending on the size of your room, at low volumes you'd get less sound reflecting off of the walls, but with more volume you'd get more reflections bouncing back and forth...while this may not be the problem it may be worth investigating by covering any reflecting surfaces (mirrors are very reflective of sound) with a blanket or something then cutting up the volume to see if it helps...while i agree most amps do have a sweet spot often we think its the gear and we ignore the reverb of our playing environment...food for thought...d.m.

All good points, but I've experienced this with literally every amp I've owned and there have been several. I've done this inside, outside, small rooms, big rooms, etc....

I would just like more spread and fullness while keeping the same sound and feel.

Let me also toss this out: back in 2009, for the first time ever, I was miked across a PA and really liked it. I want to re-capture that.

 

[diablomozart]

All good points, but I've experienced this with literally every amp I've owned and there have been several. I've done this inside, outside, small rooms, big rooms, etc....

I would just like more spread and fullness while keeping the same sound and feel.

Let me also toss this out: back in 2009, for the first time ever, I was miked across a PA and really liked it. I want to re-capture that.

i've played live and yeah its exhilarating...but keep in mind the guy running the pa most likely re-eqed your sound and possibly ran a compressor on it...but i get what you're saying...live i ran my amps on 4 and let the pa do the work...just remember if you go this route, pa speakers are full range and you'll probably have to eq it on the pa as well...just think of it as a really big equalizer lol...d.m.

 

[PowerTube]

i've played live and yeah its exhilarating...but keep in mind the guy running the pa most likely re-eqed your sound and possibly ran a compressor on it...but i get what you're saying...live i ran my amps on 4 and let the pa do the work...just remember if you go this route, pa speakers are full range and you'll probably have to eq it on the pa as well...just think of it as a really big equalizer lol...d.m.

Yeah, I'm pretty much sold on powered speakers. Besides, there are a lot more options in unpowered mixers than in powered ones. I'll probably go with speakers that have onboard EQ, as well.