I would say yes, but you have to check what kind of cab you are using. Most modern cabs are 8 ohms. That means the HB can provide about 400+ watt in an 8ohm cab and the DG 500 can pump about 350 watts into an 8ohm cab. Also more watt can give more headroom which is nice. I switch between 500-800 watts amps.
This is correct. That said the microtubes does include the VMT circuit too.
Both the microtubes and AO have a compressor included and both got cab sims. You can also do firmware updates. Those new amps from DG are super sexy imo. But if you want more flexibility and experiment with different preamp sounds I would go with the HB route.
I also think the AO is more versatile then the B7k/VU. I had the AOU but I never got that typical DG sound which I did get from the Microtubes. So I sold it but in hindsight I actually really enjoyed the different (more mellow) sounds which I got from the AO.
I think I am following all this, thanks for all the info.
Iâve watched videos and read reviews of the Harley Benton, the cons are the knobs (meh) and the preamp!
I know myself and know I wonât like that much if it is just âokâ.
I am leaning towards a DG AO (gives me some cool stand alone options), and I really like the 3 slot cab sim adds. Been playing with them on the B7K and dig them a lot.
As long as I pair with a 4ohm cabinet, I get all 500 watts. Iâm doubtful I will be playing any huge venues (or any venues at all outside of a group play setting, who knows) but think this is good.
Does the Darkglass Alpha Omega 900 have the ICE power section? I think Gregor said it does not but not clear (he said it is different is all) and cannot find in the documentation.
Next dopey question⌠4x10 or 2x12, why choose one or the other config?
I assume this is the same question as 2x10 or 1x12?
And is there a negative powering a 1000 watt cab with a 500 watt head (assuming all are 4ohms). I canât think of anything but since I am asking dumb questions today I figure I will ask them all.
I heard Gregor mention that as well and am curious what they did. On my Microtubes 500 the model number didnât quite match the ICE spec sheet. On 120V power it would put out 380 Watts, which would be 190 if using an 8 Ohm cabinet. It used the identical ICE board as the Tonehammer 350.
I would personally go for an 8 ohms cab. If you stack those you will get a total impendance of 4 ohms. If you stack two 4 ohms you get a total impendance of 2 ohms which only a few amps can provide. Darkglass is one of those few but I would still recommend stacking two 8ohms cabs. This is just my opinion.
I agree with this too. I bought a 4 Ohm cabinet so I could get all the amp power out and now Iâm sorry I did. I never need all that power and would rather have the option to stack if I did.
I would say yes but with much bigger sound. If you are going all out you might want to look at Bergantino cabs. Those Bergatino amps are sexy af tooâŚ
i wanted to have an ultra clean amp and bought the 300W version of this (two actually, for stereo effects). the only tone coloration on it is eq, and that can be disengaged by a button push making it, in effect, a straight power amp.
Which one are you looking at? Many cabinets have ratings half that or less. Another reason to buy 8 Ohm cabinets if getting a large amp.
The down side on that one crosses over into the âit dependsâ category. Thereâs no problem mismatching numbers between the amp and the cabinet as long as neither one gets pushed too hard. To get something with that high of a power rating probably requires another tradeoff that you may or may not want.
@DaveT
An example / the Darkglass cabs come in the followingâŚ
Letâs assume I am looking at the DG AO 500 as the ampâŚ
Cabs
1x12 - 8ohm - 500W
2x10 - 8ohm - 500W
2x12 - 4ohm - 1000W
4x10 - 4ohm - 1000W
Which all makes sense.
So, what if I buy a DG 500 amp now, but want to giddy up one day to something like an 800 or 900 watt amp, assuming this all goes really well and I am playing stadiums soon
If I wanted âone cabinetâ to do it all, wouldnât I go with the 2x12 / 4x10.
And wouldnât using that with the DG AO 500 give me 500w?
And wouldnât uing that amp with the 8ohm options give me less wattage?
As near as I can tell you are completely following. In that context, thereâs no problem powering the 1000W cabs with the 500W amp.
Itâs also possible to think about it the other way around, get a 900 Watt amp and the 500 Watt 8 Ohm cabinet to start. This is a lighter base rig to carry if the 2x10 sound is to your liking. Then stacking anther 2x10 gets you back to the big system.
All this is playing along with the base premise of making a system that may not serve a practical purpose. I think it may be rare to need that much power without a full PA system taking over. This is well into the territory of hearing damage for everyone on stage if not careful.
But, this appears to not have the ICE amp clean business that I am leaning towards, unless I can sort this out and confirm.
So, if I go with a smaller 8ohm cab to start, the actual wattage is halved, correct?
does this 250W give me enough oomph to âplay with the bandâ or is it on the hairy edge?
I canât imagine it isnât clean on the power stage.
Correct.
Iâll let others comment about what range of circumstances 250 Watts into a 2x10 with 98 dB sensitivity is good for. @Gorch did a thread on how much is enough and @Gio has talked about this too. @Paul@howard
The DG 2x10 cabinets are 2dB less sensitive than the DG 4x10 cabinets. This means you have to put 1.5x as much power into a 2x10 to get the same level as the 4x10. In reverse, if you put 250w into their 2x10, it will be the same level as putting 160W into the 4x10.
You guys are complicating this beyond belief and @John_E youâre pushing yourself into a rabbit hole overthinking this.
If you get GK (or any other high quality one) head youâll get this options:
Youâll be able to power any combination of cabs imaginable wherever you decide to play in the future
It has direct out so you can connect it directly to DAI
It has effects loop so you can use your BK7 as preamp instead GK one
Itâs not transparent but it adds very warm color to your tone.
You will get yourself a good head
As far as cabs go, more speakers = more volume, so 2x10 will be louder than 1x12 at same wattage. You can also power lower wattage cabs with higher wattage heads but you must be careful with master volume. The other way around is also possible but depending on the difference you might power starve your cab so it might sound funny.
Thatâs a lot of power man, a 1x12 or a 2x10 will prolly cover all bases and if its a larger venue they normally have a pa that you can connect to via your D.I on your amp head.
