Powerful and Loud Heads for a Grand or Less

Coreymcd22

Coreymcd22

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Apr 1, 2013
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4,571
Upstate, SC
youngamericanlandscape.bandcamp.com
#1
I've got a Sunn Coliseum 300 that I run out of an Ampeg 808 (I've also played it through 6x10s and 8x10s) that I dig, but I'm looking for something that can push more volume. Unfortunately most 300 watt tube heads are out of my price range so I was wondering if there were any other good secret weapon heads like the Coliseum 300 out there that provide good bang for the buck.

My rig gets me throw plenty of shows just fine but with larger rooms I really have to crank the gain and I'd like to not have to push the amp so hard to be heard in my fairly loud band. I've heard great things about the Aguilar Tonehammer series some of the hybrid amps like the Eden World Tours but I don't have places to try them and see how they do. There is an Eden 300T for sale online that I can almost afford but this is a head that I can find very little information on.
 
#2
Coreymcd22 said:
...My rig gets me through plenty of shows just fine but with larger rooms I really have to crank the gain and I'd like to not have to push the amp so hard to be heard in my fairly loud band...
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What is your budget like? The Mesa M6 is a beast, and they come up used pretty often. Are your cabs 4 or 8 ohms total load?
 
#8
B-string said:
You will run out of speaker cab with a high power amp. Having high wattage just means you can BBQ those 4 8" speakers, not necessarily be much louder. Speakers hit a point that they stop getting louder and just start heating up (power compression), this is one very small step away from silence......fried speakers.
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This.

Need more volume? You need more speaker my friend.

By yourself an 8-10 for way less than a grand and let that Sunnyvale amp eat!
 
#9
two fingers said:
This.

Need more volume? You need more speaker my friend.

By yourself an 8-10 for way less than a grand and let that Sunnyvale amp eat!
Click to expand...

So an 8x10 would make that big of a difference? I've considered that route before but I thought they ran 4 ohm as well which would still cut the Coliseum down to 150 watt. Although if it will help that much I'll do definitely go that way and save some money and trouble.
 
#12
Coreymcd22 said:
So an 8x10 would make that big of a difference?
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Absolutely! Think about it: if an 8" driver has a surface area of roughly 50"sq, and a 10" driver has a surface area of roughly 79"sq, you currently have about 200 square inches of surface area with which to move air. With an 810, you'd be using the same amount of power (150W), but you'd have roughly 632 square inches to push air with. More than three times what you have now. 150W is plenty if you're pushing enough surface area. Now, all things are not equal and this is an oversimplification so I'm not going to say that you'll be exactly three times louder, but let's just say the difference will be substantial. Furthermore, that 810 will be able to handle the power if you decide to go with a more powerful head down the road.

Incidentally, the Eden 300T was not one of their finer moments. It's an okay amp, but I would take one of the classic World Tour heads: WT400, WT550 or WT800 over a 300T any day. Just because it's all tube doesn't mean it's necessarily better. Eden World Tour heads are World Class. The 300T, not so much. Actually, your Colosseum is a much better head than that 300T, IMO, and through an 810 would be loud enough to get arrested.

EDIT: Your current cab is an 8x8, not a 4x8. Silly me for not noticing that, but the 810 will still eat it's lunch.
 
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#14
Coreymcd22 said:
I've got a Sunn Coliseum 300 that I run out of an Ampeg 808 (I've also played it through 6x10s and 8x10s) that I dig, but I'm looking for something that can push more volume. Unfortunately most 300 watt tube heads are out of my price range so I was wondering if there were any other good secret weapon heads like the Coliseum 300 out there that provide good bang for the buck.

My rig gets me throw plenty of shows just fine but with larger rooms I really have to crank the gain and I'd like to not have to push the amp so hard to be heard in my fairly loud band. I've heard great things about the Aguilar Tonehammer series some of the hybrid amps like the Eden World Tours but I don't have places to try them and see how they do. There is an Eden 300T for sale online that I can almost afford but this is a head that I can find very little information on.
Click to expand...

That head doesn't sound very "tubey" to me. Tom Bolus did a review of it, do a search in the forums. I think G-K1001RB-ll is a huge bang for your buck ... You can get one for $450 US and it pushes 700 really loud watts at 4 Ohms. Old Fender Studio Bass heads and Super Twin heads are both 180 all tube watts and can be picked up for a reasonable prices. Cheers.
 
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#16
One of the best bang for the buck amps I know personnaly is the SWR Mo' Bass. Outdoor festival power output with ton of features.
http://support.swramps.com/manuals/pdfs/MoBass_OM.pdf

Bridge/Mono Mode
900 Watts @ 4 Ohms
650 Watts @ 8 Ohms
440 Watts @ 16 Ohms
(minimum load = 4 Ohms)

Stereo Mode (per side)
600 watts @ 2 Ohms
400 watts @ 4 Ohms
250 watts @ 8 Ohms
150 watts @ 16 Ohms
(minimum load = 2 Ohms)

Mine was very reliable and only retired because no more outdoor gigs. Through a pair of 612 cabs = OMG!!
 
#18
Yea, its 8x8 so I never thought of the surface area as being a huge jump, but you've convinced me to give an 8x10 a try and see how I like it, thanks.

Lo-E said:
Absolutely! Think about it: if an 8" driver has a surface area of roughly 50"sq, and a 10" driver has a surface area of roughly 79"sq, you currently have about 200 square inches of surface area with which to move air. With an 810, you'd be using the same amount of power (150W), but you'd have roughly 632 square inches to push air with. More than three times what you have now. 150W is plenty if you're pushing enough surface area. Now, all things are not equal and this is an oversimplification so I'm not going to say that you'll be exactly three times louder, but let's just say the difference will be substantial. Furthermore, that 810 will be able to handle the power if you decide to go with a more powerful head down the road.

Incidentally, the Eden 300T was not one of their finer moments. It's an okay amp, but I would take one of the classic World Tour heads: WT400, WT550 or WT800 over a 300T any day. Just because it's all tube doesn't mean it's necessarily better. Eden World Tour heads are World Class. The 300T, not so much. Actually, your Colosseum is a much better head than that 300T, IMO, and through an 810 would be loud enough to get arrested.

EDIT: Your current cab is an 8x8, not a 4x8. Silly me for not noticing that, but the 810 will still eat it's lunch.
Click to expand...
 
#20
Pretty much anything GK makes is going to be a good bang-for-the-buck. The MB800 is crazy loud, if you want lightweight, and the 700/1000RB-II are also amazing.

Hartke LH1000 absolutely delivers, and is quite affordable.

Peavey's new MiniMega is a tour de force, and an amazing bargain.

Mesa's new D-800 and the Genzler Magellan 800 are also very competent, lightweight, and surprisingly affordable.

And if you go used, there are lots more options, of course.
 
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