PE plate amp or behringer???

[bmccord]

OK, so this whole time I was just planning on using the PE 1000w plate amp for all my fun little sub projects. However, recently I came across the behringer amps. Particularly the EP2500. For not much more I could get the EP2500 and a BFD and have much more power on tap. Is there anything that the plate amp will offer that I cannot get with the EP2500 and a BFD? It will be used for only subs and eventually to power my IB set-up... Thanks.

Brett

 

[Eric Apple]

You would be missing a phase control, a low pass filter, auto on/off, and an all in one self power sub with the bfd/amp setup. You can sort of fake a low Q low pass with the bfd (it only does a notch filters). But not really a functional low pass for a sub. You would still have the HT processors low pass to make up for the bfd lack of one.

 

[j_garcia]

If you are OK using the receiver's low pass, you don't need one on the BFD or the amp. Phase control is probably not a big issue, though if you DO need it, you won't have it. Some receivers do have at least a 0 or 180 phase capability internally too; might check if yours does. One other thing you could be missing out on is a "rumble" filter, aka subsonic filter, that filters out the lowest lows below the capability of your sub to help prevent it from bottoming out. If your sub is well designed though, that might not be necessary either, but it is never a bad thing to have.

 

[bmccord]

the lack of a rumble filter is something I like. The set-up will be used for an IB when I get around to it, so full power @ 10 Hz is a good thing. However, if it leads to the distruction of my 2 10's I have laying around, even though they have an xmax of around 24mm, that would help steer me in the direction of IB. Anyways, low pas would be controlled by the AVR. I was just wondering if I should just spend the few bucks more and have ridiculous overhead and be able to use it for future expansion.

 

[j_garcia]

Do you think your sub will have good output down to 10Hz ? Didn't you say it was tuned to 20Hz with a relatively steep drop off below that? Or are we talking about another setup?

A few other things to consider:
The 2500 likely has a fan which may be audible at times. The plate amp is designed with driving subs in mind, so it is likely better suited to the task. The 2500 + BFD will likely give you much better EQ capability.

 

[bmccord]

yes, 10 Hz capability was intended for the IB set-up...

 

[bandit]

check out the mackie 1400i... it can be bridged and has a built in adjustable and defeatable low pass filter for subwoofer applications. gobs of power.
These amps have proven very reliable at reasonable prices in the pro audio world.

1400 watts @ 4 ohms bridged
1000 watts @ 8 ohms bridged
700 + 700 watts @ 2 ohms stereo
500 + 500 watts @ 4 ohms stereo
300 + 300 watts @ 8 ohms stereo
Ultra-low-noise/ low-distortion design
Fast Recovery circuitry reduces distortion at the edge of clipping and beyond
Two 2nd order, 12dB/octave, Bessel low-cut filters with variable frequency from Off to 170Hz help optimize bass output of your sound system
3rd order, 18dB/octave, Bessel electronic subwoofer crossover with two selectable frequency points

 

[Rik]

What about Carvin amps? Are they any good?

 

[annunaki]

Lots of power with many subs would be a good thing for an IB setup. If the phase is an issue and you need to go 180 out of phase, simply switch the polarity of the speaker outputs (wire the + to the - output and the - to the + output), problem solved.