Help please! Elderly poweramp preferences?

[ohmy]

Hello quick question - venue recently struck by lightning mid duo gig (!) - poweramps are history (if they werent already, ie Peavey cs800x as seen on Time team etc/Behringer "please dont laugh its cheap & actually reliable" models). Cabs/bins all fine though.

Have offer of replacements - tidy pair C Audio ST600's or two Peavey cs800x's as before. Am on really tight budget - which would be best please?

I use one poweramp to drive 8ohm B/Widow bins & other via x/over to either JBL M Tops or Peavey impulses (yes the 8ohm Impulses seem much better than the 4'ohm ones I had previously, but still not a patch on the venerable but horribly visually challenged JBL M330's which Id still love to find bits for!)

Thanks in advance for your most appreciated help - any of you have had gear struck by lightning before? (Very strange "luminous" green glow above amp rack & smell of burning followed by flashes into amps, gig lights tripping/large bang from amps, gig finished using one powered monitor foh!

Cheers

Dave

[ChazHS]

The C-Audio amps are definitely the better than the Peaveys. I'd go for them.

[Bobbsy]

Out of curiosity, in what way are the C-Audio amps better?

 

I have no experience with C-Audio at all but, even though I'm a long way from being a Peavey fan, the one thing the CS800 amps have going for them is that they seem to be built like the proverbial brick outhouse and offer darn good reliability.

 

It would certainly be easy to be lighter, more efficient or sound better...but I'm curious how the C-Audio compares on reliability and longevity.

 

Bob

[Rob_Beech]

Another vote for the C Audio, the peavey amps are old workhorses but the c audio are sonically better too.

 

Never had anything industry related struck by lightning, however my late father owned a garage / MOT testing station / Petrol station. Some years ago (before I was born) There was an old disused telegraph pole at the back of the site next to the river which runs down the back. Everytime a thunder storm passed over head it would get struck by lightning. Stupidly, a local resident from across the road decided to complain about this and have it removed. Time passed and eventually along came another storm. This time, instead of striking the post (which wasn't there anymore) it struck the 3 phase mains that dropped from the roof to a 4 post ramp. My dad was working under a car on the ramp at the time, I remember him telling me it wasn't a pleasant experience, very loud and very blue, and he was somewhat thankful he had his hands on the car and not the ramp.

 

Some years later (after I had been born, and managed to get to school leaving age) I was sat with my dad in the office at said garage with a couple of other people during the start of another storm, suddenly the power lines that ran surface mounted along the office walls lit up blue for a few seconds and a second later there was a fairly large flash and a bang further up the street. I can only assume our power lines were "inviting" the lighting but it declined our offer and struck somewhere else nearby. A lucky escape perhaps.

 

I do like lightning but I know it can be nasty to equipment, and somewhat nastier to people. That's why in a thunder storm I always cover myself in warm clothing made from foil, and I go and stand in an open field where anything that is struck by lightning will be far away. If I can shelter under a large tree that's better still, as it won't find me there..............................................

[MarkPAman]

I've seen a (ground supported) truss that was hit. Or rater the bits of it after they'd cut it up to remove it from the site. Almost all the joints on one half of it had welded together. Happened, apparently, on get out day of a festival and all crew were sitting in vans as soon as the storm started (which is much safer than what Rob does ).

[Doug Siddons]

Saw the lightning strike the pyramid at Glasto a couple of years ago when Glasto sank, I was on my way to another gig in Bisely now thats what I call a lucky escape

 

My 2ps would be for the Cs800, good work horses and easior to repair than the Caudio, as for sonic differences I would say its marginal on ohmy's kit ( that wasn't meant as an insult to Ohmy or his kit by the way )

[Stuart91]

tidy pair C Audio ST600's or two Peavey cs800x's as before.

 

Were you using the crossovers in the Peavey amps? If so, I don't think the C Audio have the capability, so you'll need an external crossover of some kind.

[KevinE]

Another vote for the Peavey CS800X, they are infinitely better built than the C-Audio. All the C-Audio amps I've ever had the misfortune to service look as though they were designed by someone smoking banana skins. The Peavey are easy to maintain, easy to service and clean and you can obtain parts and info readily. C-Audio have no backup at all as they're now just a badge of Harman International.