4-channel 1U amps

[Stuart91]

I'm currently trying to put a small rack together, which is going to have an X32 Rack, together with a router and some radio mic receivers. The idea is that it's an all-in-one solution for smaller events. 

Last part of the puzzle is some amplifiers. I'd had my eye on Blue Aran's JAM Q3 which is 4x500w into a 4 ohm load, whilst being only 1U in height. Unfortunately they're out of stock, with no ETA available, which probably means many months' wait. 

I've been looking for alternatives. The DAP QI-4600 seems to be almost identical but is similarly unavailable with no lead time given. 

I'm really keen to get 1U, as otherwise I'm going to have to replace the rack itself with a bigger one - at the moment it's 6U and jumping up to 8U will impact the portability quite a bit. However I can't justify the cost of Powersoft etc. so need to keep to the budget end of the market. I could compromise a little on the power output as it'll mainly be driving small monitors. 

I'm not seeing much available online, can anyone point me towards models that I might have missed? 

[themadhippy]

Does the budget extend to lab gruppen? https://www.labgruppen.com/product.html?modelCode=P0D5M

[Stuart91]

2 minutes ago, themadhippy said:

Does the budget extend to lab gruppen? https://www.labgruppen.com/product.html?modelCode=P0D5M

Alas, no. (It seems to be almost £3k)

Nice looking unit though. 

[nmr]

Thomann have a couple from their own range:

https://www.thomann.de/gb/the_tamp_d4500.htm

https://www.thomann.de/gb/the_t.amp_quadro_500_dsp.htm

[Stuart91]

1 hour ago, nmr said:

Thomann have a couple from their own range:

They look like they could fit the bill. (Particularly the model without DSP, as the X32 will do anything required)

Funnily enough, I'd had a search of the Thomann site yesterday but didn't see those models. 

[Brian]

If you go along to the speakerplans forum and then the amplifier sub forum you will find a post called internals 2. Inside are teardowns of most amplifiers. Always worth looking. 

[cedd]

I have an almost identical rack, although with an xr18. Managed to get mine in to 4u by racking the mic receivers at the back of the mixer. 

I went for a Sinbosen amp bought through AliExpress. You can buy direct from their store to guarantee no fakes. 

Seems a good amp so far. Well built and has plenty of poke. 

 

[bruce]

Several on CPC, which may or may not meet your power/quality requirements.

https://cpc.farnell.com/art/sla4/amplifier-4-channel/dp/DP32085 - ART SLA4, 4x140W, inputs on terminal blocks, out on binding posts.

https://cpc.farnell.com/pulse/pla4350d/19-1u-amplifier-class-d-4x-350w/dp/DP36610 - Pulse 4x350W - xlr/speakon. £237+VAT, but out of stock til Jan.

https://cpc.farnell.com/crown-audio/ct4150/pa-amp-4x-125w-4r-low-impedance/dp/DP36728 - Crown 4x125W - £1150

 

 

 

[Stuart91]

The Pulse model could have fit the bill but I can't wait until January - it's a decent price for the spec though. The other too are a bit light on power, annoyingly would be fine for about 80% of the jobs, but will fall short for some. 

Sinbosen look interesting. A lot of their designs are quite "familiar" but the 1U options seem decent. For this job, I'm hoping to get something that will arrive in days, rather than weeks - but might buy a couple anyway for general hire stock. 

[dje]

Is used an option?

Powersoft are possibly the most well known company for building high power amplifiers in 1U chassis. But they are a little pricey so probably won't get one brand new, but a second hand one could be in budget. 

On 9/28/2022 at 7:24 PM, cedd said:

I went for a Sinbosen amp bought through AliExpress. You can buy direct from their store to guarantee no fakes. 

Most of what they make is a fake!! 

I'm fairly against it... whether it's a deliberate counterfeit or an amp which looks and works a lot like a proper brand thing but isn't. It's still costing those brands sales - brands which are good for our economy - and replacing them with sales that benefit our economy in almost no way at all.

[cedd]

I'd normally agree and don't make a habit of buying products I'd consider a knock off, but this is a £150 amplifier competing with other £150 amplifiers. Whether you buy Thomann, Pulse, Sinbosen etc. they're all similarly priced, The sinbosen has the edge on the quoted power. Whether you believe that spec or not is up to you. I think in this instance though it's a legitimate suggestion. I wouldn't be suggesting it to somebody asking for recommendations of alternatives to Crown, Lab or Powersoft because, despite the looks, they're not in the same league and it's something I'd not feel comfortable doing. 

My own rack has an XR18 that I bought second hand, a set of 4 JTS radio mics I've had for donkeys years, and the Sinbosen amp. The whole rack came in at less than £500 to assemble, and I was never going to be able to afford anything more. My 6 channel Cloud was too big and to be honest too good to put in to it. The Sinbosen fitted the bill and I bought it based on what it was, a cheap 4 channel amp. Never expected it to behave like a Lab or Powersoft just because it looked like one, but they would never have been options for me anyway, even second hand. 

[Stuart91]

6 hours ago, dje said:

Is used an option?

Powersoft are possibly the most well known company for building high power amplifiers in 1U chassis. But they are a little pricey so probably won't get one brand new, but a second hand one could be in budget. 

Used is potentially an option, but I don't really have time to wait for the right thing to come up. I've got a couple of Powersoft amps already and definitely rate them - they've been in weekly use for over 10 yrs without missing a beat. I did have a bad time with a second-hand one that I bought around the same time. It had a persistent fault that couldn't be fixed despite two attempts.

I take the point about fakes, I'm not a fan of the practice and some on the Sinbosen site are pretty blatant. Maybe I'm missing it, but the amp Ceed recommended doesn't seem to have been knocked off from a recognised design. Some manufacturers start by imitating others and move on to genuinely innovate themselves, Behringer are probably the most prominent example of this. 

[Stuart91]

One other minor drawback with Powersoft is that most of their models, despite being only 1U, are very deep. Probably too deep for the case I've got set aside for this project alas. 

[Jivemaster]

Some deep rack modules need rear fasteners for which your cabinet may not be built.

[Stuart91]

2 hours ago, Jivemaster said:

Some deep rack modules need rear fasteners for which your cabinet may not be built.

Good point.

I'm happy enough making some alterations to flightcases. Adding some rear support is fine, extending it by six inches so that I can fit a Powersoft would be a bit beyond my abilities. 

(There was a range of Carlsbo amps in the late 1990s that had quite sketchy build quality. A friend of mine mounted two into a rack case that rolled on its back. He got to the first gig to find that whilst the front panels were still firmly bolted in, the rest of both amplifiers had come away completely and was now rattling around in the bottom of the case...)