Loudest amp?

IGRocker

IGRocker

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Who here has the loudest amp?? We'll judge this by wattage, unless everyone has a way to record the decibels their amps are putting out.

Now go! :D
 
eS.G.

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Not me...... My Biggest is a 60 watt Hartke Bass
 
DPaulCustom

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They claim 80 watts on my Traynor, but I'd suspect it's higher, I've NEVER been able to turn it past half way:wow::wow::wow:
She's a BEAST
 
Kerry Brown

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Wattage is not a good way to measure the loudness of an amp. I have a Vox AC15C2 and a Traynor YCV50. The 15 watt Vox is as loud if not louder than the 50 watt Traynor. They are both so loud that your ears hurt. Both can easily overpower the rest of the band in a bar.
 
wildeman

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I got a 78' Bassman 100 thats obscenely loud and im buying a 50watt Marshall jcm 900 thats super loud too.
 
wildeman

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I saw Blue Cheer in a small club in Sacramento and Dickey was playin through 2 4500 watt bass heads it was the loudest thing ever ( friggin awesome). One amp went down and he stopped till they hooked up another. 9000 watts!
 
Alty

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RTH said:
Tube amps automatically win over solid state.
Click to expand...

Not for loudness or other things....and not for everyone. 25W is 25W no matter what amp is used.

"Are valve amps louder than transistor for the same power rating?
The short answer is no. Watts are a precise measurement and is exactly the
same for valves or transistors. Valves do not have some ‘mysterious’ ability
to alter the laws of physics... sadly for some....! But there are factors
which can make transistor amps seem quieter."

"....The often overlooked point here, is that guitarists do not realise that the power quoted by the manufacturer on the front of the transistor amp, is usually the maximum total power the amplifier is able to deliver when an extension cabinet is connected. This means that you should expect to derate the power of a 100 watt transistor amplifier to around 60/65 watts RMS when using just the internal speaker(s). This makes quite a difference and it is perfectly understandable why any guitarist might be surprised to find that a transistor amp which says 100 watts on the front does not seem as loud as a similarly rated valve amp... especially when it is likely to be fitted with one of those less efficient speakers as mentioned earlier!"

"Why do amps seem to sound better when they’re played loudly?
Well, guitar speakers are designed to add harmonics to the tone when driven hard. This effect is caused by ‘cone break-up modes’, as it is called in technical terms. It adds harmonic tones to the sound which has the effect of making it seem warmer. This is particularly true of the premium grade speakers. The more budget types do too... but not to the same degree or quality.

Another problem lies with your hearing and how the brain processes the sound coming into it. You ‘perceive’ the sound to be fuller and fatter at high volume. This is because your hearing widens its bandwidth as sound levels get louder - this is a long established 'psycho-acoustic' effect written about in great detail in acoustics law books. This seemingly defective response dates back to the days when we used to hunt for our food. Our hearing evolved to be extremely sensitive to sounds of rustling leaves and snapping twigs, and the like. It is still the same today. This is exactly the reason that telephone lines are not HiFi sounding. The early telephone engineers worked out that they could reduce their electricity demand and costs by making the lines equal to the most sensitive range of our hearing... and use less transmission power. Clever eh?

However, as the volume of sound increases our hearing becomes more equally sensitive to all frequencies. This is why your favourite CD sounds much better when played loudly. It is all just a trick of our brains and there is no way you can alter this. Guitar amps will always seem less exciting at lower volumes."
 
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