Phonic Amplifier

Archived from groups: rec.audio.pro (More info?)

<bjackson1@gmail.com> wrote:
>I bought a Phonic Max860 yesterday, and I am starting to get a really
>bad feeling from it. I hooked it up to some home hifi speakers and it
>pushed them with less power than my onkyo 60 watt reciever. I think it
>might be because my input is not high level enough (RCA to 1/4
>conversion), and it needs more juice, but I'm not sure.

Sure, but how did it sound?

>Does this amplifier compare to a Behringer EP1500 (which I was looking
>at but the store I bought this at told me Behringer had bad customer
>service), or even the upper level Pyle(PZR3000), or a Crown XLS202,
>that I was also looking at.

I think the Phonic, Behringer, and Pyle are all pretty dreadful. I have not
used the XLS202.

But it sounds to me like you don't have a power problem, but a gain problem.
If your console gain won't go high enough up, check to see if the Phonic
has some dip switches that will let you set the input operating level.
If worse comes to worst you can always use a bump box, although a good one
will probably cost more than the Phonic.
--scott
--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."

Archived from groups: rec.audio.pro (More info?)

I understand that they wanted me to buy a phonic, and I wanted to buy a
Behringer EP1500 but I like purchasing things in person where I can see
them first.

My application is actually home use, driving 4 ohm speakers, and 2 ohm
subwoofers, etc, since I do lots of different stuff like that.

I am driving it with different home levels, which I think is my problem
(600mv to 1v preamp outs).

Would you recommend that I take it back, and if so what should I say?

Archived from groups: rec.audio.pro (More info?)

I was able to blink the clip lights, but it still wasn't very loud and
distorted.

So I was thinking it could be the fact that my preamp only outputed .77
volts, so I went out and bought a 30 dollar small behringer mixer to up
the signal, and I ended up blowing my subwoofer, but it sounded great
until then. I am pretty sure I was clipping my old preamp :-)

I think that this amplifier is fine really. This could be the fact
that I wanted to take it back but I realized there would be a 20%
restocking fee, and now I am justifying the decision in my mind, but it
works really well, and the place I bought it promises me that if
anything goes wrong withen 5 years they will fix it for free.

Archived from groups: rec.audio.pro (More info?)

It wasn't clipping when I blew the sub, and I wasn't bridging it. It
was clipping before I got the mixer as a preamp.

I think before my preamp (aka my computer's soundcard) was clipping so
badly that it was making all sorts of harmonics and effectly clipping
the input.

Besides the amplifier was free pretty much (gift).


George Gleason wrote:
> bjackson1@gmail.com wrote:
> > I was able to blink the clip lights, but it still wasn't very loud
and
> > distorted.
> >
> > So I was thinking it could be the fact that my preamp only outputed
..77
> > volts, so I went out and bought a 30 dollar small behringer mixer
to up
> > the signal, and I ended up blowing my subwoofer, but it sounded
great
> > until then. I am pretty sure I was clipping my old preamp :-)
> >
> > I think that this amplifier is fine really. This could be the fact
> > that I wanted to take it back but I realized there would be a 20%
> > restocking fee, and now I am justifying the decision in my mind,
but it
> > works really well, and the place I bought it promises me that if
> > anything goes wrong withen 5 years they will fix it for free.
> >
>
>
> Once the clip
> lights come on that's all ya got scotty.
> I doubt the phonic was happy with your 2 ohm load
>
> George

Archived from groups: rec.audio.pro (More info?)

<bjackson1@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:1108518446.528972.89360@o13g2000cwo.googlegroups.com

> I was able to blink the clip lights, but it still wasn't very loud and
> distorted.

Sounds like an amp that isn't happy with its load.

> So I was thinking it could be the fact that my preamp only outputed
> .77 volts, so I went out and bought a 30 dollar small behringer mixer
> to up the signal,

Unecessary since you were able to flash the clip lights.

> and I ended up blowing my subwoofer,

Bringing to mind old wive's tales about too-small amps blowing speakers.

> but it sounded great until then.

You must have a strange idea of what great-sounding is.

> I am pretty sure I was clipping my old preamp :-)

I'm far more sure that you were clipping your new amp when its clipping
lights were on. If your old preamp was the weakest link, you would not have
been able to flash the power amp clip lights. The clip lights on a power amp
only know about clipping inside the amp.

> I think that this amplifier is fine really.

I don't know why.

> This could be the fact
> that I wanted to take it back but I realized there would be a 20%
> restocking fee, and now I am justifying the decision in my mind, but
> it works really well, and the place I bought it promises me that if
> anything goes wrong withen 5 years they will fix it for free.

But they won't redesign it for you.