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I think this may be a stupid question...

J

joe boom

Active member
Joined
Mar 12, 2005
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25
...but, can I plug my SR5 directly into a power amp without an preamp and expect to have any and/or quality sound come out?
 
joe boom said:
...but, can I plug my SR5 directly into a power amp without an preamp and expect to have any and/or quality sound come out?
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One of the reasons for the preamp (as well as tone-shaping) is to bring the signal to line level before going into the power amp (as I understand it)

I have no idea how far off line level an SR5 is, but it's not as far off as a P bass.
 
There's almost certainly a 'proper' answer, but I'd say try it, you can't hurt anything, as long ass you keep the volume low on tha bass just in case....
 
While the high-impedence output of most electric guitars/basses is not the kind of signal that a power amp is intended to use for an input, you might luck out here.

..because the EBMM basses do have a tiny onboard preamp (i.e. 'active electronics') which will probably provide enough of an output signal to be amplified by the amp.

So, you may hear something, but it will probably not be as clean and ideal a sound as you would get by using a 'normal' preamp->power amp signal path.
 
I've been thinking about that, too. It makes more sense to have less components from the source of the signal to the amp, right? So without a preamp, there's less chance of any coloration on the tone, right? Of course, I don't know anything about preamps, power amps, impedance, etc., etc. so these are just speculations.

Also, my Behringer combo amp has an effects loop thing with two ports, one labeld "Preamp out" and the other "Poweramp in". I plugged my bass into the later and it seems fine, albeit the output isn't as loud. I also hear a very, very faint humming, though. Thoughts?
 
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midopa said:
I've been thinking about that, too. It makes more sense to have less components from the source of the signal to the amp, right? So without a preamp, there's less chance of any coloration on the tone, right? Of course, I don't know anything about preamps, power amps, impedance, etc., etc. so these are just speculations.

Also, my Behringer combo amp has an effects loop thing with two ports, one labeld "Preamp out" and the other "Poweramp in". I plugged my bass into the later and it seems fine, albeit the output isn't as loud. I also hear a very, very faint humming, though. Thoughts?
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My thoughts are that you need to plug it into the BASS IN jack. ;)
 
Also, my Behringer combo amp has an effects loop thing with two ports, one labeld "Preamp out" and the other "Poweramp in".
Click to expand...

The Preamp Out jack is for running a signal from the preamp into a PA or for recording. The Poweramp In jack is for running the internal speakers in the combo with an external amp, bypassing the internal amp.
 
I think this may be a stupid question...
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I've done this.

I had to do it once in rehearsal when my preamp went out. Your volume is considerably lower than if you had a preamp in the signal chain. My Bongo didn't need a pre :D However, my SR5 lacked a little on the volume side. It worked for rehearsal though. I'm not sure what kind of volume you'd get playing live.
 
joe boom said:
...but, can I plug my SR5 directly into a power amp without an preamp and expect to have any and/or quality sound come out?
Click to expand...
Try it......it might sound decent. I once plugged my Sterling directly into a crappy board & it actually sounded really good.
 
Aussie Mark: Does that mean I can run the Preamp Out into my computer like a DI box?
 
midopa said:
Aussie Mark: Does that mean I can run the Preamp Out into my computer like a DI box?
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Can I run my power amp out into my computer?

Thanks for all of the info, I will let you know how this works for me.
 
joe boom said:
Can I run my power amp out into my computer?
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Only if you want to cook the computer.

Presumably, you're talking about an input on a sound card or something? Any type of input on a recording device (soundcard included) will be expeceting a much less amplified signal than what's coming from the power amp.

You need to read the fine print on all your equipment to learn what types of signals are acceptable at which jacks. This will *always* be given in the tech specifications. Look for terms like 'line level', 'mic level', -10dBV, +4 dBu. Then make sure you match your outputs with your inputs, in respect to the type of signal.

Also, devices exist that can convert signal types. For example, a microphone preamp is used to take a mic signal (very, very low voltage) and bring it 'up' to line level (which is a higher voltage). A direct box can convert an unbalanced signal to a balanced one. Etc. Etc.

And ALWAYS USE THE RIGHT KIND OF WIRE TO MAKE CONNECTIONS!

I still can't convince my bass player that instrument cables (the kind that you plug from your guitar to your amp) are different than speaker cables (the kind that go from power amp output to speaker cabinets). Just because you can find both with 1/4 inch connectors on the ends doesn't make them the same.
Instrument cables have 1 conductor and a shield, speaker cables have 2 conductors and no shield. Using the wrong one for a connection can lead to heartache and equipment damage.

So, I guess the moral of the story is RTFM. ;)
 
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