Dangers of using a Pro Audio amp at home

[cdfac]

that doesn't surprise me one bit. and i would've categorized those amps different based on my impressions. the D150 and especially D300 were the standard great sounding pro amps for a long time, certainly not falling in the "bad" category from what i've read. OTOH, i'd consider the Audiosource to be a low/lower-end home amp. in my head i was picturing something in the bottom to middle of Yamaha's M or MX range for the home amp and a more recent BOTL Crown for the pro. i think i like concrete examples instead of generalizations better! :yes:

 

[similost]

Or.. guess my Tapco Juice 1400 is a cheaper pro amp, and man oh man does that thing sound fantastic... but it's built like a tank, and actually not too cheap of looking parts inside.. $300 for a 1400w amp.. that's what I call cheaper..

 

[majick47]

Dangers Of Useing A Pro Audio Amp At Home

A pro audio amp might be too powerful for your home speakers and damage the speakers if played too loud. Also they don't look like they use the standard rca connections and might not work with your home audio equipment. Parts and service might be a problem and you might not be able to get pro audio equipment repaired at shops that service home audio equipment. Pro audio equipment is generally bigger and heavier than home audio equipment and may not fit on your equipment stand. A lot but not all pro audio equipment is more expensive than home audio equipment. You might have a hard time reselling pro audio equipment if you try to resell it. Some pro audio equipment is not as good sounding as home audio equipment. Pro audio equipment will look out of place in your home, very industrial looking, your wife won't like the looks. Leave pro audio equipment to the pros, recording studios/clubs/DJs/me.

 

[rifftrax]

I can agree with the cheaper part but to assume that pro amps are better than "snobby" home audio gear (high end) is only you trying to convince yourself it is not better. I have A/B'ed lots of gear over the years and you get what you pay for, no matter what your intrest may be. Cheap amps, cheap wine, cheap cars.... it all shows through eventually.

I dunno about this.

I can go to best buy and buy lower end new Klipsch for $400 for a pair...

or I can stick with the used CF-1's I have which no doubt sound a phenomenal amount better (heard them both, used to work there) for $125 a pair (originally sold at $1400).

Some items just have more inherent value and better construction for the money, that's it. There something to be said about price point but I've listened to a setup I constructed from $6 thrift store speakers and a $15 Sherwood amp from a friend and let me tell you...wow - just wow did that setup sound like magic. Utter magic.

Or you can go back to Best Buy and puchase a POS adapter for that same $21. Serious. I remember seeing the markup sometimes was at like 2000% for some components - not even kidding.

You might have a hard time reselling pro audio equipment if you try to resell it. Some pro audio equipment is not as good sounding as home audio equipment.

Uh, that's definitely not true at all. It's actually typically easier to sell TBH. I used to work at a pro audio consignment shop. Good amps go very very fast.

It seems many people here have not heard about some of the truly high-end pro audio companies and what is involved in their designs. I would suggest you do some research before knocking pro stuff. You may also not realize that there are a good many studios in this world running Krell amps in the control room. It works both ways.

 

[cdfac]

Or.. guess my Tapco Juice 1400 is a cheaper pro amp, and man oh man does that thing sound fantastic... but it's built like a tank, and actually not too cheap of looking parts inside.. $300 for a 1400w amp.. that's what I call cheaper..

i thought i saw a Tapco in your signature, although it's a different model. i guess i'm going to have to keep going to 2RU/3RU pro amp therapy to get over my big iron addiction actually, i was JUST about to by a Crown K2 when the PC5002Ms came into my life, and i haven't wanted for much since. the situation might present itself again, though, ya never know. and there are quite a few infinity folk running QSC, which has certainly got me thinking.

 

[70salesguy]

Crown amps

The biggest danger of using "pro amps" in your home system is that your snobby friends will look down their nose at you when they talk about their "flavor of the month" esoteric power amps that cost 5 times as much!

I have NO experience with any "Pro" power amp other than Crown. I have and use Crown DC300A series II, PS-400 and Power Line Four models. The PL4 is somewhat the consumer version of the PS-400 and was clearly intended for home use.

But the DC300A series II and the later version, the PS-400 were clearly designed for and widely used in commercial and professional applications.

Neither have a fan.

You would be hard-pressed to do better than a PS-400 or a DC300A series II!

 

[Fred Sanford]

A pro audio amp might be too powerful for your home speakers and damage the speakers if played too loud.

A home hi-fi amp that's "too powerful" for your home speakers can damage the speakers if played too loud. A pro OR home hi-fi amp that's too under-powered for your home speakers can damage the speakers if played too loud. Sounds like an end-user issue no matter what.

Also they don't look like they use the standard rca connections and might not work with your home audio equipment.

So, you get inexpensive adapters, or use commonly-available pre-made cables, or make some yourself. The level-matching issue mentioned earlier is actually much more important.

Parts and service might be a problem and you might not be able to get pro audio equipment repaired at shops that service home audio equipment.

Pro audio amps are generally much easier to service and get serviced, actually. I often have a much tougher time getting home hi-fi repaired correctly than my pro gear.

Pro audio equipment is generally bigger and heavier than home audio equipment and may not fit on your equipment stand.

OK, this one may be true, but newer designs are quite light in weight.

A lot but not all pro audio equipment is more expensive than home audio equipment.
You might have a hard time reselling pro audio equipment if you try to resell it.

That hasn't been my experience at all, especially if you're talking about power amps.

Some pro audio equipment is not as good sounding as home audio equipment.

Some home audio equipment is not as good-sounding as pro equipment.

Pro audio equipment will look out of place in your home, very industrial looking, your wife won't like the looks.

Personal taste, but quite possible. I often remote-locate my amps anyway if they're used in a finished room (place them in an adjoining room or basement).

Leave pro audio equipment to the pros, recording studios/clubs/DJs/me.

Or don't, and check 'em out for yourself. It helps to have a buddy in the business that might be able to advise or even bring over some loaners for testing. Pro audio amps are MUCH easier to find short-term rentals than home hi-fi amps!

Doesn't hurt to do some research per model & ask questions here, some specific models are easier to integrate into home systems than others. :yes:

je

 

[RevAmish]

I think i'll just buy another PS-400 and run them mono. Problem solved. :scratch2:

 

[rebos123]

Glad you found a solution! THe only thing that came to mind when I read your first post was that some amps have a 70V output that is used for paging applications. Perhaps that is what the person was talking about when he was talking about high voltages?

 

[iLUVanalog]

well, what about going in the other direction?....any dangers in using "home audio" components in a pro environment?

and if there truly aren't any differences or dangers, why do mfrs. differentiate?

 

[RevAmish]

"Leave pro audio equipment to the pros, recording studios/clubs/DJs/me."

I use a pair of Tannoy PBM 6.5's in my bedroom setup. They're studio monitors. I don't need to be a DJ or engineer to use them do I? Lol...

 

[tensleep]

QSC CX1202V

This is a very big solid state pro amplifier:

20-20 khz @ 0.03% thd, 700 wpc @ 8 ohms
0.05% thd, 1100 wpc @ 4 ohms

Klipsch KP301-B-BR

These speakers are a pro version of the Chorus:

FREQUENCY RESPONSE: 50Hz - 20kHz±4dB (-10dB @ 39Hz) @ 3 meters, 1/2 space anechoic
SENSITIVITY: 101dB @ 2.83V, 1 meter, 1/2 space anechoic
POWER HANDLING: 400 watts (44.7V)
CALC MAX CONTINUOUS OUTPUT: 125dB
COVERAGE ANGLE: 60° Horizontal x 40° Vertical
DIRECTIVITY INDEX (DI): 9dB ±2dB
NOMINAL IMPEDANCE: 8 ohms, 5 ohms minimum @ 230Hz

I actually have the Klipsch biamped using a Rotel integrated for the horn stack and the big QSC for the woofers. The system sounds great so far. I am looking around for an external active crossover so that I can get the most out of this setup.

I got really lucky on most of this gear and I think a large part of that is due to the fact that it is Pro Audio grade gear with the exception of the Rotel. The QSC was a CL find. It set me back $10 plus the cost of a 25A fast blow fuse. The Klipsch were in an antique store and were part of a lot purchase. The pair cost $100. I am currently looking at a stereo Behringer crossover for $80. The RCA to XLR adapters set me back about $10.

The sound from this setup is tremedous. I listen at low to moderate levels with no problems. The control that the big QSC has over the big Klipsch woofers is absolutly solid. The horn stacks sound great full range on the QSC, but biamped with the Rotel is a completely different league. I can't wait to get a crossover into the loop and recover my turntable this weekend from my cousin.

The Klipsch have a very attractive wood finish. The grills are heavy gauge steel mesh with black cloth covering. The QSC hides very nicely and quietly in a Barzilay cabinet.

I will say that you need to read and research how to set up your gear correctly. Also, most pro gear is very simple - no remotes, no effects, no fancy lights. Get good sources with a great front end of some kind, preamp or mixing board, and have some fun!

 

[automojo]

I think what is missing in this talk of pro-vs home based gear is the sound.
Although I have noticed that some pro-gear fails to mention it's power bandwidth when saying it will deliver "700 wpc @ 8 ohms", while most decent home audio gear mentions their wpc from 20-20000. So this wpc rating can be miss leading.
I don't think the careful design and attention detail in circuitry in some home audio amps is for show, it's to achieve a certain sound, or design philosophy (High slew rates/fast rise times-etc) and in some instances lower other types of audible distortions other than THD, such as IMD, etc.
I can attest that these can make a audible difference in the sound-perhaps to your liking-perhaps not.
Even amps with the same published specs can sound different, not to mention the speakers they are driving and associated equipment. Julian Hirsch (God rest his soul) may have thought they should sound the same-but that isn't the case in many instances.
I have heard a number of pro types amps over the years-some sounded decent, some I found had a fatiguing quality to them after time-i.e I liked them at first, but after listening to them for a while, I wasn't enjoying the sound as much. Home amps can be the same as well(the Audio Source unit mentioned earlier comes to mind)
But again the associated equipment is just as important as the amp. Synergy if you will-I don't like the term, but it's neverless a componet that can be easily over looked-especially in the pro-sound reinforcement side.
If you have your audio nirvana with pro amps great, or with home amps- great as well.
The point if you love the sound of your gear, don't worry about what someone else thinks.
Now on the other hand, if you think you can do better, or have the quest for better sound(it's a life long hobby for me anyway) than your really doing yourself and your hobby a injustice by not truely comparing different gear with your current set up.
I don't think too many here knock proamp setups, however merley throwing out output power has little to do with the sound-perhaps pontential, but little else, as there are good watts, and bad watts, and a alot in between.
Mike Watt is another story.......

 

[hypertone]

The danger of pro amplifiers range from cancer caused from high power microwaves emitted from the amplifiers, or deadly fumes emitted from the circuit boards killing you in your sleep. It's just not worth it when there are so many high quality home stereo amplifiers available.

 

[Ender]

A sub question I want to pose here in relation to the topic at hand as it were: Is this a wpc issue or is it a longevity, or is it something else I have missed?

I ask, because I have come to find, at least in my example a HUGE amount of power isn't really required, a 250wpc amp has been displaced for a 35wpc amp simply because the smaller amp is truer in my mind to what I expected/wanted to arrive at my ear when all was said and done.

If I am off base sorry for the hijack, and disregard.

 

[virak]

I'm using a Kenwood 700C / Yamaha PC2602 (260wpc@8Ohm) in my livingroom.

Do I really need that much power to drive a pair of Pioneer HPM-100's? No...
Does this combo sound better than the e.g. Accuphase E-302, Accuphase E-202, and Sansui AU-G90X I've used there before? Yes!

The HPM's seems to really thrive on the extra juice. The sound is detailed, clean, effortless, controlled, and the amp is barely lukewarm (no fan noise). The only "danger" I see, is low WAF, but I don't have a W (I have however partially hidden the Yammie behind a speaker, it has a quite dominating effect in the room!).

Last night we had some visitors over, and i got several compliments for the great sounding system (we were not talking about audio at all). A friend actually asked if I'd gotten new speakers, because of the improved sound

 

[Coytee]

Fan noise

Ohhhhhhh, "shot down"!!

I'm biamping, using two Crown K2's. convection cooled, no fan therefore, no fan noise!


I agree with the others... no problems of using pro (or "PA") amps in the home.

 

[Elliot Thompson]

A sub question I want to pose here in relation to the topic at hand as it were: Is this a wpc issue or is it a longevity, or is it something else I have missed?

I ask, because I have come to find, at least in my example a HUGE amount of power isn't really required, a 250wpc amp has been displaced for a 35wpc amp simply because the smaller amp is truer in my mind to what I expected/wanted to arrive at my ear when all was said and done.

If I am off base sorry for the hijack, and disregard.

Larger amplifiers are sought after so the user can increase his or her bass output without overdriving the amplifier during the process.

The biggest danger is destroying your loudspeakers. Home audio speakers are not designed to manage a lot of power for very long. Providing you use some common sense, there should not be any issues using professional audio amplifiers on home speakers.

Best Regards,

 

[Fred Sanford]

well, what about going in the other direction?....any dangers in using "home audio" components in a pro environment?

and if there truly aren't any differences or dangers, why do mfrs. differentiate?

Other threads have covered this thoroughly a number of times before, but the quick version would be:

Home components are generally not designed to bounce around in transport, or withstand the temperature/dust/humidity extremes experienced in a pro environment.

Decent pro amps are designed for extended use at or near their limits, and the components chosen + cooling methods designed in will keep the amp happy & healthy. I've seen many home amps pressed into pro use for DJ or PA go all burnt toasty quite quickly.

Ask X25 how his Adcom is doing. :scratch2:

je

 

[KentTeffeteller]

Big things are will the house wiring handle it and being very careful with the gain. Too much volume, it's very easy to toast speaker drivers and one's hearing. I don't care for too many pro amps for home use. Only better old Crowns pre-Harman and better Yamaha.