New amp for bass duty.

I'm looking for a newer amp for bass duty to drive two 2235H's.
For now I have a QSC EX4000 in perfect working condition but the outside is busted - it was used in humid environment for years and the paint falls off everywhere due to rust underneath.

Is there anything (newer?) that comes close to the EX in terms of musicality and grunt in the bass?
I want something with a quiet fan or with passive cooling.
I tried a K2 before but the QSC was the winner for me.

I was thinking about buying another EX/MX or an MPX1200 but they are very difficult to find in VG+ condition.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by martin2395

I'm looking for a newer amp for bass duty to drive two 2235H's.
For now I have a QSC EX4000 in perfect working condition but the outside is busted - it was used in humid environment for years and the paint falls off everywhere due to rust underneath.

Is there anything (newer?) that comes close to the EX in terms of musicality and grunt in the bass?
I want something with a quiet fan or with passive cooling.
I tried a K2 before but the QSC was the winner for me.

I was thinking about buying another EX/MX or an MPX1200 but they are very difficult to find in VG+ condition.

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Hi martin2395,

Why not to clean an re-paint the amp case?

regards
ivica

Hi Ivica,

The rust spots are everywhere, not deep but they are under the paint so it bubbles and just comes off in flakes.

Ive redone the handles and the top cover but spray paint is so soft, you could scratch it off with your nails.

Do you think that paint stripper would work on such a rough surface? Sandblasting would destroy the stickers and badges. The original paint is some kind of scratch resistant heavy duty stuff.



Attachment 68134

Quote:

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Originally Posted by martin2395

Hi Ivica,

The rust spots are everywhere, not deep but they are under the paint so it bubbles and just comes off in flakes.

Ive redone the handles and the top cover but spray paint is so soft, you could scratch it off with your nails.

Do you think that paint stripper would work on such a rough surface? Sandblasting would destroy the stickers and badges. The original paint is some kind of scratch resistant heavy duty stuff.


Attachment 68134

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Hi martin2395,

After cleaning rust, may be some kind of paint primer , used for the car restoration can help, with fine sending after, and use car-paint quality paint.
To reach original paint quality would be difficult, but on the other side audio reproduction quality of the amplifier is the most important thing.
I wish You good luck in the amplifier restoration.

regards
ivica

Hi Martin,

The Electro-Voice Q-series amps are good choices, or the CP or TG series. 3-stage fans that aren't leaf blower loud and low impedance ability with plenty of headroom. I've had QSC but prefer the sound and features of the E-Vs.

Hi Ivica,

The problem is that QSC used pressed sheet steel so you cant dismantle the box, its 1 solid piece so sanding/painting is a nightmare and will result in destroying all the badges. That's why I'm not so keen on doing it myself.

@LowPHreak,
Are the "P" series any good too? Im referring to the p3000.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by martin2395

Hi Ivica,


@LowPHreak,
Are the "P" series any good too? Im referring to the p3000.

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Yes, they were E-V's top line series and used in tour rigs, live/pro applications (also the P1200 & P2000), but eventually phased out so E-V could "modernize" them and cut down a bit on size and weight. I'm sure clean units can be found on the used market for reasonable prices.

If I'm not mistaken, the last time I heard the Stones (Bridges to Babylon tour, Carrier Dome, Syracuse, NY) they used an E-V rig with P-series amps and was up there with the best concert sound I'd ever heard. Certainly several other shows I've seen used them too.

I started stripping the paint off and noticed that the whole amp had rust underneath the paint, even on places where the paint wasn't damaged.
Looks like QSC painted directly on rust in the factory as these cabs rust after a few hours in the shed. I also noticed that there was no primer underneath the black finish, only paint. :dont-know:

The rust is everywhere so I could probably leave it for a week outside and put a matte clearcoat on it for 'rat look' :D

Quote:

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Originally Posted by martin2395

I started stripping the paint off and noticed that the whole amp had rust underneath the paint, even on places where the paint wasn't damaged.
Looks like QSC painted directly on rust in the factory as these cabs rust after a few hours in the shed. I also noticed that there was no primer underneath the black finish, only paint. :dont-know:

The rust is everywhere so I could probably leave it for a week outside and put a matte clearcoat on it for 'rat look' :D

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Why not fully strip the cabinet of parts, get it bead blasted and then powder coated?

It's a bit tricky without a paint cabin or at least an air compressor. Spray painting didn't work out so well, the paint came off with a scratch of a fingernail.
I'm still busy removing all the paint but it's quite hard to get that paint off after its softened by paint stripper.
I can try electrolysis on it, what do you think?
The soda electrolyte solution works nicely and I have laboratory DC supplies available.

You might want to check out some of the newer Crowns. The one I use XTi 2002 for my LFE woofers in my HT has built in DSP that is easy to set-up and quite capable. It has a fan but it rarely comes on and only after some intense LFE. With music I can't see it ever coming on. You don't need a BX-63 you can use the DSP to make the bump filter.

Rob:)l

I'm not so crazy about SMPS amps, they always sounded 'too light' to my ears. They just seem to miss the sheer wall of sound an amp like the EX4000 can produce :(
Not to mention that the EX can be repaired if needed, without spending a lot of cash or having to replace a complete PCB.
Even the K2 didn't do the job, while the 20-60Hz was OK, I didn't like it up to 300Hz.

To be honest, I'm thinking about 3 amps with SMPS that could do the job - BSS EPC (at the edge of unobtainium and probably not fixable), QSC Powerlight 6.0 or a LabGruppen.

BTW, I use a DEQ2496 with UMIK-1+REW for room correction. The DSP is connected only between the low output of my Bryston 10B and the LF amp.