Hybrid Amp For Frat Parties

[hebrewbacon]

Hey everybody, I'm a noob here, but I'm sure some of you can help me with a problem. I live in a frat, and we currently have a Technical Pro H-B3000 hybrid amp. We have it connected to four speakers which I believe have a peak power of 1500W.

Recently we've been having trouble with the amp. We're not sure if it's a matter of overheating or due to the peak draw of the speakers exceeding the maximum output of the amp.

The general problem is that after playing loud music for ten minutes or so, the amp simply cuts off, not to return to service for a few minutes (and then only for a short spurt before conking out again).

Do any of you have any ideas as to what might be our issue? We're also interested in getting another amp if you think that's the best solution, so any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. We're considering buying two more of the TP H-B3000's, splitting the signal and only powering two speakers per amp. Otherwise, getting a couple of the Behringer Europower EP2500 might be a good bet.

Anyway, my brothers and I really appreciate any suggestions or help you can give me.

 

[Muadib]

It sounds like the amp is doing exactly what it's suppose to do. I can't find the manual for the H-B3000, but the specs for it appear to be this:

3000 watts peak power
800 watts @ 2 ohms
550 watts @ 4 ohms
300 watts @ 8 ohms

You don't mention the rating of your speakers, but I bet they exceed what the amp can handle. The peak power rating is pretty much meaningless. Always go by the nominal rating.

Your idea to get 2 of the Behringer Europower EP2500 amps sounds like a good move. They claim it can handle 4 ohms @ 650 watts, and 8 ohms @ 450 watts. The 2 ohm rating bothers me, because they only list it at 1kHz, instead of the normal 20Hz - 20 kHz.

 

[Rubycon]

Do you need four discrete (quadraphonic) channels or just four speakers for better coverage?

Technical Pro to pro audio is like Pyramid to car audio so that is your first problem. The Behringer amp would be better but remember that it's entry level in the pro realm too.

A QSC or Crown amp will do much better and you can parallel your speakers as the amps are two ohm capable. It sounds like your amp is definitely overheating.

What kind of speakers are you pushing? Home speakers are much more inefficient than pro speakers such as JBL, EV, Peavey, EAW, etc. A pair of Peavey SP2, for example even on a 300W amp will get quite loud indoors.

 

[ethebubbeth]

Originally posted by: Rubycon
What kind of speakers are you pushing? Home speakers are much more inefficient than pro speakers such as JBL, EV, Peavey, EAW, etc. A pair of Peavey SP2, for example even on a 300W amp will get quite loud indoors.

Ah, the beauty of horn-loaded speakers

 

[thomsbrain]

Speakers do not "draw" anything. They just receive what they are given. You can plug 10 gigawatt-max speakers into a 1-watt amp, and the amp won't be negatively affected in any way.

This sounds very much like a simple overheating issue. If the amp has a built-in fan, make sure it is working properly and not blocked. If not, get a fan and point it at the amp, and make sure it has air on all sides, including the bottom (You could put a couple books on the edges to lift it off the table if it isn't mounted in a rack). If that doesn't work, it's just time to buy a better amp.

 

[destrekor]

Originally posted by: thomsbrain
Speakers do not "draw" anything. They just receive what they are given. You can plug 10 gigawatt-max speakers into a 1-watt amp, and the amp won't be negatively affected in any way.

This sounds very much like a simple overheating issue. If the amp has a built-in fan, make sure it is working properly and not blocked. If not, get a fan and point it at the amp, and make sure it has air on all sides, including the bottom (You could put a couple books on the edges to lift it off the table if it isn't mounted in a rack). If that doesn't work, it's just time to buy a better amp.

I completely agree with this post.

It sounds exactly like an overheating issue. Once its overheated and had a chance to cool down, it can be turned back on, but if its immediately back to working at the same level, it'd hit that 'too hot' point very fast, thus the quick shutdowns immediately after returning to operation.

I had a similar issue while watching a movie at my aunt's house, the very basic receiver didn't enjoy me throwing dolby surround at it at high volume levels. That's how I like watching movies. But the receiver kept overheating if it was kept loud. Thankfully my H/K enjoys being abused, even when my room is very warm and the PS3 sitting on top of it is cranking up heat. Although that's only for the summer, as at school I have cart that has the room for all my stuff.

 

[Rubycon]

Originally posted by: thomsbrain
Speakers do not "draw" anything. They just receive what they are given. You can plug 10 gigawatt-max speakers into a 1-watt amp, and the amp won't be negatively affected in any way.

This sounds very much like a simple overheating issue. If the amp has a built-in fan, make sure it is working properly and not blocked. If not, get a fan and point it at the amp, and make sure it has air on all sides, including the bottom (You could put a couple books on the edges to lift it off the table if it isn't mounted in a rack). If that doesn't work, it's just time to buy a better amp.

No! A speaker IS a load. The lower its impedance the more "draw" on the amp at a given voltage. A good design uses a stiffly regulated supply hence the wattage rating increase as the impedance decreases. (Ohm's law)

A difficult load or too low of an impedance will make the amp work harder causing it to shut down, distort, or flat out fail. Pro amps do have fans and do not require any other fans to keep them cool provided they are installed in a well ventilated area and are clean (no dust!). The cheap amps generally should NOT be used for two ohm loads (especially bridged into a four ohm speaker OR a pair of four ohm speakers in parallel per channel). At higher levels they WILL overheat.

 

[biggestmuff]

Originally posted by: Rubycon

Originally posted by: thomsbrain
Speakers do not "draw" anything. They just receive what they are given. You can plug 10 gigawatt-max speakers into a 1-watt amp, and the amp won't be negatively affected in any way.

This sounds very much like a simple overheating issue. If the amp has a built-in fan, make sure it is working properly and not blocked. If not, get a fan and point it at the amp, and make sure it has air on all sides, including the bottom (You could put a couple books on the edges to lift it off the table if it isn't mounted in a rack). If that doesn't work, it's just time to buy a better amp.

No! A speaker IS a load. The lower its impedance the more "draw" on the amp at a given voltage. A good design uses a stiffly regulated supply hence the wattage rating increase as the impedance decreases. (Ohm's law)

A difficult load or too low of an impedance will make the amp work harder causing it to shut down, distort, or flat out fail. Pro amps do have fans and do not require any other fans to keep them cool provided they are installed in a well ventilated area and are clean (no dust!). The cheap amps generally should NOT be used for two ohm loads (especially bridged into a four ohm speaker OR a pair of four ohm speakers in parallel per channel). At higher levels they WILL overheat.

:thumbsup:

OP, how are the speakers wired to the amp? Series or parallel? What is the impedance of each speaker? That's the important info.