Being Amp Powered: DJ Shoppers of the World Unite! Since We Last Organized an Amp Round-Up, The Players May Not Have Changed, But Their Product Lines Have

All DJs know that if there’s no power, there’s no party. So unless you’ve invested in self-powered active loudspeakers, amplifiers are as necessary as turntables or CD players. So here, as we do every so often, DJ Times offers its rundown of manufacturers cranking out rack-mount power amplifiers with a few choice picks. FYI – All ratings come according to the respective companies, so we encourage you to visit your local pro audio/DJ store (or nearest DJ Expo) to give these puppies a test drive. Power up!

American Audio: Their V4000 amplifier is a high-powered unit capable of 600 watts @ 8 ohms, 1,010 watts @ 4 ohms and 1,400 watts @ 2 ohms – all in stereo. In mono bridge, it does 1,650 @ 8 ohms or 2,500 watts @ 4 ohms. Other features include both banana and Speakon output connectors, balanced XLR and ¼-inch input connectors, subwoofer output and built-in limiter.

BGW Systems: The Performance Series amps offer four models (PS 1 through PS 4) and crank from 110 watts @ 8ohms stereo (PS 1) to 1,850 @ 4ohms mono (PS 4).

Carver Professional: The PX Series was designed as a multi-use, high performance sound reinforcement instrument to be used in applications such as restaurants, bars, clubs, DJ systems, while the PXm Series offers more affordable models. The PX1450 features 450 watts @ 8 ohms, while the PXm does 300 watts @ 8 ohms.

Carvin: The DCM Series includes the DCM4000, which offers 1,500 watts @ 8 ohms. Carvin’s exclusive “Wind-Tunnel” cooled heat-sink ensures full, uninterrupted RMS power delivery without over-heating concerns.

Crest Audio: The LT Series (LT 1000, LT 1500 and LT 2000) uses a combination of a linear power supply and a Class D output for a variety of applications. Other features include dramatically reduced net weight, low current draw and the latest generation of high-speed, wide-bandwidth output devices. It’s cooled by a variable-speed fan with back-to-front airflow. Inputs include balanced XLR, ¼-inch TRS and three-pin phoenix. Outputs include Speakon and five-way binding posts.

Crown International: Including features like Crown’s patented Balance Current Amplifier technology, the CE 4000 offers selectable on-board high- and low-pass filter sets, optional signal control modules and dual output connectors. The 34-pound unit offers 1,800 watts @ 2 ohms and 600 watts @ 8 ohms. Two smaller units – the CE 1000 and CE 2000 – are also available.

Gem Sound: Gem’s PA 550 and PA 750 continuous-duty amplifiers feature built-in fan cooling & output protection circuitry with low-impedance load handling to withstand the rigors of nonstop club sound & mobile DJ applications. The PA 750 has illuminated VU meters, thermal and output protection circuitry, fan-cooled 600 watts momentary peak power and can handle 300 watts @ 4 ohms and 150 watts @ 8 ohms.

Gemini Sound Products: The XBP Series 1600 units offer 1,600 watts RMS mono bridge @ 4 ohms, 1,000 watts mono bridge 8 ohms, 800 watts @ 2 ohms, 500 watts @ 4 ohms, and 300 watts @ 8 ohms. Features include five-way binding posts on 110V version, Speakon connectors on 230V version, oversized toroidal transformer, filter and heatsinks, plus comprehensive protection circuitry (short, overheat, DC, subsonic and RF filters, turn-on delay) with high current speaker protection relays.

Hafler: The SR 2600 and SR 2300 units feature Hafler’s patented trans•nova “power gain” output stage, which provides up to +14dB additional dynamic range in the unit’s front end.

GLI: The GA1000 19-inch rack-mountable unit offers 280 watts @ 2 ohms, 240 watts @ 4 ohms, 180 watts @ 8 ohms bridged, mono 600 watts @ 4 ohms bridged, and mono 510 watts @ 8 ohms. Features include power indicator, power output level controls, TRS/XLR inputs and two-speed fan cooling system.

Mackie Designs: The FR Series includes the M-800, M-1400 and M2600 units, which are rated at 140, 280 and 500 watts at 8 ohms, respectively. Other features include XLR and TRS inputs with XLR signal pass-through and 5-way binding posts, plus ¼-inch or Speakon outputs. The units also feature built-in sub crossovers and uniform time-delay low-pass filters.

Professional Audio Systems: Available as a part of the PB-1 DJ system, PAS offers the PAS 3.3, 3,000-watt, three-channel amp with a built-in crossover.

Peavey Electronics: The Global Power Series, which includes the GPS 900, GPS 1500, GPS 2600 and GPS 3500 units, features toroidal power transformers and die-cast front-panel nameplates. The GPS 1500 offers 1,500 watts @ 4 ohms and 1,100 @ 8 ohms, while the GPS 2600 offers 2,600 @ 4 ohms and 1,900 @ 8 ohms.

Pyle Audio: The PT2000 offers 1,000 watts @ 4 ohms and 1,000 watts @ 8 ohms in bridge mode. Features include RCA and ¼-inch inputs and dual illuminated VU meter.

QSC Audio: The RMX Series features independent defeatable clip limiters, selectable low-frequency filters, barrier strip, XLR and ¼-inch, balanced inputs, plus Speakon and binding post outputs. Low-noise variable speed fans with rear-to-front airflow keep amplifiers and racks cool. These models include RMX 850 (200 watts @ 8 ohms), RMX 1450 (280 watts @ 8 ohms) and the RMX 2450 (500 watts @ 8 ohms).

Samson Technologies: The new S2000 amp produces 1000 watts per channel into 4 ohms (stereo mode) and 2000 watts into 8 ohms (bridged mono). Other features include a wide frequency response, dual temperature-sensitive, speed-controlled fans and a Bipolar design for consistent performance. The S2000 also includes full front-panel control, metering and protection capability along with a wide range of interconnect options.

Tsunami: Part of the HQS Series, the HQ1302S amp offers up to 2,000 watts, exclusive TT circuitry including “SMPS” (Switching Mode Power Supply) and class “H” output. Other features include stereo and bridged mono operation, balanced/unbalanced “combo” XLR/¼-inch TRS inputs, Speakon and binding posts outputs, detented input level control, LEDs for power on/off, speaker output signal level, peak level and protection circuit detection, limit circuitry for controlling clipping of output signal with excessive input signal, RMS detection circuitry for preventing overload at 2-ohm operation and thermal sensor circuitry to prevent overheating.

Yorkville Sound: The CR Series, designed for the budget-conscious consumer, includes the CR5, which features 180 watts at 8 ohms in a three rack-space package. The AP6040 and AP6020 work well with subs and offer serious power (AP6040 1,250 watts @ 8 ohms). The AP Series’ incorporated “soft turn-on” circuit eliminates breaker-tripping on power-up, while internal protection protects against DC output, thermal overload and inappropriate loads. The user defeatable limiter also prevents audible clipping.

Yamaha: The new CP2000 Power amplifier is designed to deliver high output power with efficient operation. Maximum power output is 2,000 watts into 4 ohm load (bridged), 1,000 watts per channel is available at 2 ohms. Also, 4-ohm operation yields 650 watts per channel and 450 watts per channel at 8 ohms. The CP 2000 shares limiter circuits that are used in the high-end H series amplifiers for optimum protection from hard clipping.