600W Keyboard Amp!
Printed From: Progarchives.com
Category: Other music related lounges
Forum Name: Tech Talk
Forum Description: Discuss musical instruments, equipment, hi-fi, speakers, vinyl, gadgets,etc.
URL: http://www.progarchives.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=104981
Printed Date: February 19 2025 at 12:41
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Topic: 600W Keyboard Amp!
Posted By: imomof
Subject: 600W Keyboard Amp!
Date Posted: November 27 2015 at 14:16
| Hey, so Ive been playing piano for 10 years. I am into prog, so I just got a keyboard. The problem is, the guy from guitar center told me that this amp that was 600 watts is great. So I got it. My keyboard will be shipped in a few days. My question is. Will this amp be safe to practice at home? I am pretty scared that I will go deaf lol. |
Replies:
Posted By: DDPascalDD
Date Posted: November 27 2015 at 15:20
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Well I guess you can adjust the volume right? You can hear it yourself when it's too loud, can't you? ------------- |
Posted By: pitfall
Date Posted: November 27 2015 at 17:18
A 600 watt amp is only twice as loud as a 60 watt amp, so don't sweat about it.
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Posted By: Dean
Date Posted: November 28 2015 at 06:45
 yes and no. Yes 600W is twice as loud as a 60W amp but the difference in Sound Pressure Level (SPL) at 6 feet is the difference between "uncomfortably loud" and "painfully loud". A practice amp for home use is generally around 10W with a single speaker which, given the sensitivity of a typical loud speaker, would equate to around 94dB SPL at 6 feet, and would be considered as between "very loud" and "uncomfortably loud". Take that amp on stage where the audience is say 50 feet away and that SPL drops to "moderately loud" but would be drowned-out by the drums and other amplified equipment on stage. To re-create the same relative loudness for the audience that the player experiences in the home would require an amplifier of 300W and two loud speakers. In the same situation a 600W amp with four speakers would be "uncomfortably loud" to someone standing 50 feet away, and would be "painfully loud" to anyone within 6 feet of the amp/speaker combo. So wear ear plugs on stage if you value your hearing. The volume control on an amp is approximately logarithmic such that reducing the volume knob from "10" to "9" reduces the amp's power by a factor of 10, that is, a 600W amp set to "9" is the equivalent to a 60W amp set to "10" and a 600W amp set to "8" is equivalent to a 60W amp set to "9"or a 6W amp set to "10"... Therefore a 10W practice amp set to "10" is the equivalent to a 600W amp set to about "8¼". So it really boils down to how loud you normally play your keyboard at home with a practice amp. I run mine with the volume set to about "4" giving an SPL of around 50dB (just shy of "moderately loud"). Achieving that level of loudness using a 600W amp would require setting the volume control to about "2½" ... which at first sight seems very achievable, except for two slight problems: 1) pots are approximately logarithmic and 2) they're not very accurate, especially at the low-end. So in using a powerful amp in a home environment means you don't have anything like the degree of control over the volume that you would have from using a much less powerful one.
------------- What? |
Posted By: Dean
Date Posted: November 28 2015 at 07:01
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...on reflection I'm more concerned about why the guy in the guitar centre recommended a 600W amp for a keyboard in the first place and exactly what kind of amplifier it is. ------------- What? |
Posted By: micky
Date Posted: November 28 2015 at 07:10
my first thought.. bet my paycheck he works on commission. ------------- The Pedro and Micky Experience - When one no longer requires psychotropics to trip |
Dean wrote:Posted By: pitfall
Date Posted: November 28 2015 at 08:28
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Thanks Dean, for your in depth response to my rather trite post. Lots of 'headroom' in terms of power output is usually a good thing for keyboards, and most keyboards have an output volume control which could be used for fine adjustment.
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Posted By: Dean
Date Posted: November 28 2015 at 08:47
Indeed they do, and the "headroom" issue is where my later question about what kind of amp it is was leading. ------------- What? |
Posted By: Atavachron
Date Posted: November 30 2015 at 03:59
Yeah I was gonna say-- it is Guitar Center, the black hole of instrument shops. Those guys will take 5 bucks down-payment on anything. ------------- "Too often we enjoy the comfort of opinion without the discomfort of thought." -- John F. Kennedy |
Posted By: micky
Date Posted: December 01 2015 at 17:14
I like that, and fully agree.  ------------- The Pedro and Micky Experience - When one no longer requires psychotropics to trip |
Posted By: The Dark Elf
Date Posted: December 01 2015 at 18:05
Having no clue about what constitutes a "keyboard amp" as opposed to the guitar amps and PA systems I have bought (because I never paid much attention to the keyboardist's gear except to help lug the crap around  ), I simply typed in "600 Watt Keyboard amp at Guitar Center", and through the magic of the interwebz I got this: http://www.guitarcenter.com/Behringer/ULTRATONE-KXD12-Keyboard-Amp-PA-System.gc" rel="nofollow - http://www.guitarcenter.com/Behringer/ULTRATONE-KXD12-Keyboard-Amp-PA-System.gc Behringer ULTRATONE KXD12 Keyboard Amp/PA System $349.99 USD Fairly cheap, price-wise. Not very many reviews. No idea if keyboardists would get an erection listening to it. ------------- ...a vigorous circular motion hitherto unknown to the people of this area, but destined to take the place of the mud shark in your mythology... |