I thought I'd try one of these Hypex FA 251 to replace the 150 watt Chinese made plate with DSP my Rel T3 came with. The plate appears ok visually, but it developed a very loud humming noise, a 100 hz contant and loud humming from the sub itself.
In the end the Hypex looks like a much better amplifier. But it is a D class, opposed to the A/B. Which may or may not be a bit smoother. Any advice or suggestions for something better are fully appreciated https://solen.ca/products/electronics/amplifiers/hypex-fusion-fa251-250w-plate-amplifier-dsp/
In the end the Hypex looks like a much better amplifier. But it is a D class, opposed to the A/B. Which may or may not be a bit smoother. Any advice or suggestions for something better are fully appreciated https://solen.ca/products/electronics/amplifiers/hypex-fusion-fa251-250w-plate-amplifier-dsp/
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Most people heard these, one of the more popular subs here in NA.
Not much to them and they have a tiny foot print. Sound great, worth fixing.
1 8" long throw subwoofer
1 Passive radiator.
The Hypex is the best amp I could find. Even though the plate is longer I will have to make it work. I'll probably make a separate box to house that if I don't come up with direct bolt in alternative replacement. I haven't asked for the cost of a new plate replacement cost. They said they would refurb the broken plate for 350 cad plus shipping to and from California. As saying I think it can do a bit better. Opinions very welcome.
Not much to them and they have a tiny foot print. Sound great, worth fixing.
1 8" long throw subwoofer
1 Passive radiator.
The Hypex is the best amp I could find. Even though the plate is longer I will have to make it work. I'll probably make a separate box to house that if I don't come up with direct bolt in alternative replacement. I haven't asked for the cost of a new plate replacement cost. They said they would refurb the broken plate for 350 cad plus shipping to and from California. As saying I think it can do a bit better. Opinions very welcome.
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Just in case it's not obvious to you that it would be a lot easier and cheaper to just replace the failed capacitors? Hypex are fine products but be careful not to get in over your head. Hypex amps are high quality so it is unlikely the old amp sounded any better.
Nad put them in theyre later amplifiers thats how I got the first taste of Hypex.
Other than that miniDSP would be the next contender.
I like how you diagnosed caps through the air waves like that. Thanks very much.
Other than that miniDSP would be the next contender.
I like how you diagnosed caps through the air waves like that. Thanks very much.
I put the 251 on order. I'm excited to get it to try it on this Rel. I always liked a/b amps better including with subs. A few are convinced it doesnt make a difference with subs, I never found that to be true.
I was mostly curious how they compared over all, I guess. I have a hunch the Hypex will blow the doors off the original plate amp in every aspect.
Weather its the best choice out there wasn't concerning. I wasn't lucky to snag one of the a/b rack mountable sub amps I had in mind. Timing is everything. On the plus side I'm saving three or four hundred.
I was mostly curious how they compared over all, I guess. I have a hunch the Hypex will blow the doors off the original plate amp in every aspect.
Weather its the best choice out there wasn't concerning. I wasn't lucky to snag one of the a/b rack mountable sub amps I had in mind. Timing is everything. On the plus side I'm saving three or four hundred.
I came up with a solution to mount the longer plate. A pretty simple built in right next where it will countersink. http://www.troelsgravesen.dk/FUSION_FA251.htm
The sub is tiny, the footprint will be no larger than the every day vented design with the plate.
The plate will lay flat, the sub as is, on one side. Cinched in with some black zippy ties.
The psd's have an eargasmic mid range thanks in part for the small cabs. While sacrificing bass. Well they arent exactly small, more of a large or xtra large stand mount.
They do bass OK. But can use some filling in. The extension of bass will also scavenge up every last bit of luxurious high and mid frequencies they put out. Good bass has a way of bringing out out more of the best of the higher frequencies too.
I love the bass with sealed cabs, cant hardly wait for my ears to get a bite.
The sub is tiny, the footprint will be no larger than the every day vented design with the plate.
The plate will lay flat, the sub as is, on one side. Cinched in with some black zippy ties.
The psd's have an eargasmic mid range thanks in part for the small cabs. While sacrificing bass. Well they arent exactly small, more of a large or xtra large stand mount.
They do bass OK. But can use some filling in. The extension of bass will also scavenge up every last bit of luxurious high and mid frequencies they put out. Good bass has a way of bringing out out more of the best of the higher frequencies too.
I love the bass with sealed cabs, cant hardly wait for my ears to get a bite.
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I don´t worry as much about the power amp itself but the built-in processing in the original one, it certainly is not just a flat amp, or basic crossed over into the desired bandpass but must hold a bag of extra tricks, which the new amp won´t have.
They both have some EQ boost to push the sub to work down lower in the small sealed quarters. I had that on the check list. Power wise the replacement puts out more power but that's good. I won't be limiting use to the Rel subwoofer.
That said I'm going to work on setting up a pair of the Hypex plates to hook up L & R channel subs.
I asked because there´s something I´ve been noticing more and more here in Argentina ... and I bet it must be happening in many other Countries.
I commercially make Guitar amps, so am often in some live show or another ... and was curious about finding small PA operators, (definitely not the Stadium sized ones) using a mishmash of different brand and model powered speakers.
Being a curious nerd, I typically go behind to check models ... and now more often than not I find the cabinets are original, but back plate amps have been removed, and replaced by a plain piece of plywood 😱 , just sporting a couple Speakon connectors, or large aluminum heatsinks/backplates are still there to cover the gaping hole, but clearly gutted , no original pots, jacks, switches, Leds, power connectors, lots of empty holes, again just a couple Speakons. WTF?????
I ask operators and they tell me: "this d*mn cabinet amp died, ZERO service data, techs won´t touch it or will charge a fortune, factory replacement whole boards, IF available, cost almost as much as a new cabinet .... yet speakers still work 🙂 , so to turn them into something usable, we pulled useless plate amp out, covered the (typically very large) hole with a piece of plywood, added a passive crossover and a couple Speakons, and drive them with generic Rack amps, anything from an indestructible Peavey CS400/800, "good brand" amps such as QSC, "mystery brand" ones meant for DJ use, anything which provides a couple hundred watts"
You know what´s funny? ... in actual use they sound GOOD!!!!
That´s why I asked about yours.
Generic new plate amp won't be carefully tweaked as the original one (check any original powered cabinet schematic and you´ll see a ton of little EQ circuits here and there, excursion limiters, etc.) but will work, no doubt about that.
Tell us about your end results 🙂
I commercially make Guitar amps, so am often in some live show or another ... and was curious about finding small PA operators, (definitely not the Stadium sized ones) using a mishmash of different brand and model powered speakers.
Being a curious nerd, I typically go behind to check models ... and now more often than not I find the cabinets are original, but back plate amps have been removed, and replaced by a plain piece of plywood 😱 , just sporting a couple Speakon connectors, or large aluminum heatsinks/backplates are still there to cover the gaping hole, but clearly gutted , no original pots, jacks, switches, Leds, power connectors, lots of empty holes, again just a couple Speakons. WTF?????
I ask operators and they tell me: "this d*mn cabinet amp died, ZERO service data, techs won´t touch it or will charge a fortune, factory replacement whole boards, IF available, cost almost as much as a new cabinet .... yet speakers still work 🙂 , so to turn them into something usable, we pulled useless plate amp out, covered the (typically very large) hole with a piece of plywood, added a passive crossover and a couple Speakons, and drive them with generic Rack amps, anything from an indestructible Peavey CS400/800, "good brand" amps such as QSC, "mystery brand" ones meant for DJ use, anything which provides a couple hundred watts"
You know what´s funny? ... in actual use they sound GOOD!!!!
That´s why I asked about yours.
Generic new plate amp won't be carefully tweaked as the original one (check any original powered cabinet schematic and you´ll see a ton of little EQ circuits here and there, excursion limiters, etc.) but will work, no doubt about that.
Tell us about your end results 🙂
I still want my sub to look nice so I'm making a nicer steel plate 😉
Its hard to find good plate amps that are available separately commercially aside from Hypex. And Rythmik down in the states. If they didn't incorporate servo technology in they're subs I would of possibly got one from them.
My first choice was a component rack mountable but a new one isnt in my budget.
True many plates fail evidentially. Great sounding subs Rel but the lower models have the China inferior amps. A google search will take you to a graveyard of broken and deserted Rel plates.
Bash used to be one of the better plate amp makers made here In Canada. They used to be easy to replace and easy to upgrade readily or have repaired if needed. Everything thats good to an enthusiast. Until they jumped ship with Rel and moved manufacturing to China. Bash amps are made so cheaply now and often fail. They became a direct opposite of everything they never used to be. No wonder SVS stopped using them back at the time.
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Thats something I might venture into later on.
I have a small repair ahead today. Paul Barton did a very very nice job with the stratus minis. Including the internal bracing.
Ironically one speaker box started vibrating where the real wooden top meets the MDF side panel. I guess 20 years of pounding takes its toll. They otherwise sound perfectly colourless .
Some good two part epoxy with 1" mdf angles should take care of it.
And the stock Vifa mid basses.
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I have my heart set on the Hypex Fusion. Secondly this time time is of the essence. I'm impatient to get subs up and running.
Would you mind sending more detail Andrew?
I may join the endeavor after I get some more practice in (and also finish my inline AC filter/ distribution box).
Would you mind sending more detail Andrew?
I may join the endeavor after I get some more practice in (and also finish my inline AC filter/ distribution box).
The epoxy and MDF molding fix did the trick. I ran some 15 hz tones through them, now there quiet. I never heard of any of the 4 models from the Stratus line doing that before, I heard lots else. With the differing expansion rates I wasn't shocked or anything of the like. If it happened on the other end of the cab some double jointed limbs might be helpful to do that job. It looks like a trickier fix. I'd rather keep the faith that I won't encounter more. That one sits by a window Id crack open in the dead of cold winder once in a while. I should stop that.
I prefer the OT better.
I found a single voice coil Peerless xls10. That can get in line. I already know I'm making a second sealed pup with it. I like that ratio single 8" and a 10. Duals is good, along with mismatching. Its brutal on the nodes =).
I eventually want to play around with a mic, to measure room. I also got big 2x4x6 treatments coming up. To square up behind the stand mounts. I still have a fair bit on forefront.
I prefer the OT better.
I found a single voice coil Peerless xls10. That can get in line. I already know I'm making a second sealed pup with it. I like that ratio single 8" and a 10. Duals is good, along with mismatching. Its brutal on the nodes =).
I eventually want to play around with a mic, to measure room. I also got big 2x4x6 treatments coming up. To square up behind the stand mounts. I still have a fair bit on forefront.