Need/Want a lot of 2-channel power? Check this out! (1 Viewer)

[alan halvorson]

Edited 01/03/2005 : This amplifier is no longer listed. You shouldn't have hemmed and hawed.

Do you have need or have a want for a lot of 2-channel power at a reasonable price? I mean a lot more than that wimpy 100-200 watts you're used to? Musician's Friend has this QSC SRA 3622 725 watt/channel for sale at $799, shipping included.

The SRA 3622 is a consumerized version of QSC's popular PLX3402 professional power amplifier. List price is $2499. I don't know why it's being so heavily discounted; perhaps it's being discontinued? Anyway, $799 is signficantly less than even the normal discounted price for the PLX3402 (list $1638). SRA differences include styling, a much quieter fan and RCA and Dataport inputs. The 1/4" inputs of the PLX3402 are dropped.

A point about the fan: it is supposed to be a much quieter fan but it also is a lower capacity one. This is justified because the amp is likely not to be run anywhere near as hard in the home as it would be in a professional installation. If you intend to run this amp hard into very low impedence loads, I suggest sticking with the PLX3402.

I have read in other forums that the audio circuitry and power supplies of the SRA are virtually identical to its PLX equivalent, and some other parts have been upgraded. Were the changes and upgrades worth enough to justify the 3622's nearly $800 bump in list price over the PLX3402? I don't know, but now for just a bit more than that bump you can get the whole amplifier!

The QSC SRA series also includes the lower rated 2422 and 1222 amplifiers. I don't know if these have been as heavily discounted as I could not find them for sale anywhere. Parts Express and ZZSounds, for instance, don't list the SRA series on their sites. Too bad as I might have wanted them for a tri-amp speaker project I've had in mind for umpteen years. If anyone can find the 2422 and 1222 at a similarly discounted price, I'd like to know.

Don't worry about your speaker's power ratings! It's nearly always better to have too much power than not enough. Get two, bridge them and astound your friends and neighbors when they ask, "How much power do you have?"

 

[Jerome Grate]

Probably the perfect SVS amp.

 

[alan halvorson]

This amplifier is no longer listed at Musician's Friend.

 

[alan halvorson]

Got mine! Arrived today - love the styling, appears to be very well built. At least the outsides do. Wished I had gotten two - maybe even three.

 

[BrandonH]

I received my SRA 3622 from Musician's Friend on 15-Dec-04 and I am totally happy with this amp. I wish I had bought two while they still had them.
If any one has any questions about this amplifier I will do my best to answer any.

 

[BrandonH]

Hello everyone.
Has any of you found another 3622 at a reasonable price?
I want one more so I can bridge mine. I waited till after the holidays before deciding to get another from Musician's Friend but the are sold out now.
Thanks
Brandon:frowning:

 

[Gabriel_Lam]

What an incredible deal for this amp!

 

[John Dude]

Yeah, nice amps and lots of power. I have 4 of them, 2 silver and 2 black, 1 3622 for sub, 3 2422 for screen channels. Some might call it overkill, but everything plays at ease.

Dude

 

[Gregg Loewen]

John Dude??? hmmm....

 

[John Dude]

That's right dude. I be Dude.
Dude out.

 

[BrandonH]

Well I just decided to get another so I can bridge them.
That will be 4800 watts at 8 ohms.
QSC has decided not to sell the reference quality amplifier anymore.
I picked up the second one brand new for $1300.00 not a cheap as the first one I got from Musicans Friend when they had them for 799.99 but still less than than the 2499.00 they retailed for.
The guy I bought it from has only six new ones left so if any of you are interested I can give you his phone number by private message.
He mostly sells pro equipment for commercial customers but can sell to the general public as well.

 

[BrandonH]

Update:
I received the extra QSC 3622 amp a while ago and bridged them and WOW what a difference
The dynamics are amazing especially at lower volumes.
My speakers are built to take 2000 watts each so I can not use all the power but I did get it up to 3000 watts total power and it still sounded great!

 

[alan halvorson]

Don't you have this backwards? And what kind of speakers do you own that can take this kind of power?

I sold my 3622 when I got my old amp fixed and didn't need a spare. Made a small profit, but now I kind of regret it.

 

[BrandonH]

Sorry to hear you sold the amp.
I bought the first amp from Musicians friend and like a dummy I waited about 30 days before deciding to get another one from them but by that time it was too late.
Since then I have been searching for a price closer to what Musicians Friend sold them for.
The guy I ended up buying the other amp from advertises it them for $1300.00 each + shipping but, I actually talked him down to $1200.00 with free shipping.
I do not know if he will do it for that price again.
But he is a QSC authorized dealer and it was new and unopened so the 3 year warranty is good.
I feel even though I paid $400.00 more than the first one it was still a very good deal and it was the cheapest I found anywhere that was still new.

 

[alan halvorson]

You mention that your speakers are rated at 2000 watts each and then say you ran 3000 watts into them. Your first statement implies that you ran 3000 watts into each channel, not 3000 watts total.

Unless your speakers are extraordinarily inefficient, which I'm guessing they aren't, pushing 1500 watts (~32 decibels gain) through them would make me (hell, everyone) deaf, pronto! That means if your speakers have only a 90db sensitivity rating, you were experiencing 120db+ peaks (I hope to god they were peaks and not steady state). You must have a very large room to get away with this.

I've measured 116db peaks at my seating position (using my trusty Radio Shack SPL meter) and could only stand it for a very short while - my ears hurt. I've never come close since.

 

[BrandonH]

Sorry for not being clear but thats correct I only ran 1500 watts each.
The sensitivity rating of my speakers is approximately at 320db. I am planning on getting one of those SPL meters.
But I can promise you my system well exceeds 120db and will not break a sweat.
With all the window closed in the house (solid brick house) and if you walked to the next block you can hear every word clear as a bell from my house.
It will produce nightclub/rave volumes.
But then every Friday night my house is a Rave.
I only play vinyl and my turntable is the Technics SL-1210M5G and most of my two channel audio is pro gear.
The system is built for POWER and not distorted power but clean chest slamming bass with natural sounding vocals and clear but not harsh highs.
I like it concert loud thats why I built it the way I did.

 

[JeremyErwin]

Here's an old article on designing a speaker for absurd amounts of power

24 tweeters...

 

[BrandonH]

Now those are sweet.
I'm afraid I would cook them in the first hour though.

 

[JeremyErwin]

Sure... but 26 years later, using the same principle-- many many drivers--they've come out with the XRT2K, with 6 woofers, 64 midranges, and 40 tweeters. Power handling is 2 kilowatts per channel. Price is 40 kilodollars per channel.

 

[alan halvorson]

My God! Why do even you need an amplifier?

Yeah, I like them big, extremely efficient speakers also although I have no rational reason to own them. Someday, maybe - I have had a speaker project in mind for umpteen years and finally have almost enough knowledge to proceed, but lack the cash for all those pro speakers that I want to use, plus an excellent electronic crossover (they'll be tri-amped - quad-amped, if you consider the subwoofer) and multiple amplifiers. Now, if that damn lottery would only co-operate .....