NAD (Palmer Macht 202)

[DankStar]

Finally got a power amp to go with my marshall jmp-1. Didn't really need one before I started jamming with a band, but we're getting more serious and I figure now's the time to give it a whirl.

https://www.thomannmusic.com/palmer_macht_402.htm

It was between the Palmer and the powerstage 170, which if a bit cheaper, I may have bought. But the Palmer is like $100 cheaper (I put that towards a midi controller) once you figure in tax and all, even shipped from Germany. And it's like two powerstages (each rated higher actually) in one unit that can be bridged to 400 watts. Just made more sense for a small rack setup.

I'll report back on how it sounds.

[jeremy]

looks like a lot of amp for not a lot of money

[ehdwuld]

Uses Europe standard 220 v
or 120v for here?

[DankStar]

Uses Europe standard 220 v
or 120v for here?

has a switch on the bottom for either type

[Phantasmagoria]

That's a great choice...congrats. I always think the Powerstage is highly overpriced for what it is (Sorry SD...just my opinion). It would've been a decent option at a (far) lower price point...

I use my Crown PA (XLS 2002) amp on the super rare occasions I feel like cranking my modelers through real cabs & it sounds just fine. Pretty sure the Palmer will too especially since it's apparently guitar-centric. ...though a power amp's a power amp and "should" just be amplifying your signal (...with as litlte adding & subtracting going on as possible ..unless you specifically want a tube power amp to color your sound )

[Securb]

That looks sweet. I want to get rid of my power amp it is a boat anchor. But it does sound fantastic.

[donaldr]

Is it 200w RMS or peak?

[jeremy]

That looks sweet. I want to get rid of my power amp it is a boat anchor. But it does sound fantastic.

ive ab/d my old ass heavy amp vs a newer much lighter class d, and man i wish the boat anchor didnt sound so much better. i still run class d for monitors (four mixes and 1000w each), but for mains ill keep using those old heavy ass amps. same with my bass rig. the old svt5pro sounds so much better than the new markbass

[DankStar]

Is it 200w RMS or peak?

I don’t know, I just need to be loud enough to play with a drummer. Haven’t read one issue in that regard. Tone-wise some do say it lacks the tube magic but that’s a given.

The long and short is every power amp I’ve looked at has some type of drawback - gets hot, super pricey (matrix), big, heavy, not loud enough, doesn’t sound tubey enough etc. Came down to the Duncan or this one.

my ideal would be a 1u, SS, loud, runs-cool, light, sounds like a guitar amp, reasonably priced (<$400) with all the same features and inputs/outputs as the Palmer

[Securb]

ive ab/d my old ass heavy amp vs a newer much lighter class d, and man i wish the boat anchor didnt sound so much better. i still run class d for monitors (four mixes and 1000w each), but for mains ill keep using those old heavy ass amps. same with my bass rig. the old svt5pro sounds so much better than the new markbass

That is the same experience we had. We have a 30-year-old JBL power amp and when we put in a newer lighter "more powerful" class D the power was not there and the sound was horrible. I am just happy we do not move that amp often.

[DankStar]

That is the same experience we had. We have a 30-year-old JBL power amp and when we put in a newer lighter "more powerful" class D the power was not there and the sound was horrible. I am just happy we do not move that amp often.

I hear ya. My favorite power amp I had was a Carvin TS100. Sounded amazing but one channel died and like 3 shops couldn’t fix it. It was heavy as hell but it had the magic sound.

If this one’s a dud I’ll let everyone know. The fact they’ve been selling them since 2015 and they have some solid reviews gives me hope. I’ve read my share of bad reviews of the Duncan (except for the 700) but since I’ve never played one Im giving them the benefit of the doubt too.

[donaldr]

ive ab/d my old ass heavy amp vs a newer much lighter class d, and man i wish the boat anchor didnt sound so much better. i still run class d for monitors (four mixes and 1000w each), but for mains ill keep using those old heavy ass amps. same with my bass rig. the old svt5pro sounds so much better than the new markbass

Alain Caron might have a different opinion

[donaldr]

my ideal would be a 1u, SS, loud, runs-cool, light, sounds like a guitar amp, reasonably priced (<$400) with all the same features and inputs/outputs as the Palmer

You can dream

[jeremy]

Alain Caron might have a different opinion

no idea who that is

[donaldr]

"Caron quickly developed an international reputation as a master electric bass player and a virtuoso of the 6-string bass guitar. He taught master classes in most of the world’s major cities, including Montreal, Toronto, Boston, Los Angeles, Paris, Tokyo, London, Rome, Amsterdam, Geneva and Frankfurt. Many magazine polls identified him as one of the world’s top bassists, including Bass Player magazine, the readers of which voted him to the #4 spot in a 1996 poll.

Caron has toured worldwide with Mike Stern, Billy Cobham, Frank Gambale, Bireli Lagrene, Didier Lockwood, Tiger Okoshi, Alex Acuna, Don Alias and Gino Vanelli."