I bought a Phonic Max860 yesterday, and I am starting to get a really
bad feeling from it. I hooked it up to some home hifi speakers and it
pushed them with less power than my onkyo 60 watt reciever. I think it
might be because my input is not high level enough (RCA to 1/4
conversion), and it needs more juice, but I'm not sure.

Does this amplifier compare to a Behringer EP1500 (which I was looking
at but the store I bought this at told me Behringer had bad customer
service), or even the upper level Pyle(PZR3000), or a Crown XLS202,
that I was also looking at.

Have I made a big mistake, please tell me!

wrote:
I bought a Phonic Max860 yesterday, and I am starting to get a really
bad feeling from it. I hooked it up to some home hifi speakers and it
pushed them with less power than my onkyo 60 watt reciever. I think it
might be because my input is not high level enough (RCA to 1/4
conversion), and it needs more juice, but I'm not sure.

Sure, but how did it sound?

Does this amplifier compare to a Behringer EP1500 (which I was looking
at but the store I bought this at told me Behringer had bad customer
service), or even the upper level Pyle(PZR3000), or a Crown XLS202,
that I was also looking at.

I think the Phonic, Behringer, and Pyle are all pretty dreadful. I have not
used the XLS202.

But it sounds to me like you don't have a power problem, but a gain problem.
If your console gain won't go high enough up, check to see if the Phonic
has some dip switches that will let you set the input operating level.
If worse comes to worst you can always use a bump box, although a good one
will probably cost more than the Phonic.
--scott
--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."

wrote:
I bought a Phonic Max860 yesterday, and I am starting to get a really
bad feeling from it. I hooked it up to some home hifi speakers and it
pushed them with less power than my onkyo 60 watt reciever. I think it
might be because my input is not high level enough (RCA to 1/4
conversion), and it needs more juice, but I'm not sure.

Does this amplifier compare to a Behringer EP1500 (which I was looking
at but the store I bought this at told me Behringer had bad customer
service), or even the upper level Pyle(PZR3000), or a Crown XLS202,
that I was also looking at.

Have I made a big mistake, please tell me!


Sounds like a store that wanted you to buy a phonic
I can not say if the behringer is suitable for your application
but I can tell you it is a better amp than the Phonic and Behringer has
EXCELLENT customer service, at least in the USA
George

I understand that they wanted me to buy a phonic, and I wanted to buy a
Behringer EP1500 but I like purchasing things in person where I can see
them first.

My application is actually home use, driving 4 ohm speakers, and 2 ohm
subwoofers, etc, since I do lots of different stuff like that.

I am driving it with different home levels, which I think is my problem
(600mv to 1v preamp outs).

Would you recommend that I take it back, and if so what should I say?

wrote:
I understand that they wanted me to buy a phonic, and I wanted to buy a
Behringer EP1500 but I like purchasing things in person where I can see
them first.

My application is actually home use, driving 4 ohm speakers, and 2 ohm
subwoofers, etc, since I do lots of different stuff like that.

I am driving it with different home levels, which I think is my problem
(600mv to 1v preamp outs).

Would you recommend that I take it back, and if so what should I say?


for that application the phonic should be ok
are you able to blink the clip lights?
if not then you need to send a hotter signal or get a amp with a more
sensitive front end
with the behringer ep2500 price reduced to 299$ there isn't really a
better amp dollar for dollar on the market for less than balls out pro
applications

George

I was able to blink the clip lights, but it still wasn't very loud and
distorted.

So I was thinking it could be the fact that my preamp only outputed .77
volts, so I went out and bought a 30 dollar small behringer mixer to up
the signal, and I ended up blowing my subwoofer, but it sounded great
until then. I am pretty sure I was clipping my old preamp :-)

I think that this amplifier is fine really. This could be the fact
that I wanted to take it back but I realized there would be a 20%
restocking fee, and now I am justifying the decision in my mind, but it
works really well, and the place I bought it promises me that if
anything goes wrong withen 5 years they will fix it for free.

wrote:
I was able to blink the clip lights, but it still wasn't very loud and
distorted.

So I was thinking it could be the fact that my preamp only outputed .77
volts, so I went out and bought a 30 dollar small behringer mixer to up
the signal, and I ended up blowing my subwoofer, but it sounded great
until then. I am pretty sure I was clipping my old preamp :-)

I think that this amplifier is fine really. This could be the fact
that I wanted to take it back but I realized there would be a 20%
restocking fee, and now I am justifying the decision in my mind, but it
works really well, and the place I bought it promises me that if
anything goes wrong withen 5 years they will fix it for free.



Once the clip
lights come on that's all ya got scotty.
I doubt the phonic was happy with your 2 ohm load

George

It wasn't clipping when I blew the sub, and I wasn't bridging it. It
was clipping before I got the mixer as a preamp.

I think before my preamp (aka my computer's soundcard) was clipping so
badly that it was making all sorts of harmonics and effectly clipping
the input.

Besides the amplifier was free pretty much (gift).


George Gleason wrote:
wrote:
I was able to blink the clip lights, but it still wasn't very loud
and
distorted.

So I was thinking it could be the fact that my preamp only outputed
..77
volts, so I went out and bought a 30 dollar small behringer mixer
to up
the signal, and I ended up blowing my subwoofer, but it sounded
great
until then. I am pretty sure I was clipping my old preamp :-)

I think that this amplifier is fine really. This could be the fact
that I wanted to take it back but I realized there would be a 20%
restocking fee, and now I am justifying the decision in my mind,
but it
works really well, and the place I bought it promises me that if
anything goes wrong withen 5 years they will fix it for free.



Once the clip
lights come on that's all ya got scotty.
I doubt the phonic was happy with your 2 ohm load

George

On 15 Feb 2005 12:12:48 -0800, wrote:

Would you recommend that I take it back, and if so what should I say? snip

The Phonic is a Phony. Take it back and tell them to eat it. If
you're going to go for something like this, get the "Bell-ringer." At
least they fix their stuff when it breaks.

dB

wrote in message
ups.com

I was able to blink the clip lights, but it still wasn't very loud and
distorted.

Sounds like an amp that isn't happy with its load.

So I was thinking it could be the fact that my preamp only outputed
.77 volts, so I went out and bought a 30 dollar small behringer mixer
to up the signal,

Unecessary since you were able to flash the clip lights.

and I ended up blowing my subwoofer,

Bringing to mind old wive's tales about too-small amps blowing speakers.

but it sounded great until then.

You must have a strange idea of what great-sounding is.

I am pretty sure I was clipping my old preamp :-)

I'm far more sure that you were clipping your new amp when its clipping
lights were on. If your old preamp was the weakest link, you would not have
been able to flash the power amp clip lights. The clip lights on a power amp
only know about clipping inside the amp.

I think that this amplifier is fine really.

I don't know why.

This could be the fact
that I wanted to take it back but I realized there would be a 20%
restocking fee, and now I am justifying the decision in my mind, but
it works really well, and the place I bought it promises me that if
anything goes wrong withen 5 years they will fix it for free.

But they won't redesign it for you.