Product: Ashdown MAG-600 Head
Price Paid: USD 499
Submitted
09/26/2007
at
01:43am
by
jason
Email: jason at theplatforms<dot>com
Features
:
5
Please skip to the important part below (reliability).
In the meantime, the amp's features are very bare-bones and simple. One channel of very clear tone, good sounding EQ, and a halfway-usable sub-harmonics feature (this is just an "octave-below" effect, and not very good one at that). One thing not mentioned in the literature is that the amp ONLY has 1/4" speaker outputs.
Sound Quality
:
8
The amp sounded very good, very clear and precise...for the 10 minutes it worked. See below.
For whatever it is worth, I was running the Ashdown into an Avatar 2x12 4 ohm cabinet, and I play a Modulus Flea bass 4 string.
Reliability
:
1
After 10 minutes of rehearsing with my band at medium-loud volume, the main fuse blew. As soon as I replaced the fuse and turned the amp on again, the replacement fuse blew. This indicates a major internal malfunction, probably one of the output devices.
I know what I am doing, and I was not abusing the amp. It simply cannot produce even half the 575 watts it claims without exploding. In no way, shape or form would I consider this amp reliable. In fact, I would consider it typical Chinese-made garbage. If you play at extremely low volumes, this amp might serve you well for a while. If you intend to rock, you had better look elsewhere. Honestly, I should have known better: good quality 600 watt amps don't cost $500 or weigh 10 pounds.
I was previously using a Crown XLS series amplifier which worked flawlessly with the same cabinet(s) (I have two of the Avatar 4-ohm 2x12 cabs). My Crown never blew a single fuse, never overheated, and never failed until a roadie dropped it down a flight of concrete stairs. I didn't think the Crown sounded all that great, but it damn sure worked, and for cheap too.
Customer Support
:
No Opinion
We will see first thing in the morning. Starting with Bass Emporium.
Overall Rating
:
1
I have been playing in Austin Texas bands (rock, metal, country, etc.) for over 15 years. I have used everything from tiny Peavy amps all the way up to vintage SVT's. Tonewise, this Ashdown Mag 600 was definitely up to snuff, but what good is it doing me now? I'm just glad I didn't take it to a gig.
