# behringer A500 as sub amp



## zheka (Jun 11, 2010)

Have anybody tried to drive Chase subs with Behringer A500 amplifier?

they claim in bridged mode it's rated 600 Watts into 8 Ohms. I very much doubt it can actually do that, especially in LF range. Yet I am curious if it can do an acceptable job with SS-18.1.


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## Seaxe (Sep 13, 2008)

G,day zheka, I bought an A500 amp for subwoofer duties some years back. It was so poorly made it could not put out more than a couple of watts before shutting down. Working models are noted for high distortion. For a few dollars more, the Behringer EP 4000 has a proven track record as a sub amp. Mine is still going strong, and has ample headroom while allowing for upgrades. Cheers, Mike.


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## zheka (Jun 11, 2010)

Seaxe said:


> G,day zheka, I bought an A500 amp for subwoofer duties some years back. It was so poorly made it could not put out more than a couple of watts before shutting down. Working models are noted for high distortion. For a few dollars more, the Behringer EP 4000 has a proven track record as a sub amp. Mine is still going strong, and has ample headroom while allowing for upgrades. Cheers, Mike.


Thank you for the reply, Mike. 
Was yours a defective unit or this is how all of them perform? 
You see, I already have an A500 and it works well for me as full range stereo amp. My plan was to use it with SS18.1 until I can afford a better amp. But if your experience is a typical one this may not be an option :scratch:


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## craigsub (Sep 9, 2006)

Zheka - As you already own the amp, you may even try it in stereo mode. In bridged mode, the Behringer "sees' a 4 Ohm load when driving an 8 ohm load in the way you are thinking. The amp may actually make a decent interim amp in stereo mode, running one channel.


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## zheka (Jun 11, 2010)

craigsub said:


> Zheka - As you already own the amp, you may even try it in stereo mode. In bridged mode, the Behringer "sees' a 4 Ohm load when driving an 8 ohm load in the way you are thinking. The amp may actually make a decent interim amp in stereo mode, running one channel.


Thank you very much for the reply.
Forgive me if this is silly question, but why would the Behringer see 4 Ohm instead of 8 Ohm load? IIRC it can only drive 8 ohm in bridged mode. Are you suggesting it may not be stable with SS-18.1 in bridged mode?


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## zheka (Jun 11, 2010)

Hi Craig,

what's that little shiny thing on your new avatar? it would not be that super secret sub amp you were teasing about recently, would it?


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## sbdman (Dec 21, 2008)

Think Craig needs to update his avatar - that's the Gizmo Amp, a 25 watt amp that was sold during the Tweak City Audio days along with the WAF-1 bookshelf speakers. Unfortunately, neither is made anymore.


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## zheka (Jun 11, 2010)

sbdman said:


> Think Craig needs to update his avatar - that's the Gizmo Amp, a 25 watt amp that was sold during the Tweak City Audio days along with the WAF-1 bookshelf speakers. Unfortunately, neither is made anymore.


Oops. I heard of tweak city audio but somehow never put two and two together. Heh.


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## Seaxe (Sep 13, 2008)

zheka, sorry to be alittle late in reply, but yes, my A500 was defective from new. Essentially , none of the output transistors was making contact with the heat sinksinks, as the 'sinks were bent like bananas! The result was amp shutdown if more than a couple of watts were required for 30 secs. I have stripped down and rebuilt one channel, yet remain unimpressed by the performance of Darlington pairs, as opposed to a push /pull alignment. Such a disappointment, as for $50 more, Behringer could have produced a market storming amp. Cheers, Mike


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## zheka (Jun 11, 2010)

Seaxe said:


> zheka, sorry to be alittle late in reply, but yes, my A500 was defective from new. Essentially , none of the output transistors was making contact with the heat sinksinks, as the 'sinks were bent like bananas! The result was amp shutdown if more than a couple of watts were required for 30 secs. I have stripped down and rebuilt one channel, yet remain unimpressed by the performance of Darlington pairs, as opposed to a push /pull alignment. Such a disappointment, as for $50 more, Behringer could have produced a market storming amp. Cheers, Mike


thank you


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