OT: HiFI amps Vs Guitar amps, what the difference?

[octafish]

Alright, apart from the preamps and intent. Obviously guitar preamps can colour the sound and it is acceptable, even desired. Hi Fi amps (and speakers) reproduce accurate sound (or try to). So if you ripped out the preamp and beefed up the heatsinks then added a suitable preamp (ROG emulator for example) what would be missing??

I am thinking of solid state because valve/tube amps are usually collectable, rare and beyond repair.

Also would a cabinet simulator included in the preamp compensate for using HiFi speakers? (Just thought of that while typing).

[Yuan Han]

i guess people want a guitar amp to distort when pushed, but they don't want a hifi amp to distort.

[niftydog]

Well, the power amp sections are probably fairly similar...

hifi speakers?  maybe ok.

all of this depends a great deal on WHICH amp and WHICH speakers you're intending to modify.

And, like Yuan said, guitar amps are in some cases designed to distort a little, so the sound you'll get from a hifi amp would be pretty different compared to say a Marshall JCM!

When it comes down to it, guitar amps are often purposefully poorly designed, if I can put it that way without offending people!

BTW, if you ever plan to go the other way, choose either a keyboard amp or a good bass amp, they have a far greater frequency response than most guitar amps.

[black mariah]

So if you ripped out the preamp and beefed up the heatsinks then added a suitable preamp (ROG emulator for example) what would be missing??

Tone.

HiFi setups are designed to have a completely flat frequency response, and a very wide range. Guitar amps are not, and they are that way on purpose. Guitars don't have as wide a range, generally speaking, as your average summer blockbuster (well, MINE do. I tune lower than an ant's nutsack). So, guitar amps are built with a guitar's range in mind. Generally, guitar amps have a midrange bump that isn't present in HiFi amps. When you take a circuit designed for guitar, then plug it into a power amp designed to replicate whatever it gets in exacting detail, you are taking half of a guitar amp's tone out of the equation. This may be a good thing, especially if you're a hardcore anti-distortion jazz weirdo, but generally this is just too much work for little to no payback. IMO, it would be better to use a power amp that is designed for use as a guitar amp, or even a PA power amp (see: Matt Pike).

But that's just me, and I could be talking out of my ass as usual. :lol:

[bwanasonic]

A lot of it has to do with your intent also. For practicing and recording/ playing at home, I used :

Tech 21 GT2 > 4tk cassette > Alesis MidiVerb> *HiFi* Stereo > TOA Studio Monitors

for years. It's a completely different animal than a guitar amp, but quite musically useful. Some of the first guitar players I met back in the 70s, used McIntosh (tube) *HiFi* amps, absolutely cranked into homemade cabs. They sounded really amazing right before they blew up  :twisted:  I seem to remember The Grateful Dead using banks of McIntosh HiFi amps for amps back in the day. I blew up my share of stereos and speakers before I ever had an amp. Do what you have to do...

Kerry M

[petemoore]

Hi Fi Tube Amps...I guess we're talking transistors here...
 The Acid Test House Band [Captain Trips band, later became the 'Dead'], had expert recommend Mac Amps...hard for me to be critical as I think these "Dead Tones' are very articulated, dynamic and extremely clean [at times].
 Some of my favorite amps for guitar are old Hifi Tube stuff like DYNA, Heath, and RCA...I've developed a great appreciation for 'wide' and 'clean-ish', and love using them.
 Many times we use 1 amp, and it 'should' be your 'main effect',,,does certain things, primarly make the guitar 'sound' or sound 'louder', and Will 'allow' and 'limit' tones to be heard.
 Transistor amps is different, best for guitar or stereo or...when the headroom is high, as Q clipping in output amp is gennerally percieved as 'undesirable' for numerous reasons...sound 'quality', speaker/amp life, etc. If you've ever heard a Q amp clip, it's nasty, if you've ever blown a speaker as a result...'undesirable'...some amps go as far as to put limiters on, and have headroom 1.5 X, or double what the amp ever is intended to use.
 With a Q amp, the idea is to make the output section very clean with headroom, no clipping of any sort here, and then voice the input for whatever distortion effects are preferred.

[Athin]

please note that quite a lot of the sound depends on the speakers, try using a "normal" speaker first and then a celeston, you'll see... [though it all comes down to frequency response]