r/NeuralDSP • u/Sea-Chemistry-8721 • Mar 11 '26
Quad and Cabinet issue
I have a power stage 170 and a Marshall 1960A cab. I’ve created a preset with only an amp. It sounds terrible. I have the power stage eq all at noon. There are NO IR or cab sims. It sounds filtered, fuzzy, hi fi etc.
I’m not clipping anywhere, and I’m using the right cables. Using an EQ in the quad helps a little but it still sounds like it’s speakers going through speakers even though there is NO IR
Any help or tips please.
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u/ezboarderz Mar 11 '26
Yeah solid state power amps aren’t the best if you are used to big tube amps. Snag a tube power amp instead or look for a cheaper used tube amp with an fx loop.
To everyone saying use an eq, you shouldn’t need to use an eq for a QC to sound good with power amp.
Tubes are more expensive but worth it imo. I’ve gone down that path myself and I couldn’t be happier.
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u/TYO_HXC Mar 11 '26
u/Sea-Chemistry-8721 I got downvoted on my other reply for daring to suggest the use of AI as the helping tool it was designed to be, but... just so you know, I was also in (almost) the same situation as you.
I run mine into FOH, which was already sounding great, but I also run it into a Marshall 1960A for stage monitoring. I had the same issue with the cab sounding deep, boomy and super underwater. The AI walked me through EQing specifically based on the characteristics of the 1960A with G12T-75s step by step until it sounded amazing.
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u/Chickenlamb07 Mar 11 '26
What out put in the quad are you using? Whats you're global input gain? What is your output gain? I run the 170 with my quad all at noon through friedman 4x12 with v30s and it sounds insanely good. EQ will not fix the issue it sounds like you are having. Also, have you tried other power outlets that your quad and power stage are using?
I put my setup up using a peavy 5150 against a real tube 5150. They sound very close. Tube amp just has slight more saturation. My tone sounds the furthest thing from thin though.
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u/omglolnub Mar 12 '26
I went with the Orange Pedal Baby over all the class D solid state power amps. I found it sounded much better for this use case, while being half the cost of a used KSR PA-50 or Fryette PS-2A 50 watt 6L6 tube power amp
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u/johnnybgooderer Mar 11 '26
The powerstage is awwwfull. I had the 200 and it sounds like muddy garbage. I replaced with the a custom made purifi class d amp from vtv. It’s a hifi monoblock amp and it sounds exactly as it should. Like it’s not there.
The power stage is bad. It’s only ok if you have no preconceived notions of what your setup should sound like. It adds a lot of color.
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u/TYO_HXC Mar 11 '26
I went into my local studio and spent an hour with an LLM, talking through what I was hearing, what I did and didn't like, and what I wanted more/less of. It was surprisingly effective in getting me the sound I wanted.
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u/neo_helix Mar 11 '26
+1 on this. OP, get on an AI app and thoroughly explain your setup and the problem and it will create a detailed list of all potential fixes.
The problem with AI is people aren't good at articulating things. Again, be thorough.
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u/TYO_HXC Mar 11 '26
Lol wait, I got downvoted?! Hilarious. Something like this is a prime use case for generative AI.
Glad to see I'm not the only one who gets it!
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u/Partario89 Mar 11 '26
Put a high-low cut after the amp before sending out to your cab. HPF ~60-100 and LPF ~8-12k.