#161431  by LongStrangeJam
 
Hey guys I was wondering, I have a fender champion 100, it’s loud and doesn’t sound pretty bad for a solid state amp, but it’s just not tube. So I was wondering, could I somehow bypass the preamp and plug a sms into the solid state power amp, mimicking the mac? I feel like this would be a much cheaper alternative than building a setup from the ground up. I could maybe even replace the speakers one day too. Anyways any ideas on how if this is even possible or a good idea would be great. Thanks
 #161432  by Jon S.
 
I have no idea what the power amp in the C100 sounds like but you should be able to test your idea by plugging anything into PWR IN and seeing if you get sound. In fact, why not borrow a friend's preamp (any type) and hear how that sounds?

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 #161434  by TI4-1009
 
"Not all solid state amplifiers are created equal." Macs are special amps.
 #161436  by Jon S.
 
LongStrangeJam wrote: Thu May 24, 2018 7:09 am... could I somehow bypass the preamp and plug a sms into the solid state power amp, mimicking the mac? I feel like this would be a much cheaper alternative than building a setup from the ground up.

... any ideas on how if this is even possible or a good idea would be great.
Now you have responses to both parts of your questions! :D
 #161437  by Erbis
 
An idea...buy an sms if you don't already have one...figure out how to get it to send the signal thru the combo amp... your sound can only improve towards your goal... play some gigs with it... make some money and isolate the next part of the rig you need to get the sound you are looking for... each piece comes with a certain amount of satisfaction and gets you closer to the sound... they are all important... they all have a reason for being in the recipe and they all count... you can't really skimp and get the full enchilada... but with each piece comes an improvement and increased satisfaction
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 #161439  by LongStrangeJam
 
Exactly Erbis. Of course a Mac would be nice, but I don’t want to go for the whole thing at once (also because I don’t have the money for the full rig right now lol). I feel like the sms input would be great. I’m definitely going to try the pwr in or just bypass it for now. Thanks for the responses!
 #161440  by Erbis
 
Yeah the sms is a great piece to build the system around... the jbl is perhaps the second biggest tonal ingredient... the mac imparts a certain character/quickness to the sound and the cab gives a depth and stiffness to the feel which translates to clarity at higher volumes which is bolstered by the buffer