Tech Talk - Gallien-Krueger 2001RB Owner's Manual

Tech Talk

Characteristics of the 2001RB:
The 2001RB is a flexible, state-of-the-art Bass
Amplifier, designed to deliver maximum performance,
and be simple to operate. This is accomplished
through a few, very important features:
.
· Extremely high current power supply and
power amp circuitry, gets the sound out of
your head.
.
· Bi-Amp sound, two power amps, 540 Watts for
the woofer (1080W bridged), and 50 Watts for
. the horn.
· Electronic crossover, seamless two-way
sound.
.
· Four, Bass specific bands of active
equalization for precise tone control.
.
· Three voicing filters for shaping and
customizing your sound.
.
· Balanced direct output with level control
eliminates need for a direct box.
. .
· Continuously variable fan cooling.
· Designed and Built in the U.S. for years of
reliability and quality service.
High Current Output & Bass Response:
When a power amplifier is pushing several speaker
cones, and a high-power transient like a string slap
comes along, the amp has to tap into a large power
reserve to maintain cone control. It's kind of like
grabbing a swing at the bottom of it's travel and
trying to push it the other way - it could knock you
over. If the amplifier doesn't have this ability, the
sound is unresponsive and less out front. The amp
loses it's punch and feel at higher playing levels.
Instead of responding to your every command, the
amplifier simply cuts those transients off, leaving you
with the feeling that something is missing in your
sound.
Since most amplifiers have limited output current
capacity, they need "current limiting circuits" to
protect against self-destruction. High-power tran-
sients trigger these circuits, which rob the amplifier of
it's ability to control speaker cones. This creates a
mushy, unresponsive feel to your sound. The 2001RB
has extremely high current capacity, so it doesn't
need current limiting circuits for over-load protec-
2001RB & 2001RBP
There is nothing in the 2001RB power amp to come
between you and your sound except faithful, raw
power.
Bi-Amp Sound:
Bass players have always liked the growl they get from
slight overdrive. In GK amps this comes partly from
the boost circuits and partly from the power amp. The
problem is that growl, sounds great through woofers,
and horrible through horns. In the typical full range
system with a passive crossover, there is no way to get
growl and keep the definition that the horn provides.
The horn always has to be turned down. In a Bi-Amp
system like the 2001RB, the woofer and the horn,
each have their own power amp, allowing us to get
growl in the woofer only, while keeping the horn
sound crystal clear. Now you can over-drive the
woofer as much as you want, and leave the horn all
the way up, keeping the definition it brings to your
sound. Running the 2001RB in Bi-Amp mode
through a GK-RBH cabinet, for the first time allows
full access to the benefits of Bi-Amp sound. This is the
reason the 2001RB is a Bi-Amp, and it is the reason
you will be able to explore an entirely new territory of
Bass sound.
Electronic Crossover:
Bi-Amp systems allow the crossover to be electronic
and therefore, have much higher quality than passive
crossovers. A crossover separates the sound into two
parts (high and low frequency). The highs are sent to
the horn or high frequency cabinet and the lows are
sent to the woofer. In an ideal system, adding the
highs and the lows back together would recover the
original signal. Most passive Bass systems have very
poor crossovers, resulting in severe signal corruption.
When these signals are added back together (as in
your ear), they have very little in common with the
original signal. The 2001RB uses a Constant Voltage
crossover which results in very little signal corrup-
tion. In fact, when the high and low signals are
added back together, the result is extremely close to
the original. This makes a two-way system sound
more seamless, and less artificial. We have also
included a Tweeter Hi-Cut switch in the crossover,
which rolls the tweeter off above 10kHz giving it a less
glassy, more cone like sound.
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