Tech Talk - Gallien-Krueger 1001RB-II Owner's Manual

Tech Talk

Characteristics of the 1001RB-II/700RB-II:
The 1001RB-II/700RB-II Series is a flexible, state-of-
the-art Bass Amplifier, designed to deliver maximum
performance, and be simple to operate. This is
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accomplished through a few, very important features:
· Extremely high current power supply and
power amp circuitry, gets the sound out of
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your head.
· Bi-Amp sound, two power amps, 700W/480W
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for the woofer, and 50 Watts for the horn.
· Electronic crossover, seamless two way sound.
· Four, Bass specific bands of active
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equalization for precise tone control.
· Three voicing filters for shaping and
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customizing your sound.
· Balanced direct output with level control
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eliminates need for a direct box.
· Continuously variable fan cooling.
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. 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 1001RB-II/700RB-II Series has extremely high
current capacity, so it doesn't need current limiting
circuits for over-load protection.
There is nothing in the 1001RB-II/700RB-II Series
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
700RB-II/1001RB-II Series
growl and keep the definition that the horn provides.
The horn always has to be turned down. In a Bi-Amp
system like the 1001RB-II/700RB-II Series, 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 1001RB-II/
700RB-II Series 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
1001RB-II/700RB-II Series 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 1001RB-II/700RB-II Series uses
a Constant Voltage crossover which results in very
little signal corruption. 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.
Equalization:
Standard tone controls and graphic equalizers give
you plenty of variation, but they don't provide what
the instrument really needs. The fact is, graphic
equalizers are intended for room equalization. The
equalization in Gallien-Krueger amplifiers reflects 30
years of continuous development and refinement. The
GK equalizer is unique to the industry, it's not just a
normal four band equalizer, each section is a special
circuit optimized to perform a Bass specific job in its
range of operation. These sections are wired in Series,
so they add to one another creating a tremendously
flexible equalizer, that doesn't sound weird at any
setting. Now it is possible to obtain the sound you
desire.
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