Overview:
Introducing the brand new WARWICK WA 300 Bass Head. This workhorse includes a 10 band graphic equalizers, bass and treble controls, adjustable compressors and passive and active inputs for all your tonal needs.
- Classic sound with modern performance
- Manufacturing techniques and component quality has improved drastically over the last couple of decades
- Noise and hum are no longer unavoidable side effects of great sound
- So here we have recreated the "Classic" 10 band graphic EQ powered Bass Amp with big, powerful, tight sound in a modern package.
Our considerations in these amp designs were multifold and our objective is to provide:
- An affordable amp for the serious up and coming musician.
- A seasoned professional's gig amp.
CLASS-A CIRCUITRY
- Class-A amplifiers are typically more linear and, as such, are less complex than other amplifier classes. The amplifying element is biased so the device is always conducting to some extent. This means the amplifier is always on, avoiding the problem of crossover distortion associated with class-AB and -B designs.
LOW-Z CIRCUITRY
- By lowering the impedance inside an electronic circuit you lower the amount of thermal noise. In an amp where you have tone controls that lift mids and highs a considerable amount, proper impedance level makes the difference between enduring audible annoying hiss, and enjoying a pleasant tonal experience.
DYNAMIC DISTORTION LIMITER
- Distortion occurs when an amplifier works beyond its range, when the power supply cannot supply the power any more to take the amp higher. A common method to control distortion in amps is to use a limiter, a device that stops the signal going beyond a specific level
- Audio limiters work by setting a threshold signal level where the circuit kicks in and keeps signal levels within the capabilities of the power supply.
- This method is not very precise and often causes audible effects such as pumping and thumps. We designed a circuit that instead reads the distortion level in the power amp and starts limiting as soon as the amp shows even miniscule amounts of distortion.
- This means our amps always stay within 0.3% distortion (THD) when most amps are rated at between 5-10% distortion (that means that to get your 300 Watts out of a 300 Watt amp you will get it audibly distorted and if you want a clean signal the power will be a lot less). There are desirable types of distortion, but these are not usually associated with transistor amplifiers, but more commonly associated with tube amps and effect pedals.
- Warwicks goal is to give the user a great, clean sound allowing the user to decide how much, and what kind of distortion to employ.
Features:
- Bass Head
- 300 Watt power amp
- 19” Housing for rack mounting
- Separate Inputs for active and passive Basses
- The two instrument inputs can be used at the same time
- Class-A circuitry throughout the amp
- Bass Treble Tone Control Circuit
- 10-Band graphic equalizer, switchable
- Mute switch
- Adjustable, switchable compressor
- Balanced DI output with switches Pre/Post EQ and ground lift
- Line output
- FX loop
- Tuner output
- Aux stereo input, mini jack for connecting MP3 player, CD player etc.
- Integrated headphone amplifier. Aux in stereo signals over headphones in stereo
- 2 Dual purpose ¼” jack and coaxial, lockable connectors for speakers
- Temperature-dependent fan
Front Panel Features:
- ACTIVE – Input to plug in shielded guitar cable. This input is low sensitivity to suit the output from guitars with active electronics.
- PASSIVE – Input to plug in shielded guitar cable. This input is high sensitivity to suit the output from passiveguitars.
- GAIN – Controls the input signal level to the preamp.
- COMPRESSION – Controls the amount of compression applied to the signal.
- MUTE – Switch mutes all outputs, except the tuner out and the headphone out. LED is provided next to this switch to indicate when the amplifier is muted.
- COMPRESSION IN/OUT – Switches the compressor circuit in and out of the signal path.
- EQUALIZER – 10-band graphic equalizer section. Sliders control +/- 12dB of gain at the frequency indicated below each control..
- EQ IN/OUT – Switches the EQ circuit in and out of the signal path
- BASS – Shelving Bass Control gives +/- 18 dB gain at 60 Hz.
- TREBLE – Shelving Treble Control gives +/- 18 dB gain at 10 Hz.
- VOLUME – Controls the main output volume. Adjust this for your preferred overall playing volume.
- AUX IN – Input to connect external sound source. This can be used for plugging a CD, tape or MP3 player into the amp for practicing, rehearsing or for connecting a second preamp into the system.
- HEADPHONE – Output for connecting a headphone. Dedicated stereo headphone amp. It is recommended to mute the amp when using headphones.
Rear Panel Features:
- POWER – On/off switch for main power. For your safety remember to connect power cord to the amplifier first, then to the AC outlet and then turn this switch on. It works backwards when you want disconnect unit – firstly turn switch off, then disconnect cord from the AC outlet and finally disconnect cord from amplifier.
- MAINS IN AC – AC terminal with integrated fuse compartment for connection to the mains power supply. To exchange the fuse you have to disconnect power cord first and use small screwdriver to remove fuse carrier. Use only the same size and type for replacement. Using a fuse with a different rating than specified can cause damage to your amplifier.
- TUNER OUT – Dedicated output for tuners. Signal remains active in this output even when amplifier is muted which allows for “silent tuning”.
- SEND & RETURN – Insert point for external effects unit. To use effects loop connect the send socket to the input of the effects unit and the output of the effects unit to the RETURN socket. The effects loop is of the serial type.
- LINE OUT – Unbalanced output to external devises (auxiliary power amplifier, mixing console etc.).
- DI OUT – Balanced XLR output to external devices such as PA and studio mixing consoles.
- PRE-POST – switch to control the DI OUT. In PRE position the signal at DI OUT is the signal without any compression or equalization. In POST position signal at DI OUT is fed after the compressor, tone controls and effects loop.
- GROUND LIFT – Switch to lift the chassis ground connection from the DI output. Helps to prevent hum caused by ground loops.
- SPEAKER OUT – Output combo connectors (¼” jack and lockable coaxial) for connecting speakers. These are connected in parallel. Connect only speaker combinations with a summary load equal or greater than 4Ω.
Specifications:
- Model...................................WA 300 Bass Head
- Series.................................. WA Series
- Type.................................... Class A Circuitry throughout the amp
- Colour:.................................Black
- Housing:..............................19" Housing for rack mounting
- Jack Input............................Indiv. inputs for active or passive basses, suitable for dual play
- Line Output:.........................Line and tuner output
- DI Output............................ Balanced DI output with Pre / Post EQ switch and Ground Lift
- Effects:................................FX Loop
- Headphone Jack: ..............Integrated headphone amplifier, Aux stereo input jack for MP3 player, etc.
- Speaker Output:.................2 dual purpose jack and coaxial lockable connectors for speakers
- Controls:...........................Bass and treble Tone Control Circuit
- EQ....................................10-band graphic Equalizer, with Mute switch
- Mute Control.....................Mute Switch
- Compressor..................... Adjustable, switchable compressor
- Inputs...............................2 Inputs for active or passive Basses
- Auxiliary Input:..................Aux Stereo Input, Mini jack for connecting MP3 player, CD player etc.
- Power Output RMS:........300 watt power amp
- Dimensions (W/H/D).........483mm x 90mm x 340mm / 19” x 3.5” x 13.4"
- Weight (kg): .........................10.00 kg