Amps and Heads ...

Okay...to pop in with the Colonial perspective: a PA 'head' I would imagine as box, shaped like a guitar amp 'head', with several input channels and a power amp...usually low-end stuff. Preamps would be required for this, of course. Anything without would just be an 'amp' (no 'head', at least IME).

I'd call any guitar amp, that didn't include speakers, a head. Any with speakers would properly be termed a combo, as you said.

jak

Yes Jak, that had always been my understanding too, until I got picked up on it ...

Arfa

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I would have thought it was quite simple. If speaker cabs were placed on top of amps then the amp would be called a foot. They are placed on top so they are called a head.

-- Diverse Devices, Southampton, England electronic hints and repair briefs , schematics/manuals list on

I have never heard that definition of "head" before. Your understanding of the term has been unwaveringly mine for as long as I can remember. A head is a stand alone box with knobs on, doesn't matter whats inside.

That does remind me of a funny phone call I once had from a customer enquiring about his repair. I was living in Glasgow, and this guy had a very strong Scottish Accent. He asked whether "Ma'ampheed" was ready. I had no idea what a Ma'ampheed was so asked him to repeat it. Again, Ma'ampheed. I asked him to repeat it again. After the third time it was just getting embarrasing, I had no idea what he was talking about and had to tell him so. Eventually he had to spell it out in his best English accent, which was of course "My amp head".

Gareth.

Been working on amp "heads" for 30 years. I've never nor have any of my associates been picky enough to discriminate them as you've described.

I reckon someone got confuzzled betwixt 'head' and 'slave'

Ron

That's a term I've not heard in this context for years. Yeah, there used to be these PA heads, for which you could also purchase identical boxes that were termed 'slaves'. They had only contained a power amp.

I'd forgotten about them; but the original complainer apparently didn't, but got the terminology backwards. Seems I recall these also described as 'slave heads', which would also negate the original complaint, though.

jak

'Invented' as I understand it by Charlie Watkins back in the swinging

60`s Tho it was quite commom for the preamp and power amp sections of commercial 'cinema' amps to be separate way way back

I expect the most common, certainly in the UK would be the H-H MA100 and SA100 from the early 70`s

Ron

A head sits on top speaker cab. It can have anything in it. It does not matter.

greg

I had in mind various offerings from Sunn, Kustom and Peavey; but those were the US offerings.

jak

Thanks all. I feel totally vindicated in my original post, now ... d;~}

Arfa

I think you may have got a little mixed up as this was the correction you received from Graham at the time: "It's not a 'head', it's a 19" rack mounting pro power amp with line level inputs." Nowhere in that does it say that a 'head' has only line level inputs, rather it suggests the opposite.

Anyway, as I've always understood it, a head is an amplifier (guitar, bass, whatever) that typically would sit on top of a speaker stack. If someone was to mention a PA head I would think of something like my old HH MA100 with 5 channels, high and lo-z inputs and all on 1/4inch jacks. Maybe it's a pro-audio vs muso terminology thing but I would never call a rack mounted power amp a 'head'.

BTW are you still after that C-Audio RA series schematic? I have a PDF I can send you.

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Tim Phipps

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Yep, I have one MA100 on VERY long term loan from a friend and another that I found abandoned in a very poor state. I had started restoring it but haven't had the time for a good while to look at it.

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Tim Phipps

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No, a head has instrument level inputs.

A PA amp has line level inputs if professional, or could be anything down to mic level if a mixer/amp.

Basically a 'head' usually lives on top of a speaker stack, often behind a guitarist.

Graham

Yeah. Sorry. I think I got my knickers in a twist here. I finished up misunderstanding not only what you said, but what I was saying myself. Yet more examples of senior moments. Oh how I hate getting old ...

Arfa