There’s a 30watt HXDA?

[Elliot]

It’s hard to stay free from gas these days. I had no idea these amps were out in the wild.

I was looking at Friedman pink taco’s then lookin at HXDA’s and stumbled on a decently priced listing for a 30w HXDA on reverb.

Anyone have one or gasing for it?

 

[toothace]

I have the 30 watt combo. Some previous threads on the subject...

https://forums.prsguitars.com/threads/setting-up-hxda-type-amp.29456/#post-377586

https://forums.prsguitars.com/threads/hxda-paisley-search.29183/

https://forums.prsguitars.com/threads/nad-hxda-30-1x12-combo-in-paisley.26816/

Some light reading to get you started

 

[bodia]

Toothace has my old 30w combo. It's nice to be able to keep things in the "family"

 

[shinksma]

I see that toothace posted the link to my NAD thread for my 30W HXDA combo in paisley:

https://forums.prsguitars.com/threads/nad-hxda-30-1x12-combo-in-paisley.26816/

Awesome amp, and 30W is more than enough for practice and small/medium-size gigs - anything bigger I'd look at piping in to the PA anyway.

 

[László]

Mine’s the 30 Watt version. I also had the 50 at one point.

You know how I feel about the one I have. Here’s the difference, according to what the nice folks at PRS told me: The 50 and the 30 are essentially the same amp, but the B+ voltage is lower on the 30.

I have only the vaguest notion as to what they do to change the B+ voltage, or indeed, even what the B+ voltage does (I think it has something to do with the power rails).

I love the damn thing.

 

[toothace]

Toothace has my old 30w combo. It's nice to be able to keep things in the "family"

It's a glorious amplifier

 

[László]

One thing I should add is that the sonic difference between the 50 and 30 (at least for me) is that the 50 gives you more of a “this thing is gonna bust loose any moment” vibe, and has a more powerful low end.

Both versions are great fun to play. For what I do in the studio, I like the 30 a lot. If I played out in more than a 3 piece band, and was a really flashy guitar player, I’d probably give the edge to the 50. Either way, I’d be plenty happy.

 

[Elliot]

It seems pretty affordable too. I'm surprised.

 

[László]

It seems pretty affordable too. I'm surprised.

Pull the trigger!

Then I can suggest all kinds of NOS tubes to roll with it. The amp is very revealing of tube differences, in my opinion.

 

[watelessness]

yes, and it's spectacular

 

[CatStrangler]

I have a 2X12 combo and love it. Had it for a few years now and still love it, which is kind of a record for me

 

[László]

I have a 2X12 combo and love it. Had it for a few years now and still love it, which is kind of a record for me

I think I’m on year three or four with the 30 Watt head. I bought the 50 Watt when they came out, because it was like Duane Allman’s ghost handed me his amp, and said, “Here’s that tone you’ve wanted since 1971.”

I migrated to the 30 because I wanted to crank the amp a little more in the studio than I could the 50.

Playing the same model amp for 4 years or so? Definitely a record for me. Well, that and the DG30 I got around the same time.

 

[elvis]

I have only the vaguest notion as to what they do to change the B+ voltage, or indeed, even what the B+ voltage does (I think it has something to do with the power rails).

B+ is the plate voltage. Higher means more headroom and more max power out. Lower means more spongy due to saturation and less power out.

 

[László]

B+ is the plate voltage. Higher means more headroom and more max power out. Lower means more spongy due to saturation and less power out.

Thanks!

Oddly, the 30 doesn’t feel more spongy than the 50, at least not that I can tell. It does feel more controlled. The 50 felt like it always wanted to bust loose, the 30 is polite enough to wait for me to tell it what to do.

I loved the 50. But the 30 suits my studio life a little more. If I played out, I’d go 50.

 

[elvis]

No worries. To add a little more detail:
The power level actually depends on both voltage and current, but you had written that they just changed plate voltage.

There are two ways to saturate the output: not enough power or not enough voltage. With not enough power, you only notice issues with low frequencies, as they take the vast majority of the power. That will seem more like sag.

With not enough voltage, you can clip the signal and not necessarily run out of power. This is what people are usually shooting for when using a VARIAC. That is one possible outcome of lowering B+. The other is clipping plus power sag.