I have field-tested and written about many audio amplifiers, and a common thread in all those reviews is power versus weight. Every sound guy wants as much horsepower per pound as they can get in their amps. Of course it goes without saying that the power must be colorless and transparent. So that brings us to the Peavey IPR 1600 stereo power amplifier.
The Gear
Peavey has certainly taken a big bite out of amp weight. The 1600 weighs in at a mere 7 pounds and puts out 800 watts per channel at 2 ohms, 530 watts at 4 ohms and 300 watts per channel at 8 ohms. A lot of sound guys (and girls) won't run their amps at 2 ohms, but my feeling is that if the manufacturer claims reliable service at 2 ohms, then that is where I will be operating the amp. All this power is delivered at less than .1% Total Harmonic Distortion (THD). In other words, it's a clean-operating amplifier.
One of my favorite features of the IPR 1600 (other than its feather weight) is the built-in switchable crossover. You can select subwoofer (100 Hz), full-range or high pass. This switch is located on the back of the amp next to the inputs. One switch per channel. I know that most of us already use some sort of crossover, but the idea of having a rack of amps set just for subwoofers appeals to me. I am also very interested in the protection features of this piece of gear. The Peavey has an arsenal of tools that protect it from overheating, incorrect loads, DC, subsonic, over voltage and under voltage. These kinds of features just give one some peace of mind when running the amp under hard and rigorous conditions.
So, how does Peavey get so much juice into this amplifier? I really don't know the secrets that the research and development guys at Peavey have poured into the 1600, but I do know that it uses switching technology to get there and high-speed class D topology. I know this because I read the owners manual, and I have some idea of amplifier design. However, Peavey has taken this approach one step further in the development of this amp. The case is also made of aluminum, which helps reduce weight. I guess the bigger question now is, how does the IPR 1600 performs in the real world of live audio?
The Gigs
As I mentioned earlier, if the manufacturer claims 2 ohms, then that is where I will begin my testing of the amp. My first outing with the Peavey was at a jazz gig in Pasadena, Calif. Now, I know sometimes jazz can rock (as oxymoronic as that sounds), but it certainly did not in this case, and I actually had way more power available than I needed. In fact, I had to use one side of the amp to run the mains and the other side to run the floor wedges in order to get my load down to 2 ohms.
During the sound check, I pushed the amp in an attempt to create some sort of distortion or audio anomaly, but was unsuccessful – which was a good thing. The reality of a good amplifier is that when it is doing its job, you ideally don't notice it. That would be a simple definition of transparency. So, during my jazz event, the Peavey IPR 1600 disappeared into the background as the music filled the foreground. As it should.
My next event with the amp was at an LA Roller Derby game. This gig incorporates a combination of very loud canned music and an over-caffeinated announcer. I used the Peavey to power a pair of subwoofers using the onboard crossover in the amp. This time I had to operate the unit at 4 ohms, but being that it was a roller derby show, I pushed the amp as hard as I could for about three hours. I generally would have used more amperage in my subs, but I have to say that the Peavey did not disappoint. It produced a lot of nice fat, clean bass for my gig. As with all of my live testing events, I look for failures and poor design features in the gear. So far I couldn't find any problems with the amp.
I had one more chance to plug the IPR 1600 into an existing system at a church in Monrovia, Calif. My purpose was not to attempt to overwork the amplifier, but to compare it with the one already in the church. I will say that the Peavey is very transparent. There was enough of a difference between the 1600 and the other amp that I could hear the difference. And the Peavey sounded better. I won't mention the manufacturer of the other amplifier, but it was not a low-quality amp.
The only thing I missed out on my testing of this amplifier was operating it on a hot summer day. I do a lot of outdoor events here in Southern California every summer, and many times the air temperature exceeds 100 degrees F. Nothing like a really hot gig to put an amp to the test. However, Peavey does stand behind this amp with a five year warranty. Five years is a long time if you are using this amp regularly.
So there you have it. Peavey apparently has a real winner here. Lightweight, powerful and clean. I think that is about as good as it gets for a basic amplifier like this. Oh, and did I mention that it only occupies two rack spaces?
Peavey IPR 1600
What It Is: Stereo Power Amplifier
Who It's For: Bands, sound companies, schools, houses of worship.
Pros: Feather weight, powerful, trans-parent.
Cons: It could be one rack space (just
kidding!)
How Much: $499.99 MSRP
