Ashdown 550 SPYDER - Manual (Page 5)

550 SPYDER HEAD AND TOURING COMBO
REAR PANEL (SPYDER HEAD) REAR PANEL (TOURING COMBO)
FRONT PANEL
OUTPUT PRE POST
MASTER GAIN
MUTE BRIGHT BASS SHIFT
TREBLE BASS
MID SHIFT
MIDDLE
EFFECTS INPUTS
LOW HIGH SEND RTN
INTRODUCTION
The 550 touring and spyder are hybrid amplifiers that feature a valve
preamp with two ECC 83 (12AX7) valves and the semiconductor power
section from the world renowned ABM 500.
The preamp has a tube driven effects loop and a totally passive eq. the
passive eq has a smaller range of adjustment than an active type but does
have a more natural sound . When coupled with the high power amplifier
from the ABM this produces a responsive ,punchy bass amplifier with
tremendous dynamics and superb definition.
FRONT PANEL FACILITIES
INPUTS - There are two instrument inputs marked LOW and HIGH. The LOW
input is high sensitivity and also high impedance to suit the output from
PASSIVE (Low Output) basses. The HIGH input is low sensitivity and lower
impedance to suit the output from ACTIVE (High Output) basses. Plugging an
active (High Output) bass into the LOW input will overload the input, creating
a fatter, warmer and more distorted sound. Experiment by plugging your bass
into either input to achieve the desired sound.
EFFECTS SEND AND RETURN - These 1/4" jack sockets should be used to
connect to an external effects device or pedal board. The EFFECTS SEND
output should connect to the INPUT of the effects unit, and the output of the
effects unit should be connected to the EFFECTS RETURN input.
EQ CONTROLS - Use the MIDDLE, BASS and TREBLE controls to effect the
overall tone of the sound. The MID SHIFT control moves the frequencies at
which the mid control has effect and the bass shift moves the bass
frequencies at which the BASS control has effect, note that since all the tones
controls are interlinked and dependant on each other some experimentation
will be required to find the best settings for your particular style of playing. The
BASS SHIFT switch causes the BASS control to operate on deeper frequencies
in the up position, and less deep frequencies in the down position. The
BRIGHT switch adds an overall brightness to the sound when in the up
position. (Note: The BRIGHT switch is not effective when the GAIN control is
set to full).
GAIN - This controls the level of the signal sent to the MASTER section. To
achieve a cleaner sound, turn the GAIN control down and the MASTER up. To
achieve a richer, more distorted sound, turn the GAIN control up and the
MASTER down.
MASTER - This controls the overall output of the amplifier.
MUTE - The mute switch does exactly that and is used to silence the output
from the amplifier whilst changing instruments or tuning etc.
PRE/POST - This switch determines whether the signal from the DI OUTPUT
(see Rear Panel Facilities) is taken before/PRE the EQ section (down position)
or after/POST (up position).
VU METER - The vu meter on this product is driven from the output of the
power amplifier and gives an indication of how much power the amplifier is
producing.
REAR PANEL FACILITIES
DI OUTPUT - This 1/4" stereo jack socket is used to connect the amplifier to
a low impedance, balanced input on a PA system or recording mixer. The
signal can be taken PRE or POST EQ (see above), ie with or without the tone
shaping added by the EQ section of the amplifier. The 550 Touring replicates
this facility on an XLR socket.
SPEAKER OUTPUTS - The 550 Spyder features a single Speakon connector
to connect to a cabinet configuration with a minimum impedance load of 4
Ω.
The 550 Touring combo has two Speakon connectors, one of which connects
to the internal speaker, the other of which can be used to connect an
extention cabinet.
POWER - This switch is used to switch the amplifier on and off.