power amp or combo amp?

scottbass · Newbie Alert Joined: 12 Aug 2003 Posts: 1

I currently have a Mesa/Boogie Buster (200 watts) combo amp with 2 x 10's. I run a line 6 bass pod as a preamp and BBE sonic maximizer in my rig as well. I love the mesa/boogie but its really heavy and only has the 2 x 10 speakers.

Since the line6 is shaping the tone (direct out to the PA) and not the boogie, i've been thinking it would probably be better to have a power amp into a cabinet, which will produce a clean sound that the line 6 can add tone too, instead of having two pieces (combo amp and line 6) both performing the same function (adding tone).

My question is: What are the advantages/disadvantages of a power amp into a cabinet setup as opposed to a bass amp/cab setup? I can't find too much info on power amps running bass rigs, so I'm not sure how much wattage I would need and if they typically lack in sound compared to bass amps. thanks,

Scott