2x12 vs 4x12 using only one side

[ToneFiddler]

wanted to bring the volume down so i used only on side of my 4x12 but i ended up cranking it anyway but it sounded really bright, almost harsh. got too much changes right now (fresh tubes etc.) so i don’t know if it’s just this but i guess a true 2x12 will sound a lot better?
shouldn’t this be more like a oversized cab and sound bigger?

[dave74]

Not much volume difference at all, just less full-sounding IME.

[ToneFiddler]

Not much volume difference at all, just less full-sounding IME.

yeah, that’s what i heard.

[ToneFiddler]

Well, assuming all four speakers share the same internal air space, it is like having a 2x12 with roughly twice the internal volume and a couple of passive radiators. Kids, whip out your Radio Shack book on building speaker cabinets and see what that does.

i have no clue, but your right, should be easy to find.
i google it

[ehdwuld]

Some cabs are stereo and will let you use left or right or both
line6 cabs come to mind

In this case they have center baffles to divide the two halves

[Bogner]

Why not use your amps volume knob or get an attenuator?

[dave74]

Some cabs are stereo and will let you use left or right or both
line6 cabs come to mind

In this case they have center baffles to divide the two halves

Some do some don't, but I'd say most stereo cabs do not have a true separation.

[ToneFiddler]

my cabs can all be used in stereo, but there is no separation between the halfs.

last session my ears where blown anyway so its hard to make a true judgment.
well i am back to full 4x12 and it really sounds much fuller.
i like sound of the speakers when they are driven harder, that was the initial motivation, but the volume diff is really neglect able. just sounded a lot worse ( just harsh and no warmth and bass fundament). i read somwhere that the bigger the cab the more low end will happen. well if the volume is placed behind the speaker properly, than that might be true. definitely not in this case…
i guess a proper 2x12 will not have the downsides i discovered?
but a 4x12 still will always be fuller???

[dave74]

412 usually does sound wider and fuller overall, given the same speakers in each, but in a closed 212 I really prefer a wider-sounding speaker model, like a k100 or c90.
The difference between a 212 and 412 with the same speakers gets more obvious as the volume goes up.

My recto 212 sounds incredibly stuffy compared to any of the mesa 412 sizes with the same speakers.
Stuffy does make for very full mids IMO, just not as wide sounding.

[eclecticsynergy]

The two unhooked twelves were be acting as passive radiators, as Little Pigbacon said.
By sapping acoustic energy inside the cab, they actually decreased the excursion of your active cones.

If you want the best sound running two speakers in a 4x12 cabinet, you need to remove the other two and block their mounting holes.
This allows you to get the best from your speakers by pushing them, and the sealed space will sound bigger than a typical 2x12.

Simple plywood will do fine.
Usually a diagonal speaker array (one side lower, other side upper) is recommended, especially with Celestions which tend to be pretty beamy.
Still, I knew a guy who kept the two top speakers in his angled 4x12 and was happy with it that way.

[ToneFiddler]

ah, now i understand what’s going on with the 2 passive speakers. makes sense that this affects the lower frequencies the most.
i was under the impression that the bigger the volume the bigger the low frequency must be, but of course the passive speakers prevent this from happening.

thank you all.

might try this in the future, but for now i’am sticking with the full 4x12.

[dave74]

for now i’am sticking with the full 4x12.

words of wisdom

[chadd]

I used to play one half of my stereo 1960A sometimes, because I had a different model of speaker on each channel. So I would tolerate the non-ideal behavior for the benefit of hearing just one type of speaker or the other, when for some reason I did not want both. They were in an X-pattern to promote blending.

I never got around to throwing different speaker types into the two sides of my 1960A, but I always thought about doing it so I could send clean channels to one side and dirt to the other with my Road King.

[dave74]

I never got around to throwing different speaker types into the two sides of my 1960A, but I always thought about doing it so I could send clean channels to one side and dirt to the other with my Road King.

The actual Road King 412 is setup something like that iirc. I think it's a closed v30 on one side and a slotted c90 on the other.

[chadd]

The actual Road King 412 is setup something like that iirc. I think it's a closed v30 on one side and a slotted c90 on the other.

Yep, it is. However, I didn't really want to spring for the Mesa cabinet. I did think about getting an open back 2x12 to stack on top of one of my other 2x12s as well, but I was happy enough with Greenbacks for everything.