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I’m going to start saving about 3500 bucks for a Hughes And Kettner Black Spirit 200 and I’m going to get the MkIII 4x12 with it and I wanted to replace the RockDrive 60s-or something like that-with Warehouse Reaper 30s but 4x30 ain’t 240 watts which is needed for a 200 watt amp. So I’m wondering, can I put 30 watt speakers in place of 60 watt speakers and the cabinet load still be 240 watts to sustain a 200 watt head?
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The short answer is yes. You can use 120 watts in rated speakers for a 200 watt rated amp. However, there are a couple of things you might want to consider.
Headroom vs. speaker breakup. The harder the speakers are pushed the more likely they are to distort. Speaker breakup can be a desirable effect for some players and create some very usable tones. Headroom is also sought after for players looking for crystal cleans at high volumes. Pushing 200 watts into 120 worth of speakers, you can expect some speaker breakup.
The second thing would be - what is your tolerance for risk? If you are pushing a 200-watt head into a cabinet rated at 120 watts, you risk blowing the speakers. This would not be a problem at bedroom volumes. If you intend on using this amp with a band and pushing it hard I would not consider going this route. While there are no hard rules for amp wattage vs. speaker rating, personally I like my speakers to be rated at least 1.5x the rating of the amp.
For a 100 watt amp I like to have the speakers rated for at least 150 watts. This gives me plenty of headroom, and it has been decades since I have blown a speaker.
It all comes down to the desired tone you are chasing, how the amp is used, and your risk tolerance. But the short answer again is yes, it will work.
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It is if you don't like blown voice coils.Comment
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Originally posted by Megadeth420 View Post
The reason that solid state wattage is not the "same" as tube wattage is that as it provides more output, the signal distorts in undesirable ways. A 200 watt solid state amp working at its limit will lack punch and clarity. This is why guitarists sometimes (at least used to ) say that solid state watts not as "loud as" tube watts. The best you can hope for is that a ss amp will provide enough clean headroom.
The solution for amp builders is to provide ss power amplifiers that are larger than necessary. A 200 watt guitar amp will hopefully never be running at more than half or less and will retain clean headroom.
With a solid state 200 watt guitar amps, you dont NEED a 200 watt speaker because you hopefully are using it at half its rating or less, BUT the potential exists to blow out lower rated speakers.
If you want tons of clean headroom, get a 1000 watt amp and make sure the input signal does not allow the amp to blow out your speakers. This is why car audio setups usually use huge amps.
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I wouldn't worry about it (this is my opinion so take it FWIW, I don't accept responsibility for blown speakers or eardrums). As mentioned, SS amps are usually spec'd higher wattage for headroom, and sometimes the spec is peak instead of RMS. Will you be able to blow speakers with the available power from that amp, maybe, will you ever be running it that loud in the first place, very doubtful.Comment
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With closed-back cabs you can have them matched fairly even. With open-back cabs you better have a speaker that handles much more than the amp's output.
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yeah whats a little watts between friends.
25 watt Greenback w/a 200 watt Marshall Major > no problem.
Speakers & amps always sound best as they are dying.Comment
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Alright, thanks for the answers, I think to be safe I’ll go with the 50 watt Reaper hp speakers for headroom and assurance. Keeping at 200 across the board.Comment
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How many speaker watts in total can you power with an 80 watt amp?Comment
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Personally I would want an 120 watt+ speaker. But like I said it is subjective. I am sure a lot of people would be fine with a 75 watt speaker, if they didn't crank the amp. I had a 100 watt speaker for my 100 watt tube Marshall for a while I just didn't push it or boost it.Originally posted by solspirit View PostComment
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I've always been a fan of using the highest watt rated speakers that I could afford. But then, I don't want speakers to break up at high volume.
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My JC 120 is 60-watts per side. Both cabs I use with it (2x12, 4x12) are 150 watts per side, 300 watt cabinets.Originally posted by Demanic View PostComment
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Why $3500? The head is less than a grand.Comment
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