Final word on a Vox AC 4 Head

[atf]

Every time i read a forum post i hear this little head is very loud.I also hear there no such thing as headroom with this head. You have to roll your guitar volume back. So whats the final word, will this amp be heard in a small gathering of 50-100 people, no PAs, classic rock setting, running into a greenback 1x12, with a powerful but controlled drummer? Yes or no pls.

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[beaubrummels]

Re: Final word on a Vox AC 4 Head

First thing to remember is power is logorithmic. So just as 100w is not twice as loud as 50w, it's only ~3-6db louder; likewise going the other way is only reducing the volume by ~3-6db every halving of the power.

 

[Securb]

Re: Final word on a Vox AC 4 Head

I don't know much about that particular amp but I would not be comfortable walking into a gig with a full band with 4 watts. Even with a PA I feel you would have to push that amp to its limits to be heard. The greenback is a very efficient speaker with a great sensitivity rating. However for classic rock and 100 people in the room you might want to push a bit more air.

 

[DrNewcenstein]

Re: Final word on a Vox AC 4 Head

Every time i read a forum post i hear this little head is very loud.I also hear there no such thing as headroom with this head. You have to roll your guitar volume back. So whats the final word, will this amp be heard in a small gathering of 50-100 people, no PAs, classic rock setting, running into a greenback 1x12, with a powerful but controlled drummer? Yes or no pls.

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I have a Roland MicroCube that is very loud - people in the front room watching TV come tell me to turn it down. If I close my door, they don't hear it.

Whether a given amp is "very loud" depends on the context. Doesn't mean it will compete with drums or please a room of 50 people who are more than 5 feet away.

 

[HTT]

Re: Final word on a Vox AC 4 Head

I have the AC4 combo. The amp gets suitably loud for what you describe, but you will not be playing clean. You don't mention having to be able to play at or above a drummer. If you have a live drummer, the AC4C and/or head will probably not cut it. An AC15 or better yet an AC30 will handle that task.

 

[Myaccount876]

Re: Final word on a Vox AC 4 Head

First thing to remember is power is logorithmic. So just as 100w is not twice as loud as 50w, it's only ~3-6db louder; likewise going the other way is only reducing the volume by ~3-6db every halving of the power.

I don't mean to be that guy, but power is proportional to voltage times the current, both of which are constant variables. It is the decibel scale that is logarithmic. Two different things. Also, because the decibel scale is logarithmic, saying "a difference of 3 dB" means nothing without the actual numbers whose difference you are referencing. The difference between 60 dB and 63 dB is miniscule, while the difference between 100 dB and 103 dB is very large. In fact, the amplitude of 103 dB is more than x2 the amplitude of 100 dB. Usually 50 watt and 100 watt amps pushed past their RMS ratings into peak wattage are in the triple digits of decibel ratings, so there is a pretty large difference in amplitude between a maxed out 50 watt amp and a maxed out 100 watt amp, assuming their peak wattages are proportional to the difference of 50 watts versus 100 watts.

 

[Nostalgic Distortion]

Re: Final word on a Vox AC 4 Head

^^^^yes^^^^

 

[beaubrummels]

Re: Final word on a Vox AC 4 Head

I don't mean to be that guy, but power is proportional to voltage times the current, both of which are constant variables. It is the decibel scale that is logarithmic. Two different things. Also, because the decibel scale is logarithmic, saying "a difference of 3 dB" means nothing without the actual numbers whose difference you are referencing. The difference between 60 dB and 63 dB is miniscule, while the difference between 100 dB and 103 dB is very large. In fact, the amplitude of 103 dB is more than x2 the amplitude of 100 dB. Usually 50 watt and 100 watt amps pushed past their RMS ratings into peak wattage are in the triple digits of decibel ratings, so there is a pretty large difference in amplitude between a maxed out 50 watt amp and a maxed out 100 watt amp, assuming their peak wattages are proportional to the difference of 50 watts versus 100 watts.

You're talking dbA, I'm talking dbv. Air pressure is not the same as perception of sound levels. 103db is not twice as loud as 100db and a 100 watt amp is not twice as loud as a 50 watt amp.

 

[dystrust]

Re: Final word on a Vox AC 4 Head

You're talking dbA, I'm talking dbv. Air pressure is not the same as perception of sound levels. 103db is not twice as loud as 100db and a 100 watt amp is not twice as loud as a 50 watt amp.

Having had the chance to stand next to a 50W and 100W Marshall through the same 4x12 I can confirm that the 100W head is definitely not twice as loud. The volume difference between the two (when cranked that loud) is pretty small, and both of them were far too loud to be usable anywhere except an arena.

 

[Myaccount876]

Re: Final word on a Vox AC 4 Head

You're talking dbA, I'm talking dbv. Air pressure is not the same as perception of sound levels. 103db is not twice as loud as 100db and a 100 watt amp is not twice as loud as a 50 watt amp.

I'm speaking in terms of amplitude because amplitude is the change in sound pressure. The human ear perceives sound pressure, not volume. Also, you will never hear "twice as loud" if you are standing right next to a blaring sound source (where you can easily experience hearing distortion, where all you hear is "LOUD"). You will definitely notice a difference in loudness from a distance, where higher dB levels of sound can travel much farther. Perceived volume is also affected by frequency of the sound source, so even though some sources are louder, they can be perceived as quieter if the source is of a frequency that the human ear is less sensitive to. These frequency sensitives also change depending on the dB level.

 

[GoldenVulture]

Re: Final word on a Vox AC 4 Head

Contemplate this . How our ear responds.

 

[Demanic]

Re: Final word on a Vox AC 4 Head

^^
Of course this assumes an average healthy ear.

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