Speaker cab. ohm question...

[XSSIVE]

i'm contemplating buying an avatar 4x12 cab. to use with my peavey ultra plus head and was wondering what ohm would be best...my head has a switch for 4ohm 8ohm and 16ohm so any will work but would one be better than the other for some reason? thanks for any info.

-Mike

 

[proxy]

Re: Speaker cab. ohm question...

4 ohms, supposably is the best for retaining lows, hence the reason bass cabs use it.

I would go with 8 ohms just because it'd be easier to match amps with it should you move onto another amp.

 

[STRATDELUXER97]

Re: Speaker cab. ohm question...

4 ohms, supposably is the best for retaining lows, hence the reason bass cabs use it.

I would go with 8 ohms just because it'd be easier to match amps with it should you move onto another amp.

Depends on the amp? Marshalls were all about the 16 ohm load and work and sound right at 16 ohms...Fenders sound better at 4 ohm loads and were designed around the lower load,as was the Boogie stuff...i.e. The Twin and Pro Reverb amps and early Boogie amps...

The mindset is that 4 ohms would give the amp more headroom,slightly more output,and be tighter,but again it depends on the amp and the match between the output transformer and the speakers...8 ohms is a safe place to be I guess.. :13:

 

[Quencho092]

Re: Speaker cab. ohm question...

so if you got an 8 and 8 ohm match you'd get a different sound than if you had a 4 and 4 ohm match. Interesting...

 

[STRATDELUXER97]

Re: Speaker cab. ohm question...

so if you got an 8 and 8 ohm match you'd get a different sound than if you had a 4 and 4 ohm match. Interesting...

You wouldn't get a different sound,but the "feel" of the amp would change...At the lower impedence setting you might also sense that the amp is tighter and has more headroom and power,but again,it depends on the amp,the transformer,speakers etc...It's not just 1 single thing that matters,but everything in the equation...I've tryed running my old Marshall head at the 4 ohm load and it doesn't act right until I go back to the 16 ohm settings...My Fender 2x12 combo needs to see a 4ohm load or I get the same scenario...You also have to figure in the difference the negative feedback circuit plays into the "feel" of the amp..As you change the impedences,you also change the way the feedback circuit of the amp works...

Please don't ask me to explain "feedback:as it's a pretty drawn out and boring subject...LOL

 

[proxy]

Re: Speaker cab. ohm question...

You wouldn't get a different sound,but the "feel" of the amp would change...At the lower impedence setting you might also sense that the amp is tighter and has more headroom and power,but again,it depends on the amp,the transformer,speakers etc...It's not just 1 single thing that matters,but everything in the equation...I've tryed running my old Marshall head at the 4 ohm load and it doesn't act right until I go back to the 16 ohm settings...My Fender 2x12 combo needs to see a 4ohm load or I get the same scenario...You also have to figure in the difference the negative feedback circuit plays into the "feel" of the amp..As you change the impedences,you also change the way the feedback circuit of the amp works...

Please don't ask me to explain "feedback:as it's a pretty drawn out and boring subject...LOL

Interesting.

I'm curious if a 16 Ohm set up would work an amp harder, so it would break up sooner at the same dB compared to the same amp in a 4 Ohm set up. It would make some sense, since the amp is working against a greater resistive load, therefore having to create enoguh voltage to drop over it, but then again I'm no pro.

 

[STRATDELUXER97]

Re: Speaker cab. ohm question...

Interesting.

I'm curious if a 16 Ohm set up would work an amp harder, so it would break up sooner at the same dB compared to the same amp in a 4 Ohm set up. It would make some sense, since the amp is working against a greater resistive load, therefore having to create enoguh voltage to drop over it, but then again I'm no pro.

Maybe? Doesn't seem to be an issue on my 50 watt Marshall head...I just like the way the amp feels through the 4x12 cab at the 16 ohm setting...In theory it's probably a sense of extra tightening that I dislike at the 4 ohm setting through my 4x12 cab,but the amp actually doesn't seem any louder to me? If you run a 2x12 combo 4 ohm Fender amp through to 16 ohm speakers for an 8 ohm load,you do notice a loss in overall power and tightness..Guess it has more to do with transformer windings and coil saturation...Techie crap! :13:

John