Splawn QR owners...

BloodRose

Professional Scapegoat
I have had my splawn 4x12 in storage for the last 2 years. Been using my Avatar 2x12 for a cab. got the glorious beast out yest!! So I dont make any mistakes, (its been so long I dont remember) what Ohm setting do I set my head for use with the Splawn cab? Speakers are splawn smallblocks. Thanks!!
 
Re: Splawn QR owners...

If it is a 16 ohm cab, yeah, 16 ohms. Not familiar with Splawn cabs, but is should say on it somewhere, match the amp output setting to the cabinet.
 
Re: Splawn QR owners...

Looks like Small Blocks are all 16 ohm. The images I see online all say "16 ohm mono" so that makes sense.
 
Re: Splawn QR owners...

You did more research than I did, I would have just looked for a sticker on the jack plate :duh:
 
Re: Splawn QR owners...

There is no stickers or markings.. i looked and thats why I asked. didnt want to have to pull the back off the cab. my Avatar 2x12 has a sticker on the jack plate that says 8 OHMS
 
Re: Splawn QR owners...

It looks like the speakers are 16 ohms, so I would go with PFD. If you have a meter you can plug in a cable and measure across the tip and sleeve of the cable, it will probably read about 14 - 15 ohms if it is a 16 ohm cabinet.
 
Re: Splawn QR owners...

I thought you went with the setting half the speaker rating with multi speakers?? Example: The Avatar cab I was using has 2 speakers rated at 16 ohms, but I have to use the 8Ohm setting on the amp..??
 
Re: Splawn QR owners...

That's a 2-12 cabinet, 2X 16 ohm speakers in parallel, which is 8 ohms, I think I wrote up how to figure this stuff out in your "How will I know" thread.

This is a 4-12, so different, more speakers... There is now way to hook up 4X 16 ohm speakers for an 8 ohm load, 4X 16 ohm in series would be 64 ohms (16+16+16+16), 4X 16 ohm speakers in parallel would be a 4 ohm load (1 / (1/16 + 1/16 + 1/16 + 1/16) ). Or, you can get a 16 ohm cab by doing a mix of series and parallel, hooking 2X 16 ohm speakers in parallel is 8 ohms, which if you hook up in series with another 2X 16 ohm speakers in parallel is a 16 ohm load.

But, yeah, it's a 16 ohm cab.
 
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Re: Splawn QR owners...

You're just running the 4x12 right? If so just match cab and set to full power.

(Half power needs an adjustment, set to half of the cab's impedance)

Small Blocks seem to be available only in 16 ohms, so the only wiring possibilities are 16 ohm and 4 ohm. Because of the half power note above, I believe the Splawn cabs are shipped wired as 16 ohms.

For your cabs:
Full power + 4x12 = 16 ohm setting (matching cab impedance)
Full power + 2x12 = 8 ohm setting (matching cab impedance)
Half power + 4x12 = 8 ohm setting (half of cab impedance)
Half power + 2x12 = 4 ohm setting (half of cab impedance)
 
Re: Splawn QR owners...

Oh wow.. So, if I run the amp on the half power mode, I have to change the setting?? didnt know that.. Great info!!
Yeah, for last couple years, been running full power (have used half before) an using my Avatar 2x12. Which says 8 Ohms on the cab by the jack.. no brainer, set amp to 8 Ohms. (speakers both 16.) Now, Im using my Splawn 4x12, full power, but again, there was no labeling on cab.

Thanks so much for the info! AND the education on half power setting.. Had no idea it would create the need to change setting
 
Re: Splawn QR owners...

Oh wow.. So, if I run the amp on the half power mode, I have to change the setting?? didnt know that.. Great info!!
Yeah, for last couple years, been running full power (have used half before) an using my Avatar 2x12. Which says 8 Ohms on the cab by the jack.. no brainer, set amp to 8 Ohms. (speakers both 16.) Now, Im using my Splawn 4x12, full power, but again, there was no labeling on cab.

Thanks so much for the info! AND the education on half power setting.. Had no idea it would create the need to change setting

Yep, whenever you switch to half power mode, or pull the inner or outer pair of tubes in any amp with a 4 power tube poweramp section, the transformer sees half of the actual speaker load (in general terms).
 
Re: Splawn QR owners...

Hey guys! I did finally find a marking on the cab. It IS marked on the back plate where the connections are, BUT it is up so high the top wood blocks it. So, I wasnt able to see it looking down to the back or even directly at the back.. had to shine a flashlight upwards. Anyhow, it says 16 OMONO. So, I assume this means set the amp on the 16 Ohm setting when running one cab right? And, If I were to buy another 16 ohm splawn cab, I assume I would run the amp on 8 Ohm setting??

One more monkey wrench to throw at you.. What if... I run the 16 ohm Splawn 4x12 AND the 8 Ohm AVatar 2x12?? Where would the amp be set for that??

Thank you so much!
 
Re: Splawn QR owners...

Correct, running two 16 ohm cabs, you would set the amp to 8 ohms.

Equivalent Impedance for an 8 ohm and 16 ohm can is 5.3333 ohms.

Since running a smaller impedance load is better than a higher impedance load on a tube amp, I believe you'd still set the amp to 8 ohms. The catch is that power disapation will be strange because you'll have a network of speakers in parallel with speakers in series.
 
Re: Splawn QR owners...

You're right about the impedance being 5.33 ohms, but you have to be careful saying it's always best to go with a lower impedance, never go below the lowest rating on the amp. The amp should be fine on the 8 ohm or the 4 ohm setting, I would probably go with 4 because that is the closest setting. Also be aware that the 8 ohm 2-12 is going to get twice as much power as the 16 ohm 4-12 because it is 1/2 the impedance.
 
Re: Splawn QR owners...

Thanks Devastone! I do have the manual and looked before posting, but it is generic and didnt answer my question.

10. Impedance Selector (Output) - 4/8/16 OHM selector switch to match the load of the speaker cabinet
 
Re: Splawn QR owners...

I was posting the manual because it also has the info about the 1/2 power setting ;-)

8. Half Power Switch - Disconnects the outside power tubes
(Always set the amps impedance to half of the speaker cabinets impedance when in half power)
 
Re: Splawn QR owners...

Gotcha!! I never paid that any attention as I didnt expect to run half power.. I did a few times and never changed anything. Lucky I didnt mess anything up.. So I appreciate that being pointed out!
 
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