watts and volume

[Edgecrusher]

Re: watts and volume

No...

Speakers are what they call frequency directional.
Unless you have "special Italian" (FFS, what does being Dutch have to do with that, seriously?) speakers, yours work just like the one in this picture:

The higher the frequency, the more focused the sound.
Adding more speakers helps spreading those frequencies etc.
Or I'm Dutch...

Being dutch means you will argue ANYTHING... including what is "better"


Note that the first line in your picture says "In theory".... In theory the world is flat....

 

[JCM900MkIII]

Re: watts and volume

Like I said, you must have "special" speakers.
Or "special" ears.

 

[Edgecrusher]

Re: watts and volume

Like I said, you must have "special" speakers.
Or "special" ears.

Please define... better

 

[JCM900MkIII]

Re: watts and volume

I can only think of 1 situation where 1 speaker is good enough ("in theory" there is another one, and you don't even use the speaker for sound, only for the load on the amp)
And that is while recording (that is usually 1mic/speaker).

In any live situation, more speakers are going to give better sound, more volume at the same Wattage and a better frequency range.
That is not a matter of perception, it is measurable.

The reason the first line in that text says "In theorie" is because every type of speaker has a specific frequency range (you must be familiar with that term).
So that is a basic representation of how a "non-magical/special" speaker works.

 

[Edgecrusher]

Re: watts and volume

better is not measurable

 

[JCM900MkIII]

Re: watts and volume

Not in Italy

 

[El Supremo]

Re: watts and volume

Your MkIV will be the very first amplifier that sounds better with a single speaker instead of a bunch of speakers.

Depends on the cabinet design and the speakers used. I have a Mesa 2×12 road ready with EV speakers, that smoked every 4×12 it came across.

 

[JCM900MkIII]

Re: watts and volume

The same speaker of course. Same Wattage etc.
Just more speakers.

Going from 1 to 2 speakers (doubling the amount of speakers) gives you a measurable 3dB extra. Going from 1 to 4 speakers gives you a doubling of volume (6dB increase)
Also, you will cover more audience because of the wider spread of the usually focused high frequencies, which is also measurable.

 

[Edgecrusher]

Re: watts and volume

Yes because louder is always better right?

Why the hell do you need spread? You play clubs with no PA to do the heavy lifting? I only need my amp onstage as my own monitor everyone else is listening to the PA

 

[JCM900MkIII]

Re: watts and volume

What size club are you talking about?
Because I think, you think, that everyone posting here is a rock god, used to playing stadiums or similar venues.

Most people would be happy if they ever played a venue big enough to require P.A. at all.

 

[Edgecrusher]

Re: watts and volume

Please stop trying to think for me...

If the gig is so small that your not running through the PA a lunch box head with a 4x12 will still be too loud. Gigs like that a princeton cranked is too loud... a 4x12 is still a pretty narrow beam of sound especially since most of the time they are set on the floor.

Any gig that is a space big enough to fit 60 people is big enough to use a PA in and is a better idea since the PA has a ton better spread than your 2x12's or 4x12's would ever dream of.

 

[IM4Tone]

Re: watts and volume

Yes because louder is always better right?

Why the hell do you need spread? You play clubs with no PA to do the heavy lifting? I only need my amp onstage as my own monitor everyone else is listening to the PA

:clap: Trouble is, too many have not come to that realization and continue to destroy their hearing in the process of the amateurish garage band belief of 'louder and faster are better'! OTO, I still prefer the sound/tone of a 2X12 with mixed speakers, but certainly not for the purpose of increasing volume.
I sure have never played any venue w/o a PA unless it was a totally acoustic thing.:dunno:
JMO YMMV

 

[kilphody]

Re: watts and volume

^^^^ Hey- I resemble that remark. In the late 70's I had a band called LoudFastRules.
PC

 

[Jeffrec]

Re: watts and volume

Nope that is not the way it works. It works logarithmically. That means 10watt is twice as loud as 1 watt, 100watt is twice as loud as 10 watt.

Maybe this site will clear up a little something for you

That site was pretty informative. Thanks!

 

[IM4Tone]

Re: watts and volume

^^^^ Hey- I resemble that remark. In the late 70's I had a band called LoudFastRules.
PC

:haha: You and hundreds of youngsters! Many have grown up.....others :dunno:

 

[El Supremo]

Re: watts and volume

:clap: Trouble is, too many have not come to that realization and continue to destroy their hearing in the process of the amateurish garage band belief of 'louder and faster are better'! OTO, I still prefer the sound/tone of a 2X12 with mixed speakers, but certainly not for the purpose of increasing volume.
I sure have never played any venue w/o a PA unless it was a totally acoustic thing.:dunno:
JMO YMMV

WTH happened to "if it's too loud, you're too old"? :dunno:

 

[garryspicer]

Re: watts and volume

WTH happened to "if it's too loud, you're too old"? :dunno:

 

[Chickenwings]

Re: watts and volume

WTH happened to "if it's too loud, you're too old"? :dunno:

that's something old people say. Times have changed.

 

[guitfiddle]

Re: watts and volume

Rather than let the PA do All the heavy lifting for the guitar amps, I like to let it do some, but not all of it. Somewhere around 30% amps and 70% PA. That way, you get spread, but your amp is part of the total mix. This lets the amp breathe more, and yet still gives the soundman control of the mix.

Amps shouldn't be cranked all the way up in 99.9% of situations because they get to sounding ratty when up too high, but having amps idle so the PA can do ALL the loud-making is just as lame.

 

[El Supremo]

Re: watts and volume

that's something old people say. Times have changed.

Nice one :lmao:. Tell that to the 100s of thousands of people visiting dance events every weekend though. The volume over there seems too far exceed that of many a death metal band I have seen for the past 10 years.