210 cabs with different power ratings

[Youngspanion]

I searched the archives and stickies but this information has eluded me. Albiet may be in there.

A 210 Speaker cab is rated at 200 watts and is paired with another 210 speaker cab rated at 400 watts. The head that drives them is pumping 500 watts between the two.

My question is this. Will the 200 watt cabinet work with the 400 watt cabinet? I'm not worried about tone or phasing right now. I'm more concerned about practical purposes. Will it work and will something most likely break down? Having two identical cabs would be "Ideal" but its not possible.

What would one expect of the pairing compared to using two of the same of either cabs?

If it helps, its a Littlemark ll head and one TC RS 210 and a Hartke 210 XL.

Thanks for the help

[Mr. D]

I don't think you'll have any issues with using cabs that have different power ratings. Impedance is a different issue:

Ohms FAQ

As for how the cabs sound when used together, you will have to judge with your ears.

[billfitzmaurice]

Originally Posted by Youngspanion

Will the 200 watt cabinet work with the 400 watt cabinet?

Power ratings are all smoke and mirrors anyway, so ignore them. Driver displacement is what determines how much power a driver can actually make use of, and there's no way to find out what that is.

[will33]

Just listen to them, if one starts to distort, turn down. And yeah, check the impedance.

[Youngspanion]

Originally Posted by billfitzmaurice

Power ratings are all smoke and mirrors anyway, so ignore them. Driver displacement is what determines how much power a driver can actually make use of, and there's no way to find out what that is.

So I should be able to use both cabs together with out a problem? Aside from tone and phasing issues.

Here is the thing. I've got one great 210 in the TC cab and I might just need extra volume on a gig one night. I'm gonna want another 210 cab to match. But even though tone might mean nothing to me on such an occasion, will something else thats not being considered come into play?

[brendanbassist]

Originally Posted by Youngspanion

So I should be able to use both cabs together with out a problem? Aside from tone and phasing issues.

Here is the thing. I've got one great 210 in the TC cab and I might just need extra volume on a gig one night. I'm gonna want another 210 cab to match. But even though tone might mean nothing to me on such an occasion, will something else thats not being considered come into play?

Allow me to repeat Mr. D-
Ohms FAQ

[Foamy]

Originally Posted by Youngspanion

So I should be able to use both cabs together with out a problem?

NO!
Read the replies. Notice anything common?
One even posted a link to the FAQ.

[Youngspanion]

Sorry but to me its obvious to use two eight ohm cabs so BESIDES THAT!. LOL. Besides ohms.

[masonsjax]

Phasing issues could result in less overall volume, or a nasty buildup in one frequency range, in which case you might be better off using just one of the cabs. That could be made better or worse too depending on the room. Try and find out is all you can do.

[jungleheat]

Originally Posted by billfitzmaurice

Power ratings are all smoke and mirrors anyway, so ignore them. Driver displacement is what determines how much power a driver can actually make use of, and there's no way to find out what that is.

For as much as you apparently know, you have a special talent for giving the worst advice possible.

Don't "ignore" power ratings, but do realize they are often rated differently by different manufacturers, and also only tell part of the whole story. The more aspects of that story you take into account, the better your results are likely to be, and cab power rating is one of those aspects.

In this scenario, the biggest concern would probably be that with a 500w amp and a 200w cab, even taking half (250w) of the power might be too much. So if you run at full power or close to it, you may run into problems. The thing to keep in mind is you may hit full power before the volume knob is all the way up (in fact this is typically the case).

So just be careful, and bring volume levels up gradually, listening for any warning signs of speaker problems.

[sad_katz]

Originally Posted by jungleheat

For as much as you apparently know, you have a special talent for giving the worst advice possible.

Don't "ignore" power ratings, but do realize they are often rated differently by different manufacturers, and also only tell part of the whole story. The more aspects of that story you take into account, the better your results are likely to be, and cab power rating is one of those aspects.

In this scenario, the biggest concern would probably be that with a 500w amp and a 200w cab, even taking half (250w) of the power might be too much. So if you run at full power or close to it, you may run into problems. The thing to keep in mind is you may hit full power before the volume knob is all the way up (in fact this is typically the case).

So just be careful, and bring volume levels up gradually, listening for any warning signs of speaker problems.

Speaker cones erupt before they hit the advertised power ratings. What matters is the speakers' physical excursion limits - which is a rating no commercial cab manufacturer provides. That's why bill is saying power ratings are moot. Especially if the case the 400watt speakers has the same excursion limit as the 200watt speakers. They will erupt regardless of the advertised power ratings.

To OP: any cab combination, as long as it does not go lower than the amp's minimum impedance, can be used regardless of power ratings. Whether they will sound nice, is another question altogether

[billfitzmaurice]

Originally Posted by sad_katz

What matters is the speakers' physical excursion limits - which is a rating no commercial cab manufacturer provides.

Barefaced Bass does. No one else that I know of does, but all should.

[jungleheat]

Regardless, you still have to look at all the different pieces of the puzzle in context to know what you're really dealing with. Specs should not generally be taken as a hard and fast rule, but they can be used as a guideline of what has more of a chance of working or not working.

[will33]

Thermal ratings may be taken into account when it comes to thermal power compression at higher volumes/ extended playtime, or in the case of a very lopsided mismatch, like a 1000 watt amp on a 100 watt speaker but sadly, most of these cabs will be farting before you get that far so, the wattage rating is pretty much moot. What you do need to worry about is being able to hear that stress/farting if you use od/distortion as part of your sound.

[RickenBoogie]

+1 to that^.