Amp / speaker match question

Billy K · #1 11-19-2010, 07:21 AM

I have a Hartke LH500 500 watt amp and Hartke XL series 4x10 both 8 ohms.seems the 4x10 is rated 200 watts. Can I use these together?Or what?

kosmicwizard · #2 11-19-2010, 07:29 AM

Yes, lots of people will say it is a good thing to have "headroom" I.E. more power available in your amp that what you are actually using. However if you start to really crank it there will come a point where you will notice that your cab isn't becoming any louder, if you go beyond that it will start to fart and there is a possibility that you are permanently damaging your speaker cone. Use your ears to prevent this. Cheers.

Billy K · #3 11-19-2010, 09:16 AM

well that helps a bit I dont understand the watt/amp/speaker matching. I see ohms is important as well as polorization. but i see so many 4x10 cabs with big amps pushing them.I dont understand the science behind this.Thats why I ask you guys

Billy K · #4 12-15-2010, 04:40 PM

RickenBoogie · #5 12-15-2010, 05:12 PM

Yes, it's fine. Your LH500 amp will be 500 watts @ 4 ohms, so less @8. Probably in the 350 watt neighborhood. The rating on the cab is the thermal limit on the voice coils, nothing more. It'll take what it'll take, and start to "fart out" when it's past it's limits. Turn down, and/or lower the "bass" eq when this happens, and all is well.

Sartori · #6 12-15-2010, 05:56 PM

Just because you have 500 watts available with the amp doesn't mean you're actually using that much power most of the time.

Watch your volume, though. The 200 watt cab can only handle 200 watts. That's at the point the voice coil stops working. Its drivers can be blown due to overexcursion far earlier than that, usually.

As Rickenboogie says, the cab will start making unpleasant noises when it's hurting, at which point one must turn down the volume and/or the lows.