Extension Cabs
 

Hi Tb :). Need some help and advice regarding running and extension cab off of a Combo amp. (I apologize in advance for my terrible electronics knowledge)

The Amp i currently use is a Hartke 210C (Not the 5210 with the LH Series head built into it). The guitarist in my band has gone and got himself a Marshall cab and head and our gigs are starting to get bigger so i need to size up too.

The head has one output and underneath it says a minimum of 4 ohm. So im presuming that if i was to buy an 8ohm Hydrive 410 to use as an extension, the head would work in the combo driving the cabinet like a standard head and cab. Or if the combo speaker set was 8ohm, i could buy a splitter, wire them in parallel therefore the output is 4ohms and i have a 6x10 rig? Or is this incorrect?

If the combo speaker is in fact 8 ohms you could daisy chain another 8 ohm cab to it and have a 4 ohm setup. If the combo speaker is 4 ohms you could just buy a bigger 4 ohm cab to be powered alone by the amp when the need arises.

You're correct; that's incorrect.

If I'm reading your questions right --Your two 10s = 4 ohms, and that's all your head will handle. You could get a 4x10 cab (8 ohms) or two 4x10s (another 8 ohms) and you'd be good at 4 ohms. But then you're carrying around a 60 pound combo with two unusable speakers.

Splitter, wire in parallel? - forget it. Doesn't work that way.

The 210c is a great amp.

Any good 4x10, 8 ohm cab would be a great addition and that amp would easily keep up. A Hydrive cab would be awesome.

EDIT: oops. I was thinking about the combos with the LH500 amp. Ignore the above.

If your combo's amp is limited to a 4-Ohm load, and the internal 2x10 speakers present a 4-Ohm load, you will not be able to ADD a second cabinet unless it is connected in SERIES with your 2x10 OR you use the second cab INSTEAD OF the built-in 2x10.

i'm not sure what exactly they mean about the 4 ohm minimum. since the amp already has speakers, and the connector they have built into it says 4 ohm minimum, then either connecting a cab to it will disconnect the combo's speakers or the amp will run at 2 ohms. your question would be easier to answer if you clarify which.

According to the manual, the speakers in the combo are 4 ohms and it can accomodate a 4 ohm load of external speakers according to the label on the back. At least, that's how I read it. That would make a minimum load of 2 ohms on the amp and that would make sense.

FWIW, the manual says, "The jack is used to connect the internal 4-ohm Hydrive hybrid cone bass speaker system" and that's all.

Hartke has a toll-free tech support line so you might want to give them a call to clarify this.

Thanks everyone.