Hartke cab Distortion problem

[Bass from Hell]

I have an issue with my hartke rig, i run a 350 watt hartke transient bass head witha hartke 4x10 cab, and no matter wat i do if i turn the out put up to 5, it distorts, now this bass cab should be able to handle it, it has a 400w handling, so wat is with it any ideas, is it the aluminum cones? or are the speakers bad?

[schecter5string]

this sound like a head problem not the cab. try the cab with a different head or the head with a different cab. where do you have the pre-amp knob set to? does it do it only with the tube pre on? how does it sound with just the ss pre on? if you have both the tube and the ss pre's all the way on it will distort.

they haven't made these heads for a while, you may need to replace the preamp tube.

[MuzikMan]

There are lots of issues to address here but let's start somewhere.

1) The reported rating on your cab is the manufacturers estimated thermal rating. This figure has nothing to do with what kind of output your cab can actually produce before it mechanically gives up. It's a tricky marketing ploy, and most people fall for it.
2) The number you have your volume knob at has no connection with the amount of ouput you are currently producing. Many factors, such as the strength of your instruments signal, and where your EQ is set, will determine when you reach maximum output. That can easily happen well before you reach 10 on your knob (unless yours goes to 11 ).

Bottom line: there may not be any problem with your setup at all, you might just be at the limits of what it can do.