Matching a Cab to a Head?

[justAlex13]

Hey I've been on the hunt to get a stage worthy rig together over the last few weeks and unfortunately I've got little to no idea what to look for.

So far I own an Ampeg B2-RE (long story short the guy was giving it away so I took it off him) and it pumps out 450W at 4 ohms or 250 watts at 8 ohms. I'm just wondering what is the best speaker configuration to pair this with.

My ultimate hope is to have a 2x10 and 1x15 underneath this thing and then to basically have a split rig (use the 1x15 at band practice, the 2x10 at home, both on stage), but obviously if I can't power those two together then I'll need something else.

So this brings me to my question, is it even possible to pair this head with two cabs, or would I need more power? If not, should I settle for either the 1x15 or the 2x10 or look at 4x10s instead? Thanks for any help, its greatly appreciated!!

[dukeisdog]

You would just need to get two 8 ohm cabs.

[ilovenofrets]

Originally Posted by dukeisdog

You would just need to get two 8 ohm cabs.

+1. I have always loved the 2x10/1x15 stack configuration, and as long as each cab is 8 ohms, you can put them under the Ampeg head, and have a powerful rig you will be very happy with.

[justAlex13]

Alright, but what if I have a 4 oh 2x10 (at 175 watts) and an 8 ohm 1x15 (at.350 watts).

Would they be underpowered or woold that work?

Specifically I'm looking at the Peavey 1x15 black widow and the Peavey 2x10 txf.

Thanks for the help!

[SJan3]

That's not going to work. You'll be below 4 OHMS when combining the 2 cabs.

You need two 8 OHM cabs. I'd personally recommend 2 2x10's. Something like 2 EDEN 2x10XLTs or 2 Aguilar DB 2x10's.

[Marginal Tom]

Don't, unless you'd like to see smoke come out of your amp. The B2-RE is designed to work at either 4 or 8 ohms. One of each would take you down to 2.67 ohms.

Also, two-thirds of your power would go to the 4 ohm speaker, and only one-third to the 8 ohm speaker (at least until the amp quit working).

Finally, the almost universal recommendation around here is that if you use two cabs, they should match - same manufacturer, same speakers, same ohms - and you should stack them vertically.

[Calaverasgrande]

true that is a very common recomendation, but not all of us dig that sound.
tAlso, I've seen more than one guy with 2x10's stacked on end have them fall over.
The 2x10 1x15 is a good place to start. Sime guys love it. However it can sound like garbage with cheap speakers.

[fingerbun]

I'm actually experimenting with an EV TL bin (15" single speaker, paper cone) and a Hartke 2x10 (aluminum cone), having seen another guy use that at a festival I played recently, and given that I already owned both.

Have only played around on my own so far but my initial reaction is the combination sound richer than either speaker alone.

[kosmicwizard]

Get a LDS 1516 nEarful cab for $500 and be done. Cheers.

[Marko5657]

Originally Posted by Marginal Tom

Don't, unless you'd like to see smoke come out of your amp. The B2-RE is designed to work at either 4 or 8 ohms. One of each would take you down to 2.67 ohms.

Also, two-thirds of your power would go to the 4 ohm speaker, and only one-third to the 8 ohm speaker (at least until the amp quit working).

Finally, the almost universal recommendation around here is that if you use two cabs, they should match - same manufacturer, same speakers, same ohms - and you should stack them vertically.

+1

[Sartori]

Originally Posted by justAlex13

Alright, but what if I have a 4 oh 2x10 (at 175 watts) and an 8 ohm 1x15 (at.350 watts).

Would they be underpowered or woold that work?

Specifically I'm looking at the Peavey 1x15 black widow and the Peavey 2x10 txf.

Thanks for the help!

Best to get matching cabs, though the 2x10/1x15 combo can work well, since they're about the same amount of speaker area. As long as they're both 8 ohms. Unless you want way more power going to the 2x10, and your head is capable of 2 ohms, don't get a 4 ohm 2x10.

Also, forget this "underpowering" silliness. Speakers don't get damaged by too little power (else turning the amp off would be deadly for them!). They get damaged by too much power.

The confusing bit is that many (perhaps most) manufacturers are rather optimistic about how much power their speaker cabs can take. Thus, it's quite possible to blow out speakers even if on paper the cabs should be able to take more wattage than the head's specs say it puts out. Especially if you have the volume and/or lows turned up.

[Calaverasgrande]

I just gotta interject here. The fearful is not the solution to every bass players tone. Neither is two fearfuls stacked on end.
that is all.

[justAlex13]

Thanks for all the advice!

Do you recommend the 2x10 or the 1x15 first, because I can only purchase one for an upcoming show. I was think the Eden 2x10 xlt first then a 15 later, but id like to hear what you guys think.

[Sartori]

I got a 1x15 before I got a 2x10. Even after that, I still continued to think of the 15 as the main cab, and if I only needed part of the rig, I used the 15.

[iamdenialNJ]

I rocked a 2x10 for over a year and then got a 1x15. If I could only take one to a gig it would be the 15.

[justAlex13]

Awesome. So I guess I'm stuck on the peavey black widow 1x15 for now and ill couple it with the Eden 2x10 xlt later.

If anyone has anything to say about either one of those lemme hear it. Anything you can recommend for under $350 would be appreciated too! Thanks!!

[calmb4tehpwn]

Make sure you check the power handling of the cans you're getting. Aim for something that's about the max output of your amp. I know the Eden 210XLT is 350 watts, at 8 ohms. I've never used a black widow, and can't mention on it's sound, but that eden is a beautiful sound.

[lbwdog]

Why stuck on Peavey? You already own it?

Spend a little more than planned and have a good time! (you won't need a second cab)
http://www.avatarspeakers.com/

(click on) TB 153