n00b-ish amp question =P help please?

[NormanMooCow]

I was wondering what specifications I would have to look at in order to pair together a head and a cab of different brand names. For example, what is the importance of the resistance and the power of the equipment when putting them together?

[Cohacq]

Make sure cab can handle the wattage (it should be equal or greater than the heads power rating).

And make sure the head can take the ohm load. An 8-ohm head can only take 8-ohm cabs, while a 4-ohm can take both 4 and 8 ohm (or 2 8-ohm cabs).

[BassmanPaul]

Agreed.

BTW it's not resistance - that's a DC term. The correct word is impedance. read through the FAQ for more information.

[Sartori]

Brand name is not important. Impedance is.

If your head is solid state (as opposed to tube) and goes down to 4 ohms, you may use one 4 ohm cab. You may also use one 8 ohm cab (with less power). You may use two 8 ohm cabs, and it will have the same amount of power as it would with a single 4 ohm cab (though if you have more speakers with this set up, it will probably be louder). You may not use more than two 8 ohm cabs. You may use up to four 16 ohm cabs.

[billfitzmaurice]

Originally Posted by NormanMooCow

I was wondering what specifications I would have to look at in order to pair together a head and a cab of different brand names. For example, what is the importance of the resistance and the power of the equipment when putting them together?

All is explained in AMPS FAQ!! Info on OHMS, Allsize RIGS-OverUnderPowerCabs DIY TechTalk-Links

[NormanMooCow]

Thank you all!! That FAQ page is extremely helpful, haha