Pairing Bass Cabs.,,,?

[yoda3878]

Ok,so I recently Purchased a 4ohm 410 Avatar Bass cab...

I am running it through my Ashdown Mag600 head.

I thought all I would need was the 410 but I want to add a 112 or a 115 to get more low end out of my tone. Do I have an option to pair a 112 or 115 with my 410 running 4ohm?
or am I screwed and stuck with the 410 by itself....?

I know I should have gone with an 8ohm so I could pair it with another 8 ohm cab, but its too late for that now...

Please advise....
Thanks!

[B-string]

Minimum impedance for your head is 4 ohms. You're done, can't add another cab. Dump the 4 ohm cab and start over. (Not going to say anything more about "Getting the max with a 4 ohm cab".)

[Bass_Pounder]

If your amps minimum ohm rating is 4 ohms, your stuck

Besides, adding a 1X15 is a poor match since most 4X10's handle more power AND can go lower (besides other problems caused by mixing speaker sizes).

P.S. - the belief that 15's get more bottom end then 10's is a myth

[two fingers]

This thread is going to fall into the abyss that is the argument over mixed drivers and other stuff within the next few minutes. So just let this suffice. You're done. Sell the 4ohm cab (or even the whole rig) and start over. Or you could just somehow get that rig up closer to your head so you can hear it better. Are you using it as a stage monitor or trying to fill the room from your rig?

[TRyan5289]

You could get a new amp head AND a new cab. Carvin has amps that run down to 2 ohms.

[IPYF]

How loud are you playing?
That 410 with the 600watter should be rattling your cage pretty hard. If you're going to need more low end gumption then that you probably should have started with a couple of 8ohm 215s or an 810 or something.

[JimmyM]

Just use what you have. It's fine and it's got plenty of low end, I'm sure.

[RickenBoogie]

As already stated, you cannot add on to what you have, and even if you could, adding a single spkr cab to one with 4 spkrs is not a good idea. It's always best to use 8 ohm cabs, so you can double-up when more volume and/or low end is needed. Lesson learned, just sell the 4 ohm 410, and buy a matched pair of 8 ohm 2x12's.

[iualum]

Originally Posted by TRyan5289

You could get a new amp head AND a new cab. Carvin has amps that run down to 2 ohms.

Yep. A pre/power rig will do it, too.

[yoda3878]

Thanks guys! Yeah it's plenty loud I use it for all my gigs from 200 room venues to 3-4000 seat theaters. My old cab was an Ampeg 8ohm SVThe classic 410 but it crapped out on me so after months of research I went with avatar, without playing one through my ashdown head and active bass, the Ampeg had a Warmer deeper sound, the avatar is way louder and clean but really bright even with the tweeter turned all the way down. I wanted to find a way to add some warmth to it, without selling the cab, and getting something else

[dukeorock]

At this point, something's gotta give...you either need a new amp or a new cab if you can't get the sound you're looking for from what you have.

[RS66LB]

Originally Posted by yoda3878

Ok,so I recently Purchased a 4ohm 410 Avatar Bass cab...

I am running it through my Ashdown Mag600 head.

I thought all I would need was the 410 but I want to add a 112 or a 115 to get more low end out of my tone. Do I have an option to pair a 112 or 115 with my 410 running 4ohm?
or am I screwed and stuck with the 410 by itself....?

I know I should have gone with an 8ohm so I could pair it with another 8 ohm cab, but its too late for that now...

Please advise....
Thanks!

depending on the individual speakers impedence you could do what many in your situation have done -rewire the cab, of course you'll most likely end up with 16 ohms since;
-if the individual speakers are 16 ohms the cab can total out at 16 ohms
-if the individual speakers are 4 ohms the cab can total out at 16 ohms
(I would assume the individual speakers in your 4 ohm cab are not 8 ohms since four 8 ohm speakers will be either 2 ohms, 8 ohms or 32 ohms)
A 16 ohm cab would have excellent power handling capabilities however would have a pretty noticable level decrease

[jungleheat]

Originally Posted by Bass_Pounder

P.S. - the belief that 15's get more bottom end then 10's is a myth

It's not so much a myth as it is extremely misunderstood by almost everyone (including the people who say it's a myth).

Is it possible that a given 10 will have more low end and/or more output than a given 15? Yes, definitely. Especially if you are talking about 30+ year old 15s and new, modern, expensive 10s.

Is it LIKELY? Not necessarily. If you study the specs for enough speakers, you gradually see patterns start to emerge. 15's usually have a significant amount more low end response (by themselves compared to a single 10), and xmax as well is somewhat "proportional" (ie bigger diameter speakers have larger xmax, generally), higher power handling, etc...

Now, if you account for displacement, then multiple 10s together could beat a single 15. But just in terms of cone area, a 15 edges out 2 10s. When you factor in great xmax, you're probably looking at needing 3 10s to "beat" a 15.

But the price differences between 15s and 10s aren't that much per driver. So when you need 2 or 3 drivers instead of 1, cost can go up significantly.

So if you are starting from scratch, especially if size isn't an issue, it might be best to go with 15s, since 2 good 15s should give you about the same output as 5 or 6 good 10s, and likely for less money.

The other part of the equation though is that adding a single 15 to an existing 4x10 probably WON'T add that much low end, unless your 4x10 has very low power handling, and the 15 has about the same amount or more (which is uncommon). In that case, what is happening is more that the 15 is just a much better quality cab than the 4x10 in general.

So it's not as simple as just saying "it's a myth" and that spreads as much disinformation as saying that 15s are always lower than 10s. You really have to take a lot of different factors into account and figure out which makes more sense in a given situation.


In regards to the OP, I would say, yeah, ditch the 4 ohm 4x10 and get either a single cab with higher power handling, or 2 cabs that combined will have more power handling.

[000laius]

I had this problem once so I invested in a preamp. (Eden di preamp) I wasn't expecting much but boy was I surprised. This little preamp completely changed my sound. I felt like I had total control.

Well point is you should try it out. These preamps are relatively around 200 but are worth every penny and then some. You should definitely get that low end you crave.

[yoda3878]

Originally Posted by 000laius

I had this problem once so I invested in a preamp. (Eden di preamp) I wasn't expecting much but boy was I surprised. This little preamp completely changed my sound. I felt like I had total control.

Well point is you should try it out. These preamps are relatively around 200 but are worth every penny and then some. You should definitely get that low end you crave.

Sorry I'm clueless when it comes to gear, so would I link the Pre-amp to my Ashdown head then connect my 410 to the ashdown and another cab to the preamp??

[yoda3878]

Never mind that last post I realized that makes no sense.

[RickenBoogie]

(another preamp will not solve this issue)

[000laius]

Originally Posted by yoda3878

Sorry I'm clueless when it comes to gear, so would I link the Pre-amp to my Ashdown head then connect my 410 to the ashdown and another cab to the preamp??

Link like this.

Bass -> preamp -> Head -> Cab.

Basically nothing changed but the preamp between bass and head. Kind of like a middle man.


This is my preamp. It's small but packs a punch!! Highly recommended. (powered with included ac adapter).

[000laius]

Originally Posted by RickenBoogie

(another preamp will not solve this issue)

It's only to give more bottom end which is what he is looking for. If he wants more power I would recommend a new rig.

[NYCbassist]

There are some Really nice Powered Cabinets available. 2x12 Subs come to mind. Something like this could be pretty Sweet.
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/ampli...peaker-cabinet