Plan to build own cab. (help with drivers)

[cSmoljan]

So i want to stick two Eminence American Standard 15A into a cab and i dont know if wiring these guys together would work for my amp.

each speaker is:
-8ohms
-300w rms

my amp puts out 550w at 4 ohms.

so, if i wire these guys in parallel to the input. will it work?

or would the wiser choice be to just get 4 10s?

[brendanbassist]

No offense, but if you have to ask this question then you are not qualified to build a cab; there is a lot more to it than sticking drivers into a wooden box.

[cSmoljan]

ok, so what happens to the power handling when you wire speakers in parallel?

[blackmail man]

The answer is "yes" to wiring them in parallel.
Don't let anyone put you off from building a cab, but more research will ensure that you end up with a good result.
If you don't have the software, or can't be bothered doing all the port and volume calculations, eminence often publish cabinet design PDF's on their site, along with the specs of that particular speaker
check it out before you cut any wood, and make sure you're well prepared to begin with

[Pilgrim]

The answers are:

1) If you crank up the amp too high, you'll damage the speakers.
2) If you keep the volume under control and listen for speaker distress, you can probably use them in the cab with your head.
3) You need to design a cab for those drivers if you want to use them and have them sound good. WinISD is a free program that I find confusing but others have found helpful.

There is TONS of wiring info and full diagrams on the web if you'll search for it. That is the easy part of your question.

My advice: buy speakers that are rated to handle the power your cab puts out.

[blackmail man]

Power handling is greatly affected by cabinet size and port tuning.
On that cabinet design sheet I mentioned, they'll publish power handling for that particular design.
The trade off here is that a deeper bass response (bigger box, lower tuning) will reduce max power handling, a higher tuning will allow a greater power handling, at the expense of low end response.
Somewhere in the middle will be the ideal combination of cab volume and tuning for your tonal requirements, power output and portability

[Stumbo]

The Eminence Kappa 15A replacement speaker is recommended for professional audio in a vented mid-bass enclosure. Eminence recommends the Kappa-15A as a alternate replacement speaker to the Delta Pro 15A in the Yamaha A15 and the Peavey PV115.

The A15 and PV115 are PA cabs or monitors costing around $250. These are mid to low level PA cabs/monitors.

Even if you build a cab to perfect specs, you'll have enough power in your amp to easily blow them out, either by causing too much excursion or over heating the voice coil.

If used for small venues and the volume and bass tone control kept in check, they might work for a long while. You may not like the cab tone though since they are not designed for lower bass frequency applications.

I suggest researching Bill Fitzmaurice or fEARful cabs for DIYers as an alternative.

Good luck.

[blackmail man]

Kappa's are 450 watts, not 300 like the OP has spec'd.
The model he's got (i assume) is the beta 15a.

OP, here's a link to the page you'll find cab designs. Check it out

http://www.eminence.com/speakers/spe...model=Beta_15A

[BogeyBass]

Originally Posted by cSmoljan

So i want to stick two Eminence American Standard 15A into a cab and i dont know if wiring these guys together would work for my amp.

each speaker is:
-8ohms
-300w rms

my amp puts out 550w at 4 ohms.

so, if i wire these guys in parallel to the input. will it work?

or would the wiser choice be to just get 4 10s?

2 8ohm loads in parallel would be 4ohms.

follows ohms law and you can use parallel/series resistor calculator, to save a page or 2 of math and explanation.

Otherwise in the American Standard series their is alot of 15A's

going from complete cheap krap to pretty good.

Alpha15a , Beta15a , Delta15a , Gamma15a , Kappa15a

the A suffix is for 8ohms
the B suffix is for 16ohms
the C suffix is for 4 ohms

So a Delta15a is 8ohms and a Delta 15b is 16ohms. *edit *

Anyhoo all the cheapos are cheap because they have smaller magnets and a stamped steel frame. Alpha, Beta,Delta,Gamma

the more expensive Kappa pro series is a Cast frame to improve performance and support the weight of larger magnets.

long story short, all are designed for Mid Bass in a high power PA. Usually run with a highpass filter from 50 to 100hz.

In a fullrange bass cabinet the Alpha, Beta,Delta,Gamma would do no more than 50 to 60watts before ugly distortion appears.

The Kappa maybe 70 to 80watts.

If your looking for a speaker in the 69 to 89 dollar range to try and make a low cost cabinet. wont happen.

you have to step up to a 120 dollar speaker, the most popular Oem 15" driver.

The Legend CB158

which will do 120 to 150 watts with fullrange electric bass.

So a 2x15 would almost get you a 240 to 300 watt cabinet.

[dog1]

OH. Build a box and install speakers. I wish you well. Too bad that's it's not that simple. Good luck with your experiment.

[MontanaBassDude]

For a long time, I wanted to do just that... build a box of my own and put in speakers. But I'd heard all about those pesky Thiele Small parameters and formulas that are absolutely vital to building a cab that might even come close to performing and sounding decently.

This forum is filled with hugely knowledgeable people who do know what they're talking about. Start with the numerous fEARful Bass Cab threads here on TB. Definitely visit the website: fEARful™ enclosures for bass/drums/keys read it thoroughly, and see what a real DIY bass cab can be all about. Good luck on your project.