Quick watts and ohms question; 800rb

[powellmacaque]

Just to make sure:

If I wanted to run the GK 115 MBX series cab with the 800rb, would I be pushing the cab too hard?

I know it's rated at 200W, and the 800RB is rated at 200W @ 8ohms, but when I decided to get another GK 115MBX and the amp pushes 300W @ 4ohms, will I be running the cabs too hard?

And I'm still confused with how the whole Bi-amping thing works. If I wanted to utilize it on the 800rb, I'd basically run two (essentially) independent 8ohm outputs, one to the hi and one to the low, correct? I couldn't run, say, two MBX115 enclosures in the low and then one 8ohm 410 in the hi section, right?

[Ursus Tyrannus]

Originally Posted by powellmacaque

Just to make sure:

If I wanted to run the GK 115 MBX series cab with the 800rb, would I be pushing the cab too hard?

I know it's rated at 200W, and the 800RB is rated at 200W @ 8ohms, but when I decided to get another GK 115MBX and the amp pushes 300W @ 4ohms, will I be running the cabs too hard?

You will be fine. That 300W will be split between the two cabinets, meaning each 115MBX (rated for 200W @8Ω) will be getting 150W each, thus totaling the 300W total output @4Ω cited.

Originally Posted by powellmacaque

And I'm still confused with how the whole Bi-amping thing works. If I wanted to utilize it on the 800rb, I'd basically run two (essentially) independent 8ohm outputs, one to the hi and one to the low, correct? I couldn't run, say, two MBX115 enclosures in the low and then one 8ohm 410 in the hi section, right?

I'm not familiar with the Gallien Krueger 800RB to say one way or the other, nor have I ever bi-amped my rig. I'm still using the very first, last, and only bass head I ever bought (a brand new in 1992 Peavey Mark VI Series 402) so I'm kinda out of the loop on that end of things. Sorry.

Hopefully someone smarter then me with a working knowledge of the GK800RB will chime in and help out.

[Greevus]

Don't bi-amp. Run 300 watts @ 4 ohms. I got an 800rb and everyone does this. It is a very sweet amp. I currently use 2 500 watt Gks into 2 Ampeg cabs and it's ridiculously deliciously loud. I have an SVT also. The 800rb gives the SVT a wonderful run for the $$$ when using the 810 fridge. I played 15's for years and I think 2 15's would sound great with the 800rb.

And bi-amping is separating your highs and lows. The hard part is hearing all of one tone at head level. Some players do it and sound great, but they are using huge rigs typically. This particular GK sounds very powerful and cuts great @ 4 ohms. I thought I was unique in thinking this until I got on this forum. Lotsa GK guys agree on this.

[MikeBass]

Originally Posted by powellmacaque

Just to make sure:

If I wanted to run the GK 115 MBX series cab with the 800rb, would I be pushing the cab too hard?

I know it's rated at 200W, and the 800RB is rated at 200W @ 8ohms, but when I decided to get another GK 115MBX and the amp pushes 300W @ 4ohms, will I be running the cabs too hard?

And I'm still confused with how the whole Bi-amping thing works. If I wanted to utilize it on the 800rb, I'd basically run two (essentially) independent 8ohm outputs, one to the hi and one to the low, correct? I couldn't run, say, two MBX115 enclosures in the low and then one 8ohm 410 in the hi section, right?

I run a BagEnd S15D-X that is 8 ohms 200watts continus/400watts peek off my Genz Benz 9.0 at blistering volumes at times.
The amp is 500 watts @ 8 ohms.

No, you can't push the cab too hard.
Well, you could really, but in general sense, no.
There are a TON of factors at play, but the first thing is to trust what you are hearing.
If it sounds like it's breaking up and you "can't hear" yourself, examine you EQ settings.
Cutting the mids and boosting lows, even with a 300 watt amp into a 500 watt cab can really do damage.
But I wouldn't worry.

As for the bi-amp question, the 800RB has two power sections IIRC.
Not sure how they are set up and what the min ohm rating is on them.
But lets say they are min 8 ohms for giggles. You could run what ever you want as long as you don't venture sub-8 ohms.

[Vic Winters]

The low/main power section puts out 200 W @ 8 ohms and 300 W @ 4 ohms. The highs power section puts out 100 W @ 8 ohms only. You can choose Biamp or Full via switch. In Biamp mode you can set the cutoff via the Frequency knob from 100 Hz to 1kHz. Anything below the selected frequency goes to the low/main power section, while anything above goes to the highs power section. In Full mode, you get the same signal sent to both the low/main and highs. This is the normal way to run it, when only using the low/mains amp so you aren't killing your high mids and treble.

And yes you can run that setup just fine.

[lbwdog]

Originally Posted by powellmacaque

Just to make sure:



And I'm still confused with how the whole Bi-amping thing works. If I wanted to utilize it on the 800rb, I'd basically run two (essentially) independent 8ohm outputs, one to the hi and one to the low, correct? I couldn't run, say, two MBX115 enclosures in the low and then one 8ohm 410 in the hi section, right?

The simple answer is, Yes, either way. Any combination of cabs out of the LO side, as long as it's not below 4Ohms. Plus any ONE 8 Ohm cab out of the HI side. If you want to use all three cabs, I'd suggest using them full-range, not bi-amped.
Most 4x10s I've seen, have as good or better bass response as a 1x15, so you'd be wasting the potential of that cab (if it is a quality cab)

IMO, the 800 has a great bi-amp system, but you gotta realize, it was developed before tweeters were the norm in BG cabs. So ideally, you would have your LO cabs (typically 15" or 18"), crossed over between 300 to 700 Hz, to a 2x8+tweet, or 2x10 + tweet.

All that said, when I first got mine in '87, none of my cabs had tweeters so I'd run the LO into a large, super 1x15 (w/JBL K140) that had bass for days! Then, I had a 2x12 cab for the HI side. I would play while a bandmate turned the crossover freq knob till I had a good sound. I eventually just went with full range exclusively, as there was no real benefit from bi-amping this way.

[powellmacaque]

So if I were to use a 410 with a 115, I wouldn't run into a lot of the phasing problems that are normally associated with that setup due to them being run relatively independently?

The more I think about it, I'd probably run a 2x10 and a 1x15 in the lo-section, and another 1x15 in the hi section. That'd probably be a more efficient use of cab.

[lbwdog]

Originally Posted by powellmacaque

So if I were to use a 410 with a 115, I wouldn't run into a lot of the phasing problems that are normally associated with that setup due to them being run relatively independently?

The more I think about it, I'd probably run a 2x10 and a 1x15 in the lo-section, and another 1x15 in the hi section. That'd probably be a more efficient use of cab.

1; You could possibly have those issues if running them in the same freq ranges.
2; You're talking full-range, right? i would run the two similar cabs together. the sensitivity differences combined with impedance and power factors might not be ideal mixed your way.

[powellmacaque]

Originally Posted by lbwdog

1; You could possibly have those issues if running them in the same freq ranges.
2; You're talking full-range, right? i would run the two similar cabs together. the sensitivity differences combined with impedance and power factors might not be ideal mixed your way.

Does fullrange have the same thing happening? 4ohm lo + 8ohm hi?

If that's the case, would I be best sticking with all 15s... or even getting a 4ohm 410 for the bottom and a 210 or 8ohm 410 for the top?

[lbwdog]

Originally Posted by powellmacaque

Does fullrange have the same thing happening? 4ohm lo + 8ohm hi?

If that's the case, would I be best sticking with all 15s... or even getting a 4ohm 410 for the bottom and a 210 or 8ohm 410 for the top?

1; Yeah, either way. The LO power amp is 4 Ohm min, the HI is 8 Ohm min and can be damaged at lower impedance.

2; Personally, I'd stay with 8 Ohm cabs. You get so much more flexibility and don't risk accidentally plgging a 4 Ohm into the HI side. I would probably opt for one or two 1x15s, and a 2x10 for the HI side. You should just listen and play with all the cabs to see which you prefer.

[powellmacaque]

Originally Posted by lbwdog

1; Yeah, either way. The LO power amp is 4 Ohm min, the HI is 8 Ohm min and can be damaged at lower impedance.

2; Personally, I'd stay with 8 Ohm cabs. You get so much more flexibility and don't risk accidentally plgging a 4 Ohm into the HI side. I would probably opt for one or two 1x15s, and a 2x10 for the HI side. You should just listen and play with all the cabs to see which you prefer.

Thanks a lot. I tried looking at the manual online, and the big "DO NOT PLUG TWO CABINETS INTO THE HI AND LO SECTION" warning and the lack of explanation really scared me haha. They could really use an update on those manuals to go a bit further in depth.

[lbwdog]

Maybe you misread this.
CAUTION : Under no circumstances should the 100W and
300W outputs be connected together or to the same speaker!

[powellmacaque]

Originally Posted by lbwdog

Maybe you misread this.
CAUTION : Under no circumstances should the 100W and
300W outputs be connected together or to the same speaker!

Yea that's what I read... er... misread.

[billfitzmaurice]

Originally Posted by powellmacaque

The more I think about it, I'd probably run a 2x10 and a 1x15 in the lo-section, and another 1x15 in the hi section. That'd probably be a more efficient use of cab.

What would work best is driving anything from tens through fifteens on the lows and sixes or eights on the highs, crossed over at 500 to 1kHz.

[lbwdog]

Originally Posted by billfitzmaurice

What would work best is driving anything from tens through fifteens on the lows and sixes or eights on the highs, crossed over at 500 to 1kHz.

+1
The 800RB is perfect for this.