Upgrading to 4ohm 15 inch driver (Eden content)

fenderhutz · #1 01-06-2011, 09:18 AM

I have this amp:

http://www.eden-electronics.com/prod...ies/rs115.aspx

Eden decided to cut corners on production (or an oversight) and wire it in series like it's combo bretheren (yes it has been confirmed) and it has an 8ohm speaker at 250 watts. The amp at 4 ohms puts out 320 watts, but runs slightly over 200 for the internal 8ohm speaker. Cab dimensions 24.75"w x 17.25"h x 16.25"d. I want to put a NEO 15 inch 4OHM speaker in this cab and not touch the series wiring in case I want to add an extension cab (which I own but don't want to lug unless I have to). If I don't rewire the speakers or upgrade the driver I will never be able to get the added wattage I need from this setup. Adding the extra cab dispersed the sound a bit, but actual volume gain was barely enough to notice. Also the stock speaker at the volume I need isn't as clean as I would like it to be, but I like the sound of this amp.

wyleeboxer has added a Carvin 15 NEO in his and says it is a great upgrade. However, since many of these speakers are close when it comes to price, are there any ideas of what other 15's would be a good upgrade for the size of this combo.

Requirements. 15 inch. NEO. 4ohm. 400-500+ watt range. I play rock, hard rock, covers (dance, oldies, etc) and need something versatile.

Thanks a bunch.

staccatogrowl · #2 01-06-2011, 10:47 AM

Personally, I'd probably keep the 8-Ohm combo speaker, wire the auxiliary speaker jack in parallel, and then use an 8-Ohm extension cabinet when needed.

That way, combo convenience and portability are preserved.

Then, if you need more power, headroom, volume, etc, you can just add the 8-Ohm extension cabinet, which you already have.

fenderhutz · #3 01-06-2011, 10:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by staccatogrowl

Personally, I'd probably keep the 8-Ohm combo speaker, wire the auxiliary speaker jack in parallel, and then use an 8-Ohm extension cabinet when needed.

That way, combo convenience and portability are preserved.

Then, if you need more power, headroom, volume, etc, you can just add the 8-Ohm extension cabinet, which you already have.

I haven't completely thrown that idea out yet, but for most gigs 200 watts into the 8ohm isn't cutting it. If I make the combo 4ohm and leave it series I can do the same thing but have more volume/headroom when running a single cab.

I have fixed pedals, changed out speakers etc etc etc in the past but haven't opened up the combo yet. I was told the ext speaker jack is NOT mounted on the board so the mod would be pretty simple. I have never done a series to parallel mod and have asked on the Eden forum if anyone has and haven't gotten a really good answer on how they did it.

I got the tools to do it, but having gigs coming up I am not going to change wiring on a whim.

billfitzmaurice · #4 01-06-2011, 11:06 AM

If the Eden driver is 4 ohm then there's probably little to nothing to be gained with a different driver. Certainly not the Carvin neo, which is displacement limited to 100 watts. If the Eden driver is 8 ohms there's no reason why you can't run another 8 ohm cab in parallel, you just need to rewire the output jack.
Wiring the extension in series makes no sense at all if it has an 8 ohm driver, so I'd be well sure of that. Eden would rightfully have done so only if it's a 4 ohm driver.
Even if you did find a 4 ohm driver that is significantly better than the Eden driver the main factor limiting your output is the cab size, and you can't do anything about that.

Quote:

If I don't rewire the speakers or upgrade the driver I will never be able to get the added wattage I need from this setup

Watts aren't what's limiting your output. Frequency response and sensitivity are, and that's not something driver swapping will fix.

fenderhutz · #5 01-06-2011, 11:11 AM

Thanks Bill.

If the jack isn't wired to the circuit board, which it isn't, how easy is it to wire parallel from series. I have wired cabs parallel from scratch before, but never series or from series. Is it as simple as just replace the output jack assembly with a standard 1/4 inch output jack and wire the speakers directly?

The issue is Eden made 4 combos like this, the other 3 ARE 4 ohms with a series out. A 210,212, and 410 in 4 ohm. Because the 15 combo has a 250 watt driver (amp is 320 watts at 4 ohm), they just dropped an 8ohm speaker in and kept the series wiring the same. A really BAD oversight/cost cutting measure.

Brendan5 · #6 01-06-2011, 11:17 AM

Disconnect all the wires from the jack and wire it in parallel. Maybe I don't understand the question.

staccatogrowl · #7 01-06-2011, 11:21 AM

I think the OP is wondering exactly how to rewire from series to parallel.

Here are some diagrams showing the difference between parallel and series wiring. http://www.colomar.com/Shavano/2x12wiring.html

Does this help? If not, maybe someone here can supply better info.

fenderhutz · #8 01-06-2011, 11:27 AM

Single 15 with tweeter. If I am not mistaken there are the connections coming from the amp to the speakers, then from the speakers to a modified series jack since it's a single speaker ans tweeter.

I could be wrong without opening this amp.

bobcruz · #9 01-06-2011, 11:48 AM

Before you do any swapping or rewiring, put a multimeter on the existing speaker to confirm that it's 8 ohms (DC resistance should read from 6-7 ohms or so for an 8-ohm speaker). If it's 4 ohms (DC resistance would read 3 ohms or so), you're done. If it's 8 ohms, rewire the extension jack to parallel. A speaker swap isn't cost effective--you'd be better of selling the combo and getting something more suitable.

fenderhutz · #10 01-07-2011, 08:46 AM

Thanks. It is indeed an 8ohm speaker.

billfitzmaurice · #11 01-07-2011, 11:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fenderhutz

Thanks. It is indeed an 8ohm speaker.

Add an extension jack to the back of the speaker box, tapping the wires coming out of the amp before they enter the crossover. Don't mess around inside the amp. Make sure you get the polarity right.

fenderhutz · #12 01-07-2011, 11:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by billfitzmaurice

Add an extension jack to the back of the speaker box, tapping the wires coming out of the amp before they enter the crossover. Don't mess around inside the amp. Make sure you get the polarity right.

That makes sense. Thanks Bill.

fenderhutz · #13 01-10-2011, 12:51 PM

Last chance for a SPEAKER recommendation.

billfitzmaurice · #14 01-10-2011, 01:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fenderhutz

Last chance for a SPEAKER recommendation.

OK: Don't change it. Unless you know exactly what's in there now and know exactly what it's capable of you have no basis of comparison with a potential replacement.

fenderhutz · #15 01-10-2011, 01:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by billfitzmaurice

OK: Don't change it. Unless you know exactly what's in there now and know exactly what it's capable of you have no basis of comparison with a potential replacement.

It's an Eden ES 1560 8ohm 250 watt speaker. Came stock in these combos. I got the combo new, out of the factory box.

billfitzmaurice · #16 01-10-2011, 02:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fenderhutz

It's an Eden ES 1560 8ohm 250 watt speaker. Came stock in these combos. I got the combo new, out of the factory box.

And the T/S specs are? How about an SPL chart? Without those all you know is that it's an 8 ohm 15 inch driver. Insufficient data.