want to add a 210 cab, watts req'd ??

[PATTY1]

i have a SWR head putting out 400 watts to a 410 8ohm cab with 500 watts handling power, can i add any 210 8ohm cabinet or does it have to have a min of 400 watts handling capacity ( i'm currently considering a peavey 210 with 175 watts rms)

[bongomania]

You will want to read the FAQ before buying anything. Also, double-check the amp's specs--does it say 400W into 8 ohms, or 400W into 4 ohms? It makes a huge difference.

[BassmanPaul]

Whatever the impedance of your 4x10 a 2x10 to go with it should be twice that. IE if your 4x10 is 4Ω add an 8Ω 2x10. If it's 8Ω ad a 16Ω 2x10. Doing this ensures that each 10" driver gets ≈ the same power. Matching both cabinets is expecting a 2x10 to do the same "work" as the 4x10.

Paul

[PATTY1]

my amp output is 400 watts into 8 ohms, and i didn't even know they made a 16 ohm cab

[smogg]

what model SWR head are you using?

[PATTY1]

SM 400

[bongomania]

Originally Posted by BassmanPaul

Whatever the impedance of your 4x10 a 2x10 to go with it should be twice that. IE if your 4x10 is 4Ω add an 8Ω 2x10. If it's 8Ω ad a 16Ω 2x10. Doing this ensures that each 10" driver gets ≈ the same power. Matching both cabinets is expecting a 2x10 to do the same "work" as the 4x10.

While you're right about splitting the workload, many amps are not capable of loads below 4 ohms, so combining a 4 and an 8 would be disaster in those cases.

OK, now that I'm looking at the specific amp's specs, you need to make sure that each cab has a minimum power-handling rating of 200W. The amp contains two 200W power sections, which can be bridged, so you can either send 200 W to each output (with a separate cab per channel); or you can bridge the outputs and run ONE 4-ohm cab or TWO 8-ohm cabs (creating a 4 ohm total load), each cab rated for at least 200W.

[BassmanPaul]

Originally Posted by bongomania

While you're right about splitting the workload, many amps are not capable of loads below 4 ohms, so combining a 4 and an 8 would be disaster in those cases..

Agreed Bongo but I thought that would be self evident. Thanks for the addendum.

Paul

[bongomania]

To partially solve the workload problem mentioned above, look for a 2x10 that has a sensitivity (spl) rating higher than the spl rating of the 4x10 you already have.

[PATTY1]

thanks for the cabinet info, i'm hoping this is the answer to my tone issue, that being too thin and dry for my liking, my bass is a fender jazz and i don't believe it or the SWR head is the problem, adding another cab and using the cross-over feature are my hopes for improving my tone.....any suggestions would be helpful

[bongomania]

Hmm... Go ahead and try the Xover and second cab out, but IMO you will not see any improvement in terms of "thin and dry". If it's thin and dry now, making it louder will not change that, and using different cabs for highs and lows will generally not change that.

Instead, I'd suggest:
--Different strings! You can get surprisingly big tone changes by trying different strings.
--Different setup. Take the bass to a competent professional tech, and have them give it a proper setup.
--Different EQ. Try boosting the low mids, and cutting back the deepest lows and highest highs.
--A "fattening" tone-shaping pedal. The Tech21 VT Bass or the DHA VT1-EQ are popular choices, but there are many others.

[PATTY1]

maybe your right, i should save my money and work more on my eq

[MysticMichael]

Originally Posted by PATTY1

thanks for the cabinet info, i'm hoping this is the answer to my tone issue, that being too thin and dry for my liking, my bass is a fender jazz and i don't believe it or the SWR head is the problem, adding another cab and using the cross-over feature are my hopes for improving my tone.....any suggestions would be helpful

IME, SWR gear does tend to get a little thin and dry-sounding, at least for my taste, and is probably not the best choice if what you really want is "warm & phat". Are there things you can do to warm it up and phatten it up? Sure. But a long-term solution would probably be to get a different rig...

MM