Wiring 3 8 ohm speakers

fruity2x · #1 07-04-2010, 05:39 PM

I'll start with a little back story to try to eliminate some or the answers i might get for this question (like buy new speakers).

I play through a GK 700RBII and an Avatar 210/212 stack. I let my nephew use it when he has gigs and I am not gigging, or if we both are playing the same night I try to borrow something from a friend. Well his band is out on tour and I couldn't let him go out with the rig we cobbled together for his practices so I am with out my GK/Avatar stack.

I have been trying to use my 18 year old 410/115 Hartke Transporter stack but it is having a little trouble hanging with my low B (it IS 18 HARD years old

) and I really don't want to blow them up, they still sound really nice at a moderate volume and I like to use them to record with.

SOOOOO....

I got together with my father-in-law and we have all the makings to put together an 1820, he has an old 1820 cab and 2 10" 200w 8ohm speakers and I have an 18" 400w 8ohm speaker.

The question i have is should I wire this with the 10's in series @ 16 ohm to one jack and the 18 @ 8ohm to another or would it be better to wire all the speakers in series to one jack. Either way the head will be getting 5.33 ohm but I'm not how sure the power would be distributed from option 1 to option 2.

I'm thinking the 18 will get more power then the 10's in option one (from what I've read so far) and they all would share the power evenly in option 2. I'm really just trying to get by till i get my baby's back from the kid

. I will be using my nephews GK 700RBII with this set up. Thank you in advance for any suggestions.

billfitzmaurice · #2 07-04-2010, 05:48 PM

You should devote most of the cab volume to the 18, in a vented section, and as small a volume as you can to the tens in a sealed section, with a first order crossover between them at 300 Hz.

BassmanPaul · #3 07-04-2010, 06:00 PM

Also do not wire the three speakers in parallel even to test your work. That'll take your load below the 4Ω minimum of the GK.

Paul

fruity2x · #4 07-04-2010, 06:02 PM

I was kinda hoping to hear from you Bill. The cab is built already and it is built like that. Kinda wired ports tho...little triangles at the bottom corners and the 10 portion is sealed. To be honest with ya I don't even know if the Vol. for each "set" of speakers are "perfectly correct"...I'm just trying to get by for now.

do you have any suggestions on how to wire this?

fruity2x · #5 07-04-2010, 06:07 PM

definitely didn't do that Paul. Right now I have it with the 10's in series @ 16ohm to one jack and the 18 to another. I use both my outputs to run it. but thinking on it I'm not sure if it would be better to do it like a Epifani UL2-310 and go all in series.

**bass4worship** · #6 07-04-2010, 06:12 PM

You can put them in series but you'll need more watts to drive them..

billfitzmaurice · #7 07-04-2010, 08:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fruity2x

do you have any suggestions on how to wire this?

http://www.bcae1.com/xoorder.htm

will33 · #8 07-05-2010, 09:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fruity2x

definitely didn't do that Paul. Right now I have it with the 10's in series @ 16ohm to one jack and the 18 to another. I use both my outputs to run it. but thinking on it I'm not sure if it would be better to do it like a Epifani UL2-310 and go all in series.

You can do this with a simple 1st order crossover, 1 coil and 1 cap. If you don't have impedance curves on the speakers you're using, at least remember to enter 16ohms for the highs and 8ohms for the low in the calculator. Make sure the inductor you buy has a power rating at least what the speaker you're hooking it up to does.

The thing should work and probably sound a little louder if you just run all 3 together full range but the cab's not designed to do it that way. Would likely have phase problems, 10's farting out before the 18 or vice versa. It's designed to be a 2-way cab.

Bmorefoozler · #9 07-05-2010, 09:33 AM

Or get a 4 ohm 18" and run it in series with 10's parrallelled for an 8 ohm total load. The 18" would rightfully recieve the same power as both 10's.

Bill's way is much better though, and would still likely be approximately an 8 ohm load.

fruity2x · #10 07-05-2010, 08:34 PM

Thanx guys, this has been a big help!!! I have it hooked up with the 10 @ 16ohm and the 18 single @ 8ohm. It sounds really full and deep. I will get some pix and chamber vol. up soon for you all to check out and maybe suggest some proper drivers. I'm really digging the sound and am going to look into getting the right drivers and the x-over you all have suggested (I'm well aware of your knowledge Bill and I thank you so much for your info now and over the years) and then i bet it will POUND!!!!

Like I said it really is just a "cobbled together" cab to help me get buy right now. Neater me or my father-in-law really want to lug this thing around, I have a really messed up back (why i bought the Avatars in the first place) and hes in his 50's and playing in a blues band doesn't have much need for something this big, but he has had it for 25 years and we're thinking its time to return it to its former glory

. I don't really see a 1820 out too much and I'm thinking THIS will give those guitarist tuned to C# a run for that chunk of the sound spectrum

Thanx again guys...I love the help and knowledge I find here. might have to go find a "club" to post this "restoration project" in. bet theirs some big cab guys that would dig this

Rick Auricchio · #11 07-05-2010, 08:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fruity2x

...but he has had it for 25 years and we're thinking its time to return it to its former glory.

If you really don't want to lug it around, why bother? Or just load it and sell it.

Quote:

...I'm thinking THIS will give those guitarist tuned to C# a run for that chunk of the sound spectrum

Yeah, but since your ears are 10x more sensitive to guitar frequencies, don't hold your breath. They'll just turn up a bit and you'll all go deaf.

fruity2x · #12 07-06-2010, 02:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rick Auricchio

If you really don't want to lug it around, why bother? Or just load it and sell it.

Would you really like me to go into better detail on this question? I would be more than happy to if so,

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rick Auricchio

Yeah, but since your ears are 10x more sensitive to guitar frequencies, don't hold your breath. They'll just turn up a bit and you'll all go deaf.

As to this statement, I am well aware of the sensitivity of the human ear and at my age we don't "play volume wars"

anymore

....I was more speaking to the tonal qualitys of the modern guitar and the niche which we bass players must carve to complete the sound spectrum and round it out. In other words...it's all about the boom boom!!!!