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4 ohm head into 8 ohm cabs?

K

klejst

Oct 5, 2010
6,647
3,676
#1
Amazingly enough this has always been a gray area for me as I would always buy 4 ohm cabinets to work with my 4 ohm amps etc respectively. I'm in the market for a new cab and I have found some good deals however a majority of them are 8 ohm. My current amp is a Peavey Tour 450 which is 450w into 4ohms and it states "4 ohm minimum" on the back next to the two speak ons. My question is will a 8ohm cabinet work fine with my Peavey head?

Also below is some of the cabs I am looking at so if you have any experience or input on them or which you suggest I get then please by all means share.

Trace Elliot 1048
PEAVEY 410TVX
PEAVEY 410TX
SWR WORKINGMANS 410
GALLIEN-KRUEGER 410GLX
 
#2
Any solid state head rated for 4 Ohms can be used with 4 or 8 with no problems. It won't enjoy running at less than 4, however. Read the Ohms FAQ.



klejst said:
Amazingly enough this has always been a gray area for me as I would always buy 4 ohm cabinets to work with my 4 ohm amps etc respectively. I'm in the market for a new cab and I have found some good deals however a majority of them are 8 ohm. My current amp is a Peavey Tour 450 which is 450w into 4ohms and it states "4 ohm minimum" on the back next to the two speak ons. My question is will a 8ohm cabinet work fine with my Peavey head?

Also below is some of the cabs I am looking at so if you have any experience or input on them or which you suggest I get then please by all means share.

Trace Elliot 1048
PEAVEY 410TVX
PEAVEY 410TX
SWR WORKINGMANS 410
GALLIEN-KRUEGER 410GLX
Click to expand...
 
#6
Good to know, thanks everyone for the info. Any opinions of the cabs I mentioned? I also found a SWR Workingman's Tower 8x10 cab from the early 2000's. 4 ohms and 800w handling so I am good there and also it states only 110lbs which has got to be one of the lighter 8x10's I have seen.
 
#7
lomo said:
Any solid state head rated for 4 Ohms can be used with 4 or 8 with no problems. It won't enjoy running at less than 4, however. Read the Ohms FAQ.
Click to expand...

This is correct---but for future reference make sure to note that he said solid state head. I've read conflicting opinions about tube heads---some say you can go down (4 ohm head>>2 ohm cab) and some say you should only match it perfectly---but almost everyone says you can't run a 4 ohm tube head into an 8 ohm cab. Or even turn on a tube head without a cab plugged into it.
 
#10
This might help give you an idea of what impedance you get from mixing and matching cabs.
ManualOhmsdiagram.jpg
 
#11
well it looks like that 4ohm 8x10 should work just fine then.;)

get that dude. some of the peg alternatives offer something a little different. wish i knew which years but some workingmans used a different 10" which has more sensitivity than Ampeg Eminence driver and Fender did a little trickery with their drivers too.
some SWRs are vented the peg is sealed. I think the eminence speaker used is different for the fender 8x10. might be ported to.
I forget which is which, one has more highend, the other is louder.
blah blah. I know both are lighter that is for sure 165 for the ampeg swear to god my particle board 90's cab is at least 175
 
#12
Thanks for all the replies so far and helping me get a better understanding. As for the cabs, sure the 4x10's I have listed are like $150-200 respectively, however for about another $100 that SWR Workingman 8x10 may be a good route as well. Sure it's bigger, however at 110lbs again that is got to be one of the lightest 8x10's I have came across. Some 4x10's are even 50+ pounds themselves and many often say a 4x10 can be harder to move around and life because it is a little smaller and bulkier.
 
#13
chriscrob said:
This is correct---but for future reference make sure to note that he said solid state head. I've read conflicting opinions about tube heads---some say you can go down (4 ohm head>>2 ohm cab) and some say you should only match it perfectly---but almost everyone says you can't run a 4 ohm tube head into an 8 ohm cab. Or even turn on a tube head without a cab plugged into it.
Click to expand...

SS can scream into an open load.
Tubes much prefer a short.
Best
 

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