4 ohm or 8 ohm cab?

[Square]

I have cash on hand to pick up a head and one cab. Looks like it will be the GK Legacy 800 head and matching 2x12 cab. The question is, would you opt for the 4 ohm or 8 ohm cab.

My intent is to eventually add a 2x10 8ohm cab to the mix but that could take a while to materialize. So for now, one head and one cab.

Considering the amp is supposed to be 2 ohm stable, are there any benefits to going with one or the other? 4 ohm or 8 ohm cab… let me hear your thoughts.

 

[gtirard]

It's better for a 212 to be 4 ohm, I'm even surprised they offer a 8 ohm alternative:

• Immediately, just with this single cab, you will get the full power from the amp, whereas with a 8 ohm cab, the amp would run at approximatively half power
• The 2x12 probably have a higher Power Rating than the 2x10, so it's better to mix a 4 ohm 2x12 with a 8 ohm 2x10, so that the 2x12 receive 2/3 of the power and the 2x10 receive 1/3, otherwize, the 2x10 would be stressed before the 2x12 reaches its power limit.

(Oh my god, I'm not sure this explanation is clear, but I'm sure you should choose the 4 ohm version)

 

[KevInDaBassment]

8 ohm cabinet...as much as I love GK, you may decide to use a different head sometime in the future. While other amps that do 2 ohm exist, it's less common than 4 ohm minimum heads.

The difference in wattage is not going to be as audible as one might expect. Adding another 2x12 will make far more difference in volume (or getting a 4x10 or 4x12 cabinet instead). I'd say go for the 8 ohm cab.

 

[MotorCityMinion]

I'm a more is betterer kind of guy and like the idea of having a speaker near ear level. If you think the 1 cab will be loud enough for most needs, get 2 of the same when possible. One for home, one for at practice, and both for live work. Also depends on the type of music your playing and how loud the others get.

 

[eniac]

I vote 8 ohms. That will give you 400 watts into a 2x12. That's already way more than enough. (Think about it -- would you run the full power of an Ampeg SVT into a 2x12 cab?)

If the cab were 4 ohms, there'd be the potential for subjecting it to the amp's full potential of 800 watts. I file that under Really Bad Idea purely on the basis of risk factor.

Down the line, if you add an 8 ohm cab to a 4 ohm cab, you'd be subjecting the original 4 ohm cab to twice as much power as the 8 ohm one. In other words, all else being equal, the original cab would be dissipating twice as much power as the new cab at any given total system volume. (Or, viewed another way, the new cab would be dissipating only half as much power as the original cab.) There's nothing inherently wrong with that electrically or acoustically, but you probably wouldn't get the performance bump you had in mind -- and that's not even taking into account the possibility of the 2x10 being less efficient than the 2x12 at any given power level.

 

[ahbass2500]

I would go 8 ohm for flexibility. People over estimate the importance of putting out additional wattage. Doubling the wattage is worth 3db (assuming all other components do not change). 3db is generally considered to be the smallest volume change that is audibly noticeable (side by side, you might pick the 4 ohm as louder, but not by much).

You can find several sources for my 3db comment. JL Audio has one of the easiest ones to understand: Invalid Link Removed

 

[jeff62]

Another vote for 8 ohms for reasons stated earlier. Easier to add on another 8 ohm speaker for a 4 ohm stack, and protect your first cabinet from way overpowering.

 

[ardgedee]

What is the max power handling of the cab? If it's less than the Legacy 800's max RMS rating there's not a lot of point to getting the 4 Ohm cab rather than the 8 Ohm cab -- you wouldn't be able to safely get "all the watts" out of the amp anyway.

 

[p12bassnut]

8 ohms, if only for it's potential increased resale value in the future.

 

[dbsfgyd1]

I have cash on hand to pick up a head and one cab. Looks like it will be the GK Legacy 800 head and matching 2x12 cab. The question is, would you opt for the 4 ohm or 8 ohm cab.

My intent is to eventually add a 2x10 8ohm cab to the mix but that could take a while to materialize. So for now, one head and one cab.

Considering the amp is supposed to be 2 ohm stable, are there any benefits to going with one or the other? 4 ohm or 8 ohm cab… let me hear your thoughts.

I'm a 8 ohm cab fan for several reason for the same reasons as have been posted on this thread already, especially when driving multiple cabs. Personally I think cabs sound much better when not driven to capacity. Like cars, you drive them like race cars, you pay for it like race cars.

My Eden 210 cabs are rated @ 500 watts each and found the sweet spot for them is @ 300 watts. I have a Mesa WD-800 and powered with 400 watts, one cab can put out up to 127 dB more than enough for rooms seating up to 800 with no FOH. However, when selecting the 2 ohm setting, the WD-800 only puts out 300 watts which puts it right at that sweet spot.

 

[gtirard]

I really don't get this 8 ohm fever.

For me, until recently (until Ampeg have released its Venture cabs, all 8 ohm including the 2x12), there was a standard in the industry, like Mesa Subway for example:
- 8 ohm for 1x12 or 2x10 cabs
- 4 ohm for 2x12 or 4x10 cab

It's consistent.

You can built a modular rig with a 1x212 + 2x112: 1, 2, 3, or 4 drivers each with the same nominal impedence, balanced power distribution between drivers. Total impedence from 8 ohm (1x12) to 2 ohm (4x12).
Or you can do the same with 10 inch drivers, from 2x10 to 8x10 with a resulting impedence from 8 ohm to 2 ohm

What's the problem?

--------------

Now, if you start with a 2x12 @ 8 ohm, what happens?

• With a single 2x12 @ 8 ohm, you only get 1/2 power from the amp. Where's the benefit?
• If you mix a 2x12 @ 8 ohm can with a 1x12 @ 8 ohm cab or a 2x10 @ 8 ohm, you get unbalanced load between the cabs. Some cabs will sound weak, others will be stressed, what's the benefit?
• You could in theory go up to 4 cabs of 212, to reach a total 2 ohm load, but seriously who needs that?

I don't see any benefits, only drawbacks. I don't get it.

 

[eniac]

Imagine a monster configuration: the Legacy 800 with four 8-ohm 2x12 cabs. I'm drooling just thinking about it.

I would think a 4-ohm 2x12 would have limited applications. One place it might come in handy would be with a low-power solid state head. For instance, I have a G-K Backline 600 and a G-K MB200 that put out a rated 300 and 200 watts respectively at 4 ohms. One of those heads and that 4 ohm 2x12 would make a nice little club rig as long as there were no plans to add more cabs.

Side note, in case no one's mentioned it yet: Consider adding an identical 2x12 cab when the times comes, not a 2x10. Sometimes weird things happen acoustically when dissimilar cabs are combined. You might like the result, you might not. Why take the risk at these price points?

 

[klokker]

Well, since your asking for my thoughts, I'd get the 4ohm 2x12. Sounds like for the foreseeable future it will be a stand alone so you'll want a cab that can use and take advantage of all the power you have. You don't say what brand or kind of 2x10 you want, I'd skip that all together. Since your amp is 2ohm stable, when or if you get another cab get another 4 ohm 2x12, the same model you have now. Bad boy 4x12 rig with zero issues.

But for now you'll have a full powered 2x12. Can't miss either way.

 

[gtirard]

Imagine a monster configuration: the Legacy 800 with four 8-ohm 2x12 cabs. I'm drooling just thinking about it.

What's the point, serioulsy?

 

[ahbass2500]

--------------

Now, if you start with a 2x12 @ 8 ohm, what happens?

• With a single 2x12 @ 8 ohm, you only get 1/2 power from the amp. Where's the benefit?

Where is the benefit of getting full power from the amp? It is a barely audible difference from getting half power.

 

[eniac]

Where is the benefit of getting full power from the amp? It is a barely audible difference from getting half power.

Agreed, and the single 2x12 cab would've gone up in smoke by then anyway.

 

[Square]

Thnx to all that replied. The cab(s) in question are GK. 2x12 is rated at 800w the 2x10 is 500 or 600w, I don't recall. The idea behind adding the 2x10 later was more of choice for versatility among the pieces rather than having a monster rig. I won't deny that a wall of speakers sounds fun and would make for great visuals. In the end, 2x10, 1x15 or a second 2x12... my choice will change a multitude of times before I buy the second cab.

An additional 2x12 sounds fun, and I guess I've always got my GK 1x15 combo for church and smaller gigs. Time will tell where this goes...

Thnx again. I'll probably go with the 8 ohm cab. I like the idea of not running the amp at redline when the second cab is in play.

 

[agedhorse]

It's better for a 212 to be 4 ohm, I'm even surprised they offer a 8 ohm alternative:

• Immediately, just with this single cab, you will get the full power from the amp, whereas with a 8 ohm cab, the amp would run at approximatively half power
• The 2x12 probably have a higher Power Rating than the 2x10, so it's better to mix a 4 ohm 2x12 with a 8 ohm 2x10, so that the 2x12 receive 2/3 of the power and the 2x10 receive 1/3, otherwize, the 2x10 would be stressed before the 2x12 reaches its power limit.

(Oh my god, I'm not sure this explanation is clear, but I'm sure you should choose the 4 ohm version)

Clearly explained IMO, and solid advice.

I vote 8 ohms. That will give you 400 watts into a 2x12. That's already way more than enough. (Think about it -- would you run the full power of an Ampeg SVT into a 2x12 cab?)

If the cab were 4 ohms, there'd be the potential for subjecting it to the amp's full potential of 800 watts. I file that under Really Bad Idea purely on the basis of risk factor.

Down the line, if you add an 8 ohm cab to a 4 ohm cab, you'd be subjecting the original 4 ohm cab to twice as much power as the 8 ohm one. In other words, all else being equal, the original cab would be dissipating twice as much power as the new cab at any given total system volume. (Or, viewed another way, the new cab would be dissipating only half as much power as the original cab.) There's nothing inherently wrong with that electrically or acoustically, but you probably wouldn't get the performance bump you had in mind -- and that's not even taking into account the possibility of the 2x10 being less efficient than the 2x12 at any given power level.

The cabinet is good for ~800 watts so there's no issue here, the amp is rated to drive a 2.67 and 2 ohm load as well. Adding a lower powered 210 that's 8 ohms works fine with power balance, even if the sensitivity is lower. At 2 ohms, the 4 ohm cabinet will be receiving ~500 watts and the 8 ohm cabinet will receive ~300 watts (roughly).

Where is the benefit of getting full power from the amp? It is a barely audible difference from getting half power.

It's not barely audible, it's a clearly audible difference. In this case since the cabinet is rated to handle 800 watts, it may be the difference between just acceptable and plenty good.

 

[burgerdj]

I can’t imagine a gig that an efficient 212 isn’t enough unless it’s the rare case of a very load band without FOH. That said, I don’t think you’d perceive much difference in output/volume between the 4 and 8 ohm cab at normal levels. That said, I’d go for the 4 ohm and shelf my desire to add another cabinet - can’t imagine you’ll need it once you hear what that 212 can do.

 

[ahbass2500]

It's not barely audible, it's a clearly audible difference. In this case since the cabinet is rated to handle 800 watts, it may be the difference between just acceptable and plenty good.

I will defer to your experience, but is it somehow more than +3db impact? I know 3db is a perceivable difference, but we are talking about ~10% volume increase. Sure that counts on the margin for some purposes. I would rather have the additional cabinet flexibility to make my margin wider when I actually need it.

Edit: I am sure someone will point out 2 ohm capable head so even 4 ohm keeps flexibility. I get that. I also get how often I have personally swapped heads. Some 2 ohm rated, some not.