410 on top of 115 or the other way round?

1x15 on top.

 

Which goes on top depends up what sounds best, how much power your amp has, and how loud you will play. Try each cab individually and compare them to each other. Next compare your favorite to running both cabs at the same time. I think there is a good chance it will sound best if you run one cabinet or the other, rather than both. It might be beneficial to run both if it produces extra volume.

You have two 8 ohm cabinets. The 15 is rated at 250 watts and the 410 is rated at 400 watts. Given two 8 ohm cabinets in parallel, the total power delivered by the amp will be split evenly between them. If you amp is rated over 500 watts at 4 ohms you can easily destroy the 15. The 250 watt rating is probably a thermal rating, meaning the cab will not take the full power at low frequencies where excursion is high. Additionally, it's likely the 410 will be a bit more efficient than the 15. As a result, it may make little difference to run both cabinets at the same time. The common wisdom is to put the 15 on top under these circumstance, so you have a chance to hear it cry for help before you beat it into submission.

The 15 should actually have better dispersion and less comb filtering than the 410 so the 15 might sound better up close to your ears.

In the event you are running at power or volume levels that are well below the limits of the 15, put whichever one you think sounds best on top.

 

I (occasionally) run a 4x10 and a 1x15 together. As Wasnex has said above - experiment! Try the 15 on top of the 4x10, then try the 4x10 on top of the 15, and see what sounds better to your ears, and the room/venue.
Personally, I always have the 4x10 on top as I think it not only sounds better (1x15 on the bottom for the lows, 4x10 on top for the mids/highs) but I think it looks better too.
YMMV of course!

 

it's a crapshoot. play around with positioning until you find something you like.

right vs. wrong arguments notwithstanding: every venue is different = a specific setup in one venue doesn't guarantee successful duplication in another.

 

Unless you are bi-amping, it does not work that way. In fact, many 4X10's go lower and louder then 15's.

ETA - And......if you are bi-amping, then you would only need a single 6-8" driver for the mids/highs instead of carrying around a 4X10.

 

I'd want the 15 up higher to hear if it starts to fart out. Unless the 4x10 is really crappy, the 15 will be the weak link.

 

Nope, no bi-amping. And, as I said, it's just on the odd occasion I'll use two cabs. Mostly I use the 4x10 on it's own though I'll use the 15 on it's own for certain gigs.
And besides, I like the way it sounds with the 1x15 on the deck and the 4x10 on top. To me, and my ears, that's the correct configuration.

 

I've always placed a 210 or 410 on top of a 115 and have rarely seen anyone else do otherwise.

 

15 on top because I like the look. It's in a closet so sounds best is out of the question.

 

If both cabs are 8 ohm, the amp will think there's one 4 ohm attached, more or less.

 

Had a 410 on top of a 212, and was never satisfied with the result untill I placed the 212 on top of the 410.
Tried the same with my Fender Neo 410 and 115, better result with the 115 on top of the 410, but best result with two 115's or two 410's!

 

Well if you're determined to mix cabs of different sizes, one cab will be working harder than the other. Unless you're bi-amping.

 

I wonder how many more times this subject will rear it’s ugly head? I had thought this settled years ago!

Look at the the power ratings of a typical 15 and 4x10. The 15 will be unable to match the performance of the 4x10. It will run into trouble before the 4x10 is even cruising along. Like as not the 4x10 will have better lows than the 15. For these reasons if you must, I suggest running the 15 atop the 4x10 so it’s closer to your ears and you will be able to hear it’s cries of pain better.

 

A couple of my thoughts on the matter:

1. I doubt the difference will be appreciably heard in a real-world live mix (i.e. by the audience or you during the gig), so my decision would be mechanically based, not sonically based. In other words, I'd just put the harder to lift cab on the bottom.

2. I would tend to treat those cabs as either-ors. I'd use the quieter one whenever it would do, and the louder cab when needed. I'm not sure adding the 4x10 to the 1x15 would give you a whole lot more than just using the 4x10 *instead of* the 1x15. I wouldn't see a whole lot of advantage to using both at once. Too much crap to haul for too little benefit.

 

I have Ampegs, an SVT 15E and an SVT 410HE. It sounds both clearer from my location and has better bass response with the 410 on top. Your cabs may be different, but since I play fretless and upright, I need to have a crisp sound right at my shoulders, not at the back of my knees

 

Oh, and I'd be deaf way before the 15 farted out.

 

Yeah you want the 15 as close to your ear as possible so you don't fry it.