A/B cabs switching

[sokolasty]

Hey good people
I want to compare two or more cabs.
I came to idea of connecting one amp to A/B box and divide signal from amp to two cabs I want to compare. Then I would play loudly and be switching between cabs without turning volume down.
Is this safe for gear? Will "live switching" not damage speakers?

 

[Jazz Ad]

First, most A/B boxes are meant to deal with instrument and line levels, not power. All the wiring is undersized for this use.
Second, switching cabs is a dangerous practice against amps because you can't really control what happens to impedance at the moment you switch.
There are dedicated boxes that properly achieve this but they are uncommon.

If you want to compare 2 cabs, the safest way is to use a stereo power amp and balance between each channel, or use an A/B box from your preamp going to each channel. This way you don't alter impedance.

 

[Jeff Scott]

I remember an Ampeg speaker switcher box that would be used in music stores for comparison purposes. Perhaps, see if you could find one of those.

 

[agedhorse]

One problem with most A/B boxes is that the sleeve is common. With any amp that’s bridged, including most class D amps, this is a quick way to ruin an amp or two.