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Adding a cab to my Yorkville combo

j_micho

j_micho

Aug 19, 2007
121
1
Montréal, Québec, Canada
#1
I own a Yorkville XM200C (1x15" + tweeter) and would like to add an extension cab to get more output. In the owner manual it says I can add whether one 4ohms speaker or two 8ohms speakers (4ohms in parallel), does that mean I cannot add (for example) a 4x10" cab with a total impedance of 4 ohms? I would guess the amp only cares about the impedance and not the number of speakers...

Also, what would be the appropriate size (in term of wattage) for a cab like my XM200C?

The specs for my amp are here http://www.traynoramps.com/downloads/manuals/omxm200.pdf
 
#2
Here's my Yorkville combo (2 X 10) with the matching xc115xc. You may be able to find one used. I would not attempt to add a 4 X 10.

YorkvilleCombo.jpg


I traded mine off for a nice power amp. The Yorkie is very loud given its conservative power rating (200 watts @ ? ohms).

Riis
 
#5
j_micho said:
Why not 4x10" ? I'm new to amp stuff so I'm still learning.

BTW it's 200W @ 8ohms according to the diagram in the owner manual. This is for the 1x15" version, not sure about the 2x10" version (but I would guess it's the same).
Click to expand...

Actually, its 200 watts @ minimum impedance which is 2 ohms as per the manual. Just not enough juice to effectively "light up" a 4 X 10 cab IMO.

Do you like the tone of the single 15"? If "yes", you'll like the addition of a second 15" twice as much! The amp has enough tonal control to manipulate the mids to taste.

Riis
 
#6
The manual says it can handle a total load down to 2 ohms, which is unusual for a combo. You can add a 4-ohm cabinet, and half the power will go to the cabinet while half will go to the internal speaker. Adding an 8-ohm cabinet won't be very useful, because 2/3 of the power will go into the combo's speaker and only 1/3 will go into the external cabinet.

There's nothing wrong with plugging in a 4-ohm 4x10 if one happens to be around, but you won't be driving the 410 anywhere near its maximum volume. If you're going to buy an extension cabinet, any decent 15 or 2x10 would be plenty to handle the power that this combo will put out.

I'm surprised people say it's loud for a 200W 15 combo. I was researching this amp, and the closest info I could find was the manual for the blue-carpet version. It says:

• 184W, 2 Ohm load,
5%THD, 1kHz
• 150W, 4 Ohm load,
5%THD, 1kHz

They market it as a 200W amp, but it's only rated at 184 even with an extension cab. And, that's at 1khz and 5% distortion so the true rating is lower. With the internal speaker only, it's probably more like a 100 or 120 watt amp. It's not the tiniest 15" combo, so it might be more efficient than some smaller ones, but it's not a big one either, being smaller than a Peavey or something like that.

I'm probably about to buy an XM200 used because I don't have an amp now, and I just want something decent. Everybody seems to say good things about them here.
 
#8
I've used that amp in small clubs by itself and it did quite good with a band. I've also used it with a Yorkville 1x15 extension cabinet that was 8 ohms and it got plenty loud for anything but big rooms and outdoor gigs. I like the sound of the 1x15 with that amp better than the 4x10 or 2x10 extension myself. I've never used one with a 4 ohm extension cab though. I'm sure the amp can handle the lower impedance easily. Those Yorkvilles are tough as nails and a great bargain.

My only complaint with the XM200 was the weight, but it did me well for a year of gigging until I got a good deal on a new Walkabout Scout which is a lot easier to haul around. Sure, the Scout is better but it's more than twice the price. But with the Yorkville I never got complaints about my sound from band mates or audience or sound men. In fact, none of them noticed much of a difference in quality of sound. I did, but that's at the nit picking level.

Yeah, go with a Yorkville 1x15 extension cabinet.
 
#9
Yeah I really like the way it sounds with 1x15 so I guess going with a 1x15 would be the logical thing to do.

I'm very pleased with this amp. I brought it to band practice the other day and it sounded clearer than the bigger Peavey combo they have at that studio. It was loud enough, but we were in a small room and I was running my amp from 80 to 90% of max power. I'm guessing adding an ext cab would give me some headroom.

Now I'm a little confused about whether I should go with a 4ohms or a 8ohms cab. My combo is a 4ohms (8ohms tweeter in parallel with an 8ohms woofer). I understand I should then go with a 4ohms cab to be sure the power is split 50/50 between the combo and the cab. But Yorkville has a cab (now discontinued) which is designed to go with the XM200, the XC115XC, but it's an 8ohms cab (see http://www.traynoramps.com/products.asp?type=10&cat=62&id=361). Anybody can explain this to me?

Thanks!
 
#10
j_micho said:
Now I'm a little confused about whether I should go with a 4ohms or a 8ohms cab. My combo is a 4ohms (8ohms tweeter in parallel with an 8ohms woofer). I understand I should then go with a 4ohms cab to be sure the power is split 50/50 between the combo and the cab. But Yorkville has a cab (now discontinued) which is designed to go with the XM200, the XC115XC, but it's an 8ohms cab (see http://www.traynoramps.com/products.asp?type=10&cat=62&id=361). Anybody can explain this to me?

Thanks!
Click to expand...

Glad you're digging the combo. The xc115xc is an 8 ohm enclosure so you can safely (as per spec./manual) add two cabs bringing the external speaker load to 4 ohms. The external speaker output is wired in parallel with the internal 4 ohm speaker, dropping your total impedance to 2 ohm.

Riis
 
#11
j_micho said:
Yeah I really like the way it sounds with 1x15 so I guess going with a 1x15 would be the logical thing to do.

I'm very pleased with this amp. I brought it to band practice the other day and it sounded clearer than the bigger Peavey combo they have at that studio. It was loud enough, but we were in a small room and I was running my amp from 80 to 90% of max power. I'm guessing adding an ext cab would give me some headroom.

Now I'm a little confused about whether I should go with a 4ohms or a 8ohms cab. My combo is a 4ohms (8ohms tweeter in parallel with an 8ohms woofer). I understand I should then go with a 4ohms cab to be sure the power is split 50/50 between the combo and the cab. But Yorkville has a cab (now discontinued) which is designed to go with the XM200, the XC115XC, but it's an 8ohms cab (see http://www.traynoramps.com/products.asp?type=10&cat=62&id=361). Anybody can explain this to me?

Thanks!
Click to expand...

There will be a considerable improvement by adding an extension cabinet. Much bigger sound and the combo's internal speaker doesn't have to work as hard. I know, it's tough to find a 4 ohm 1x15 cabinet, but in practice I found that an 8 ohm cabinet as an extension sounds almost as loud as a 4 ohm. At least it worked great in my case using the Yorkville extension cabinet. At the time I was playing with a loud guitarist and loud drummer. I'd have the amp cranked pretty high at times but the speakers weren't complaining and I got a good sound. I didn't use any bass boost at high volume with an extension cabinet. The extra 15 filled in the bottom end very well.
 
#16
One additional advantage of an extension cab is that it gets the other cab more on-axis to your ears. This will get more mids & treble to you & not past you, which has you hear yourself as 'louder'.

I'm not saying there aren't benefits to adding an extension cab; there are. Even if you DO connect it ;) (Just kidding.)

Angling the combo at your head can give the same benefits. Angling or raising might be worth trying; LOTS cheaper than an extension cab.
 
#17
j_micho said:
I talk/emailed a guy from Yorkville. He told me that the XM200C only produces about 50W more into 2 or 4ohms, which gives a gain of +0.5dB. In other words, the difference wouldn't be to noticeable.

I kinda disappointed...
Click to expand...

Ignore that. You'll get a considerable improvement from adding the extension cabinet. The increase in power may be only 50 watts but the increase in speaker area is what will count.
 
#18
Glad I found this thread. I have been playing through an XM200T (200W, 2x10) for a few years now, paired with the XC115 extension. It's a fine setup but recently I have been buying old used Yorkville gear to build a backup rig (as in "keep my back up" from not having to move so many amps around to various rehearsals/gigs :D ) One acquisition has been a blue carpet 4x10 cab. It sounded excellent at the seller's house but when I got it home, I actually had to move my XM200T as far away as possible (and turned around) to even notice the 4x10 was producing any sound. Is this "just the way it is" when hooking up an 8ohm cab to the Bassmaster combo amps? I was actually really disappointed at how wimpy it sounded. I'm wondering how good the Xm200T + 4x10 + 1x15 would sound with an equal split across each component...
 
#19
Sabu said:
Glad I found this thread. I have been playing through an XM200T (200W, 2x10) for a few years now, paired with the XC115 extension. It's a fine setup but recently I have been buying old used Yorkville gear to build a backup rig (as in "keep my back up" from not having to move so many amps around to various rehearsals/gigs :D ) One acquisition has been a blue carpet 4x10 cab. It sounded excellent at the seller's house but when I got it home, I actually had to move my XM200T as far away as possible (and turned around) to even notice the 4x10 was producing any sound. Is this "just the way it is" when hooking up an 8ohm cab to the Bassmaster combo amps? I was actually really disappointed at how wimpy it sounded. I'm wondering how good the Xm200T + 4x10 + 1x15 would sound with an equal split across each component...
Click to expand...

No, that isn't just the way it is when adding an 8 ohm cabinet. It depends on the cabinet. Some are efficient. Some aren't. Check the previous posts. A 4 ohm cabinet would be better but only if it is as efficient as the 8 ohm cabinet I used, which happened to be a Yorkville. They've been using that speaker for years now and I think they still use it in some of the current Traynor models. Their cabinets have been re-designed to produce a different sound. Personally, I really like the sound of the old 1x15" Yorkville extension. I still have one at home that I use as an add on from time to time. It works well with even a fairly low powered (150 watts) GK MB 150S combo. Makes it sound like a much bigger GK. They're fairly light too, at least mine are. They're the models made with poplar plywood, which is lighter than birch. Poplar is plenty strong enough to stand up if the cabinets are well made. I've never had a problem with either of the two I owned for over 10 years. I did manage to fry a 15 in one of them once when using a Mesa Walkabout head to drive it. Accidentally hit a low E at high volume with bass boost up high. But that Walkabout can put out some serious power despite its conservative 300 watt rating.

Anyhow, replacement speakers from Traynor are about $120 for the 15". They're made for them by Eminence.

Anyhow, I'd check out that 4x10 cabinet. Make sure all the speakers are working and also check to make sure that it's in phase with the combo speaker. If it's out of phase their will be a thiunning out of the bass sound and it'll sound worse than without. Sometimes you might have an extension speaker cable that's wired out of phase so check it with another cable too.
 
#20
I just skimmed through the thread so I hope this hasn't been said but I have one of these amps and I'll let you know why it says it handles 2 ohms and can handle a 4 ohm cab. the speaker in the cab is 4 ohms. The external speaker jack is parallel which will in turn run the amp at 2 ohms with a 4 ohm extension speaker. The amp runs at 200 watts ONLY with a 4 ohm external speaker with it. With the amp running normally with just the speaker in the combo it will run at about 120 watts at 4 ohms. I hope this helps. I would recommend a 4 ohm cab to run the amp at the full 200 watts.... if you have the 1x15 I'd recommend a 2x10, just for the different tonal options of the speakers.
 

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