Ampeg 810E

[Michael Cline]

Somehow I ended up with 2 Ampeg 810E cabinets. Is there a good way to utilize the split cab feature in both using 1 amp or am i just being silly?

 

[Wasnex]

Is there a good way to utilize the split cab feature in both using 1 amp or am i just being silly?

Only if you have an amp capable of biamping.

If I were biamping a pair of 810Es I would probably run the lows to three halves and the highs to one half. The low frequency amp would need to be able to handle a 2.67 ohm load.

Honestly, I would expect running full range on both cabinets to sound best. To do this you need an amp that is stable at 2 ohms, or an amp with two output sections that are stable at 4 ohms. Many tube amps are stable at 2 ohms but relatively few solid state amps are. I would trust an Ampeg SVT, Ashdown CTM300, Genz Benz GBE1200, or Mesa D800 at 2 ohms. Examples of amps with dual output sections rated for 4 ohms include Epifani UL902C and Genz Benz Shuttlemax 12.2.

If running both full range, there is some benefit to cross firing the two cabs as this technique broadens the dispersion pattern a bit.

 

[beans-on-toast]

Or if you have a quadraphonic amp, one amp with four outputs.

 

[Michael Cline]

Only if you have an amp capable of biamping.

If I were biamping a pair of 810Es I would probably run the lows to three halves and the highs to one half. The low frequency amp would need to be able to handle a 2.67 ohm load.

Honestly, I would expect running full range on both cabinets to sound best. To do this you need an amp that is stable at 2 ohms, or an amp with two output sections that are stable at 4 ohms. Many tube amps are stable at 2 ohms but relatively few solid state amps are. I would trust an Ampeg SVT, Ashdown CTM300, Genz Benz GBE1200, or Mesa D800 at 2 ohms. Examples of amps with dual output sections rated for 4 ohms include Epifani UL902C and Genz Benz Shuttlemax 12.2.

If running both full range, there is some benefit to cross firing the two cabs as this technique broadens the dispersion pattern a bit.

At the moment, i am running 2 preamps and one power amp to a single 810E. i use A/B splitter and run split A to one preamp to Carvin power amp to bottom 4 and split B to another preamp/distortion pedal to other side of the Carvin to the top 4. I stepped on another 810E cheap and thought there might be a way to do the same thing with another cab. i appears i need another power amp to do this.

 

[Wasnex]

At the moment, i am running 2 preamps and one power amp to a single 810E. i use A/B splitter and run split A to one preamp to Carvin power amp to bottom 4 and split B to another preamp/distortion pedal to other side of the Carvin to the top 4. I stepped on another 810E cheap and thought there might be a way to do the same thing with another cab. i appears i need another power amp to do this.

Using your current stereo setup, each side of your power amp sees an 8 ohm load. If the power amp is rated for 4 ohms per channel you could run both cabinets. Consult your amplifiers manual.

If you want to split the cabinets you will need appropriate custom made cables to make a parallel connection between two cabinet sections and each side of the power amp. The upper half of each cabinet requires a 1/4" cable. The bottom half of each cabinet can be accessed with either a 1/4" or speakon cable. Here is the 810E manual link: http://www.ampeg.com/pdf/SVT810EAV.pdf

Or, rather than mess with building an appropriate cable loom, plug one side of the amp into one cabinet's mono mode input and the other side of the amp into the other cabinet's mono mode input. With this setup each side of the power amp will see a 4 ohm load and you will not need custom made cables. If you want the sound split from top to bottom, you could lay the 810s on their side and then stack one on top the other.

 

[chris_b]

What's the problem?

You need a backup.