Ampeg - SVT-810AV or SVT-1540HE

I haven't heard the 1540, but its specs look good, and it probably has a better bottom end than the 810. Because it also has a tweeter, it has a much broader frequency response.

They are both the same size, but the 1540 is a bit lighter. There is some $ economy to be had by buying it rather than a separate 4x10 plus 1x15, but the cost is the size and weight of a big single cabinet.

I think you should go for the R1000 head anyway - it's only $80 more, but the R600 would work fine with either cabinet.

- Mike

 

According to the Ampeg catalog I have, it's a 2x4-ohm cabinet, so you can drive the 4x10 with one channel and the 1x15 with the other. My guess (from the specs) is that the top can handle about 400 watts and the bottom (1x15) can handle about 200. If you drive them with each channel (not bridged) you get about 300 (clean) watts into each side: no problem for the top, and if you don't run into clipping or super-loud sustained notes, the bottom will probably be okay. You can always turn down the gain to the 1x15 if you are concerned about blowing it. If you put the two parts in series for 8-ohm operation, the R1000 will deliver maybe 600 (clean) watts bridged - again, I don't see any problem as long as you avoid clipping.

If the extra $80 isn't an issue, I'd recommend the R1000 over the R600. Just use restraint if you feel like it has more than you need. Someday you will probably be glad to have the extra kick that the R1000 offers.
- Mike

 

I dont know why people say stuff like, "This cabinet has 600 watts!" Cabinets dont have power. They have a rating of how much power they can handle, but they dont actually have watts. My dad does this and so do you guys

Joris, back me up on this one!

 

I don't know to whom you're referring - no one here said this. Perhaps you were trying to post to a different thread.
- Mike

 

Well, I see Ampeg has a new web site (www.ampeg.com), and the 1540 still appears in it. Check out http://www.ampeg.com/products.htm?product=30&catid=11.

There are certainly many alternatives to this cabinet, though most have different arrangements. I liked the basic idea of the cabinet, but its size and weight were a little bit too much, so I went with a different approach.

- Mike

 

I'm pretty sure that the 1540HE has indeed been discontinued.