Ampeg SVT-VR with SVT410hlf cab ?

[jimella]

That's not surprising. Ampeg's "tech support" is a joke and was even before the Loud buyout. As far as music store "wisdom," it's only as good as the source they get it from. Even Guitar Player magazine has it dangerously wrong this month on this very subject. The source of their mistake is a widely respected amp builder (among people who don't know about amps) who doesn't know the first thing that he's talking about on the subject and has been repeating this falsehood for several years.

Thats why forums like this are so helpful, thanks for the info.

 

[whitespike]

Sounds like a good idea, but i think ampeg have discontinued the 210he cabs now (not 100% sure though).
I think the hlf cab will have to go in the end, just can't imagine getting close to the 810 sound with it.

You're right, but you can often find them cheap on ebay. They usually run 250-300 used. I would consider using this modular transportable method. I agree with others: definitely use the correct impedence. It's there for a reason.

This combo sounds better than the HLF by leaps and bounds IME. Like I said, I have had both. Still plenty of bass and it's more controlled and the low mids are more present. I could tell a difference live more than anything. I could hear myself a lot easier because of the lack of woofiness. To my ear this combo is closer to the 810 sound than the 410. I am not saying IT IS the sound but if you are like me and just WILL NOT even consider hauling an 810, it's a great compromise.

The only way to go smaller is a pair of single 12s, which I have not tried personally.

I totally get your delimma. I have always wondered why Ampeg does not offer their regular 410 or and 15 in a 4 ohm option. I am not a big fan of having to haul two cabinets that are the size of a 15 or 410. To me it seems like overkill with modern PA systems.

 

[jimella]

This combo sounds better than the HLF by leaps and bounds IME. Like I said, I have had both. Still plenty of bass and it's more controlled and the low mids are more present. I could tell a difference live more than anything. I could hear myself a lot easier because of the lack of woofiness.

'Woofiness'....i like it !
I get what your'e saying about the low end on the hlf, sometimes it sounds ok, but more often than not it is uncontrollable & loose/not very defined etc. May be how i set the amp but i don't think so, have read many posts here about it & tried many different settings.
I'll keep an eye open for those 210he cabs though, cheers.

 

[FunkyFrosty]

If you prefer the low end to be tighter and you know that you already like the basic soud of the 810E, there really is one way to go.....NV610......and IMHO considerindg the design, the build quality and, my lordy the sound it makes......it is really, really good value for money, get one before the prices go up, which I heard will happen within the next few weeks.

 

[whitespike]

I bet the 610 sounds great. I'm still not cool with hauling something that big. It's still 115 pounds in ONE package. That makes a pretty bad haul with stairs or loading by yourself into a truck etc. That's just me! If youplan on play a lot it gets old really fast!

 

[FunkyFrosty]

I bet the 610 sounds great. I'm still not cool with hauling something that big. It's still 115 pounds in ONE package. That makes a pretty bad haul with stairs or loading by yourself into a truck etc. That's just me! If youplan on play a lot it gets old really fast!

It is way - way easier to move than any 410 I ever owned!!

 

[anderbass]

The NV610 is 98lbs...
http://www.bergantino.com/

 

[Dave Ryan]

I am currently the SLM Service Center Administrator, been with SLM for 23 years, most of that time was in the service dept were I did all speaker cab repairs, quality control & testing & technical support to end users & Svc Ctrs.

Remember the 8x10 has terrible low frequency responce. It will only go down to 55hz. A low E is 40hz, a low "B" is 32hz.
In most "infinite baffle" [no ports] you will find the low end freq responce is not very good.
The 8x10 gets it's muscle from "strenth in numbers" 8x10 inch speakers can be loud. The speakers themselves are inefficiant.
The SVT410HLF is a great cab. When someone tells you it's "boomy" this & that, take it with a grain of salt. If the guy playing it is a hack & has crap technique, digs in on his instrument, loves tons of bottom & spanks the thing like he's a rock star, then it will probably sound crapy. If you play well, & don't distort your preamp, you can get away with a cab rated at half the power rating of the head.

The most important thing is "match" your impedance & get something that sounds great to you. Some guys like a flabby bottom, some guys like a tight steril sound with deep lows. Some guys uses "neck throughs", some play "bolt on" neck basses.
It is too subjective to be etched in stone.
Let your ear be your guide.
On a tube amp ALWAYS match your impedance. If you have to mis-match for a gig or whatever, the cab should be a higher impedance than the amps minimum ohm rating.

 

[whitespike]

I am currently the SLM Service Center Administrator, been with SLM for 23 years, most of that time was in the service dept were I did all speaker cab repairs, quality control & testing & technical support to end users & Svc Ctrs.

Remember the 8x10 has terrible low frequency responce. It will only go down to 55hz. A low E is 40hz, a low "B" is 32hz.
In most "infinite baffle" [no ports] you will find the low end freq responce is not very good.
The 8x10 gets it's muscle from "strenth in numbers" 8x10 inch speakers can be loud. The speakers themselves are inefficiant.
The SVT410HLF is a great cab. When someone tells you it's "boomy" this & that, take it with a grain of salt. If the guy playing it is a hack & has crap technique, digs in on his instrument, loves tons of bottom & spanks the thing like he's a rock star, then it will probably sound crapy. If you play well, & don't distort your preamp, you can get away with a cab rated at half the power rating of the head.

The most important thing is "match" your impedance & get something that sounds great to you. Some guys like a flabby bottom, some guys like a tight steril sound with deep lows. Some guys uses "neck throughs", some play "bolt on" neck basses.
It is too subjective to be etched in stone.
Let your ear be your guide.
On a tube amp ALWAYS match your impedance. If you have to mis-match for a gig or whatever, the cab should be a higher impedance than the amps minimum ohm rating.

You're tight when yousay "it's too subjective to be etched in stone.:

My openion of the 410HLF being boomy is simply just my opinion - BUT - "hack & has crap technique, digs in on his instrument, loves tons of bottom & spanks the thing like he's a rock star" does not in anyway pertain to me.

I always set my bass on zero and use fingerstyle.

 

[werks]

I have the 410hlf and 810e and run either the svt3-pro or a v4b and I have personally always liked the hlf more. I wouldn't discount it before you try it with the vr head. You may end up really liking it. Either way, what others have already said ... it's your ear and whatever gives you the big sh*teatin grin is all that matters ... good luck

 

[Psycho Bass Guy]

If you have to mis-match for a gig or whatever, the cab should be a higher impedance than the amps minimum ohm rating.

So, you must have been the one at Ampeg support eh? While that advice is dead-on for solid state amps, with a transformer coupled tube amplifier, the rules are different. You might want to look up an old co-worker of yours, Jerrold Tiers, and share that advice with him, so he can tell it's wrong, too

 

[Jerrold Tiers]

So, you must have been the one at Ampeg support eh? While that advice is dead-on for solid state amps, with a transformer coupled tube amplifier, the rules are different. You might want to look up an old co-worker of yours, Jerrold Tiers, and share that advice with him, so he can tell it's wrong, too

Yo.... Dave....... I see you bees here too.

I agree with PBG......... although it generally isn't "instant amp death"....... higher impedance leads to more chance of damaging voltage spikes..... particularly if you push the amp.

Not just the amp, BTW, the tubes also get the voltage spike, and if they were not properly processed, they may arc over inside, with very bad results.

(Dave, you may recall the big hassle with amps years ago where we had to "zap" a bunch of tubes to prevent the internal arcing.... A step was left out by the mfgr. That failure was faster if the speaker was a higher impedance, and didn't happen at a lower one, IIRC)

Lower impedance may wear out tubes faster, but generally poses a bit less danger unless you get crazy. Yes, you can overheat things, but usually the tubes will be the limiting item.

Best of all is a match........... they are designed for that after all.........

Dave, Didja ask George M?

BTW, note to PBG... Dave is a good guy............. and a way far better player than I'll ever be....

 

[nls666]

try to find a used Ampeg SVT412HE cab...
I use it with my SVT-CL and it sounds very good. Better match than my SVT610HLF IMO.
It has quite a low watt handling (400 watts) though, but if you can live with that, it's a great sounding cab. For me it's enough for any situation, vs loud drummer and two Marshall half stacks (50&100 watt)
It's quite bulky also (depth and wide), but less than a 8x10...

 

[jambassist]

So, you must have been the one at Ampeg support eh? While that advice is dead-on for solid state amps, with a transformer coupled tube amplifier, the rules are different. You might want to look up an old co-worker of yours, Jerrold Tiers, and share that advice with him, so he can tell it's wrong, too

if psycho and jerrold say it, listen to them and ignore everyone else. these guys have been doing this stuff for years and know what they're talking about.

 

[midget006]

Well the initial thread thread asked about matching Ampeg SVT-VR with SVT410hlf cab.
The svt410hlf has a Nominal Impedance of 4-Ohms not 8-Ohm as suggested, so this in fact would be a perfect match.