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Ampeg Venture V3 with Ampeg PF115HE?

#2
jesperbengtsson said:
I'm looking for a 15 cab speaker to my Ampeg Venture v3. Is the pf115he compatible with my V3 which has 300 watts?

Top: Ampeg – Bass guitar amplification
Cab: https://ampeg.com/pdf/PF-115HE_PF-210HE_cabs_OM.pdf
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AFAIK the V3 has a speakON combo connector. This means it should take both speakON or 1/4". The PF115HE, has a 1/4" jack.

The PF115HE is 8 ohms and rated for 450W. It will work fine with the V3.

The V3 is rated 300W at 4 ohms, so you could use a pair of PF115HEs. Power with one cab should be about 150W.

The PF115HE's sensitivity rating is 99.5dB 1W/1m. Calculated SPL with one cab at 150W is ~121.3dB. Calculated SPL for two cabs at 300W total is 127.3
 
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#3
Wasnex knows his stuff, but I would like to add that in the wrong hands, I bet that a V3 could be operated in such a way that a PF115HE could be damaged by poor judgement and unrealistic expectations, so if you are "that guy" keep an ear out for distress if you like to play loud and low. ;)
 
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#4
Hoochie Coochie Man said:
Wasnex knows his stuff, but I would like to add that in the wrong hands, I bet that a V3 could be operated in such a way that a PF115HE could be damaged by poor judgement and unrealistic expectations, so if you are "that guy" keep an ear out for distress if you like to play loud and low. ;)
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Okay I understand, I'm not the guy who plays for volume, rather plays for tone at rehearsal or recording :) So then it works, got it! But maybe the PF-20 top would be a better fit then?
 
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#5
jesperbengtsson said:
Okay I understand, I'm not the guy who plays for volume, rather plays for tone at rehearsal or recording :) So then it works, got it! But maybe the PF-20 top would be a better fit then
Click to expand...

jesperbengtsson said:
Okay I understand, I'm not the guy who plays for volume, rather plays for tone at rehearsal or recording :) So then it works, got it! But maybe the PF-20 top would be a better fit then?
Click to expand...
V3 only put out 150 watts at 8 ohms. Run mine thru a PF 112 most of the time. Use 2 PF 112s when volume is needed. You will be just fine. I have PF 50 I run thru them also. It is loud enough for any gig I do.
 
#6
Hoochie Coochie Man said:
Wasnex knows his stuff, but I would like to add that in the wrong hands, I bet that a V3 could be operated in such a way that a PF115HE could be damaged by poor judgement and unrealistic expectations, so if you are "that guy" keep an ear out for distress if you like to play loud and low. ;)
Click to expand...


One could probably damage the PF115HE with the V3 by abusing it. The PF115HE is rated 450W which should be 3X the amount of clean power the amp can deliver. In comparison the VB115 is also 8 ohms but the power rating is only 250W.


I could be wrong, but my assumption is the VB115 will incur damage well before the PF115HE
 
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#7
Wasnex said:
One could probably damage the PF115HE with the V3 by abusing it. The PF115HE is rated 450W which should be 3X the amount of clean power the amp can deliver. In comparison the VB115 is also 8 ohms but the power rating is only 250W.


I could be wrong, but my assumption is the VB115 will incur damage well before the PF115HE
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Okay, but with a PF-20 top I'm safe?
 
#8
jesperbengtsson said:
Okay, but with a PF-20 I'm safe?
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PF20T would be great for low volume situations. However, I wouldn't want to rely on a PF20T with a drummer.
You could probably run the PF20T wide open without much risk to either the VB115 or PF115HE. You could possibly blow the tweeter.

The most common advice is to choose an amp that is rated for less than or equal to the RMS power rating of the cab(s). Use a bit of common sense and don't do stupid stuff and you are safe with the V3 (150W at 8 ohms) into either the VB115 (250W at 8 ohms) or PF115HE (450W at 8 ohms).
 
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#9
I own the PF112HLF, PF210HE, and the PF115LF, (along with quite a few other Ampeg cabinets), and I would take Ampegs power handling ratings of the PF line with a grain of salt.

I don't own a PF20T, but will probably buy one eventually. I do have a PF50T and that is what I used to use with my PF cabinets. The PF50T is similar to the V4 to my ears, while the PF20T is a little closer to the tone of my '63 B-15.

My favorite cabinet for just about any amp I own lately is my Subway 115. No worries with any of my amps with that one. Mesa rates that cabinet as 400 watts. Ampeg rates the PF115HE at 450 watts. I think the Mesa rating came from (you-know-who) ;) in the Mesa engineering department, and Ampegs rating came from someone in the marketing department. I could be wrong, (as I often am). Just my opinion.
 
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#10
Hoochie Coochie Man said:
I would take Ampegs power handling ratings of the PF line with a grain of salt.
Click to expand...


450W is quiet a bit of power for a 115 cab. I haven't played the PF115HE so I can't say how well it takes power. However, I would be really surprised if it can't handle 150W from the V3 reasonably well.

What experience do you have that suggest the PF speaker power ratings are bogus? If it's based on the driver's farting out, are you sure it was the cabs hitting their mechanical limit rather than the amp being pushed over the edge. My impression is people often attribute farting to the speaker, when it's actually the amp running out of headroom.

As you probably know, a ported cab that is fed lots of power significantly below it's intended pass band is likely to fart out. Mechanical power handling drops quickly below the port tuning frequency. The frequency response for the PF115HE is listed as 50hz-17khz. This is most likely usable response, so output should be down -10dB at 50hz.

No idea where the PF115HE driver becomes mechanically limited, but a lot of the Eminence cab designs recommend an HPF at or near the -6dB point of the response curve to prevent over excursion at rated power. So the PF115HE may not be able to handle the full rated power down to 50hz. I don't find this surprising.
 
#11
I will admit that I have not personally driven my Ampeg PF speaker cabinets hard with a bass myself. My opinion is based on a lack of trust in Ampegs power handling rating and not my own actual experience. That is why I said it was my opinion.

At least they are not as bad as this:
https://www.sweetwater.com/store/de...aQ05G6OfgFEWtXRjN_6rbR0xkxR8VCTsaAnrqEALw_wcB

It would be fun to perform some tests, take some measurements, and blow some stuff up. If someone else will supply the cabinets, I will supply the beer. ;) It would be almost like the way Harvey Gerst did it back in the old days with the JBL D140F.
 
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#14
The V7 would be a great match bc it is capable of up to 350 watts at 8 ohms, so if you use it reasonably you’ll get the most potential out of your 115HE. I own the V7 and the PF115HE, btw 🙂

Edit: this is if you want to play with a band, would be overkill for low volume situations
 
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