Anyone know is a Ampeg SVT 1000 could power this cab without hurting anything? the basson is 2000 watts and the head pushes 1000 at 4 ohms, i don't want to hurt anything, anyone help? X.X
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Basson 8x10
- Thread starter nutadactyl
- Start date
father of fires
Commercial User
The Basson is loaded with very inneficient speakers, and takes gobs of power to get them loud.
There is a reason they went out of business.
There is a reason they went out of business.
I don't have a Basson 810 but I do own the SVT1000 and run it through two Avatar 410 NEO's, also rated 2000 watts at 4 ohms together. It can get loud as shiyte...
What do you mean by "underpowered"? That you won't be able to drive that cab to be as loud as it can go, with a "mere" 1,000 watts?
If so, then yes: it'll be underpowered. But do you really need to pump 2,000 watts through your system in order to be loud enough in the mix?
MM
If so, then yes: it'll be underpowered. But do you really need to pump 2,000 watts through your system in order to be loud enough in the mix?
MM
Wear earplugs, so's you don't hurt your eardrums.
Sorry, had to.
Really, though--the only thing you do want to watch out for is regularly pushing your amp too much, which can run you into problems. Check the Amps FAQ sticky on this topic for more detailed advice.
Sorry, had to.
Really, though--the only thing you do want to watch out for is regularly pushing your amp too much, which can run you into problems. Check the Amps FAQ sticky on this topic for more detailed advice.billfitzmaurice
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Underpowering is bad if your intent in having a 200 pound plus cab is to go as loud as possible. With only 1,000w into a Basson you won't.
I really want to understand this but the wording makes my head spin.
could just be me being silly though.
bongomania
Commercial User
What he meant was that people usually use the word "underpowering" to mean an imaginary problem about a low-wattage amp damaging a higher-rated cab--so since that "problem" doesn't really exist, he was describing a different "problem", that is not making the Basson go as loud as it possibly can go before burning up.
It's not hilarious, but he was making the point that there is no such thing as underpowering.
Now, with Basson cabs specifically, their drivers have such heavy magnets that they don't start to move properly and "sound good" until you give them some serious power. So that's why they say they need a certain amount of wattage--it's not that any damage would occur, it's that the magnets are too freakin' heavy to work well otherwise. It's a bad design, and like Bass_Pounder said, there's a reason Basson went out of business.
It's not hilarious, but he was making the point that there is no such thing as underpowering.
Now, with Basson cabs specifically, their drivers have such heavy magnets that they don't start to move properly and "sound good" until you give them some serious power. So that's why they say they need a certain amount of wattage--it's not that any damage would occur, it's that the magnets are too freakin' heavy to work well otherwise. It's a bad design, and like Bass_Pounder said, there's a reason Basson went out of business.
gnjpowell
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If the Basson is as insensitive as have been said, I'd sell it and buy a more sensitive cab. Like an Ampeg 810.
Either way, you won't damage the cab.
Either way, you won't damage the cab.
billfitzmaurice
Commercial User
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In simple and general terms...
1. The wattage rating on a speaker cabinet is the maximum amount of power it can handle.
2. The wattage rating on an amplifier is the maximum amount of power it can put out.
Therefore...
If the amplifier output power is LESS than the handling capacity of the speaker cabinet, all is good.
If the amplifier power is MORE than the handling capacity of the speaker cabinet, you might destroy the speaker.
But consider...
It is not common for people to have their amp volume turned all the way up when they play, and therefore the amp is putting out even less watts than its maximum output capability. Because of this, it is very possible that a speaker cabinet rated for less than the amp's maximum power will be just fine.
Bottom line...
Underpowering a speaker will not cause damage.
1. The wattage rating on a speaker cabinet is the maximum amount of power it can handle.
2. The wattage rating on an amplifier is the maximum amount of power it can put out.
Therefore...
If the amplifier output power is LESS than the handling capacity of the speaker cabinet, all is good.
If the amplifier power is MORE than the handling capacity of the speaker cabinet, you might destroy the speaker.
But consider...
It is not common for people to have their amp volume turned all the way up when they play, and therefore the amp is putting out even less watts than its maximum output capability. Because of this, it is very possible that a speaker cabinet rated for less than the amp's maximum power will be just fine.
Bottom line...
Underpowering a speaker will not cause damage.
No, I don't think it will. They're very different cabs. The Basson is designed for you to get the most out of it with an extreme amount of power (most cabs actually can't take very much). An Ampeg 810, on the other hand, is pretty good at getting really loud without needing much power to do so. I don't think either of these cabs is really a good substitute for the other.
You can get loud with a 25watt Ampeg B-15 into a SVT810.
I doubt the same is true with the Basson.
I doubt the same is true with the Basson.
billfitzmaurice
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I'm not so sure that was the intent, though it was the result. Reading their ad copy they always made a big deal about how large the driver magnets were and how much power the cabs were rated to handle. The inference was that the larger the magnets and the higher the power rating the louder and lower the cab could go. That's not true, it's actually the opposite, but the average consumer doesn't know that. It was akin to saying the larger the engine the faster the vehicle will go. But a 170HP sports car will beat a 1,000HP ten ton truck every time.
