Changing Ohm load without adding cabinets?

[ctmullins]

Adding a HPF would let you get more apparent volume/output from your current rig.

 

[dan1952]

When I get questions like this, sometimes yes. For some reason people think just because I'm in customer service I have to treat everyone with kid gloves. In this line of work I make money with my time and my experience/knowledge. So it literally pays to cut to the chase, identify the problems, and find the right solution as quick as possible. In your case, the right solution is to get a second cabinet. Either that or get a stupidly efficient 4 ohm cabinet and hope that that works. I'd still stick with a second cabinet.

Exactly right! Seems like the customer who knows the least is the most certain of his opinion being correct...

 

[Rune Bivrin]

To be precise: It is technically possible to do this by adding a transformer with a winding ratio of 1:1.41 (in this case). Unfortunately, the only example of that I've heard of was from Peavey, and it was more expensive than getting a second cabinet. Also, ridiculously heavy.

Rolling off the lows and elevating the cabinet will be the most cost-effective solution.

 

[br1qbat]

The ideal solution, IMHO, would be to replace your 4x10 with a matching pair of (8 ohm) 2x10s. There are a lot of advantages to a pair of vertically stacked 2x10s compared to a 4x10 box.

I second this especially since you noted you downsized the weight on the amp due to a shoulder injury. I haven't met a particularly light 4x10 yet. The 2x10s would be lighter and stackable. And Yes you won't necessarily notice more volume at 500w, but you will notice more headroom/clarity at drummer volume.

 

[Passinwind]

To be precise: It is technically possible to do this by adding a transformer with a winding ratio of 1:1.41 (in this case). Unfortunately, the only example of that I've heard of was from Peavey, and it was more expensive than getting a second cabinet. Also, ridiculously heavy.

Glockenklang sells (or did sell) one as well.

 

[DanAdams]

Can someone start a new website called OhmTalk.com ... It's available!
Link Removed

 

[beans-on-toast]

Some older cabs have had an impedance switch, say 16 or 4 ohms. Best to never switch without shutting the amp down.

But this isn’t your solution to cut the volume level. Best to attack this at the front end, at the gain and/or or master volume control.

 

[beans-on-toast]

Can someone start a new website called OhmTalk.com ... It's available!
Link Removed

The site seems to be available.

It would attract the meditation crowd. Bass players are navel gazers so maybe the two groups would get along.

 

[Slevage]

Hello,

Sorry if this has been asked before but I couldn't find anything helpful; is it possible to change the ohm load that your amp sees without adding more speakers or buying a cabinet that has a different resistance rating? Does such a device exist to make this happen?

I ask because I recently bought a Warwick LWA 500 micro amp that I really like, but my only cabinet (an 8 ohm 4x10) doesn't allow the amp to run at its full 500 watts. This amp's extremely small size and weight is an important factor to me (shoulder injury and space limitations when travelling with bandmates, merchandise, etc.), but I am used to having lots of headroom as I came from using a rack-mounted Ampeg SVT 5-Pro. With only 250 watts at 8 ohms I seem to be running the amp just about at its limit; it isn't struggling but I basically have nowhere to go in terms of volume against heavy drums. If I were ever to need to turn up the volume at a gig, the amp would be getting into clipping territory. It is well-documented on this forum that these Warwick amps do not sound good as soon as the clip light engages.

I would like to get the full power of the amp without either buying another 8 ohm cabinet or buying a 4 ohm cabinet. I don't have the budget for that right now, and although the 4x10 isn't exactly small, being a single cab on wheels it is much more manageable and we seem to have enough space for it in the vehicle when gigging. Even the 4-unit rack housing my Ampeg was just too cumbersome and heavy by comparison.

Is there anything I can do to see the full 500 watts with my usual cab setup?

Thanks!

I have a LWA 1000. Compared to the many amps I own or have owned, the knob positions need to be set at a higher position (the gain structure of the amp is noticeably different).

If you add a huge, resistor on parallel to your speaker cabinet, the amp would put out more power, though not frequency dependent. That extra power would produce heat in the resistor and no extra sound.

 

[byacey]

When I get questions like this, sometimes yes. For some reason people think just because I'm in customer service I have to treat everyone with kid gloves. In this line of work I make money with my time and my experience/knowledge. So it literally pays to cut to the chase, identify the problems, and find the right solution as quick as possible. In your case, the right solution is to get a second cabinet. Either that or get a stupidly efficient 4 ohm cabinet and hope that that works. I'd still stick with a second cabinet.

Even with a second cab, I would be skeptical that this would offer enough additional spl to make it worthwhile. Short of replacing the whole rig, the 4 ohm high efficiency replacement cab is probably the best option. Or again, you could try and get the drummer to throttle back, which doesn't cost anything if he complies.

 

[iriegnome]

But couldn't you just change your 2x16Ohm speakers for 2x8Ohm speakers? All the rest of it aside, that would then give you a 4Ohm cabinet, correct.. Putting aside all the rest and boiling it down to just a 4Ohm cabinet.

 

[Wasnex]

To be precise: It is technically possible to do this by adding a transformer with a winding ratio of 1:1.41 (in this case). Unfortunately, the only example of that I've heard of was from Peavey, and it was more expensive than getting a second cabinet. Also, ridiculously heavy.

Rolling off the lows and elevating the cabinet will be the most cost-effective solution.

I have power soak that can do impedance matching (via transformer), but it's only rated for 150W, so not really the right tool for the OP.

If your interested, it's this one.
[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

 

[vvvmmm]

I just wanna say that if 250w. into a 4x10 isn't enuff to keep up with a unamplified drummer (did I get that right?), I wanna jam with that guy! (the drummer).

Is he, like, Bonham redux?

 

[H Nighttrain]

I have an old Carvin 8 ohm 410 that has four 8 ohm drivers. I rewired it into essentially two 4 ohm 210s in a single cab; the left side and the right side are electrically isolated from each other.

Why? To mate up with an old Fender BXR400 that has two separate non-bridgable power amps, each can deliver 100W to 8 ohms, 200W to 4 ohms.

But I can also power both sides with a 2 ohm capable amp.

 

[Selios]

Exactly right! Seems like the customer who knows the least is the most certain of his opinion being correct...

That’s not what I said. In my OP, I acknowledged that I already know getting a second cab is an option to me, although not ideal for space limitations or budget at this moment. My only question was whether or not an alternate, smaller device option existed. It doesn’t. There was no need to be condescending or act like my question was a stupid one, I just came to figure something out. Plenty of other forum users answered this question in a much more constructive way, and didn’t treat me like a dumb customer.

And I thank them for it! Appreciate all the other helpful replies everyone.

I won’t consider Sweetwater when I get the budget for an additional or more efficient cab

 

[Selios]

I second this especially since you noted you downsized the weight on the amp due to a shoulder injury. I haven't met a particularly light 4x10 yet. The 2x10s would be lighter and stackable. And Yes you won't necessarily notice more volume at 500w, but you will notice more headroom/clarity at drummer volume.

Thank you very much for this response which addresses one of my main reasons for asking this question!

 

[Selios]

I have a LWA 1000. Compared to the many amps I own or have owned, the knob positions need to be set at a higher position (the gain structure of the amp is noticeably different)

The gain structure on these amps is indeed quite different than any other amp I've owned. Thank you, as always the tweaking will continue regardless of what cabs I'm running

 

[Wasnex]

Even with a second cab, I would be skeptical that this would offer enough additional spl to make it worthwhile. Short of replacing the whole rig, the 4 ohm high efficiency replacement cab is probably the best option. Or again, you could try and get the drummer to throttle back, which doesn't cost anything if he complies.

You really need to consider the sensitivity ratings of the cabs in question. Since the LWA actually doubles its power when going from 8 to 4 ohms, adding an second identical cab nets +6dB in the low end from mutual coupling.

 

[bdplaid]

Hello,

Sorry if this has been asked before but I couldn't find anything helpful; is it possible to change the ohm load that your amp sees without adding more speakers or buying a cabinet that has a different resistance rating? Does such a device exist to make this happen?

I ask because I recently bought a Warwick LWA 500 micro amp that I really like, but my only cabinet (an 8 ohm 4x10) doesn't allow the amp to run at its full 500 watts. This amp's extremely small size and weight is an important factor to me (shoulder injury and space limitations when travelling with bandmates, merchandise, etc.), but I am used to having lots of headroom as I came from using a rack-mounted Ampeg SVT 5-Pro. With only 250 watts at 8 ohms I seem to be running the amp just about at its limit; it isn't struggling but I basically have nowhere to go in terms of volume against heavy drums. If I were ever to need to turn up the volume at a gig, the amp would be getting into clipping territory. It is well-documented on this forum that these Warwick amps do not sound good as soon as the clip light engages.

I would like to get the full power of the amp without either buying another 8 ohm cabinet or buying a 4 ohm cabinet. I don't have the budget for that right now, and although the 4x10 isn't exactly small, being a single cab on wheels it is much more manageable and we seem to have enough space for it in the vehicle when gigging. Even the 4-unit rack housing my Ampeg was just too cumbersome and heavy by comparison.

Is there anything I can do to see the full 500 watts with my usual cab setup?

Thanks!

Lots of people think that adding power is where volume comes from, but it's actually speaker area and the efficiency of the speaker. If you could land a speaker cab that's 4 ohm with high sensitivity, you'd be golden. Two 15 cabs in genral are great in this regard.

 

[bdplaid]

I won’t consider Sweetwater when I get the budget for an additional or more efficient cab

You'd be ill-advised to cross Sweetwater off your list of vendors. Just use another salesman. Generally speaking, Sweetwater is excellent.