Debating on 4 or 8 ohms

[*Tempest*]

So, I have a GK MB500 and I love the amp. 4 ohms, 500 watts. Just a killer amp.

I'm looking to pick up a 212 cabinet to go with it (one that can handle 500-600 watts). I can't decide if I want to get one in 8 ohms or 4 ohms though. I am 95% sure I will never get or need another cab so I'm leaning towards the 4 ohms version.

Can anyone offer up some suggestions between the two versions? Pros and cons? Is there any danger to over powering the cab? Etc.

Thanks!

I was under the impression that the impedance that you run your head at dictates how much power you're getting. So, for example, some heads that I've seen run 350w @ 4Ohms and 250w @ 8Ohms.

So in this case if you run that head into an 8OHM cab, the power amp is only going to be able to push 250w. But if you run 2 8Ohm cabinets you'll get a 4Ohm load so the head will be able to push 350w. Or a single 4OHM cabinet would be 350w as well. so on and so forth.

So for your MB500 that's 500W at 4 and 350w at 8. If you don't think you'll ever need a second cab, my vote is to just go 4ohm and get the most out of your amp.

 

[zon6c-f]

I am looking at the GK MBE-II 212 cab in 4 ohms. If I can find one, I don't think they make them anymore because everywhere is out of stock. My budget is around $500, I could probably go to $600 but that's it.

Used Bergantino

 

[BassmanPaul]

I was under the impression that the impedance that you run your head at dictates how much power you're getting. So, for example, some heads that I've seen run 350w @ 4Ohms and 250w @ 8Ohms.

So in this case if you run that head into an 8OHM cab, the power amp is only going to be able to push 250w. But if you run 2 8Ohm cabinets you'll get a 4Ohm load so the head will be able to push 350w. Or a single 4OHM cabinet would be 350w as well. so on and so forth.

So for your MB500 that's 500W at 4 and 350w at 8. If you don't think you'll ever need a second cab, my vote is to just go 4ohm and get the most out of your amp.

Problem is that to get twice as loud you have to increase power by a factor of 10. 150W increase will be barely noticeable. With a 4Ω load the OP will not be able to add a second cabinet. With an 8Ω load he will for a good increase in volume.

Edit: If the OP's amplifier could handle 2Ω loads then I'd be all for 4Ω cabinets. My pre/power amp can handle a 2Ω load per channel. It can push all four of my 4Ω Acme B2 cabinets and supply up to 1KW per pair whilst doing so.

 

[bobdabilder]

Get the 8 then buy another. I promise you'll thank me later.

So, I have a GK MB500 and I love the amp. 4 ohms, 500 watts. Just a killer amp.

I'm looking to pick up a 212 cabinet to go with it (one that can handle 500-600 watts). I can't decide if I want to get one in 8 ohms or 4 ohms though. I am 95% sure I will never get or need another cab so I'm leaning towards the 4 ohms version.

Can anyone offer up some suggestions between the two versions? Pros and cons? Is there any danger to over powering the cab? Etc.

Thanks!

 

[bobdabilder]

That is a great cab. I have one.

Thanks.

A buddy of mine wants to sell me his GK CX410 (4 ohms), handles 800w but I feel like that is overkill lol.

 

[Ric5]

So, I have a GK MB500 and I love the amp. 4 ohms, 500 watts. Just a killer amp.

I'm looking to pick up a 212 cabinet to go with it (one that can handle 500-600 watts). I can't decide if I want to get one in 8 ohms or 4 ohms though. I am 95% sure I will never get or need another cab so I'm leaning towards the 4 ohms version.

Can anyone offer up some suggestions between the two versions? Pros and cons? Is there any danger to over powering the cab? Etc.

Thanks!

8 ohms

I have 6 speaker cabs … one 1x18, two 1x15, and three 2x10 … all are 8 ohms … this makes it easy to know that 1 cab = 8 ohms and 2 cabs = 4 ohms

 

[DrThumpenstein]

One thing that I didn't mention about the GK MBE-II 212 you're looking at, but should never take for granted, is how seriously good the low-end is in this cabinet. I did not mean my previous post to sound like it is all about the higher frequencies, although I find that being able to hit those when you need to can really help you in a mix. The low-end is just as loud as that 215 cab I mentioned, but cleaner, punchier, and more articulate with this GK

 

[TNCreature]

I am looking at the GK MBE-II 212 cab in 4 ohms. If I can find one, I don't think they make them anymore because everywhere is out of stock. My budget is around $500, I could probably go to $600 but that's it.

I have one. I love it

 

[jastacey]

Two schools of thought, if the amp you have won't go to 2 ohms, the the question becomes, one 4 ohm can, or 2 - 8 ohm cabs, going with 2 cabs means more speaker surface area, which mean the likelihood of being a bit louder, if you don't have FOH support, the other thought, if you are planing on a amp upgrade/ aquision ( I'm assuming you'll get a newer class d amp that can drive a 2 ohm load ), latter down the road a 4 ohm can makes sense, as if in the event you need another cab and another amp, this is always an issue when companies introduce fine amps, fairly frequently

 

[Jaco who?]

There are 212s and there are 212s - Warning: several gross generalizations follow.

The problem with reasonably priced 212s is they really need to be 8Ω so you won't exceed their mechanical handling limits, and to use all of your amps power, (if that's important) you need two of them, which will cost about as much as One 4Ω Mesa Subway 212, Audiokinesis Hathor 212, Bergantino HD212, I'm sure there are others I'm leaving out.

A pair of the cheaper 8Ω 212s will still be likely quite a bit louder than one of those, but if you only want one 4Ω 212 so you don't need to haul two of them around, I'd consider waiting until you can afford a really decent one.

 

[mmbongo]

Thanks.

A buddy of mine wants to sell me his GK CX410 (4 ohms), handles 800w but I feel like that is overkill lol.

No such thing as overkill with power handling. It will perform just fine with as little as 1 watt.

 

[west al]

So, I have a GK MB500 and I love the amp. 4 ohms, 500 watts. Just a killer amp.

I'm looking to pick up a 212 cabinet to go with it (one that can handle 500-600 watts). I can't decide if I want to get one in 8 ohms or 4 ohms though. I am 95% sure I will never get or need another cab so I'm leaning towards the 4 ohms version.

Can anyone offer up some suggestions between the two versions? Pros and cons? Is there any danger to over powering the cab? Etc.

Thanks!

The Ampeg SVT-212AV, a 600 watts, 4 ohms cab.

 

[Nebadon2000]

I would not judge Quality of sound and Clean volume capabilities by size of speaker and power handling just saying.
As to your question if you get an 8 ohm and find a situation where your nervous if it will be enough [most likely only a few at most] you can bring your 2x10. This also allows you to eventually sell 2x10 and add a matching 112 or 212 if you are always nervous. also if you add 112 you could have portable rig for practice and smaller gigs.

 

[Lowbrow]

I have two 4-ohm 212MBE-II cabs that sound great individually and together powered by my 4/2-ohm Yamaha BBT 500H amp. Found one in a small shop the other GK customer service helped me hunt down by telling me where they had shipped the last few of the discontinued cabs.

 

[MarkA]

Sorry I meant THIS one. Still $789
https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/212MBP--gallien-krueger-212mbp-2x12-inch-500-watt-powered-bass-cabinet-with-horn?mrkgcl=28&mrkgadid=3248788566&rkg_id=0&product_id=212MBP&campaigntype=shopping&campaign=aaShopping - Core - Bass&adgroup=Bass - Bass Guitar Amps&placement=google&adpos=1o1&creative=226299461021&device=c&matchtype=&network=g&gclid=CjwKCAjwqNnqBRATEiwAkHm2BO9mk50n_VZRhZZ4TO0lI-qWARIAJGlHjubiGoXjTA2h2yL5cQiS5BoCxVwQAvD_BwE

This appears to be the powered version of the cab (with its own internal amp -- used as an extension to the combo amp). I did not see an unpowered version on Sweetwater or on the GK site. It appears the OP would have to look for one used or new-old-stock, if that's the cab he wants.

 

[Basically Bob]

The only downside, imho, is that you will be restricting your choice of future amp purchases. Mesa, for example does not offer an amp in the Subway series at 500 watts or less.

I use 2, 4 ohm cabs: a 2X8 for small gigs and a single 15 for larger venues. It's a light-weight, single cab solution for everything I do and it works really well. They are both rated at about 400W. I would love to have a Subway head but do not want to risk damaging the cabs by pushing them beyond the cabinet's rating. The other restriction is with features. For example, my primary amp is a Tone Hammer 350, but it lacks the feature set of a Tone Hammer 500. Genzler also offers a 350 watt amp but like Aguilar, it lacks the feature set that their 800 watt amp offers.

 

[Michael Milner]

This is what I use. Traynor SB500H and TC210. The amp is very similar to yours. I play medium sized venues and have never had an issue. Traynor equipment is North American made, very reliable and very competitively priced. Reviews on the cab are uniformly good. The bottom end is crystal clear.

 

[Philthy]

I was recently in the exact same boat with the same amp. I decided to go 8ohms. To be honest, the audible difference is negligible between4 and 8ohms. The MB500 has plenty of juice! I picked up a TC Electronic RS210 and RS212. The GK / TC combo is killer, in my opinion. 90% of the time I use one cab, which is the 212. If i need more power, like for an outdoor gig, i bring both cabs. With the 8 ohms, i get the best of all worlds. Small gigs; the RS210 can handle no problem. Medium, the RS212. Larger; both cabs. They're light, compact and portable. That's my 2 cents.

 

[Skip Chucker]

I went with the 4ohm Aguilar SL212 when I was in your shoes. I don't regret it. And if I need to go bigger, I can add a single 8 ohm 112 and my AG700 will then think I have a 312 cab running at 2.6 ohms, which it cpis advertised to do.

Or if I need to be smaller than a 212 I just take the 112. Easy day.

Anything needing to be louder than this should be supported with some FOH sound...

 

[mcnach]

The only downside, imho, is that you will be restricting your choice of future amp purchases. Mesa, for example does not offer an amp in the Subway series at 500 watts or less.

They all have level controls 'though