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Differing Ohm Load Ampeg Cabs

#21
Well, I'm kind of bummed out. I was hoping it would work as the stack the original owner intended.

I'm wondering why the store sold this package.:(
The buyer was a beginner that gave up after a short time. :scowl:

What if a guy bought a 2nd head and ran two half stacks?
 
#23
Pickinator said:
Well, I'm kind of bummed out. I was hoping it would work as the stack the original owner intended.

I'm wondering why the store sold this package.:(
The buyer was a beginner that gave up after a short time. :scowl:

What if a guy bought a 2nd head and ran two half stacks?
Click to expand...

He probably did also and that's why he sold it? :D
They probably sold "the package" to move the slower selling 115. ;)
 
#24
walterw said:
$600 is a good deal for that collection of gear; just think of it as a half-stack rig with a 15 thrown in for other uses.

sell the 15, keep it in the practice space, use it for small gigs where that big ol' 4x10 would be too much, whatever. (were it me, i'd sell the 4x10, get another 15, and rock 2 15s old-school.)
Click to expand...

This, I would never use them together. Be on the lookout for another matching 15. Put two 15s and the 410 together!
 
#26
Pickinator said:
The amp head is the B5r and it's tech specs read:
675 watts @ 2 Ohms (500 watts continuous)
380 watts @ 4 Ohms (310 watts continuous)
200 watts @ 8 Ohms (180 watts continuous)

The Cabs are:
BSE 115 T
BSE 410 HLF

I believe the 115 is rated for 200 watts and the 410 is rated for 400 watts. Each cab has a horn in it too.

Is this bass package a mess or can it work. I'm looking at $600 for the works.

How is the Ohm load of the 2 cabs combined determined. I thought it would be the square root of the combined 4 + 8 thereby the square root of 12? (about 3.464....). Again, please forgive my ignorance; I'm still learning. And I'm a drummer.

Thanks for the input (get it):D
Click to expand...

Pickinator said:
Would that head have enough juice to power 2 (1X15) cabs along with the 4X10 cab. How would you hook up the 2 15s (in parallel ?) to balance what the head sees.

I think a second small Ampeg to power the 1X15.
Click to expand...

Yes it will power all three cabs. Two 115 8ohm cabs in parallel (=4ohms) and the 410 (4ohms) = 2ohm load with the amp outputting 675 watts (clean max.). A lot of sound there......
 
#27
walterw said:
$600 is a good deal for that collection of gear; just think of it as a half-stack rig with a 15 thrown in for other uses.
Click to expand...

+1 on the idea of buying the whole package and use the two cabs for different purposes.

As to why the seller would have assembled a rig like this, who knows? Ignorance on his part? Ignorance on the part of the person who sold it to him? Got a great deal on some mismatched stuff? Doesn't matter. In this case, more speakers is not better. You get two different kinds of rigs for a pretty decent price.
 
#28
derridiandrift said:
As to why the seller would have assembled a rig like this, who knows? Ignorance on his part? Ignorance on the part of the person who sold it to him? Got a great deal on some mismatched stuff? Doesn't matter. In this case, more speakers is not better. You get two different kinds of rigs for a pretty decent price.
Click to expand...

The reason is plain to see. Look at almost any bass amplifier advert and you'll see the pairing. In one copy of Bass Player magazine there were six ad's from different manufacturers all showing the pairing. :rollno:
 
#29
True enough Paul. I don't read BP so marketing wasn't the obvious reason to me.

I've been 410 or 810 user for decades, and I've usually had a 1x15 kicking around for rehearsals or for use at home (have you been around Ontario long enough to remember those two-ton Kroth EV cabs?). I hauled out an Ampeg SVT15E and an SVT410HE together and hated it as compared to my fridge. They both stayed in my arsenal for a while, but I never used them together again after that.

I dunno, maybe a 15+410 setup can work. I suppose it depends on what you're comparing it to. I don't think the two pieces that the OP is looking at are suited to being run together.

Sorry for the hijack!
 
#30
Pickinator said:
What if a guy bought a 2nd head and ran two half stacks?
Click to expand...
you're missing the main point, which is that running different kinds of bass cabs at the same time is not so great, as you get cancellations and phase weirdness.

it'll "work", in that it'll be bigger and louder than either cab by itself, but matched stuff works better.
 
#31
BassmanPaul said:
The reason is plain to see. Look at almost any bass amplifier advert and you'll see the pairing. In one copy of Bass Player magazine there were six ad's from different manufacturers all showing the pairing. :rollno:
Click to expand...

+1

In the old Carvin catalogs I used to order from, they didn't even show full bass stacks with the same speakers unless it was an 810. Look at Flea's GK rigs.....it's everywhere, there is no one worst offender.
 
#32
If I do the deal I'm figuring to try to land an additional Ampeg B2r. I'd plug the bass guitar into the B5r which will supply the 4X10 cab only and let the back of that head send a line signal to the B2r to supply power to the 1X15.

It seems that the B2r is also American made, fairly well regarded, and relatively cheap used for about $225.

I hate to not be able to use the 1X15 and don't like the heavy mid-range of a 4X10 only.

I'd have about $800 total into the system:
B5r
B2r
4X10 cab 4 ohm
1X15 cab 8 ohm

Does anyone see problems with the set-:help:up.
 
#33
Pickinator said:
If I do the deal I'm figuring to try to land an additional Ampeg B2r. I'd plug the bass guitar into the B5r which will supply the 4X10 cab only and let the back of that head send a line signal to the B2r to supply power to the 1X15.

It seems that the B2r is also American made, fairly well regarded, and relatively cheap used for about $225.

I hate to not be able to use the 1X15 and don't like the heavy mid-range of a 4X10 only.

I'd have about $800 total into the system:
B5r
B2r
4X10 cab 4 ohm
1X15 cab 8 ohm

Does anyone see problems with the set-:help:up.
Click to expand...
That 4x10 will go lower than that 1x15.
 
#34
It will go lower than the 115, but if you're going to mix cabs, using two amps is the way to do it. You can get different tones out of each that don't phase nearly as bad with each other, and you can match volumes. And you can do cool stuff like a clean rig and a dirty rig blended and footswitchable.
 
#35
Pickinator said:
I hate to not be able to use the 1X15 and don't like the heavy mid-range of a 4X10 only.
Click to expand...
i'd expect more midrange out of the 1x15, and more scooped highs and lows (and volume!) out of that big ported 4x10.

you can of course force the 15 onto that rig in some way, but it's kind of a 5th wheel here.
 
#36
(more) Food for thought, from ampeg.com:


5.) Can I combine cabinets of different impedances?
It can be done, but it will cause a mismatch of levels. This is not recommended.

6.) What is the impedance of an eight ohm cabinet combined with a four ohm cabinet?
2.7 ohms. This is not recommended
 
#37
Pickinator said:
I'd have about $800 total into the system:
B5r
B2r
4X10 cab 4 ohm
1X15 cab 8 ohm

Does anyone see problems with the set-:help:up.
Click to expand...

I apologize if I missed something here, but why are you set on spending $800 on not-so-great gear? It's certainly usable and I mean no disrespect to those who use the B series, but I feel if you have a good amount of money hanging around, you need to go for better gear. If you are set on the B series gear, go for it. But don't settle for whatever you can find.

If you feel the 410 you are looking at is too mid-heavy, you should try out some more gear. Are you assuming all 410's are mid-heavy? That would be a terrible assumption.
 
#38
I had heard a lot of good things about Ampeg so I guess I was mistaken about the quality of the B-series. Add to that, the mis-matched Ohm Load problems and I have chosen to not buy the stack. The advice is well taken.

The schooling is greatly appreciated. I'm still learning and have a long way to go.

It looks like we're back to looking at Carvin, as American-made matters to me.
I still like the idea of a 1X15 cab and a 2X10 (not a 4X10) and a head that can put about 400 watts at each. -The perfect large living room amp. We're back to square one.:confused:
 

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