Eden WT405, Running at 2 Ohms

[Count Bassie]

There are two speaker out jacks on the back of the amp, 1/4" phone jacks. They are labeled "405 watts @ 4 ohms".
There is a Neutrik speaker Jack labeled for 2 ohm use
Do I necessarily need to use the Neutrik jack if I want to run 2x 4 ohm cabs, for a total load of 2 Ohms?
That's it. Thanks!

 

[abarson]

The text from the manual is confusing: on the one hand they say not to go below 4 ohms, but yet they quote a power rating at 2 ohms. ???

Amp Outs
– These consist of two ¼ inch jacks and a NL-4 connector. The jacks are wired in parallel. The total speaker load impedance should not exceed 4 ohms.
Amplifier Power Rating:
250 Watts RMS @ 8 Ohms
405 Watts RMS @ 4 Ohms
655 Watts RMS @ 2 Ohms

Your assumption might be reasonable, but I’ll defer to someone more knowledgeable.

 

[David McIntire]

I have two friends who run the 405 regularly. There is an older version of the amp that does not run 2ohms. I'm pretty sure they just used old manuals and print from the older version when the new one came out. But added the 2ohm power rating for the newer version. I will ask my friends about them. One uses the original, older version. The other has the newer.

 

[David McIntire]

I have two friends who run the 405 regularly. There is an older version of the amp that does not run 2ohms. I'm pretty sure they just used old manuals and print from the older version when the new one came out. But added the 2ohm power rating for the newer version. I will ask my friends about them. One uses the original, older version. The other has the newer.

Turns out, nearly everything I said above is wrong. I do have two buddies who use these. But the amp went thru a bit of history and name change, which I'll leave alone.

My 1st friend who runs this style of Eden uses a Time Traveler, aka WT330 in later lears. His does NOT run 2ohms.

My second buddy runs a 405. If it says WT405 as a model, it will run 2ohms. 650 or so watts. It will also run hot to the touch.

My first buddy with the Time Traveler did a ton of research. He's got all the dates and such of where and when each model was made. But he feels 2ohm is safe.

 

[Count Bassie]

Turns out, nearly everything I said above is wrong. I do have two buddies who use these. But the amp went thru a bit of history and name change, which I'll leave alone.

My 1st friend who runs this style of Eden uses a Time Traveler, aka WT330 in later lears. His does NOT run 2ohms.

My second buddy runs a 405. If it says WT405 as a model, it will run 2ohms. 650 or so watts. It will also run hot to the touch.

My first buddy with the Time Traveler did a ton of research. He's got all the dates and such of where and when each model was made. But he feels 2ohm is safe.

Thanks Dave, I'm still going to do a little more hunting. I don't need to run at 2 ohms at this point, but it would be nice to know about it for sure. I'm also curious about the use of the Neutrik jack- is it necessary to run two ohms from that jack or can you use the phone jacks?
I appreciate your time, thank you!

 

[David McIntire]

No problem, man. You an I go back a bit. And it just so happened I'd had the conversation a day or so ago about this exact thing. My friend an I were discussing his Time Traveler and his wondering how much louder a 405 might be. His Time Traveler is plenty!! But he happens to be a power guy, and curious. So we discussed it all a bit. Happened to see yer post, thot I'd reply.

 

[12bass]

All of the output jacks are likely wired in parallel, meaning that they are all electrically equivalent. It doesn't matter which one you use, though Neutrik offers a more robust connection. Running at 2Ω does potentially run the amp harder, but only if you actually push the volume up.

 

[Dadum]

In this Eden manual, it says 2 ohms is OK.

Eden WT405 User Manual download pdf

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Adding an additional fan could make it run cooler at 2 ohms.

 

[themickster]

Thanks Dave, I'm still going to do a little more hunting. I don't need to run at 2 ohms at this point, but it would be nice to know about it for sure. I'm also curious about the use of the Neutrik jack- is it necessary to run two ohms from that jack or can you use the phone jacks?
I appreciate your time, thank you!

Fewer ohms means more current. My guess is that Neutrik has more surface area in the connection and can handle the higher current better than a jack.

 

[Hand slap]

There are two speaker out jacks on the back of the amp, 1/4" phone jacks. They are labeled "405 watts @ 4 ohms".
There is a Neutrik speaker Jack labeled for 2 ohm use
Do I necessarily need to use the Neutrik jack if I want to run 2x 4 ohm cabs, for a total load of 2 Ohms?
That's it. Thanks!

I’ve repaired many Eden, all brands for 35+ years. I would not run an Eden at a 2 ohms.

 

[Count Bassie]

No problem, man. You an I go back a bit. And it just so happened I'd had the conversation a day or so ago about this exact thing. My friend an I were discussing his Time Traveler and his wondering how much louder a 405 might be. His Time Traveler is plenty!! But he happens to be a power guy, and curious. So we discussed it all a bit. Happened to see yer post, thot I'd reply.

There has been a lot of water under this old bridge, and a lot of it turbulent! I'm a little embarrassed and at a loss here- can you get me up to speed on where I know you from?
That's really an awful question, I'm sorry! Life has been a lot of changes here.
Bells are ringing all over them place here... I'm an oaf...

 

[Count Bassie]

In this Eden manual, it says 2 ohms is OK.

Eden WT405 User Manual download pdf

Link Removed
Link Removed
Link Removed

Adding an additional fan could make it run cooler at 2 ohms.

Thanks, I have seen that, haven't looked lately though, I forgot it was in my phone!

My real question has been the use of the Neutrik jack, of that is necessary for 2 ohms use, butt I think we got that now.
Thanks @Dadum

 

[Count Bassie]

I’ve repaired many Eden, all brands for 35+ years. I would not run an Eden at a 2 ohms.

Note taken, thank you @Hand slap

 

[ShadowGroover]

I commonly ran a WT405 at 2ohms, and it was the only time the internal fan engaged. I always used Neutrik speakon cables, one from head, and one from connected cabinet to the second. It's the safer and smarter way to run that level of power.

It is possible to use 1/4" jacks in a similar manner, just not preferred or recommended. However, if it's the only physical configuration possibility, the better choice is unavailable.

 

[GreyBeard]

I’ve repaired many Eden, all brands for 35+ years. I would not run an Eden at a 2 ohms.

What he wrote^^^^

 

[burgerdj]

I have a WT-390 that I’ve run at 2.67 with no issues. The fan kicks on, but that’s what it’s there for. I ran two cabinets off the head; interesting assertion that a head to cab/cab to cab setup is safer. Hadn’t heard that before.

 

[HolmeBass]

Thanks Dave, I'm still going to do a little more hunting. I don't need to run at 2 ohms at this point, but it would be nice to know about it for sure. I'm also curious about the use of the Neutrik jack- is it necessary to run two ohms from that jack or can you use the phone jacks?
I appreciate your time, thank you!

If you’re above 500 watts or so it’s probably a good idea to use the Neutrik jack over the 1/4”. Not just for the extra contact area, but for the locking security. If that 1/4” speaker jack were to pull out of the cabinet the loose end could deliver a shock.

Lane Baldwin posted, on the ancient Eden forum well over a decade ago - maybe even two decades ago - how he noticed a definite improvement in tone when he switched to Neutrik with his Eden 610 cabinet (I am not 100% but I think he was using a bridged WT-800C so he was developing a lot of current for the cabinet).

 

[David McIntire]

There has been a lot of water under this old bridge, and a lot of it turbulent! I'm a little embarrassed and at a loss here- can you get me up to speed on where I know you from?
That's really an awful question, I'm sorry! Life has been a lot of changes here.
Bells are ringing all over them place here... I'm an oaf...

Long ago, my handle here was The Nameless. We met here on a deal for a set of Bartolini pickups you wanted for a Smith bass ages ago. Yup, a whole lotta water traveled under a whole lotta bridges. We've spoken on occasion since, but not since the Cold happened, at least. But I see yer posts on occasion, and remember our conversations.

As far as running an Eden amp at 2ohms, only after a certain year did it become "safe" to do so. Early Eden amps would NOT run at 2 ohms. Their stereo heads bridged at 8 ohms only, meaning a 4 ohm load per side was minimum. I used SWR at this time because their amps would bridge at 4ohm, meaning 2 ohms per side.

Later on, about 2003, Eden amps were updated a bit. Their stereo amps would, then, bridge at 4 ohms, thus handle a 2 ohms load per side. That's when the 405, then the 550, were introduced and would, supposedly, run at 2 ohms. I know they run at 2 ohms, my 2nd buddy mentioned earlier does it on occasion. I personally don't like running 2 ohms at all. I've never designed my rigs that way, and as some have said here that can cause unnecessary stress and heat on amps of this vintage. I do run at 4 ohms, tho. And I preferred an amp that would run at 2 ohms, just to believe I wasn't running an amp at it's limit.

 

[peteybass]

To me that was Eden's best sounding amp especially at 4 ohms. I had an older one that didn't have the Speakon and ran it at 2 ohms once and it shut down. Still worked after unplugging.

Edit, I believe mine was originally in a combo. This post has me looking on Reverb for one

 

[H Nighttrain]

I ran a WT330 (born in 2003) into a (rewired) 2-ohm MBX210 for about 15 yrs with no issues. And it was pushed pretty hard pretty often.

This was my non-class D, non-neo speaker "small rig"; at 8 ohms and 180W it couldn't always keep up, but rewired to 2 ohms and 420W gave the rig the extra headroom it needed.

I knew from the get-go that there'd be some risk going to 2-ohm operation, but the rig has proven itself to be extremely robust.