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Finally settled on a stack - but with questions

J

jjl5590

Inactive
Mar 28, 2008
406
0
London, UK
#1
hi all,

I think im gonna buy this:
Invalid Link Removed
but i have some questions...

1- head is rated at 307W, but both speakers are rated at 250W. As the head is more powerful, could this damage the speaker? Or, does this mean the combined power of the speakers is 500W, but the head can only produce 307W?

2- Will it be possible to add more cabs later on, or is the head maxed out with 2? If not, could I upgrade the head to 600W? Or could i just plug more cabs into the other cabs?

3- is there any way to reduce the resistance of the speakers to get more power?

4- I was also thinking about buying the combo Invalid Link Removed, and then just adding the 1x15 speaker to that. Is that possible, and is there any difference between the stack and the combo with an extra cab?

Thanks for your time:bassist:
 
#2
1. head is rated at 307, 2 cabs equal 500 watts total. No problem there.

2. You will NOT be able to add more cabs. 2-8 ohm cabs =a 4 ohm load. that is all your amp can do. But if you need more volume to the crowd, you just hook a cable, probably a mic cable, from the DI output on the amp to a channel in on the bands mixer. This gives bass thru the main speakers. Dont give that channel too many lows unless you have subs and/or really good mains peakers.
3.no
4. go w/ the stack, smaller individual units are easier to move. Combos are usually heavy
 
#3
You can't add any more speakers to that rig, and you wouldn't need to. The amp puts out 307 watts, each speaker cab get 153.5, so no, you won;'t hurt the speakers. The 2x10 combo is essentially the head plus the 210, so adding a 15 to that would be like the stack. Unless you specifically want the combo amp, you'd probably be better off with the head plus the 2 spkr cabs, that way if you got a bigger, better head, you'd already have 2 spkr cabs. Hope that helps.
 
#4
yeah thanks guys that helps alot. if i plug the head into the PA, will i still get sound out of my own speakers?

im gonna be playing in a 5 piece heavy rock band, so i'll need to be loud even without PA (for practicing). and if i can only have 2 cabs, maybe instead of the 2x10 i should get the 4x10 Invalid Link Removed

but thats like 450W, and with that head only at 307W, it kinda seems like a waste. so i could upgrade to the 575W head instead of the 307W, and then get the 4x10 and 1x15. im not sure, how loud do you think the 307W head will be?

many many thanks
josh
 
#5
jjl5590 said:
if i plug the head into the PA, will i still get sound out of my own speakers?
Click to expand...

Yes.

im gonna be playing in a 5 piece heavy rock band, so i'll need to be loud even without PA (for practicing). and if i can only have 2 cabs, maybe instead of the 2x10 i should get the 4x10 Invalid Link Removed

but thats like 450W, and with that head only at 307W, it kinda seems like a waste. so i could upgrade to the 575W head instead of the 307W, and then get the 4x10 and 1x15. im not sure, how loud do you think the 307W head will be?

many many thanks
josh
Click to expand...

Yeah, the bigger head would be a better match to the 410/115 rig. If you think 300w won't be enough, it probably won't be. It's not so much about "loud" as it is about "headroom." You want a little (or in my case a lot) more power than you really need, so you aren't pushing your rig to its limits.
 
#7
Actually, the power from your amp is split between your cabs. If you have two cabs of the same impedance, regardless of the speaker configuration, you'll get half the amp's power going into each. Thus, with a 575W head, you would be pumping 287.5 into each. Would this damage the 250W cab? Probably not. Quoted power for both amps and cabs (from reputable manufacturers) is RMS, which is maximum average power and is rarely achieved over a long period of time. Amps and cabs can handle higher peaks for short periods of time, and most sounds are made of peaks and valleys.
 
#8
hmm, i dont think i wanna have a chance of breaking my speakers, even if it is unlikely. besides, i dont think i can afford that head.

I've come to the conclusion where im either gonna get 2x10 and 1x15, or 4x10 and 1x15. i'll see how loud they sound when i go to try them out. I will definitly get the 1x15 cab, but i am a bit puzzled because im not sure whether to go for the combo 2x10 or 4x10 amp, or just buy either cab and buy the 307W head separately.
whats the advantages of getting a separate head? just seems like more hassle to me when you can have it built in
 
#9
Well, it's a matter of flexibility. I have both; Combos are convenient but not too flexible, and most do not have as many features as stand alone amps. Separates are as flexible as your imagination, but you need to take a little care on matching the appropriate impedances and (less critical IMO) power handling. If you're needs change in the future you can add/subtract cabinets or change the head, while with a combo is an all or nothing deal... but in the end, both can work equally well for different people, so play both and pick what you prefer.
 
#10
i see, well they all use the same head, whether it be built into the combo or separate. so i guess theres no difference really, except if i wanted to change the head at a later date. but matching up the cabs would be the same if the head was separate, or if the head was built into the combo, id just have to hook up one cab (the 1x15).

so what do you think i should go for? lol

basically all my options are as follows:

i could either get this: Invalid Link Removed
or this: Invalid Link Removed with Invalid Link Removed
they are pretty much the same

-------------------------------------------------------------------

or i could get this: [Invalid or Expired Link Removed] with Invalid Link Removed
or this: [Invalid or Expired Link Removed] with Invalid Link Removed
they are pretty much the same


ignore the prices, there is a shop near me that sells them cheaper than what you see above.


what should i get????? lol

thanks soooooooooooooooooooooo much
 
#11
ok sorry i realise that is a lot to look at. i'll make it simpler,
basically i could either get the combo with the cab:
Invalid Link Removed and Invalid Link Removed

or i could buy the head, the 4x10 and the 1x15 cabs separately:
Invalid Link Removed and Invalid Link Removed and Invalid Link Removed

What do you think is worth going for?

thanks
 
#12
What I would do is this. Get the 575watt head and just the 4x10 if both of those are within your budget. It's an 8 ohm cab so you would be getting about 375watts out of the head so these two on their own would be as loud and possibly more cut through that the 2x10 + 1x15 and it sounds to me like you're gonna need a cut through sound if you're gonna be playing in a loud metal band.

Then at a later date when you can afford it, get the 1x15.....and some earplugs:D

As for getting a combo, only you can decide. They have pros and cons. They can be cheaper and simpler to set up for use, but it's heavier for a single box and less flexible, and if something goes bang then fault finding will also be more difficult.
 
#13
I don't know your drummer or your guitarist(s), and I haven't been to your practice area, but I should think that 300W would be more than enough for practice. I mean, if you're miking the drums and the guitar players have 1000W Marshall full stacks, then you're gonna split an eardrum, so you won't be able to hear anything anyway ;) A 100W combo amp is loud enough for practice. 300W will probably be good enough for many venues. Get the 2x10 and the 1x15.
 
#14
worker201 said:
I don't know your drummer or your guitarist(s), and I haven't been to your practice area, but I should think that 300W would be more than enough for practice. I mean, if you're miking the drums and the guitar players have 1000W Marshall full stacks, then you're gonna split an eardrum, so you won't be able to hear anything anyway ;) A 100W combo amp is loud enough for practice. 300W will probably be good enough for many venues. Get the 2x10 and the 1x15.
Click to expand...
well i know for sure that one of the guitarists is using a 100W all-valve marshall amp, and its SOOO LOUD! seriously it was unreal cos it looks pretty small. im gonna go to the shop to try it all out, but the chances are im gonna be coming out with the 4x10, and then probably buy the 1x15 at a later date.

AndyMartin said:
What I would do is this. Get the 575watt head and just the 4x10 if both of those are within your budget. It's an 8 ohm cab so you would be getting about 375watts out of the head so these two on their own would be as loud and possibly more cut through that the 2x10 + 1x15 and it sounds to me like you're gonna need a cut through sound if you're gonna be playing in a loud metal band.

Then at a later date when you can afford it, get the 1x15.....and some earplugs:D

As for getting a combo, only you can decide. They have pros and cons. They can be cheaper and simpler to set up for use, but it's heavier for a single box and less flexible, and if something goes bang then fault finding will also be more difficult.
Click to expand...

Hmm, thats useful information. Yes, i could buy the 575W head and the 4x10 cab, and buy the 1x15 later on. but because the head is 575W and the cab is only like 450W max, wont it damage the cab unless i hook up the other one?

if not, and i used it with the 307W head, would i only be putting 307W thru the cab when it can handle up to 450W?

thank so much for all your help. i wouldnt have a clue what to buy otherwise lol (music shops round here are rubbish)
 
#15
No it won't damage the cab.

Correct me if I'm wrong but it's a 450watt, 8 ohm cab and the head is 575watts into 4 ohms. Therefore using the head with one 8 ohm cab you will be getting somewhere between 300 and 400watts, which will be fine.
 
#16
cool, but if i add another 8 ohm cab, that would make both of them 4 ohms, so they would both be getting 575W which could damage them. hmm this whole thing is very confusing! lol


also, how comes it seems there are 2 different MAG300 heads? one of them is larger, with vent holes on each side, and the other one, the one on ashdown's website, is smaller and doesnt take up the whole space on top of the cab, which looks a bit weird?

this is the bigger head:
amp.JPG

this is the smaller head:
[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

weird. the speakers also look a bit different. maybe its just my imagination
 
#17
Confusing indeed. Connecting two cabs in parallel to an amp will result in the amp seeing a load of 4 ohms but each cab will remain a nominal 8 ohms, and will therefore receive about half of the amp's output, in this case about 290ish watts. Obviously you don't have to run it flat out all the time:D
 
#18
Re the width of the MAG heads. For some reason Ashdown had some chassis' left over from the amp heads that they mount in the combos. Obviously these are wider so that the amp is the same width as the box bit of the combo. Rather than chuck them they sold them as seperate heads and called them wideboy heads.
 
#19
AndyMartin said:
Confusing indeed. Connecting two cabs in parallel to an amp will result in the amp seeing a load of 4 ohms but each cab will remain a nominal 8 ohms, and will therefore receive about half of the amp's output, in this case about 290ish watts. Obviously you don't have to run it flat out all the time:D
Click to expand...

If i conect the 4x10 cab to the head, and then the 1x15 cab to the 4x10 cab, is that connecting them in parallel?

or if i connect the 4x10 cab to the head, and also connect the 1x15 cab to the head (if thats possible), is that parallel?

and if its receiving about half of the head's output, wouldnt that be around 150W?


thanks
 
#20
Yes that's parallel. As far as I'm aware, when you have two connectors on the back of a single channel amp or on the back of a speaker cab, they are always common outputs. So it doesn'y matter if you connect both cabs to the back of the amp or one cab to the back of the amp and then the other cab to the second connector on the first cab. Either way connects the cabs in parallel.

Half the amp's output would be 150watts if you were talking about the 307watt MAG. I was referring to the bigger 575watt version.
 

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