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Finding the right speakers for my rig.

creis2

creis2

Guest
Nov 11, 2011
703
1
Cambridge, MA
#1
So I have an Ampeg SVT 610 Cab that I've owned for quite some time. My old band had a van/trailer and a bunch of big dudes to help me lug it around. Now I use my station wagon to get to gigs and due to limited space at our studio, I have to lug it up 5 stories worth of steps after gigs. Since I'm not very strong, I'm usually asking my 105 pound girlfriend to help me lug this thing around.

I found a dude who is selling an Ampeg 410hlf along with an AMpeg 210 cabinet, both have no speakers (he used the speakers for something else, the guy is weird) but he's offering me empty boxes at a great deal, $50 each. I was thinking about installing new speakers, making each cab 8 ohms and put them together as a 610, and being able to have easier transport.

I've read a lot of other thread saying picking the right speaker is very important, or the tuning will be off. I've found a few calculators that help you find the right speaker, but I have no idea what information to put in. Is there any kind of tutorial out there on this? I don't want to go with OEM speakers.

Does anyone have any recommendations in how to pick the right speakers for my rig?
 
#3
RickenBoogie said:
You'd have to model each cab with something like WinISD, but a 410 and 210, both @ 8 ohms is NOT a good pair. Half the wattage goes to the 410, the other half to the 210, which would not work out well.
Click to expand...

I've seen pleanty of people combining an 8ohm 410 and an 8ohm 210 with one head. Is this not correct?

I've tried to play with WinISD, I have no idea what parameters to put in and what any of the terms mean. I tried to go down to my local "tech", the guy knew less than I did.
 
#7
Neodymium speakers are the rage now. They weigh a fraction of what non-neo speakers do. Speaker design and cabinet design have come so far in recent times that a well chosen modern 410 will easily do what an old 610 would have and be easier to lift and haul. So that would be the way to go.
If you want to stay with the plan of putting speakers in an old cab, I'm afraid I don't know much about that.
 
#9
I used to own an Ampeg 410hlf, I found it MUCH easier to transport than the 610. Yeah, rolling it around is a little awkward, but the 410 was much lighter.

I'm kind of worried that I won't have enough headroom with a 410 neo. I've had my eye on the avatar cabs, but when I had my Ampeg 410, I blew my speakers trying to keep up with my band. For years, seasoned bassists have always preached speaker quantity to me, so I have that drilled in my head.

I want a cab that is easy to move around, at the same time, be able to give me the volume I want. I don't do anything ridiculious, but I need someone that can handle more than 500 watts.

Has anyone ever thrown a set of neo's in an Ampeg 410hlf? I love the size along with the classic look.

I'm also confused, because I see a ton of people using a 210 and 410 in a stack. The other bassist at my practice space has an avatar 410 and 210 in a stack and it works great. Is this really a bad thing?
 
#10
The closest sounding cab to the 610HLF that's relatively light is the PF115he IMHO. It may be sealed but it goes pretty darn low. You would need two of them to get the output of a 410, but they're like 42 or 43 lbs apiece and a lot smaller than a 610hlf and two would take 500w no sweat. They look pretty badass, too:

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#11
creis2 said:
I'm also confused, because I see a ton of people using a 210 and 410 in a stack. The other bassist at my practice space has an avatar 410 and 210 in a stack and it works great. Is this really a bad thing?
Click to expand...
I think it is. The same amount of wattage goes into each cab, which means the 210 won't be nearly as loud as the 410. That may not matter to some but it matters to me.
 
#14
RickenBoogie said:
For a 410 and 210 to work properly, the 410 would have to be a 4 ohm cab, and the 210 an 8 ohm. But then your amp would need to handle a 2 ohm load. Most don't.
Click to expand...

or the 4x10 could run at 8 ohms and the 2x10 at 16 ohm, (as suggested earlier) effectively 3 pairs of 8 ohm drivers wired in series, not sure on the final ohmage rating but would guess somewhere around 5.3 ohms??

all the drivers would be working the same then
 
#16
BassmanPaul said:
+1

Or your 4x10 at 8Ω and the 2x10 at 16Ω which would work with a 4Ω minimum SS amp.
Click to expand...


I do exactly that with my Bag Ends. My 4x10 was 8Ω and the 2x10 came at 4Ω with the same drivers. I switched the 2x10 from parallel to series (two 8Ω drivers) leaving it at 16 ohms and a perfect match for my 4x10. Consider the stack 5.33Ω nominal impedance. Just having that extra 2x10 at ear level saves lives. ;)

IMG_0714.gif
 
#17
canadian*eh said:
if you wired 2 8ohm speakers in series it would be still 8 ohms...those must of been 16ohm speakers to begin with right??...cause 2 16ohms parallel would be 8 ohms and series would be 16ohms....sorry to correct you i am sure it was just a typo on your part i just know some people would of been confused is all;)
Click to expand...

This is not correct!

christw's config in #16 is optimum for his drivers.
 
#18
canadian*eh said:
if you wired 2 8ohm speakers in series it would be still 8 ohms...those must of been 16ohm speakers to begin with right??...cause 2 16ohms parallel would be 8 ohms and series would be 16ohms....sorry to correct you i am sure it was just a typo on your part i just know some people would of been confused is all;)
Click to expand...

What!? No. Two 8 ohm speakers in series is 16 ohms. Two 8 ohm speakers in parallel is 4 ohms. Now I'm confused as to what you're trying to say because you've got your numbers all wrong. :confused:
 

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