Four 12 cab - ohms.

[Oren Hudson]

I've a 4/12 cab that I'm ready to put speakers in. My question - better to wire to 4 ohms or 8 ohms? Opinions and comments appreciated. Thanks.

 

[Michedelic]

What amp are you using, and what are the specs at either load? Do you anticipate adding another cab, for whatever reason?

 

[Passinwind]

I've a 4/12 cab that I'm ready to put speakers in. My question - better to wire to 4 ohms or 8 ohms? Opinions and comments appreciated. Thanks.

You are highly unlikely to have that option unless you have two sets of different drivers available. Is that the case?

 

[Wasnex]

I've a 4/12 cab that I'm ready to put speakers in. My question - better to wire to 4 ohms or 8 ohms? Opinions and comments appreciated. Thanks.

With series parallel you get the original impedance of the driver. If the drivers are 4 or 8 ohms, most likely you will use series parallel.

4 ohm drivers = 4 ohm cab
8 ohm drivers = 8 ohm cab


If the drivers are 16 or 32 ohms, then parallel is an option. With parallel, you get the original impedance of the drivers/4.

16/4 = 4 ohm cab
32/4 = 8 ohm cab

If the drivers are not matching, they shouldn't share the same chamber.

 

[Oren Hudson]

What amp are you using, and what are the specs at either load? Do you anticipate adding another cab, for whatever reason?

I have a variety of amps to use, so that part won't be a problem.

 

[beans-on-toast]

I used to run two 412 cabinets so I needed them to be 8 ohms each for a 4 ohm tap. An 8 ohm cab allows for general purpose applications with different amps.

So if you may use two cabs of any sort, plan accordingly.

 

[Oren Hudson]

With series parallel you get the original impedance of the driver. If the drivers are 4 or 8 ohms, most likely you will use series parallel.

4 ohm drivers = 4 ohm cab
8 ohm drivers = 8 ohm cab


If the drivers are 16 or 32 ohms, then parallel is an option. With parallel, you get the original impedance of the drivers/4.

16/4 = 4 ohm cab
32/4 = 8 ohm cab

If the drivers are not matching, they shouldn't share the same chamber.

Thanks.

 

[Bong Bong]

I've a 4/12 cab that I'm ready to put speakers in. My question - better to wire to 4 ohms or 8 ohms? Opinions and comments appreciated. Thanks.

I reckon it's better to have an 8ohm cab wired in parallel as it's better in the long run as a general purpose cab.
I have a feeling that most manufacturers are supplying 8 ohm cabs these days.

 

[bassinflorida]

My question is what type of ear protection do you have?

 

[Bong Bong]

Serious question in this topic ?

 

[Bong Bong]

What amp are you using, and what are the specs at either load? Do you anticipate adding another cab, for whatever reason?

This is always a good idea. Years ago when purchasing gear I neglected to check the specs of amps & cabs. I ended up not being able to use my rigs to best advantage

 

[CTBassGuy]

Depends on the amp(s) you intent to use and what other cabinet you intend to potentially pair it with.

I put together a 4 Ohm cabinet with an Ampeg V4 cabinet and custom 4 Ohm Basslite S2012 speakers wired in series/parallel. I think it sounds great with both my V4B and BH800 amps. With the V4B, I could pair it with my 2 SVT210AV cabs to present a 2 Ohm load, but with the BH800, it can only be run by itself, as the amp can handle only a minimum 4 Ohm load.

End of the day, an 8 Ohm cab will be easier to build given available speakers, and with the right amp pairing, will provide all the volume you need, as well as being generally more flexible. A 4 Ohm cab will be good too, but will generally be more limiting if you want rig flexibility.

 

[agedhorse]

I reckon it's better to have an 8ohm cab wired in parallel as it's better in the long run as a general purpose cab.
I have a feeling that most manufacturers are supplying 8 ohm cabs these days.

Not necessarily. The design impedance of a cabinet is based on several factors that suit most players most of the time.

For example, with a 210 cabinet, you will see most of these in 8 ohm because that better matches the power handling of the cabinet to the amps available today. An average 210 will be between 300 and 400 watts which matches well with amps rated up to ~400 watts at 8 ohms. An average 410 however will be rated at between 600 and 800 watts which matches better to amps rated up to ~800 watts.

The same applies to other cabinet configurations.

 

[Bong Bong]

You’re right, there’s more we need to know.
Oren (above) says this …”.I have a variety of amps to use, so that part won't be a problem.”
This was in reply to Michedelics’ question “What amp are you using, and what are the specs at either load? Do you anticipate adding another cab, for whatever reason?”
I think Mich’ is spot on.

 

[Fonkamex]

27528459[/URL], member: 106406"]I've a 4/12 cab that I'm ready to put speakers in. My question - better to wire to 4 ohms or 8 ohms? Opinions and comments appreciated. Thanks.

8ohms for me is ideal. Every bass amp can handle until 4 ohms so if needed you can add another 8ohms cab without any trouble.

 

[Bassdirty]

Being a 4 12 cab, are there many situations where you need to add more cabinets?
(for me it would be rare).

So, with that, I say go for 4 ohms.


T$

 

[Michedelic]

You’re right, there’s more we need to know.
Oren (above) says this …”.I have a variety of amps to use, so that part won't be a problem.”
This was in reply to Michedelics’ question “What amp are you using, and what are the specs at either load? Do you anticipate adding another cab, for whatever reason?”
I think Mich’ is spot on.

Yeah, I asked a simple question, as there was little info to go by in order to make an informed suggestion, and I get a kind of ‘none of your business’ reply. Sheesh.
Since some amp companies use fuzzy math to arrive at their power ratings, and few amps go down to 2 ohms(if there is the possibility of another cab added later), we need some more intel(since certain ohm ratings are often chosen in the persuit of goosing more volume out of an amp). Tube or transistor? Is this cab bass specific, or is it some beater Marshall knock off? What brand/model drivers are going in there(with the hope that they will work in such a box)? What kind of music is going to be played through it, i.e., technical death metal or James Taylor covers? Granted, lots of factors, but they all influence the outcome.

 

[walterw]

For example, with a 210 cabinet, you will see most of these in 8 ohm because that better matches the power handling of the cabinet to the amps available today. An average 210 will be between 300 and 400 watts which matches well with amps rated up to ~400 watts at 8 ohms. An average 410 however will be rated at between 600 and 800 watts which matches better to amps rated up to ~800 watts.

and yet most 2x10 boxes are 8Ω and most 4x10 boxes are also 8Ω

4Ω 4x10s make more sense for just the reason you state, especially these days when amps have lots of power and few people need to drag around two 4x10 cabs anymore

 

[agedhorse]

and yet most 2x10 boxes are 8Ω and most 4x10 boxes are also 8Ω

4Ω 4x10s make more sense for just the reason you state, especially these days when amps have lots of power and few people need to drag around two 4x10 cabs anymore

I think most 410's are in fact 4 ohm, certainly in the pro market