Double Bass Glockenklang 600 Impedance Transformer

[Ric Vice]

From the Glockenklang Website "The GLOCKENKLANG impedance transformer 600 helps the musician to change impedances of speaker cabinets from 4 to 8 ohms or 8 to 4 ohms.
You can either use the 8 ohms side as input (connected to the poweramp output) and the 4 ohms side as output (connected to a 4 ohms cab), to change a 4 ohms cab into 8 ohms or vice versa to change an 8 ohms cab to 4 ohms."

Would there be any downside to using such a device other than the fact that it weighs in at over 16 pounds as a component or 19 pounds in a standalone box with connectors!

Technical Data:
Power handling: max. 600 watts
Impedance: 8 : 4 ohms or 4 : 8 ohms
Frequency range: 20 Hz -19,5 KHz
Dimensions: 195 x 135 x 100 mm (7.7" x 5.3" x 4")
Weight: 7,3 kg ( 16.1 lbs) or Weight: 8,9 kg (19.6 lbs)
Connectors: 2 speakon (1+ hot, 1- cold)



Price @$295.00

Ric

 

[geoffbassist]

I've also wondered what this was... Bit heavy though!

 

[robgrow]

This is nothing new. I believe it's really an autotransformer, which have been in use for many, many years and are available from several sources (even Peavey sells one). McIntosh solid state power amps, for example, use autotransformers. The amplifier's output stage sees a more or less constant impedance, and can develop full power into a 4, 8 or 16 ohm load. For more technical details see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autotransformer

Whether this would be a useful thing to have kind of depends. Personally I wouldn't want to carry it around.

 

[Bardley]

I don't feel like the advantage, if any, would be worth the weight.

 

[Ric Vice]

This is nothing new......

Whether this would be a useful thing to have kind of depends. Personally I wouldn't want to carry it around.

Ditto on that one Bob. This device doesn't exactly match with the newer lightweight amps and speakers that are so nice to transport to the gig.

 

[joeturbodiesel@]

I wonder who sells it? How much do they cost?

 

[drurb]

There are potential sonic disadvantages to such a device. Placing the transformer (basically an inductor) in series with the speaker creates a filter and there would likely be attendant frequency response anomalies created. In addition, the Invalid Link Removed of the system would be greatly reduced. Damping factor is an important property for the production of low-frequency content which is, of course, about what we care the most!

 

[paulitto]

I used to have the former model (300Watts).
It works actually pretty good. But it is a heavy little beast....

Don't let you fool by thoughts like this:

......If i connect my 8Ohm speaker to my Amp, it get's 300Watts from the poweramp.
So, if the same speaker has 4Ohms it get's 500Watts from the poweramp.
So it must be much louder..... WRONG

The increase of Volume you get out of such a solution is probably 10% or so.
Adding a second speaker is much, much more effective.


Regards,
Paul