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Hartke Cab

B

Bass_masta16

Jul 9, 2008
1,084
3
32
Wellington, Ontario, Canada
#1
I am in need of a new cab (I have multiple other threads about cabs).

I have recently been looking into Hartke, well, because I already have one (but its shot) and I like it.

I am in need of a cab that is about 500-600 watts at 4 ohms, and I want to go Hartke, so..

My budget is only about 500-600 dollars, so I don't really know if I could obtain a decent cab for that amount.

I would prefer its new, nothing off of Ebay, Kijiji, TB, etc..

Can anyone suggest a Hartke 410 to me that fits these statistics?

Quick question aswell, how is "Hartke" pronounced? I've heard people say "Har-Take" or "Hart-Key"

Thanks
 
#8
Bass_masta16 said:
whoa, sounds interesting, but i dont need THAT many watts :p
Click to expand...
That's okay, you won't HAVE "that many watts".

The power rating of a cab is a measure of how much electrical power you can put INTO it. There's nothing wrong with using a cab that has a higher rating than you need, as long as your amp has enough power to drive it as loud as you want to get without running flat out.
 
#10
Bass_masta16 said:
I don't know a whole lot, but if you have a 400w 8 ohm cab, and you pair it with another cab (to make 4 ohms) doesn't it double the wattage or something like that?
Click to expand...

Here's my layman's explanation:

If you have a 350 watt head, like my Hartke HA3500, and one 8 ohm cabinet, the amp's output will be something like 270 watts. If you add a second 8 ohm cabinet, the system impedance drops to 4 ohms and the amp's output will be the full 350 watts. The power ratings are usually printed on the back of the head and included in the on-line specs. Sorry for the non-scientific explanation but I'm sure you get the idea.

If you'd like to see for yourself, I'll be at the South Norfolk Moose Lodge, Norfolk, VA tonight at 8:00. Be sure to introduce yourself; I'll buy you a beer and 50/50 ticket.

Riis
 
#12
Bass_masta16 said:
Thanks for the info, but I don't know if I fully understand yet.

Can anyone tell me how many watts the 4.5xl is at 4 ohms?
Click to expand...

No problem. The Hartke 4.5xl is rated 400 watts at 8 ohms. The speaker impedance load will drop to 4 ohms if you couple the 4.5xl with a second 8 ohm speaker.

The amplifier's output varies with the total system impedance it "sees" at the other end. Most amplifiers are capable of effectively handling impedances of 8 and 4 ohms, only a handful can do 2 ohms safely (without risk of damage).

Back to the question: the 4.5xl is capable of handling 400 watts at 8 ohms. If you drop the system impedance to 4 ohms by adding the second cabinet, the 4.5xl will still be capable of handling the aforementioned 400 watts.
 
#13
Bass_masta16 said:
Thanks for the info, but I don't know if I fully understand yet.

Can anyone tell me how many watts the 4.5xl is at 4 ohms?
Click to expand...

8 ohms is the rating (impedance) of the cab. The cab is 8 ohms, and that's it. You won't get anything from the amp at 4 ohms, because the cab you're feeding is 8 ohms. This is a fixed number for the speaker's resistance to signal from the amp, as a speaker is a passive device.

So: The amp will have an output rating at 8 ohms, and another rating at 4 ohms. Let's say the amp's 4 ohm rating is your 'max output', or highest number for power output. But if the cab has an input rating at 8 ohms, you'll get the amp's output at 8 ohms, not 4. See?

If you have 2 cabs rated at 8 ohms and they're both running off the amp, you'll now be delivering output at 4 ohms (8 ohms divided by 2 cabs = 4 ohms).

Getting it?

I took too long to post! Sorry to be redundant and long-winded!
 
#18
Bass_masta16 said:
Ok, so I still don't understand something :p

If I were to get a 4.5XL, and make a stack with my Transporter, NORMALLY, that would be 4 ohms (8+8=4), but from what I'm getting from this, the 4.5xl doesn't have a 4ohms option, but could I still run it at 4 ohms? Would it effect it in any way?
Click to expand...

No, you'll be fine provided you don't overpower things (the Transporter has a lower power rating). When you hook up your 8 ohm 4.5xl with an 8 ohm Transporter, the combination will essentially create a single 4 ohm load for your amplifier.

Unless you live south of the equator in which case all bets are off.

Riis
 
#19
Bass_masta16 said:
Ok, so I still don't understand something :p

If I were to get a 4.5XL, and make a stack with my Transporter, NORMALLY, that would be 4 ohms (8+8=4), but from what I'm getting from this, the 4.5xl doesn't have a 4ohms option, but could I still run it at 4 ohms?
Click to expand...

Yes. The cabinet(s) determines the ohm load, not the amp. If you have a 4 ohm head you can run it into any cabinet or combination of cabinets where the resistance is 4 ohms or greater. Whether that be 5 ohms or 1000 ohms. You'll only run into problems if you run the head into something with less resistance (i.e 2 4 ohm cabinets with a combined resistance of 2 ohm, etc...)
 

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