Higher wattage amp or Cab?

[Spoono Ghiefardi]

So every forum i've been to has contradicting information. Do you want your amp to have more watts than your cab or vise-versa. I can't seem to find a clear answer. And then of course after a few posts the thread gets hijacked by brand bashers and snobs. So please, any clear answer or at least a clear pro/con of each would be helpful. Thanks much.

 

[Old Garage-Bander]

So every forum i've been to has contradicting information. Do you want your amp to have more watts than your cab or vise-versa. I can't seem to find a clear answer. And then of course after a few posts the thread gets hijacked by brand bashers and snobs. So please, any clear answer or at least a clear pro/con of each would be helpful. Thanks much.

There does not seem to be a clear answer, hence your trials in trying to find one.
If you have an amp that will make more power than your cabs are rated for, you will have to be careful not to turn up too loud.
If you have cabs that are rated to handle more power than the amp, then in general you should not be concerned about speaker damage.
That being said, there are circumstances where a lower power amp can cause damage to a higher power cab.

It is opinion as to which is better. My personal preference and recommendation is to not overpower your cabs. There is no harm in under powering them. Another thing I like about less amp and more cab is that you have more speaker headroom before they start to max out. My feeling is, what is the point of having extra amp power if you can't use it?
In either case, you want to be cautious and alert to how you treat your gear. If the speakers start to sound weird, back off on the volume.
Others will have differing opinions and YMMV.

 

[lz4005]

You can do either one, really.

Higher cab handling makes it more idiot proof in terms of not damaging your speakers. But you can still do it if you try hard enough.

Higher amp wattage means you can theoretically have more clean headroom. You just have to listen to make sure your cabs aren't being pushed past their limits.

 

[lz4005]

Ha! OGB and I posted almost the exact same thing at the same time.

 

[Old Garage-Bander]

Ha! OGB and I posted almost the exact same thing at the same time.

Yes! Great minds and all...
Be glad you don't look like me.

 

[Korladis]

Since I live in the high-volume, high-overdrive world of underground rock/metal gigs, I like to have the idiot-proof quality of cabs that can handle way more power than my amp can put out, even when the amp is pushed way past clean. My amp is rated 180 watts, and my cab can handle 800 watts.

 

[Rick James]

So every forum i've been to has contradicting information. Do you want your amp to have more watts than your cab or vise-versa. I can't seem to find a clear answer.

You usually want the amp to have more power than the speaker can handle, so that you'll have headroom if you don't push the speakers hard for a clean tone, or enough power to clip them a bit if you want a dirty tone. The problem is that the power rating of the speaker doesn't tell how much the speaker can handle before it starts to clip. That's determined by the speaker excursion/displacement, which is very well explained on the Barefaced site. Barefaced Bass - Volume displacement - it's (almost) all about moving air
But aside from Barefaced no one tells you what their displacement is.
The exception would be with a tube amp, especially if you want to get your tone from overdriving the tubes instead of the speakers. Then you might want to have the amp power a lot less than the speaker power.

 

[Korladis]

You usually want the amp to have more power than the speaker can handle, so that you'll have headroom if you don't push the speakers hard for a clean tone, or enough power to clip them a bit if you want a dirty tone. The problem is that the power rating of the speaker doesn't tell how much the speaker can handle before it starts to clip. That's determined by the speaker excursion/displacement, which is very well explained on the Barefaced site. Barefaced Bass - Volume displacement - it's (almost) all about moving air
But aside from Barefaced no one tells you what their displacement is.
The exception would be with a tube amp, especially if you want to get your tone from overdriving the tubes instead of the speakers. Then you might want to have the amp power a lot less than the speaker power.

I've never gotten this "more headroom" argument. Because if your amp can put out 1000 watts and your speakers can only really handle 500, the reality is that you don't have that headroom. Sure, your amp might be clean up to 1000 watts, but you can't actually use that much. You can only use 500.

I prefer a cab that handles enough power to not care if my amp is completely cranked. Speakers can be expensive to repair.

 

[lz4005]

I've never gotten this "more headroom" argument. Because if your amp can put out 1000 watts and your speakers can only really handle 500, the reality is that you don't have that headroom. Sure, your amp might be clean up to 1000 watts, but you can't actually use that much. You can only use 500.

The logic of people who build rigs that way is that even if you're only using 500 of the 1000 watts the amp will theoretically put out, you're going to have more clean headroom for transients and such with the 1000 than you would with the 500 because it's not pushing the limits of the amp.

It's a completely different way of thinking and a completely different goal than what it sounds like you have. Not better or worse, just completely different.

 

[Spoono Ghiefardi]

So basically i can do what i want, it all boils down to me paying attention to my equipment.

 

[agedhorse]

Headroom is not headroom if you end up using it. Headroom is available power that is not used, if it is used for transients then it's not headroom. This is a common misunderstanding.

Generally, the practical limit for most (not all) speakers is pretty close to the thermal power handling because most speakers (again, not all) handle less power mechanically at low frequencies than they do thermally. I tend to be a little conservative and recommend powering most speakers at around their thermal (ie. "RMS", or "continuous average") power rating, and never more than 2X the thermal rating (often called "program power rating in the pro audio field) because of the mechanical limits encountered in bass guitar signals.

Speakers tend to last a lot longer powered this way IME.

 

[agedhorse]

So basically i can do what i want, it all boils down to me paying attention to my equipment.

Correct, common sense helps considerably.

 

[Sid Fang]

You usually want the amp to have more power than the speaker can handle, so that you'll have headroom if you don't push the speakers hard for a clean tone, or enough power to clip them a bit if you want a dirty tone.

I personally do not find the distortion of farting speakers to be of any musical utility.

 

[Frenchy-Lefty]

Higher cabage amp or watt?

 

[spaz21387]

I like having my cab handle more power than my amp puts out. I think im pretty safe with my svt/8x10. That thing is so loud i really dont turn it up past like 2. Anything higher and i cant hear the other members of the band...

 

[Grumry]

It's all about headroom.

More watts means your amp isn't working as hard, not overheating, etc.

Higher rated speakers let's you achieve louder volumes without destroying them.

 

[Bassmec]

It will totally depend on the average power of your bass sound, fx like overdrive and compression vastly increase average power, fx like sub octave pedals etc. push your drivers harder for a given input in watts.
Answer therefore is it depends on the tone goals of the user.
The big amp small cab supporters, are often well into speaker compression so can't really claim they have headroom.
+ If those rigs are used for back line rentals or rehearsal facilities, the speaker service life will usually be circa less than one booking.:-(X

 

[Slevage]

I've never gotten this "more headroom" argument. Because if your amp can put out 1000 watts and your speakers can only really handle 500, the reality is that you don't have that headroom. Sure, your amp might be clean up to 1000 watts, but you can't actually use that much. You can only use 500.

I prefer a cab that handles enough power to not care if my amp is completely cranked. Speakers can be expensive to repair.

I like more head room because I mostly play clean, and like the transients to not choke the amp. I've used 500+ watt amps into single 12's with great results.
When dirt is needed, my current set up employs an Aguilar Tone Hammer.
My friend has an old Fender Bassman 50 Head--- I owned a new one in the 70's. It works great when we are playing at relatively low volumes, but it wouldn't work for me live--- even through a big cabinet, because I can tell/feel when the amp exceeds its limits. It does not achieve my sound.

You can "spike" a 500 watt speaker beyond 500 watts and not burn it up.

 

[CL400Peavey]

There does not seem to be a clear answer, hence your trials in trying to find one.

Disagree. There is a lot of horse apple superstition, and a lot of lacking knowledge on how electronics and mechanics work.

There is no reason to stuff 10 pounds of crap in a 5 pound bag.

That being said, there are circumstances where a lower power amp can cause damage to a higher power cab.

If a lower power amp damages a cab, it isnt due to under powering. Ever.

You usually want the amp to have more power than the speaker can handle, so that you'll have headroom if you don't push the speakers hard for a clean tone, or enough power to clip them a bit if you want a dirty tone.

This is the exact opposite scenario that is optimal. You usually want the cab to be able to handle more than the amp can put out, so that your cab doesnt mess the bed when you push the amp a little.

Headroom is not headroom if you end up using it. Headroom is available power that is not used, if it is used for transients then it's not headroom. This is a common misunderstanding.

Exactly.

Speakers tend to last a lot longer powered this way IME.

Yep.

 

[Deezer Butler]

I prefer to have the cab's power handling to be a bit more than what the amp puts out in wattage, myself. Over the years of playing in very loud bands, I have learned one thing..... Blowing a speaker is a undesirable pain in the rear. If I was doing a different genre, were I would not get so loud...I suppose I would not worry about this.