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Just replaced my speaker. HELP!

S

stefandisgust

May 28, 2006
450
0
Boston, Massachusetts
Disclosures
Spector Basses-New Artist
#1
Hey guys,
I just thought of something here.

Back when I bought my current Mesa Boogie Fridge I replaced one of the 10 inch blown cones it came with and would like to know if I've been running the correct power?

The fridge (which is a combination 4X10 & 1X15 in a single enclosure. This guy is 4 OHM) had one 10' cone replaced with another from my old Mesa 2X10.
Now that I think about it... that old 2X10 was 8 Ohm.

Did I do something wrong? Its been running for about a year at high volume with no problem at all.
 
#2
Your thread is called "Just replaced my speaker" and your description includes the fact that the replacement happened about a year ago. :hmm:

I think that you have mismatched speakers. A 410 cabinet usually has a pair of 8 Ohm speakers wired, each pair in parallel.

That's (8 + 8 in series) in parallel with (8 + 8 in series)
results in (16) in parallel with (16) = 8 Ohms.

A 210 cabinet at 8 Ohms probably has two 16 Ohm speakers in parallel. Throwing that into the situation above is a mismatch.

None of this is gospel. It's just what I think. At 1:20 AM. After posting this
 
#5
Thanks guys! I know for a fact that the one I put in looked a tiny bit different in color and had a different sized cap. Miniscule differeneces.
Do you have the old silver grill one? The new black ones look really cool too. They made some improvments that I wish mine had though!
 
#6
stefandisgust said:
Hey guys,
I just thought of something here.

Back when I bought my current Mesa Boogie Fridge I replaced one of the 10 inch blown cones it came with and would like to know if I've been running the correct power?

The fridge (which is a combination 4X10 & 1X15 in a single enclosure. This guy is 4 OHM) had one 10' cone replaced with another from my old Mesa 2X10.
Now that I think about it... that old 2X10 was 8 Ohm.

Did I do something wrong? Its been running for about a year at high volume with no problem at all.
Click to expand...

Hi stefandisgust.

Is this your cab?

PowerHouse™1200 Bass Cabinet

1200PH-LGfnt.jpg


Performance Features:

* 1200 Watts
* 8 or 4 Ohms
* 1x15 & 4x10 Custom Mesa PowerHouse Speakers
* Custom Mesa Neodymium High Frequency Horn
* Exclusive Tuned Front Ported “Tri-Port” Design
* Player Control Network™ featuring: Selectable 3-point Crossover (3k/4k/5k), Premium Horn Attenuator, Instant Reset Horn Protection, Speakon & ¼” Inputs AND Outputs
 
#7
Well you can go to Home Depot and buy an Ideal ohm meter. Test the cab to see what ohm it is.

I was at a GC in Towson, MD and saw one of these. I turned it around to read that it was an 8ohm cab. At the time all I had to run it was a GK backline600 which is only 180watts at 8ohms. That would not brought out half the potential of my a thoughts of that cab. It was $500usd. If it were 4 ohms I might still have today.
 
#9
That black face cab is actually the new and improved version of mine but yes that's it! Now that I think about it...there is no way that I wouldnt have checked the ohms printed on the replacement speaker I put it. I just wish I could remember!

I work at a hardware store and will see if I can get one of those meters and test the thing. Can you use a volt meter?
 
#10
stefandisgust said:
That black face cab is actually the new and improved version of mine but yes that's it! Now that I think about it...there is no way that I wouldnt have checked the ohms printed on the replacement speaker I put it. I just wish I could remember!

I work at a hardware store and will see if I can get one of those meters and test the thing. Can you use a volt meter?
Click to expand...


It'll have to be a multimeter that has the horseshoe on it that indicates ohms.

Plug in a cable it could be instrument as you arnt running power just a test. set the meter to ohms, the other end of the cable put a test lead on the end of the cable and the other test lead put in on the ring in back of the cable. Check the reading. I might not be perfect it could read 4.38 or so.
 
#11
You've got to take any meter readings with a grain of salt. They are never right, sometimes WAY off, because you cannot test a speaker accurately that way. Speakers are rated for what they'd read while under a certain amount of power, at a particular frequency, in a cabinet. A meter won't reproduce these conditions, at all.
For example, my 8ohm rated SWR Goliath cab measures 4.8ohms with a meter. Be careful.
 
#14
dmusic148 said:
You've got to take any meter readings with a grain of salt. They are never right, sometimes WAY off, because you cannot test a speaker accurately that way. Speakers are rated for what they'd read while under a certain amount of power, at a particular frequency, in a cabinet. A meter won't reproduce these conditions, at all.
For example, my 8ohm rated SWR Goliath cab measures 4.8ohms with a meter. Be careful.
Click to expand...

Find a better meter.
 
#16
TrooperFarva said:
There's nothing wrong with his meter. DC Resistance is only one component of an amps overall Impedance, which, as he stated, actually varies with the frequency of the signal.

IME, the DC resistance typically measures to be about 60-70% of the labeled impedance, which his measurement falls in line with.
Click to expand...

ok i own 3 meters, a fluke, a feildpiece and an ideal. My ideal is cheap and was reading 6.4 on my 8ohm cabs. My other 2 meters are far better meters and they both read 8.4 (+/- .5). I was just figuring that be the problem seeing that I am an electrician and I own good meters.
 
#17
MikeGee said:
ok i own 3 meters, a fluke, a feildpiece and an ideal. My ideal is cheap and was reading 6.4 on my 8ohm cabs. My other 2 meters are far better meters and they both read 8.4 (+/- .5). I was just figuring that be the problem seeing that I am an electrician and I own good meters.
Click to expand...

I own several Flukes, but I've never encountered what you describe. I've always measure 30-40% less than the labeled impedance, because the meter can only measure resistance, not reactance.
 
#20
MikeGee said:
ok i own 3 meters, a fluke, a feildpiece and an ideal. My ideal is cheap and was reading 6.4 on my 8ohm cabs. My other 2 meters are far better meters and they both read 8.4 (+/- .5). I was just figuring that be the problem seeing that I am an electrician and I own good meters.
Click to expand...


three years ago these were my readings. I remember that day clearly. It was the day I bought my GK BLX 4x10 and 1x15, which I am now trying to sell cuz I don't like them at all. The matching 600 - 300 watt head is actually nice and makes a great back up.

30mins ago I tried it again, the results proved other wise. They were consisting with the post of BassmanPaul. Apparently I own 6 ohm cabs. No that was a joke. I get it, my bad I learned something.

On a note of electrical meters. I don't depend my life on them they are just to tool to further understand what is going on in an electrical system and devices.

Thanks for the lesson, I am done rambling.
 

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