Mixing 210 cabs

[Mackluth]

Hey y’all, I know mixing different speaker size cabs isn’t the best idea, but what about two different 2x10 cabs?

I’m borrowing a friends 2x10 avatar cab and am considering picking up an Eden 2x10 that’s for sale locally for cheap to make a a 2ohm 4x10. Thoughts?

 

[BassmanPaul]

Can your amplifier drive a 2Ω load?

 

[Bass_Pounder]

Just as much of a crapshoot as mixing sizes.

 

[S-Bigbottom]

They will have different voicings and handle eq differently.
If you like the way it sounds enjoy.

Your amp good for 2 ohms (as Paul already asked)?

You mention mixing different speaker sizes as not the best idea even though they are both 2x10's this is exactly mixing cabs- not the best idea. It is not just about speakers size but different soundings from each box.

 

[Downunderwonder]

If you like the Avatar the assured path to sonic bliss is get yourself a pair and stack tall. Your bud can't be too attached to the one he is lending you. He might sell it leaving one more to be found.

On the other hand, most of the time you're better off with a 4 ohm stack. Now might be a good time to go with that.

 

[Mackluth]

Can your amplifier drive a 2Ω load?

Yeah, it’s a Peavey Mark VI. I want to get the full wattage out of it and have a rig that will fit in my four door Ford Focus.

Unfortunately, all the avatar cabs I can find are over $300 and I’m looking around $200.

Thanks for the replies guys!

 

[BassmanPaul]

I would be very careful aiming for a 2Ω load. This amp may be safe BUT not many others are. You would be better served by aiming for a 4Ω total load. The difference in volume will be almost inaudible.

 

[ThisBass]

Some pro audio amplifiers run save at 1 Ohm nominal load.
Never heard of any pro audio engineer advice it was a better bet to align the cabinetry for 4 Ohm nominal load to the amplifier


with an svt amp you can power either 4 Ohm or 2 Ohm total load if you power an ext cab.
So we are very restricted with the total load to svt amplifiers.
Interestingly nobody would ever tell you that it was not a good idea to play an amplifier such as a svt because of cab impedance restrictions.

 

[reno88]

i play an avatar neo 2x10 (4 ohm) with an eden d210xst (4 ohm) stacked vertically (eden on the bottom). i use a mesa d800 amp (2 ohm capable). this has been my rig of choice for a few years, and it kills. i've tried other cabs including barefaced and ampeg, but i still come back to this combo. play what you dig.
good hunting!

 

[ctmullins]

I want to get the full wattage out of it

I see this statement made fairly regularly, and I think it’s misguided. I’m betting that what you really mean is “I want maximum loudness”, in which case you should be looking at total driver displacement instead, as well as cabinet sensitivity. An 8 ohm 4 x 10 will (all else equal) be louder than a 4 ohm 2 x 10.

 

[JRA]

I know mixing different speaker size cabs isn’t the best idea

folks say this for some good/great reasons and some say it just because others say it first. there are so many possibilities of success or failure on any account to make hard and fast rules. if you can distribute power to the cabinets in a meaningful/logical way* = you can combine any cabinet with any other so long as the results yield a performance which is meaningful to you. some cabinet combinations are inherently more 'meaningful/thoughtful' than others but in all cases = they are theoretical until tested in the real world.

do what you want, use what you've got. see/hear what happens and judge for yourself. good luck!

* e.g., impedance mismatches can gum up the works