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Noob Question here

L

LeoSash

Feb 13, 2012
102
0
#1
Ok maybe i wasn't reading this FAQ closely enough but its about heads and Cabs:

When you have a 250w cab and say a 180w head would you add that wattage or is 250w the max the cab can handle? If i used a 400w head with a 250w cab is that possible if the latter is true?
and would that even be enough for a small gig (largest being a mediumish school auditorium)?
 
#2
LeoSash said:
Ok maybe i wasn't reading this FAQ closely enough but its about heads and Cabs:

When you have a 250w cab and say a 180w head would you add that wattage or is 250w the max the cab can handle?
Click to expand...

Yes, 250w is the cab's max RMS or maximum peak wattage rating (usually distinguished I think?), the wattage to melt the voice coils for most manufacturers. ;)

If i used a 400w head with a 250w cab is that possible if the latter is true?
and would that even be enough for a small gig (largest being a mediumish school auditorium)?
Click to expand...

It's very doable. I've often used heads rated at 600w into cab(s) rated at 250-480w. If you do that be careful though. Listen for signs of speaker distress and don't boost the low end too much. If it sounds farty, turn down the bass knob or turn down the volume knob. :D
 
#4
What style of music?

How many guitars and how loud are they?

How hard/loud does the drummer play?

Will your gigs have PA support?

Do you play standard or some form of drop tuning?

What brand/type of amp and cab are you using?

Need more info to provide a better answer. In most cases, 250W will do you just fine for most small to medium size venues.
 
#5
Depends on how noisy the band is. Rock bands are usually noisier than jazz bands. Metal is louder than average rock, again usually. 250w is sweet for most school gigs.

Use ear plugs. Even on jazz gigs I use them, ears ringing after playing = hearing loss.
 
#6
levis76 said:
What style of music?

How many guitars and how loud are they?

How hard/loud does the drummer play?

Will your gigs have PA support?

Do you play standard or some form of drop tuning?

What brand/type of amp and cab are you using?

Need more info to provide a better answer. In most cases, 250W will do you just fine for most small to medium size venues.
Click to expand...

If you are using more than a single 15", 12" or more than a 210. :)
 
#7
B-string said:
If you are using more than a single 15", 12" or more than a 210. :)
Click to expand...

I beg to differ. If you're putting most of what a 250W head has to offer into a decent quality single 15" cabinet, that's going to rock the house pretty hard. I used a Mesa Diesel 15 by itself with a Hartke HA3500 for many gigs in small to medium sized bars with no PA support all over the Detroit Metro area and had no problem keeping up with the rest of the band and I only had the master set to 1 o'clock.

Now a 112 or 210, yeah that's only going to be useful as a personal stage monitor. I currently use a 212 and it's as loud as I'll ever need.
 
#9
B-string said:
1:00 on a master is about out of headroom on an amp head. Not to be argumentative but a 210 is about as capable as a 115. So either way you would be pushing the limits of the rig. That is fine if you are comfortable with that. :)
Click to expand...

Not to be argumentative, but what amps are you using that 1 o'clock is "out of headroom"? Just to be clear, 1 o'clock is just past half volume. That HA3500 had plenty of headroom left, and so has every other amp I have ever played thru. I could have cranked it up more, but I didn't need anymore.
 
#13
levis76 said:
Not to be argumentative, but what amps are you using that 1 o'clock is "out of headroom"? Just to be clear, 1 o'clock is just past half volume. That HA3500 had plenty of headroom left, and so has every other amp I have ever played thru. I could have cranked it up more, but I didn't need anymore.
Click to expand...
Knob position is irrelevant.
 
#15
RickenBoogie said:
Most, if not all amps, run out of headroom around noon to 2 o clock. In reality, the knob position is of little importance, but what B-Sting wrote is all true.
Click to expand...

Thank you RickenBoogie. :)

levis76 said:
Not to be argumentative, but what amps are you using that 1 o'clock is "out of headroom"? Just to be clear, 1 o'clock is just past half volume. That HA3500 had plenty of headroom left, and so has every other amp I have ever played thru. I could have cranked it up more, but I didn't need anymore.
Click to expand...

How long of a list do you want? Models by Ampeg, Fender, Marshall, ACC, G-K, Peavey, Trace Elliot, MarkBass, Crate......?
Those that don't develop their max clean output by 1 to 2:00 usually get labeled as under-powered as you need to high a setting for a usable volume. ;)
 
#19
A few factors here: first the power rating of your amplifier. Many amp (and speaker manufacturers as well) will do their rating at 1Khz rather than full bandwidth 20-20khz, this gives a false sense of power, not a false representations as it is required ot be in their manual under specifications. I suggest you check your manuals for your amp and cab specs. The other issue factor and fact is that more speakers are blown by being under powered than over. Without going to deep; you have a speaker cone attached to a former and voice coil which moves in and out of a gap (with very small tolerance) in magnet, at very high speed. Heat is what kills the speaker most often generated when an amplifier clips (square waves/reaches limit/whatever you want to call it)and this happens in milliseconds. When the amp clips the speaker immediately stops doing what it was told to do and tries to return to rest from it's excursion. As the power amp recovers the speaker jumps to react. This doesn't have to happen for to long before the winding on the voice coil heats up expands in the gap; more friction, heat, and speaker failure. Speaker manufacturers deal with the problem in many ways' venting, ferro fluid (metal particles suspended in oil), heatsinks, and more compliant speakers. My humble suggestion is; Make sure your rig; amp/cab combination, has enough out put to cover what you want them to do. An amp with 100 watt power rating above your cab is not a bad rule of thumb.
 

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