Parallel - Series multiple cab HELP !

[BassmanPaul]

Carvin BX1500 handles 8 or 4 ohm loads @ 750w each, two amplifier blocks
OR, 1500w @ 2ohm loads when bridged

NO it does not! 1500W @ 4Ω minimum impedance. It will NOT bridge into 2Ω. I own one.

 

[RockFistMusic]

B-string already did a mighty fine job of answering the question. Thanks B-string

This is different than your first example.

What is your real question? Define the question accurately and completely and you will get an accurate and complete answer.

 

[B-string]

No trouble, glad to keep your amp out of the shop as well.

 

[RockFistMusic]

B-string, I was throwing hypothetical out there with regard to the Carvin, in now way was it hooked up that way - ppl gravitated to that instead I guess. My concern was all things being equal does one cab get more juice than the other.

If you search the internet, it can be confusing look > http://www.tunemybass.com/bass_amps/how_to_hook_up_heads_and_cabinets.html where he states "When you hook up more than one speaker to an amp, there are two ways they can be arranged: in series, or in parallel. Series means chaining the cabinets together one to the next. Parallel means sending one output of the bass amp head to one cabinet and a second output from the head to another cabinet. Parallel is two (or more) side-by-side connections."

If you look below B-string mentioned chaining the cabs one to the next was parallel, however this guy says that is 'series'.
I ran into similar conflict when I looked for the answer to the question, assuming 2 cabs are chained one to the next only utilizing a single output at the head, will one cab receive more juice (watts) than the other even if all things being equal - they are both 4 or 8 ohms...
I have found 3 different answers, all 3 possibilites actually -
1) first gets more, 2) same ohms = same juice, and finally 3) second cab gets more.

Hope that sheds light on the reason for the madness here

 

[RockFistMusic]

I found a speaker load calculator here's what it says "

Speaker A = 6 Ω
Speaker B = 8 Ω
Total watts = 1000

Total Impedance = 3.4285714285714 Ω
Speaker A Power = 571.42857142857 Watts
Speaker B Power = 428.57142857143 Watts


Speaker A = 8 Ω
Speaker B = 8 Ω
Total watts = 1000 Impedance = 4 Ω

Speaker A Power = 500 Watts
Speaker B Power = 500 Watts


HOWEVER - this was for 'parallel' which as stated by B-string, so I think there is a lot of bad info circulating on the web.

Looks like most answers were good on here \m/

Thanks guys !!

 

[DeadZeriousBass]

I would not recommend this at all. The 4x10 will over power the 1x15 due to the 4x10 has more surface area then the single 15. Secondly i did read that you should always use identical speaker cabs as this will be a better option. Thats why the 8x10 cabs were so popular in the 90's even PA systems use identical speakers in their cabs usually 2x15 with a horn for the highs. I would do research on the net and you will see that no one recommends mixing different cabs what i would do is run through 2 amps using a mixer to send your signal to 2 Amps but this is not the best solution either because the 4x10 will still over power the 15. Im assuming you want to use the 15 for more low end in this case you will need a good crossover to seperate the frequencies

 

[B-string]

"Series means chaining the cabinets together one to the next. "

I always wondered WHERE that bad piece of info came from! No industry standard cab has to my knowledge ever wired an "output" jack to make a series circuit. This would also mean if you used only the output jack the cab would be "dead". They are always "pass-through" which means a parallel connection. Chaining a cab is a parallel connection, to run cabs in series requires a special built cable or box (that would require use of three cables).
If the first cab is 8 ohm and the second 4 ohm, the second cab will "draw" more.
If the first cab is 4 ohm and the second 8 ohm, the first will "draw" more.
If both cabs are 8 ohm they receive the same no matter which cab has the cable from the amp.

 

[walterw]

If you search the internet, it can be confusing look > http://www.tunemybass.com/bass_amps/how_to_hook_up_heads_and_cabinets.html where he states "When you hook up more than one speaker to an amp, there are two ways they can be arranged: in series, or in parallel. Series means chaining the cabinets together one to the next. Parallel means sending one output of the bass amp head to one cabinet and a second output from the head to another cabinet. Parallel is two (or more) side-by-side connections."

that quote is so vague as to be meaningless, when it's not outright wrong.

if by "speaker" he means "cabinet", then it's utterly wrong. cab jacks and amp outputs are all parallel, it's the same no matter the order.

if you're talking about actual drivers inside a cab, then it's sort of maybe right: series wiring means the - of the first speaker goes into the + of the second, so the signal can be thought of as coming out of the amp, going through one driver, then through the second, and back to the amp.

parallel inside the box is the same as parallel cabs; the +'s all get connected together, and the -'s all get connected together, so the signal can be thought of as getting divided up and going through all the speakers at once.

also, series adds up the ohm loads, parallel divides them.

 

[B-string]

This also makes anything on this site http://www.tunemybass.com/bass_amps/how_to_hook_up_heads_and_cabinets.html suspect as useless.

 

[RockFistMusic]

AHA~! We've uncovered a perpetrator of mis-fact.
Awesome this kind of crap is confusing even without mis-information.

B-string once again stands correct, in that CABS and heads are all by nature parallel so chaining speaker CABS is parallel. Many manufacturers sell 'rigs' and make stacking / parallel recommendations such as 410+115 stacks. In my case I have 2 GK 115RBH's loaded with upgrade 8 ohm Peavey BW's and Selenium tweeters and together (stacked a.k.a parallel) they are a 1500w 4ohm wall of punch.

Thanks again guys

 

[B-string]

The exception that comes to mind is G.C.'s Acoustic that wire the extension jack on combos for a series connection with the internal speaker.

 

[agedhorse]

Without knowing a lot more information, this is just as likely to be inaccureate. Surface area is only one very limited parameter, your assumption has ignored other just as important parameters such as motor strength, moving mass, electro-mechanical efficiency, cabinet size versus tuning, etc.

In the OP's origninal question, his 410 was 4 ohms and his 115 was 8 ohms, the ratio of power balance between cabinets was just fine. If the 15" cabinet had a real sensitivity of say 101dB (1W/1M) between 40Hz and 80Hz (entirely possible with a good choice of driver parameters) and the 410 had a sensitivity of say 101-102dB above 60Hz, this might very well be a better sounding combination for some players.

It's all in the thoroughness of the design, for example all the cabinets within any family in our line is designed to work well together with attention paid to phase response. My personal preference is a 115 and 210, both 8 ohms, in our Uber. I also like the same combination in the Focus. Better than 215's or 2x 210's. Why, because BY DESIGN they work well together.

I understand that many folks still believe this whole not mixing cabinets myth... in part because there are mixed size driver cabinets that do not work well together, but also in part because they don't understand the engineering behind it and feel compelled not to believe the folks that prefer this combination.

I would not recommend this at all. The 4x10 will over power the 1x15 due to the 4x10 has more surface area then the single 15. Secondly i did read that you should always use identical speaker cabs as this will be a better option. Thats why the 8x10 cabs were so popular in the 90's even PA systems use identical speakers in their cabs usually 2x15 with a horn for the highs. I would do research on the net and you will see that no one recommends mixing different cabs what i would do is run through 2 amps using a mixer to send your signal to 2 Amps but this is not the best solution either because the 4x10 will still over power the 15. Im assuming you want to use the 15 for more low end in this case you will need a good crossover to seperate the frequencies