<possibly a noob question> adding a 2nd cab to Hartke HA3500. Watts?

[benno_bennessy]

Hi everyone, I'm really sorry if this is the most common and annoying question in existence, but I've had a look around and can't find the specific answer.

I have just bought the Hartke HA3500 and an XL410 and I friggin love it. No more PA for me thanks very much!

So currently I have:
AMP = 250w@8ohm or 350w@4ohm
CAB = 400w@8ohm

...and I want to add in a 2nd cab, say the xl115 which is 200w@8ohms. Now my understanding is that 2x 8ohm cabs will become 4ohms in paralell, so then the amp puts out 350watts. How does that work accross the two cabs, as in, if they are rated for "200watts@8ohms", what are they rated for at 4ohms? More? less? whats the calculation there? Is there any type of mismatch that could happen here where one of the cabs has potential to be damaged, or god forbid, one of them should be driven too softly and quietly?

That said, has anyone here got the Same HA3500 + xl410 rig and added a 2nd cab to it at all? I'd like to hear your recommendations/stories if you have.

Sorry again if this is a noob question that has been answered a million times elsewhere.

 

[No Great Loss]

An 8 ohm cab is always going to be an 8 ohm cab, no matter what it's run in conjunction with. (Unless you open it up and start playing with its innards.) Each individual cab will be pulling an 8 ohm load from the amp. The combined load on the amp from the cabs is where the 4 ohms comes into play, but this doesn't change the cabs at all.

2 cabs of the same resistance should pull the same amount of power from the amp. If your amp is rated for 350 watts at 4 ohms, 2 8 ohm cabs should get 175 watts each. Someone correct me if I'm wrong. (like I have to ask)

I haven't tried the setup you're going for, but I know that the 4x10 + 1x15 is a standard favorite for many people.

 

[dbase]

I just hooked up an xl210 with my VX115 using a
ha2000 and its sweet. I ordered a new hartke LH500 which is 500 watts at 4ohms and cant wait. I agree with you about the pa... Im from the old school. everybody plays thru their own amps and sings thru the pa.

 

[Jay Corwin]

I have the same head and run a similar setup. The 3500 has two 8ohm outputs on it. I run a Hartke 410TP off one, and an Ampeg SVT15 off the other. They are both 8ohm cabinets. The manual recommends one 4ohm, or two 8ohm cabinets....but goes on to say that anything with an impediance of 4 or greater can be used.

If you want to hook up to 8ohm cabinets, do it. That head will have no problem pushing them both.

 

[benno_bennessy]

Cheers, thanks for the responses guys. I just spoke to someone who also told me that if the resistance is equal for both cabs, the watts split down the middle, so it's be 175watts going to both the 400watt capable 410 and 175 watts going to the 200watt capable 115.

I used to run through the Crate BT100 and it's a great example of something that sounds *ok* through a P.A. system... and then you upgrade to a real amp and your jaw drops! Incidently, my Crate 100watt combo is for sale now if anyone in Melbourne, Australia is interested it's listed here: http://www.ausband.com.au/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&t=125009

I don't know why so many people rely on the PA to be any good - I've seen bands where the bass player uses a squillion bucks worth of gear, then points it in towards the band, so the first three or so rows of people with the PA above their heads basically hear no bass at all. Can anyone explain this activity to me?

 

[Jay Corwin]

Cheers, thanks for the responses guys. I just spoke to someone who also told me that if the resistance is equal for both cabs, the watts split down the middle, so it's be 175watts going to both the 400watt capable 410 and 175 watts going to the 200watt capable 115.

I used to run through the Crate BT100 and it's a great example of something that sounds *ok* through a P.A. system... and then you upgrade to a real amp and your jaw drops! Incidently, my Crate 100watt combo is for sale now if anyone in Melbourne, Australia is interested it's listed here: http://www.ausband.com.au/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&t=125009

I don't know why so many people rely on the PA to be any good - I've seen bands where the bass player uses a squillion bucks worth of gear, then points it in towards the band, so the first three or so rows of people with the PA above their heads basically hear no bass at all. Can anyone explain this activity to me?

It all depends on the venue, and thier PA....and the guy running sound. For those of us who play mostly in bars/clubs, you have to rely on your own gear to get the job done. A lot of places I play only use the PA for vocals, which is fine for the size of the place.

I've seen guys point there amp at the drummer before when there aren't any monitors for him. I've had to do this before at places with really poor sound systems/acoustics. Most of my bands have been trios though, so I can usually get away with setting up my rig towards the rear of the stage so that the drums are sitting far enough forward to hear me. It's always a crap-shoot the first time you play at any given place.