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question about impedence, wattage and speakers.

FenderBender82

FenderBender82

Aug 29, 2010
148
5
South county, RI
#1
OK, i just started using this hartke lh500 and eden d210xlt and had a few questions. reading the owners manual it says it puts out 350 watts to a 8ohm cab and 500 watts to a 4ohm cab. my eden has dual voice coils and can do either 4 or 8ohms but there is no switch like on some other cabs. so how do i know how much my amp is putting out? I have a gig coming up soon and don't want to toast these expensive eden drivers that are only rated to 350 watts. I intend on building a second cab with a 15 or a 12 in it soon that I'll run at 4 ohms to make sure that i get every last drop of power from this thing. but for now i just need to know how far i can push it.
 
#2
I don't think any eden cabinet has the ability to switch impedance. it should be either 8 or 4 ohms. If it is eight, it will be receiving 350 Watts from amp. Cab rated at 350W so no problem.If 4 ohms, it will be receiving 500 watts from amp. You should listen to your ears and be careful not to overpower cab. Otherwise, it's fine. I own a 210XLT 4 and it is a monster. Super efficient and can really play loud. A D112XLT makes for a wonderful combination. You have to find out if your cab is 8 or 4 ohms
 
#4
Get yourself a Digital Volt Meter, and check how many ohms of resistance you get on a cable plugged into the back of the cabinet. That's your impedance.

500W amp into a 350W speaker isn't a bad thing at all. You really don't want to drive the amp right up to its limit anyway. (That's probably worse for your speaker.) Keep the volume below 11 and you'll be fine. If it makes a sound like you're killing your speaker, you probably are. Turn down accordingly.
 
#6
FenderBender82 said:
because its listed as 4 and 8 ohm on the eden website and nobody sells them with a choice between the two. i bought mine used and assumed it has dual voice coils not really knowing if they were doing that back then
Click to expand...

You are misunderstanding the info on the website. That cab is available in EITHER 4ohm or 8ohm version (different drivers were used). You could specify which impedance at any retail shop when these came out. It should have the impedance listed on the attenuator panel at the back of the cab.

If that info is worn off from the cab being used and older, just take it into a speaker repair shop and they will test it for you.

In your current situation, you are fine either way, since that wattage is fine for that cab in 4 or 8 ohms (assuming you use your ears and don't turn it up to 10 if it is 4ohms). However, it will be important to know when you combine it with other cabs.
 
#7
XLT SERIES
This is our best-selling line of speakers, with numerous models from which
to choose. The XLT series cabinets have a low-mid bump that gives them
their authoritative growl. This helps the bass cut through even the muddiest
mix. Our D410XLT is the touring standard around the world. Product
offerings in this group include:
Model Impedance RMS power handling
D810XLT 4 or 8 ohms 1400w
D610XLT 6 ohms 1050w
D410XLT 4 or 8 ohms 700w
D210XLT 4 or 8 ohms 350w
D210MBX 8 ohms 350w
D212XLT 4 or 8 ohms 400w
D112XLT 8 ohms only 250W
D115XLT 8 ohms only 400w
D215XLT 4 or 8 ohms 400w
D118XLT 8 ohms only 500w

taken from the eden manual
 
#8
OK so on the back plate it says 350w z 4. so I'm assuming that means 4 ohm. sorry i should know this stuff but when i first got the cab from djm it had the wrong drivers in it and they were blown. so it took them a month to put new eden drivers in and i just got it back and haven't had any time to play with it. plus posting makes me feel special!
 
#9
FenderBender82 said:
OK so on the back plate it says 350w z 4. so I'm assuming that means 4 ohm. sorry i should know this stuff but when i first got the cab from djm it had the wrong drivers in it and they were blown. so it took them a month to put new eden drivers in and i just got it back and haven't had any time to play with it. plus posting makes me feel special!
Click to expand...

Never a problem to post and ask a question. That's how I learned (and continue to learn) about all this stuff.

Your cab does seem to be identified as 4ohm. However, since you had the drivers replaced (by Eden I assume?) it might be worth given them a call (or contacting the shop that did the speaker replacement). Again, not really much of an issue when using the cab alone, but you will need to know when adding another cab to make sure you don't drop below 4ohm total with some heads.
 
#10
FenderBender82 said:
OK so on the back plate it says 350w z 4. so I'm assuming that means 4 ohm. sorry i should know this stuff but when i first got the cab from djm it had the wrong drivers in it and they were blown. so it took them a month to put new eden drivers in and i just got it back and haven't had any time to play with it. plus posting makes me feel special!
Click to expand...

Yes, "350w z 4" should mean "350 Watts at 4 Ohms". That's what was originally installed in the cabinet. If new drivers have been installed, all bets are off unless they're the same make & model as the original ones.

"Z" is the standard symbol for impedance. Note that impedance (AC) is different from resistance (DC). Both are measured/stated in Ohms (ohms). DC resistance is normally stated with the symbol "Ω" (Greek "Omega"). You can find the (static) DC resistance of a driver or speaker with an ohm-meter, & that will get you into the general ballpark of its (AC) impedance. Impedance is dependent on frequency, & what's usually stated as a driver/cabinet's "nominal" impedance is the impedance at it's resonant frequency, or the frequency where it's most efficient.
 
#11
Measuring with an ohmmeter will show a bit less than the published impedance. So if you measure about 5-6 ohms, it's an eight. If you measure under 4, it's four ohms.

That said, the cab will probably reach its limit long before the amp does. Even assuming the 350w/8ohm situation, that cab will probably start to fart out before then. The key is to listen to it. When it distorts, you have to back off the bass EQ and/or volume.
 
#14
Sorry for hijacking the thread, but the thread title seems appropriate enough for my question.:)

I'm using a Fender Bassman 135 amp and I'm considering buying a Trace Elliot 4x10 400w cab @ 8 ohms.

The output on the back of the Bassman says "minimum load 4 ohms" - will I be risking some kind of damage to the amp (or the cab) if I plug the TE cab into the bassman?
 
#16
FenderBender82 said:
no but it wont be putting out full power
Click to expand...

Sorry for the hijack, but I think I just had a lightbulb moment.

I've been A/B'ing various heads & cabs and keep coming back to a 4 Ohm cab since it sounds the loudest at the same head settings w/out any distortion. Since every other cab is rated @ either 4 or 8 Ohms, have I been doing apples to oranges comparisons since the other single cab tests have the heads putting out less power into them?

Maybe that explains why the 4 Ohm Berg HT322 sounds louder than the Aguilar GS212 (my 2nd choice, which is lighter & less expensive). If a fairer comparison would be 2 x GS212, then that tilts the tables in their favor.
 
#17
would i need to rewire my cabs or could i just use single leads with bannana plugs (since my eden has them) to hook them up in series? is my head even capable of this internally. also i'm not sure if avatar cabs can be ordered with bannana jacks. what would be the downside of this setup? is there even a way to add another cab and keep the total impedance at 4 ohms? i may just have to return the head and kick in the extra cash to get the lh1000 since it has way more option for connecting multiple cabs.
 
#19
blab said:
Sorry for hijacking the thread, but the thread title seems appropriate enough for my question.:)

I'm using a Fender Bassman 135 amp and I'm considering buying a Trace Elliot 4x10 400w cab @ 8 ohms.

The output on the back of the Bassman says "minimum load 4 ohms" - will I be risking some kind of damage to the amp (or the cab) if I plug the TE cab into the bassman?
Click to expand...

The Bassman 135 is a tube amp IIRC. There are so many permutations carrying similar names it's hard to keep track! If it is tube you should mate it with a 4Ω cabinet. If it's SS tehn anything 4Ω and above will be fine.
 
#20
FenderBender82 said:
i'm already wanting to add another cab in but dont really know what to do since i'm already at 4 ohms which is my amps minimum. i've been interested in the avatar 112 neo and was wondering what would be the best way to hook up two 4 ohm cabs in series to my amp.
Click to expand...

Series connecting two dissimilar cabinets can lead to cancellations as the crossovers interact.
 

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