This is an observation of the current trends. IMHO, the reason for these trends is because they are possible and customers want them enough to justify making the products.
Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
Join free Log in
Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.
Question for our experts - why aren't more amps designed for 2 ohm loads?
- Thread starter bherman
- Start date
This is an observation of the current trends. IMHO, the reason for these trends is because they are possible and customers want them enough to justify making the products.
Some people still opt for the Ampeg and think the tone is magical....not me, but some people
.
That's why I have larger 4-Ohm cabs. Not “modular”, but not real heavy or hard to manipulate.
I'm certainly not saying 2-Ohm capability is a bad thing, I have a rack rig to run two 4-Ohm cabs if I ever wanted to, and if I thought I'd do it on a regular basis, I'd go get a small/light 2-Ohm head.
Yeah, I have a Yamaha BBT-500H that does 2 ohms, and a pair of 4 ohm GK 212MBE-II cabs. It was awesome to power up both cabs when I was playing in a punk-metal power trio, but for just about any other application just one of the 2x12s is plenty ample.
It works for some styles of music. If other people are willing to suffer for their art far be it from me to get in their way.Some people still opt for the Ampeg and think the tone is magical....not me, but some people
For clean, PA amps can be used with a suitable preamp. An example of a 2 ohm capable amp is the Crown XLS series.
https://www.crownaudio.com/en/produ...0615-pdf-5358b6ad-617d-4b17-888f-c0a95c86ea52
https://www.crownaudio.com/en/produ...0615-pdf-5358b6ad-617d-4b17-888f-c0a95c86ea52
When I see Markbass publishing 4x6" (equivalent to 1x12") cab 100dB/1w/1m and Ampeg 8x10" (roughly 5.5x12") publishes the same 100dB/1w/1m, I tend not to trust any figures.
I played across Canada with one. It went down to 2, altho I only took it 4, with two Traynor 810s.
It came with the 2-15 cabinet. IIRC it was in AB, Red Deer maybe, that I traded it for a Traynor 810 (different array than Ampeg and superior; allegedly made for Jimi's Toronto concert).
I’m by no means an expert, but to add my own perspective to the discussion, I have noted that, at least in the recent past, amps were designed with certain cabinets in mind to be paired. Kind of a way that the company could make two sales in one. For instance, when I purchased my Ampeg 1540he I realized that it was designed with two of Ampeg’s heads they made at the time in mind: the SVT 400T in a bi-amped configuration and the SVT II. The cab was a bit of a headache if you did not have one with it being 8 ohm in full or 2x4 ohm with both sections separated, which would be 2 ohm if run into one normal head. When I had a SVT 450H I was then forced into only having access to about 275 of the 450 watts available, which was fine, but it was just a bit annoying. Eventually got an SVT-VR that was essentially the same as the SVT II as far as the ohms go, so everything is simpatico I suppose .
But, yes, at least in the past, especially during the whole “bi-amp” era they seem to have a pairing of head and cab in mind when designing them, and they seem to have somewhat kept with that philosophy.
Anyway, that’s my 2 cents on the subject from a consumer’s standpoint.
But, yes, at least in the past, especially during the whole “bi-amp” era they seem to have a pairing of head and cab in mind when designing them, and they seem to have somewhat kept with that philosophy.
Anyway, that’s my 2 cents on the subject from a consumer’s standpoint.
You forgot about Keith Richard’s
Instead of cynically assuming everyone lies, it's more beneficial to get a sense of which ones are publishing honest measurements, which ones are finessing their measurements a little, and which ones are making up numbers entirely.
I wouldn't own a head that didn't go to 2 ohms. Not because I necessarily need it, but I like the flexibility. If enough people want it that way, other builders will start to make it happen. If not, that's cool. There are plenty of builders currently that do make 2 ohm capable heads. Bergantino, Mesa, Aguilar to name a few. Hard to go wrong with any of them.
- Feb 12, 2006
- 60,988
- 5
- 220,786
- Disclosures
- Development Engineer-Mesa Boogie, Development Engineer-Genzler (pedals), Product Support-Genz Benz
Correct, and for those who are emphatic that "it can't be done successfully", there are 3 examples to prove that they simply don't have the design chops to be able to do so. These are also amps that have longer than average warranties too so clearly there's nothing to fear regarding reliability.
Hmmm....Not sure? It has a 4ohm/2ohm switch on the rear panel. Could have been a speaker compatibility thing. I was using Hartke Hy Drive 1x 12 cabs. 2 set at 8ohms and 1 set at 4ohms. Do you think that was the problem?
My Elf is a handy amp-no need to run it @2 ohms.
I’ve got other rigs for that.
- Feb 12, 2006
- 60,988
- 5
- 220,786
- Disclosures
- Development Engineer-Mesa Boogie, Development Engineer-Genzler (pedals), Product Support-Genz Benz
For smaller amps there’s no compelling reason to run at 2 ohms because generally they are being used with one smaller cabinet and maybe two, with a reasonable expectation of maximum volume.
As well as fantastic manuals to help the user best understand the equipment. The time it takes to document a complex product well costs money. Money that some, even most, manufacturers don't bother to spend.
Last edited:
I would be hesitant to agree with this, but that could be because I worked as an electrician all my life.
As an electrician I always work with constant loads when working out cable sizes, music is not a constant load.
Saying 14 gauge is ok for 2 ohm without taking into account the watts going into the 2 ohm cab or any other factors is a slight hickup for me, especially since that could refer to a 200 watt cab or a 1200 watt cab. (Yes I know who Agedhorse is and I do respect his opinion greatly)
If my mind is working today then an 800 watt amp going into a 2 ohm speaker would be close to 20 amps, I think 14 gauge wire is a bit too small for 20 amps even if the losses might not be too bad for a short run.
Cables will always be downrated by heat as well so if you are playing outdoors in full sun the black leads can get fairly hot just from the sun, there are many factors to consider.
Another thing to consider is the style of music, soft bass in a mellow jazz group or a bloke who is trying to smash his strings as hard and fast as he can playing his latest crazy doom sludge.
At least most modern amps usually have 2 speaker outlets, 2 separate 4 ohm cabs that have their own cable going back to the amp will make a 2 ohm setup, but each cab is still considered a 4 ohm run when working out the cable rating since the parallel connection is in the amp.
I would never recommend piggybacking one speaker from the back of another speaker when using high power amps, run a separate cable to each speaker from the amp if possible.
Last edited:
