Speaker Cab Set Up Changes?

[Big Benner]

Hey all,

I seem to be playing a lot of loud gigs these days and running my rig quite aggressively. It's an SWR SM900 (800watts bridged) into older Yorkville 2x10 & 1x15 speaker cabinets. The power amp clip led flashes maybe 1 - 5%, hardly ever and only on the loudest of notes and the speakers seem to stay focused and tight with no distortion. I'm just wondering what a set of Yorkville 4x10s would do for me. I can't haul an 8x10 cab (perhaps nor would I want to without roadies ), but 2 4x10 cabs would fit in my car and I'm assuming the 10inch speakers would give me more "apparent" volume. ???

I think I'd like to stay with Yorkville for a few reasons - they've been good to me, I like the tone, they can be fixed cheaply here in T.O. and the local Long & McQuade will rent them and if I like them I can just send them a check for the rented, used cabs for a lower price than new.

So, without getting into different manufacturers, what kind of difference would a 2 4x10 cab set up make to my 2x10 & 1x15 set up. What would the sound difference be to me on stage, 1 to 5 feet away from the cabs? What difference would the audience hear seeing that most of these gigs do not have me going through the PA? Would my amp have to turn up or down for more apparent volume?

Thanks all,

Benner

 

[chaosMK]

I used a 1x15/2x10 setup for a while, including a few times live. I play progressive alternative/metal music and tend to go for a tone that sounds good in the lower range with an aggressive finger style.

After a while (with the same head) I upgraded to a 2 4x10 setup. Big difference in sound- way thicker "wall of sound effect" tons of punch. Lots more power required. This setup shakes my pant legs, shirt, hair, a lot more than the previous one. It is definately a lot more miserable to transport too. I went with 10's (though I am a big 15 fan) for low midrange bump to cut through in my situations.

What I liked about the 1x15/2x10 setup was that it drove the speakers a little harder at lower power and I kind of dug that tone. In fact, I recently switched out one of my 4x10s (Goliath III) for a 2x10 (Avatar Pro) and have been liking that a little more.