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Stupid (but quick) question about cabs.

#2
devinp17 said:
There's something that I'm not understanding about this cab. If the cab says:

"Max Power: 700W Program
350W Continuous"

What does this mean? Is it a 700 watt cab? Or a 350 watt?

Thanks!
Click to expand...

Both are measures of thermal limited power handling - how much power a speaker will take before damage from excess heat occurs. 700w program means the amount of power the cab will survive under gig use. 350w continuous is short for continuous sine wave, and is the amount of power the cab will survive when fed a (350w) sine wave in the woofers passband, usually between about 200 and 1000 Hz. The continuous rating is of some value in comparing the power handling of different cabs, but is unrelated to actual playing (program) power handling. A further complication is that neither provides a handle on excursion limited power. Usually the excursion limited power handling is reached well before the thermal power handling limit. Often at about 1/2 or less of the program power handling. Basically, it's not safe to 'push' a cab unless you are listening for signs of distress - whether you 'under-power' or 'over-power'. Manufacturers are notorious for ver estimating power handling, as many players will make a choice based on it. But to be fair, power handling depends greatly on the nature of the signal (for example, your EQ, effects and technique).
 
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#3
that's why it's not a stupid question, the answer is so annoyingly slippery!

add to that, how many watts is the amp? the rating at a momentary peak with 2% distortion at 1kHz will be way different than what it can do continuously with zero distortion driving a full 20Hz to 20kHz signal.
 
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#6
I'm building my first cab right now, and had the lightbulb moment this week that the goal is not to dump watts into a speaker per se, but to get dBs out of the speaker. You can do that at high power, of course, but in modeling some designs, I see how easy it is for cone excursion to top out before you use all your juice. [EDIT: In other words, you'll break it before you toast it.] The cab I'm building will leave half my amp's watts on the table. But it goes north of 110dB first.
 
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#7
devinp17 said:
There's something that I'm not understanding about this cab. If the cab says:

"Max Power: 700W Program
350W Continuous"

What does this mean? Is it a 700 watt cab? Or a 350 watt?

Thanks!
Click to expand...
Honestly, manufactures sometimes fudge numbers, so pay no attention to that and instead listen to the cabinet to make sure it isn't farting out, and turn down the volume and or bass EQ if necessary.
 
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#8
Joe Louvar said:
Honestly, manufactures sometimes fudge numbers, so pay no attention to that and instead listen to the cabinet to make sure it isn't farting out, and turn down the volume and or bass EQ if necessary.
Click to expand...

+1 Most of the numbers you see mean different things depending on the manufacturer, and half of them are estimated/fictitious/made up. The best measure of cab power handling is a decent set of ears. Be willing to turn the bass or volume knobs down, your amps and cabs will thank you. If it's not loud enough, low enough, powerful enough, etc consider getting higher wattage amp (if its a headroom issue) or more/different cabs (if it's a volume or reproduction issue).

That said, I would use the 350 Watt number as a rough guide for the cab's "power handling" and take it with a large grain of salt.
 
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#12
Peavey has been a maker of reliable bass amplification equipment for years. They, and some others, are in this market for the long haul. They know that high power handling specs help sales, but also know that going too far will result in costly warranty repair work, and, perhaps more costly, a lot of disappointed players and a loss of favorable reputation. In any case, if you don't learn to pay attention to the sound of your rig no power handling spec will ensure damage/failure free operation.
 
#15
On the UK Basschat site there is a 1x12 Cab build diary using the Beyma SM212 driver. The SM212 is rated at0 350W and when tuned to 50Hz reaches Xmax (maximum linear excursion) with about 250-260 watts. So in that cabinet the 350 Watt speaker is a 250 watt speaker.

In terms of power handling cabinet manufacturers tend to quote the combined thermal rating of the drivers even though it will be lower on a cabinet. So I would assume that cab is good for a true 250 watts. Of course the amp makers all over are their amps too so you cannot win. As a general rule if it farts it is too much or turning your amp up gives no increase in volume you are driving it too hard.

I am not sure I have answered your question but I hope it helps.
 

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