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stupid question about cabinets and heads

T

thesummerends

Guest
May 1, 2013
20
0
Connecticut
#1
OK so this week I purchased a 800 watt cabinet that operates at 8 ohms. Now, do I have to buy an 800 watt head that operates at 8 ohms for it to function properly or can I buy a head with less or more power. So sorry if this sounds like a stupid question I read the FAQs and could not seem to get a straight answer. Thank you!
 
#3
CL400Peavey said:
You can use that cab with just about any solid state amp. Infact I wouldnt try to put more than 400-500 watts at 8 ohms through it. If you are looking at a tube amp, there are a few that are not as happy running at 8 Ohms as others may be.
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Ok so essentially you are saying that I should get a head that runs between 400 and 500 watts at 8 ohms? For the cleanest and most efficient tone?
 
#5
800w is the maximum power it will take before the voice coils blow. It is not the amount that will give you the cleanest and loudest tone. That will likely be considerably lower. But you can power it with as little as 5w if you want...you just won't get very loud before it gets dirty. You can use an 800w head if you are careful about volume, and it will give you some extra headroom, which many folks like. But 300-500w head will be fine. I rarely use a head with more than that and I'm fine and I'm a working pro.
 
#6
ArtechnikA said:
Yes.
Less is better in that it makes it harder to damage.
More is OK if you use your ears and back off if you hear distress.

However - there are not a lot of amps that can push 800W into 8 Ohms - outside pure power amps - so you should be safe unless you have (really) deep pockets...
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Ah thank you so much for the info really helps this is my first time putting together a rig and I went and bought the cabinet first. Now I will just have to hunt down a nice head in the class fields section:) Thank you once again!
 
#8
JimmyM said:
800w is the maximum power it will take before the voice coils blow. It is not the amount that will give you the cleanest and loudest tone. That will likely be considerably lower. But you can power it with as little as 5w if you want...you just won't get very loud before it gets dirty. You can use an 800w head if you are careful about volume, and it will give you some extra headroom, which many folks like. But 300-500w head will be fine. I rarely use a head with more than that and I'm fine and I'm a working pro.
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Thank you so much for the clear and easy information. I'm a bit of a rock in the mental department haha.
 

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