So its been WELL covered by both the "Anti-Mixed Drivers Club" as well as the law of "Ohms & Wattage" that you just DON'T mix a 4x10 cab with a 1x15 cab.
It depends because the law of "Ohms & Wattage" does not cover relationships of cone excursion vers cab tuning vers system input power. Power handling means nothing about cone excusion at the lows. Lots of cabs with a lower power handling can easily compete with higher rated cabs that means regarding mechanical power handling at the lows.
The 15 ends up getting half the wattage of the amp and emits magic tone smoke before the 10's even start to groove. (Not to mention the mixed driver phasing issues, and the fact that driver size does not have relation to how low of frequency it can pump.).
Thermal overpowering may cause magic smoke but, it's not as easy as it looks like to achieve sufficiant "average" power that will cause the smoke. Even with heavy compressed sounds it's hard way to get more than 1/3 average out of the amplifier. Any 300 watt rated cab would need around 900 watt amplifier to reach average thermal power, therefore would demand for around 1800 watt amplifier power if a 115 cab was mixed with a 410. IMO the overpowering "weakest" link argument is a real thing but, most often unrealistic. While more important driver excursion linits remain mostly unnoted.
Phase issues are often referenced but IMHO mostly ain't thought right to the end. MI gear is a somewhat different animal than audio HighEnd equipment you can pay several thousand bugs for. HighEnd audio equipment should be as perfect and accurate as possible while MI gear trails a very different aim sometimes. While MI cabs may provide a distinct musical sounding THD to the contrary audio cabinits shall provide as less THD as possible. Any skinny stacking of drivers will cause phase issues which are never tolerated with pro audio gear. As musicians we tolerate (and sometimes wish to have) a lot of issues which are a no go at the pro audio world.
In this case
Mixing Cabinets and Phase Response.
The phase difference is referenced as an issue but the application is missing. The phase difference was an issue with pro audio but it was not with stacking cabs for bass guitar application. The foreward phase response of the 15" driver would somewhat compensate the wider distance to the bass players ears.
But (to the contrary) the very important consideration of group delay at the lows is totally missing at this thread!
Hope I ain't misunderstood. For highend audio it's very important to provide as less as possible phase deviations. But at least with any skinny stacking of MI drivers any demand of tight phase response is obsolete.
Lots of MI drivers are OEM drivers designed by customer requirements. Those drivers can't be purchased of the rag. I'm wondering why the MI industry does not give more respect to extended low end with their 10" drivers, of course in a trade of with efficiency and sound coloring and "feel", I'm wondering because extended low end and large Xmax seems to be the most important spec to most of all players!
Just a couple of thoughts, hope nobody feels offended.
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