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Turning an 8 ohms cab in a 2 ohms cab

Turn the HX into a 2 ohms cab

  • Do it, switching back to 8 ohms is not complicated

    Votes: 7 22.6%

  • Trade/sell it, it's safer/better

    Votes: 15 48.4%

  • Don't, it's too risky and complicated and could become an amp killer

    Votes: 9 29.0%
  • Total voters
    31
#25
JimChjones said:
And as, for a typical driver, the impedance will be steadily rising once out of the bass reason, won't that have the effect of cutting treble as less signal goes through the coil and more is dissipated in the resistor?
Click to expand...
I assume the resistor will have some impact on the reactance of the load. Whether the change in reactance is significant to hear, I can't say....sorry it's over my head.
 
#26
Wasnex said:
I assume the resistor will have some impact on the reactance of the load. Whether the change in reactance is significant to hear, I can't say....sorry it's over my head.
Click to expand...
The reduction in power delivered to the speaker will always be less adding a parallel resistive load than any mismatch could possibly present.
 
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#30
CK McLaughlin said:
Just curious, would it be reasonable and practical to install a heavy-duty switch or jumper block on the back of a speaker cab to change more easily between series and parallel wiring?
Click to expand...
Possible, but it requires a switch design that does not present an illegal load to the amp if it gets switched with the amp powered up. Not trivial.
 
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#31
agedhorse said:
Possible, but it requires a switch design that does not present an illegal load to the amp if it gets switched with the amp powered up. Not trivial.
Click to expand...
I modded a couple four 12 cabinets for dual impedance using an NL8 speakon, with all speakers direct wired to a pin set on the NL8, the mating NL8 plug did the jumper config and had the speaker cable wired into it, just plug in the NL8 plug that was wired for the impedance you wanted and plug the cable into the amp.

No idea what happened to those cabinets, he used them for a while then sold his rig for the next flavor of the month.
 
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#34
baxter_x said:
Hello,

I own three Hartke 410 Hydrive cabs (one HX and two HL). All of those cabs are 8 ohms.
I also own 3 amps: Ampeg SVT2, SVT 7 and Sadowsky SA200. Only the SVT 7 can't be used at 2 ohms which is ok as it's mainly used as backup.

My frustration is I can not use my SVT 2 with any single cab as it's a 2/4 ohms amp. I did use it with a single 8 ohms cab but it doesn't seem to perfom very well.
I could use it with two cabs but it's overkill since I don't tour much for the moment. Also, the cab will be used mainly for rehearsing. The HL will be used for big stages and touring.

I could sell/trade the cab for a 4ohms one, but I'm considering turning it into a 2 ohms cab.
There is an thread about it on Talkbass but I can't find it anymore.

Is it easy to do?
Is it a good idea?
Click to expand...
Ross from Two notes here. You could use a device like Reload II set to 4Ω for your SVT 2. The speaker you connect to the Cab outs are irrelevant impedance wise as your amp will only see the matched load of the Reload II. Let me know if that helps! :)
 
#35
Ross Davies said:
Ross from Two notes here. You could use a device like Reload II set to 4Ω for your SVT 2. The speaker you connect to the Cab outs are irrelevant impedance wise as your amp will only see the matched load of the Reload II. Let me know if that helps! :)
Click to expand...
I'm not used at all to using those types of devices, so I have a several questions.
Will I still be able to use it with a cab as I want to hear myself?
Will it act as another "silent" 8 ohms cab?
The specs say it can take up to 200 watts RMS. The SVT2 is rated at 300w. Isn't that a problem?
 
#36
baxter_x said:
I'm not used at all to using those types of devices, so I have a several questions.
Will I still be able to use it with a cab as I want to hear myself?
Will it act as another "silent" 8 ohms cab?
The specs say it can take up to 200 watts RMS. The SVT2 is rated at 300w. Isn't that a problem?
Click to expand...
Thanks for getting back to me and no problem at all. Please see below...

Will I still be able to use it with a cab as I want to hear myself?
You can indeed - Reload II features 2 separate cab outputs!

Will it act as another "silent" 8 ohms cab?
Well, that depends on what impedance you select on the reverse of the unit - however it will act as a load for your amp. In the case of the SVT2, you would set this to 4Ω and use the approproate output tap on the SVT2. You can then connect any combination of 2 cabinets to Reload II's outputs.

The specs say it can take up to 200 watts RMS. The SVT2 is rated at 300w. Isn't that a problem?
Unless you are running your SVT2 at 100% master volume, you should be absolutely fine!

Let me know if this helps and if you need any other info, I am here to assist!
 
#37
Ross Davies said:
Thanks for getting back to me and no problem at all. Please see below...

Will I still be able to use it with a cab as I want to hear myself?
You can indeed - Reload II features 2 separate cab outputs!

Will it act as another "silent" 8 ohms cab?
Well, that depends on what impedance you select on the reverse of the unit - however it will act as a load for your amp. In the case of the SVT2, you would set this to 4Ω and use the approproate output tap on the SVT2. You can then connect any combination of 2 cabinets to Reload II's outputs.

The specs say it can take up to 200 watts RMS. The SVT2 is rated at 300w. Isn't that a problem?
Unless you are running your SVT2 at 100% master volume, you should be absolutely fine!

Let me know if this helps and if you need any other info, I am here to assist!
Click to expand...
Is there overtemp protection on the load? What happens if the load overheats?
 
#38
Ross Davies said:
Well, that depends on what impedance you select on the reverse of the unit - however it will act as a load for your amp. In the case of the SVT2, you would set this to 4Ω and use the approproate output tap on the SVT2. You can then connect any combination of 2 cabinets to Reload II's outputs.
Click to expand...
Ok, so if I set it to 8 ohms, and use it with my 8 ohms cab, I'll be able to use my 2 pro will see a 4 àhms load right?

interesting, even if my solution is free ;)
 
#39
agedhorse said:
Is there overtemp protection on the load? What happens if the load overheats?
Click to expand...
There is indeed. The Temperature Warning Indicator on the reverse of the unit will illuminate when the temperature inside Torpedo Reload II exceeds 100°C. This is measured at 2 points: the Loadbox and Poweramp. When active, Torpedo Reload II will mute itself and disconnect the load box immediately to avoid any possible damage stemming from excessive power dissipation. The connected Amp is then placed immediately on a safety load.
 
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#40
baxter_x said:
Ok, so if I set it to 8 ohms, and use it with my 8 ohms cab, I'll be able to use my 2 pro will see a 4 àhms load right?

interesting, even if my solution is free ;)
Click to expand...
Thanks for getting back to me. You would actually set Reload II to 4Ω as it is the load your Amp needs to see that is important. You can then connect any cabinet – or combo of cabinets at any impedance – to the Cab Outs. Let me know if this helps to clarify things!
 

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