Up/downgrade from Ampeg 810HPC to split cabs...

I currently run an Ampeg SVT-4 PRO head (1200W) through an Ampeg SVT 810HPC (1500W) (quite a rare cab from my experience?). I utterly love the sound and the power this set up gives me. I thought I would never want to change it again, but it's gotten to a point where carting 205lbs down 3 flights of rather precarious and narrow stairs from my studio to a van for gigs is becoming a bit of a ballache!

I've been looking around to possible split the cab in to two to make it much easier on me and my band. I'll sell (or keep for the studio) the 8x10 and get either 2 x 4x10s or a 4x10 and a 1x18/15 at 600W each.

Ampeg don't seem to make cabs that match the wattage. The Ampeg 410HLF is 500W, which is the largest 4x10 they do. I could go for the 610HLF which is 600W, but then that hardly changes the issue! 115lb and nearly as big!

I've been looking at EBS and Ashdown cabs too of the same ilk, and both those companies offer something similar to what I'm looking for... but I'm afraid of tonal differences.

Another, related question:

The EBS-410 is 800W, and the EBS-115 is 400W. Would I be able to run them both on the head to achieve the full 1200W capability of the amp head? I've not checked a 400W cab out before now.

I need some advice! The 8x10 is great, but getting it down those stairs is going to damage one of us one of these days! Does anyone have any suggestions on what cabs I could go for or if mis-matches wattages would work? My head has a lot of routing options - the manual is located below for anyone interested:

http://www.ampeg.com/pdf/SVT4PRO.pdf?bcsi_scan_4F28EE64D006276A=0&bcsi_scan_filename=SVT4PRO.pdf

 

I'm not actually going to split it... would devalue it too much and it'd be too much work!

I find my guitarists 4x12 fine to handle, even on my own... I know the bass cab would weigh a lot more, but it'll still be easier for two of us to carry.

I suppose I'm looking more for advice on tonal differences / wattage matching...

 

Aye, but would it be detrimental to use, say, an 800W cab and a 400W cab, one on each channel?

 

I'm considering anything at the moment! I want to keep my head (though it needs servicing), but I want to make the cab/s easier to carry...

 

Just been looking at these Schroeders... some look nice... may have to look in to them a bit further.

The descriptions don't seem to match the pictures though?

http://www.schroedercabinets.com/210212.htm

 

Does anyone else have any experience of this kind of thing then? Would going to 2 x 4x10s sound similar to my 8x10? Would a 4x10 and a 15x1 configuration sound better? The only thing about my 8x10 is the low B on my bass is a bit weaker than the rest...

 

So, ohmage? frequency response? As I said, my cab in near perfect for my needs, but it's too damn heavy to get down those stairs!

 

OK, after a few days looking, I've decided I want a 1x15 or 1x18 to handle the low B (which I sometimes drop to A), and a 4x10 for the high frequencies. That'll also solve my issue of the cab being too heavy / awkward.

I've been looking at the Ampeg SVT-4 PRO's manual (http://www.ampeg.com/pdf/SVT4PRO.pdf), and it seems I can run quite a few different configurations.

I'm still concerned about power - I still want it to pack as much umph as my current 8x10. If wattage isn't anything to go by, what should I be looking for? The weight and dimensions of the amp sounds a little... well... wrong?

I'm also very tempted to go stereo instead - 2 x 4x10s, stage left and stage right. But this doesn't solve my low B issues...

 

Running two 4x10s in stereo is very tempting... I could then make full use of my stereo effects. However, I would imagine most gigs I'll do, I'll have them on top of each other anyway, (space considerations), so it may be a little pointless...