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Wattage question

V

Verlathor

Guest
May 12, 2013
18
0
#1
Hello everyone, brand new poster here, need some help to make sure I don't blow my brand new rig up and you guys look like you know what you're talking about!

Now I've had a look around the forum and haven't found an answer to my question, though I do apologise if it has been addressed before and I was just being dense. My question is:

Yesterday I got myself an Ashdown MAG 600 with an Ampeg 410hlf cab. The Amp head is rated at 600 (well, 575) watts RMS and 900 watts Peak, whereas the cab is rated at 500 watts RMS and 1000 watts Peak. Is it the peak I have to watch out for in terms of wattage matching to make sure I don't break something in the cabinet, or the RMS?

All the similar questions to this I found simply dealt with the RMS, but I thought I'd find out if the cab can take it because it's a higher peak wattage before I cart this cumbersome thing back down the stairs and to the music store to give the salesman a good talking to for not realising this when I asked "These match up in power ratings, right?"

Thanking you in advance!

Edit: Oh by the way, yes, the impedence is 4ohms on both amp and cab, just in case anyone was going to ask that.
 
#5
I think that 1000 watts peak is close enough to 900 watts peak that you'll be fine, and the RMS ratings match well too. The ratings are not "hard-limit" numbers, more like ball-park guidelings, and that's only a 10% overage, I think you'll be just fine.

If you find you really are cranking the amp way up- playing really, really loud- then you might hit some problems, but I bet you'd hit some sort of excursion limitation, especially if you run a lot of bass EQ, first before hitting a thermal limit. Although realize that the amp can deliver it's full power without necessarily having to dime the gain and volume, so you do have to use your ears.

If the speaker makes some bad farting noises, don't ignore it. That's its way of telling you to turn down the amp.
 
#6
There is a very good very recent thread about RMS peak program which explains it all in a dense few postings from a selection of the TB most knowlegable. If you search Jerrold Tiers it'll be right there.

If your cab is buzzing on a sustained note it should be buzzing all the way through. That would mean the damage is done already. Cross fingers it's the room.
 
#7
There is a very good very recent thread about RMS peak program which explains it all in a dense few postings from a selection of the TB most knowlegable. If you search Jerrold Tiers it'll be right there.

If your cab is buzzing on a sustained note it should be buzzing all the way through. That would mean the damage is done already. Cross fingers it's the room.
 
#8
The buzz I refer to is very very quiet to the point I wouldn't notice if I weren't listening as closely as I am. Either way, if the damage is already done there's nothing I can do about it and it's not harming the sound at all.

Thank you very much for your replies guys, you've put me at ease, I'll make sure there's no horrible distortion occuring. I'm sure I won't have to crank this thing too much, my bandmates haven't got hugely loud rigs and it's already shaking my room with the input and output at less than a quarter up. :S
 
#9
Hard to know what's causing that sound until you can isolate each piece. Don't know how easy it would be for you to try a different cab with the head and a different head with the cab, but that's the only way to make a for-sure determination.
 
#10
This is my first ever bass amp, I've got a marshall jvm guitar head that I could plug into it, but I don't know if that'd be a useful test.

Edit: Here's a sound clip of the buzz, it's more noticeable when I play the lowest notes. It sounds kind of like a bitcrusher effect.

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
 
#11
Sorry to double post, but would anyone know whether the buzz apparent in the above clip is benign or something I need to worry about? Also, if it is a problem, what would be the probable issue and fix?

Thanks.
 
#13
It sounds fine to me, but I may be missing something of course.

I first tried listening through my workshop speakers but they are under the bench and just set all the loose screws on the top dancing when I cranked it so swapped to some good quality earbuds, still sounded ok.

Usually if you have driven them too hard (and distorted the voice coil or suspension) it sounds as though you are permanently running through a 60s style fuzz box and it is rarely subtle.

I've had a new driver straight from the manufacturer that had an ever so slight voice coil rub that was only audible on very quiet notes, I spent hours looking for something vibrating on my cab. In the end I took it out and (carefully) ran it stand alone and it was still there.
 

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