Watts ?

[G2K]

Greetings, lets say I have a amp that has the following power rating: 175 watts/8 Ohms, 300 watts/4 Ohms. If I was to opt for a 4 OHM single cab to max out power would it be better to go with a 250 Watt, 300 Watt or 400 Watt cab?
Tks

 

[topper]

I say 300 or 400. While you may be OK with the 250 watt cab, and some would say, you'll never really push a full 300 watts from your amp... I say better safe than sorry.

In a live situation when you can't hear yourself, the temptation to turn up will be pretty strong and you'll want to be able to that and not feel like you're risking damage to your speakers.

 

[billfitzmaurice]

The cab power rating is almost immaterial, having little relationship to how loud or low it will go. That is the product of sensitivity, frequency response and driver displacement, factors which no manufacturer provides accurate, if any, information for. The only way to know how any cab will work with your amp is to try it.

 

[staindbass]

i would go with a 500w cab. that way, when you get a new amp in a year, you dont need to step up the speaker again. spending a little more now will save you spending twice later. also, if ur gonna be pushing the amp hard, the closer you get to max power, the distortion level goes up. you may not hear it, but the voice coil will get hotter. i would leave a good margin for error. johnny a /staind

 

[G2K]

Thanks for the input, would a 300 watt amp drive a 500 watt cab properly? FTR, I just kind of jumped back on the horse and have pretty much only used combo's 50-100 watt types.

 

[LarryO]

I'd go with two 8ohm cabs. youd get the same output (300 watts) as a single 4 ohm but you'd move more air.......but it all depends on your current needs

 

[RickenBoogie]

The 500 watt cab will be fine, as will all the others. 300 watts is alot of power.

 

[G2K]

Thanks All

 

[topper]

300 watts is alot of power.

That's subjective. I've played in bands where 300 watts was not nearly enough power. Depends on the other instruments, their amps, the venues you're playing, etc.

I agree that my approach would also be to run two 8 ohm cabs. Moving the extra air seems like it would make a great difference in overall volume.

 

[Jaco who?]

That's subjective. I've played in bands where 300 watts was not nearly enough power. Depends on the other instruments, their amps, the venues you're playing, etc.

SPL ratings are subjective too, but they're the main reason that 300 watts is subjective. That's why trying cabs out with the head you use is the best idea, whether you buy two 8 ohm cabs or one 4 ohm cab.

Unless you dime the bass knob all the time, pretty much any cab ought to be able to handle 300 watts, unless maybe it's the one's that start with B and end in R.