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Which will be louder? (Acme content)

Stereo Joe

Stereo Joe

Jun 29, 2007
980
48
Ontario, Canada
#1
I've been subbing with a cover band that plays REALLY loudly. It's a three nighter gig and tonight is the last night. It will probably also be the loudest night. I've been using my Acme B2 (4ohms) on this gig and I'm pretty much getting the maximum I can out of it and yet I still need more with these guys. Anyway, I'm wondering if using my Acme B4 4x10 will give me a significant enough increase in volume even though it is 8 ohms.
So...

500 watts into Acme B2?
or
300 watts into Acme B4?

Thanks!
 
#2
IME... all other things being equal, a bigger box will trump wattage every time. I'd go with the 410.. much better to have a 410 barely breathing with 300 watts than a 210 absolutely pushed to its safe limits with 500.
 
#3
Stereo Joe said:
I've been subbing with a cover band that plays REALLY loudly. It's a three nighter gig and tonight is the last night. It will probably also be the loudest night. I've been using my Acme B2 (4ohms) on this gig and I'm pretty much getting the maximum I can out of it and yet I still need more with these guys. Anyway, I'm wondering if using my Acme B4 4x10 will give me a significant enough increase in volume even though it is 8 ohms.
So...

500 watts into Acme B2?
or
300 watts into Acme B4?

Thanks!
Click to expand...

Go to your local music store, buy a Genz Benz 1200 or similar(needs to work on 2ohm), put on your credit card. Use it tonight with both cabs and return it on Monday for a full refund.
 
#4
allexcosta said:
Go to your local music store, buy a Genz Benz 1200 or similar(needs to work on 2ohm), put on your credit card. Use it tonight with both cabs and return it on Monday for a full refund.
Click to expand...

:D With a 4ohm B210 and an 8ohm B410... only if you want the 210 to go up in flames:eek: If the impedance was the other way around, I'd be with you all the way!
 
#5
KJung said:
:D With a 4ohm B210 and an 8ohm B410... only if you want the 210 to go up in flames:eek: If the impedance was the other way around, I'd be with you all the way!
Click to expand...

I still think the Acme can handle it for one night. I know one guy who throws 700W on his Acme 2x10 every night and never had a problem. Or he could use just the 4x10 with a "borrowed" amp.
 
#6
allexcosta said:
I still think the Acme can handle it for one night. Or he could use just the 4x10.
Click to expand...

I'm not making an Acme specific comment.. just the fact that the 210 will be getting double the power of the 410, and will also be well over its maximum suggested rating (and even over the 'double the maximum suggested power' suggestions regarding the B210.
 
#9
allexcosta said:
Go to your local music store, buy a Genz Benz 1200 or similar(needs to work on 2ohm), put on your credit card. Use it tonight with both cabs and return it on Monday for a full refund.
Click to expand...

Same general idea, but get a small power amp instead.....use your speaker output to push the B2, take the line out or tuner out from your Little Mark II to drive the power amp, use it to push the B4. Lotsa volume, no overpowering issues due to impedance imbalance.
 
#13
Ok, thanks guys. I'll try the 4x10 tonight and see how it goes. I don't really have the means to add anything extra (like another head or poweramp) at this point. I will definitely have to rethink my 'big rig' situation, although I'm not really keen on doing any more gigs at this volume! I can hear myself fine, but they keep asking me to turn up and I was pretty much getting to the maximum my B2 could handle! They won't turn me up in their monitors either.... :eyebrow:
 
#16
scottice said:
Can they not just turn you up on the board? Or is their no PA?
How loud is your stage volume and do you wear earplugs? Is it uncomfortably loud?
Just curious.... I always wonder when guitards ask the bass player to "turn it up"... can they not just turn themselves down?
Click to expand...

There is a pretty massive PA, but crappy monitoring, so most of my stage volume is coming from my rig. I'm wearing earplugs - without them, I would definitely be hurting. The guitars aren't too loud, coming from 2 small combo amps but the whole stage sound is very boomy and I think it's making it hard for them to hear my bass. I have the lows and low mids on my amp cut almost all the way and the highs and high mids boosted a fair bit and it's still very boomy!!
Because I'm just subbing, I don't really have a lot of pull to ask them to make specific changes to the way they run their sound, so I just try to smile and agree with whatever they suggest.
 
#18
Stereo Joe said:
I have the lows and low mids on my amp cut almost all the way and the highs and high mids boosted a fair bit and it's still very boomy!!
Click to expand...

Sounds like that boom is coming from the guitars then or possibly some undamped toms. If the guitarists could reduce their lows a bit then everything will sound way better.

Alex
 
#19
Stereo Joe said:
There is a pretty massive PA, but crappy monitoring, so most of my stage volume is coming from my rig. I'm wearing earplugs - without them, I would definitely be hurting. The guitars aren't too loud, coming from 2 small combo amps but the whole stage sound is very boomy and I think it's making it hard for them to hear my bass. I have the lows and low mids on my amp cut almost all the way and the highs and high mids boosted a fair bit and it's still very boomy!!
Because I'm just subbing, I don't really have a lot of pull to ask them to make specific changes to the way they run their sound, so I just try to smile and agree with whatever they suggest.
Click to expand...

You are describing my nightmare. Many times on these big corporate gigs I do, there is huge front of house support, HUGE stages, and while the monitor system is good, there is usually not enough separate mixes to really have the bass helped out in the monitors (I usually share a monitor with guitarist and or drummer). So, counterintuitively, I actually use my largest rig and usually have it pushed to the max WHEN I have large front of house support.

I think the 410 (even with less wattage) will give you that slight amount of more presence and fullness to move you over the threshold of 'not quite loud enough' to 'just loud enough for it not to be a drag'... I hope!
 

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