Yet another Ohm question...

[stedtale]

Hey TB'ers-

This may be a stupid question, or it may have been answered a million times. I have searched, but I can't find it - if you know where this answer lies, please post the link.

On to the question:

If you could build two amps, with the same tone, sound etc, and build two cabs, same speaker configuration, size, etc, but only changed the ohms, what be better?

Examples...
Amp/Cab #1:
-Amp rated at 500w@4ohms (all SS)
-Cab 4ohms 500w power handling

Amp/Cab #2:
-Amp rated at 500w@8ohms (all SS)
-Cab 8ohms 500w power handling

I ask only to see what you Ohm/wattage masters think, not that this would ever be a real issue for me - or anyone. Would either be "better"? What would any differences be? Would one be less/more prone to burnout?

sorry if it's a stupid question...It's just been running through my head recently.

 

[stedtale]

I think I just saw the answer on the Ohm FAQs...

 

[billfitzmaurice]

A watt is a watt, output will be the same if driven to full power. The four ohm box can be driven to full power with a 500w/4ohm amp, which is less expensive than a 500w/8 ohm amp. The downside is if that amp won't work at 2 ohms you'd never be able to add a second cab. I recommend a 4 ohm cab if you're quite sure you'll never need a second, an 8 ohm cab if you plan on future expansion of your system.