what head can I use with Ashdown VS112?

[slingo]

I've just bought a VS112-150 cab on Ebay which was listed as a 1 x 15 cab which is a 200 watt cab. It's miles away and I can't be bothered with the hassle of complaining/returning etc. So what output amp can I get away with (it doesn't have to be Ashdown), or should I just re-sell it and get something else? I know I could use it as an extension cab, but I just wanted a small rig with a head and one cab.

Any advice would be great :-)

thanks

[randythoades]

I have the Ashdown VS112 and the VS212. I prefer the 112 and use it with Gallien Kreuger MB200 and it sounds good. There is a lot of bass available for a 112. I also use the Ashdown little giant 1000 which i know doesn't get much love but works well with these cabs, i plug both in, although i don't max it. I did have the Ashdown ABM500 which didn't work so well, and also a Trace Elliot AH250 (i think that was the model anyway) which didn't work so well either. The cabs seem to suit a more vintage style than a modern hifi style and i like the look. You will get the hump with the top handle though, it is massive and your head will not sit on it nicely!
The cab is 8 ohm so you should be able to handle a 350 or 400 watt amp at 4 ohm.

Edited January 19, 2014 by randythoades

[slingo]

The handle has been relocated to the side so that's not an issue, I know the output is less into 8 ohms but won't the amps you've mentioned still be too powerful for a 150 w cab?

[randythoades]

As far as i know, you can almost half the output when going from a 4 ohm load to an 8ohm load.
My cab speaker is listed as 200w so should be ok with an 8 ohm load of 200w coming from a head pushing 350-400w at 4ohm. Depends if you really crank it. My 1000w is actually 2x 500w outputs at 4ohms so it should be pushing out anywhere between 250-300w per channel but i have never got near needing to max it. In theory, you could run 1000+ watt head into it if you don't push the volume above halfway, which should be more than adequate for most pub gigs. Just add a second cab if you need to use more than 200w.
Or change the speaker for something like an Eminence Deltalite (which i am considering on my 112) which will give you a more efficient speaker (and more volume for the same wattage) and up the spec to 400w at 8ohms...

Edited January 19, 2014 by randythoades

[slingo]

So a 200w head would be ok then? I think I've read a spec somewhere that a 200w head pushes out 120w into 8 ohms so that would be ok then?

[BassTractor]

It was already said above, but in different wording:
The volume knob decides how much noise (Watt) the amp puts out. With the exception of extreme cases, you can easily connect a 2,000 W amp to a VS112, at the cost of having to be careful with the volume knob.

Also, because of the inner workings of speaker elements, it is not so that 2,000 W will move the speaker cone 10 times as much as 200 W - far from it. There's physical laws there that I don't remember, but maybe someone can chime in there. I seem to remember that logarithmic scales are oncorporated here - not sure though.

It's a different theme altogether really, but in similar fashion 2,000 W will give noise that sounds only twice as loud to the human ear as the noise put out by 200 W.

So, using a 2,000 W amp mostly means you have to be careful with turning the volume knob. In some cases it would mean you can hardly move it.

Edited January 20, 2014 by BassTractor

[slingo]

Ok thanks I get it :-)

[BassTractor]

Great!
Now, as it happens, I have this 2,000 W amp for sale that fits the VS112 perfectly!
(Only kidding!)

Good luck with the project!