chrisasp Posted January 7, 2015 Share Posted January 7, 2015 Hi, Hopefully someone can help with this ! Ive only ever used matching cabs with the same watt handling capacity so never had to think of this question but; Im wanting to buy the hartke 410bxl (400 watt at 8ohm) and the 115 bxl (200 watt at 8ohm). My head is the little mark 3 at 500w so was wondering if the head will send 250watts to each cab at 8ohm (therefore overloading the 115) or it will send 400 to the 410 and 100 to the 115? So essentially will the 410 take the brunt of the power for the 115 or will they share the 500 the heads putting out and therefore risk blowing the 11? Any help would be much appreciated. Thanks, Chris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Fitzmaurice Posted January 7, 2015 Share Posted January 7, 2015 [quote name='chrisasp' timestamp='1420639233' post='2651611'] Im wanting to buy the hartke 410bxl (400 watt at 8ohm) and the 115 bxl (200 watt at 8ohm). [/quote]Reconsider. First, a 1x15 doesn't go appreciably lower, if at all, than a 4x10, and it won't go as loud as a 4x10, so you don't gain anything, while half the power goes to the 115, even though it has only half the capacity of the 4x10. IMO the only worse configuration than the 4x10 is the pairing of a 4x10 with a 1x15. You should consider either a pair of 1x15 stacked vertically or a pair of 2x10 or 2x12 aligned vertically. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dad3353 Posted January 7, 2015 Share Posted January 7, 2015 [quote name='chrisasp' timestamp='1420639233' post='2651611']... Any help would be much appreciated... [/quote] Good afternoon, Chris... Yes, the o/p delivered by the amp will be equally shared by the 2 cabs, as they are of the same impedance. Yes, this does mean that, potentially, the 115 could receive 250w, if the amp is at full blast, almost clipping. That would be extremely loud..! In practice, it would be unusual (I would hope..!) to be playing that loud. Do you really play 'full blast' all the time..? [size=4] [/size] As Bill mentions above, there are those that do not recommend that particular combination; on the other hand, there are many that use this mix with (apparent...) satisfaction. Your call, of course. Hope this helps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrisasp Posted January 7, 2015 Author Share Posted January 7, 2015 Thanks to both of you for the advice, much appreciated. . So would a a pair or 4 x 10s be more powerful than the 410 + 115 combo ? Always thought the 1 x 15 provided the lower subs ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dad3353 Posted January 7, 2015 Share Posted January 7, 2015 (edited) [quote name='chrisasp' timestamp='1420645344' post='2651689'] Thanks to both of you for the advice, much appreciated. . So would a a pair or 4 x 10s be more powerful than the 410 + 115 combo ? Always thought the 1 x 15 provided the lower subs ? [/quote] This may have been true in the '50s, but engineering has come a long way since. It's generally accepted these days that there is no direct correlation between the speaker diameter and its bass capacity. There are many other factors in play. Many 4x10s have better bass performance than some 1x15s.The only real way to say if it's good or not, as a combination, is to try it out. The pair of 4x10s would, however, definitely be better for power handling, as each would receive 250w maximum. Edited January 7, 2015 by Dad3353 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Fitzmaurice Posted January 7, 2015 Share Posted January 7, 2015 [quote name='Dad3353' timestamp='1420642229' post='2651649'] there are many that use this mix with (apparent...) satisfaction. [/quote]That goes to a basic acoustical engineering tenet, which is that almost [i]any[/i] two cabs together will sound better than either one alone. Knowing what combination of cabs actually works best requires being able to test every permutation side by side, for instance, a stacked pair of 1x15, a stacked pair of 4x10, and a stacked 1x15/4x10. I've yet to see anyone report ever having actually done so. [quote]It's generally accepted these days that there is no direct correlation between the speaker diameter and its bass capacity. [/quote]There has not been since circa 1980. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beer of the Bass Posted January 7, 2015 Share Posted January 7, 2015 If I were in your situation looking for two cabs, I'd try both the 1x15" and the 4x10" and buy two of the one you like the sound of better. A pair of the 4x10s will likely be able to get a little louder, but a pair of decent 15s isn't exactly quiet either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrisasp Posted January 7, 2015 Author Share Posted January 7, 2015 That's great. Thanks Guys , appreciate the advice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fretmeister Posted January 8, 2015 Share Posted January 8, 2015 My very simple view of cabs has been that if I like the sound of a cab, and I want 'more' then get another of the same. Otherwise I'm getting 'more but different' In the 25 years or so I've been playing, I've only gone against that twice and on both occasions I was unhappy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dood Posted January 8, 2015 Share Posted January 8, 2015 Just posted on another Hartke thread actually - if you are up for the Hartke aluminium coned cabs then bypass both the 410XL and 115XL and grab a 4.5XL (or two!!) instead. They go lower and louder in the lows than a 115XL (I've compared the two directly) and have the 5" midrange cone in them which is a really nice way to get some top end bite too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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