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Cabs for 2 ohm amp - a dilemma....


Mudpup

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I have a dilemma

I've recently grabbed a new amp that runs best at  2 ohms - an EBS TD660 - and i want to maximise its output. I also plan on keeping my GK 700RB which maxes out at 4 ohms. Effectively i need a modular cab setup that could be used to achieve maximum oomph from both amps. I like a big sound with booty and zing. Using a Stingray or Precision mainly.

I currently use 2 x Barefaced BB2 cabs (8 ohms each/4 ohms total) in a loud rock band so need a load of welly.

I could sell both of the BB2's and replace them with a couple of 4 ohm cabs of some description - maybe a 4x10 and a 2x10 or a 2 x 12 and a 1 x12 of some sort to keep some  options. That gets me down to 2 ohms.

I could just add a cab (either 4 or 8 ohm) to my existing setup - but this is getting too big i reckon, i'll have a 9 foot tall rig. 

I could sell a single BB2 and add a 4ohm cab of some sort - any ideas as to which cab would complement the Barefaced? Maybe a Super 12? This will get me somewhere nearer my 2 ohm goal at 2.67 ohms....

I would prefer to buy secondhand from the market place here...

Any ideas/opinions/wisdom would be gratefully appreciated - what would you do?

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20 minutes ago, Mudpup said:

I have a dilemma

I've recently grabbed a new amp that runs best at  2 ohms -

It doesn't run best at 2 ohms, it's just capable of running at 2 ohms, and running at 2 ohms doesn't maximize anything other than current draw, which isn't a good thing. You're wasting time and money going to 4 ohm cabs.

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27 minutes ago, Bill Fitzmaurice said:

It doesn't run best at 2 ohms, it's just capable of running at 2 ohms, and running at 2 ohms doesn't maximize anything other than current draw, which isn't a good thing. You're wasting time and money going to 4 ohm cabs.

There are quite a few user reviews on the USA bass site that say the amp really opens up and begins to 'breathe' better at 2ohms. 

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16 minutes ago, Lozz196 said:

Well looking at this, if you really want a 4ohm cab to pair with one of the 8ohm BB2s, why not get a Big Twin 2. You`ve then the option of a BB2 for rehearsals, BT2 for moderate gigs, and both for mahoosive gigs.

yep that was a sensible option i was thinking of...

i also keep looking at some of the cabs you're moving on ;-)

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Just now, Tonteee said:

 

With the greatest of respect Mudpup, that sound like forum talk.  :)

Yeh i know, but its a fairly consistent one over there so i thought it may have a bit of substance. I probably need to borrow something and just try it at a louder gig to see if the theory is sound and then make a decision from there..

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58 minutes ago, Mudpup said:

There are quite a few user reviews on the USA bass site that say the amp really opens up and begins to 'breathe' better at 2ohms. 

I doubt any of them has the slightest clue what they're talking about.  What they're actually referring to is that using two cabs sounds better than one. That's the case 99 times out of 100, and it has nothing to do with the impedance load, everything to do with the increase in sensitivity when you use more than one cab. How many of them did side by side comparisons of the same amp with two 4 ohm cabs and with two otherwise identical 8 ohm cabs?

Quote

its a fairly consistent one over there so i thought it may have a bit of substance.

I bet you couldn't find a single one of them who's understanding of how a speaker works goes beyond 'you plug it in to an amp'.:crazy:
 

Edited by Bill Fitzmaurice
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I have an EBS Fafner which is a very similar type of amp to the EBS TD660. They are both 'hybrid' amps which have a single 12AX7 preamp tube. The power section is MOSFET. I cannot see any reason as to why a MOSFET amp would actually 'open up' or 'breathe' better when run at its limit. It isn't a valve amp with a 4 ohm minimum load, so there is no danger in using a single 

Running  two 8 ohm  cabs will have the same sound as running two 4 ohm cabs. You would theoretically have the capacity to be 'louder' when running at 2 ohms. However if you have an EBS amp that isn't 'loud' enough with two decent 8 ohm cabs, then the problem is most likely the stage volume levels of your band being too loud and/or your cabs not being big enough to spread the sound. 

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Hi Jon   I had the same dilemma when I had the EBS TD650     Likewise, running it through 2 barefaced BB2's.       I subsequently acquired 2 Barfaced 2X10 cabs each 4 ohms so effective 2 ohms when used together . Obviously the BB2 and the 2X10 have different sound characteristics, but in terms of output with the same settings on the amp I would say there was no noticeable increased output when using the 2 2x10 cabs {effective 2 ohms]. 

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1 hour ago, P-ZARN said:

Hi Jon   I had the same dilemma when I had the EBS TD650     Likewise, running it through 2 barefaced BB2's.       I subsequently acquired 2 Barfaced 2X10 cabs each 4 ohms so effective 2 ohms when used together . Obviously the BB2 and the 2X10 have different sound characteristics, but in terms of output with the same settings on the amp I would say there was no noticeable increased output when using the 2 2x10 cabs {effective 2 ohms]. 

Cheers :-)

 

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According to the manual it puts out 460w into 4 ohms and 660w into 2 ohms - i just thought that 200w would be a noticeable difference.....maybe even just adding headroom for when i do push it hard.


We do a few regular gigs in strange sounding rooms that suck the guts out of the sound (i've noticed this with all my amps, not just this one) and i have had to push them pretty hard to get the sound balance sorted. The notch filter on the amp may sort it out but i was just looking at potential options (and i was stuck inside in the snow with not much else to do apart from GAS about stuff :D)

 

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1 hour ago, Mudpup said:

According to the manual it puts out 460w into 4 ohms and 660w into 2 ohms - i just thought that 200w would be a noticeable difference...

 

It's not. Anything less than a fourfold increase in power isn't worthwhile. On that adding a second identical 8 ohm cab will have the exact same effect as quadrupling power, you'll get a 6dB increase.

Edited by Bill Fitzmaurice
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On 10/12/2017 at 17:25, Mudpup said:

There are quite a few user reviews on the USA bass site that say the amp really opens up and begins to 'breathe' better at 2ohms. 

You need to remember that about half of them will be creationists and thus don't get an opinion on anything to do with maths.

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It means that a good half of the population of the US believes the world to be about 6,000 years old and to have been made in 6 days, so one is advised to treat their pronouncements on anything scientific/technical with caution (Bill F is an exception, obviously). ;)

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