Mike Bungo Posted May 23 Share Posted May 23 (edited) Hi you lot I have a Aguilar TH500 that I run into 2 TC Electronic RS112's (200watt 8ohm) and it sounds well I've been given an 18" bass cab fitted with a 16ohm, 100watt speaker If I ran the TH500 into the 18" cab and also 1 RS112 (Parallel) what would be the outcome? Am I going to be running the volume on the amp higher to get less volume output at the speakers and would the 100w speaker be in danger of being blown? Thanks in advance 😊 Edited May 23 by Mike Bungo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bolo Posted May 23 Share Posted May 23 How many Ohm on the RS122? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Bungo Posted May 23 Author Share Posted May 23 7 minutes ago, Bolo said: How many Ohm on the RS122? 8ohm - 200watt Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Bungo Posted May 23 Author Share Posted May 23 24 minutes ago, Bolo said: How many Ohm on the RS122? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WinterMute Posted May 23 Share Posted May 23 (edited) You'd end up with a total load of around 5.3 Ohms, which is probably within the operating limits of your amp (4 ohms is the usual lowest load for most amps) but you'd have to check the tech specs of the amp to see it resistance range. https://audiouniversityonline.com/series-vs-parallel-speaker-impedance-with-multiple-speakers/ You'd be using the amp more efficiently as it's less resistance than the 8 Ohm cab, which means your rig will run a little louder, and you will have to keep an eye on the overall output into both the 100w and 200w speaker as the TH500 is 500w output running into a lower resistance. Edited May 23 by WinterMute 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dad3353 Posted May 23 Share Posted May 23 Loading the amp with the 18" and one of the 12" will not cause any problems for the amp, which will be less loaded than with the two 12" cabs. The output volume cannot be estimated, as there are very efficient 18" cabs, and less efficient ones. It's unlikely, however, that the 18" will provide anything like the volume of the 12" it's replaced. The 18" cab will not appreciate being 'cranked' with that amp, though, and care would have to be taken to avoid either nasty distortion (farting etc...) or actually blowing it up. Unless the resulting combination really does sound wonderful, compared to the dual 12" set-up (I think that that's unlikely, but you never can tell...) I'd not use this combination for anything serious, just fun experiments. I would assume that the benefit of having a small, tidy, lightweight 12" cab would be lost, too, with an old 18" cab. Free..? You've lost nothing. Is it a 'keeper'..? Your ears will tell you, but be careful when turning up the volume, as 'magic smoke' could ensue. Hope this helps. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Bungo Posted May 23 Author Share Posted May 23 Thanks ever so much for your help 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris_b Posted May 23 Share Posted May 23 18's can be woolly and indistinct. I'd test the 118 on it's own and see if it sounds good or not. You may have been given a large door stop. I would stick with the 2 x 112's. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Bungo Posted May 23 Author Share Posted May 23 I play in a classic punk band as was looking for that "A bomb on Wardour street" tone...... It's not the end of the world if it doesn't work. I'm more bothered about popping the 100w speaker to be fair Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dad3353 Posted May 23 Share Posted May 23 7 minutes ago, Mike Bungo said: I play in a classic punk band as was looking for that "A bomb on Wardour street" tone... A 'Fuzz-face'-type fuzz pedal should do the trick. You'll not get such a tone from any cabs without cutting slits in the speaker cones (which limits their sound vocabulary quite considerably...). You don't need extreme volume for those sounds, either. A Good fuzz (is that an oxymoron..?) needn't be loud to sound right. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Bungo Posted May 23 Author Share Posted May 23 I use an Ampeg Classic Analog Bass Preamp Pedal which is great and a TC Electronic Nova Drive which has both overdrive and distortion and this also works well...... I will have a play with the 18" cab and see how it sounds 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosie C Posted May 25 Share Posted May 25 @Mike Bungo what brand is your pedal board? I'm looking for something at the moment... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lfalex v1.1 Posted May 25 Share Posted May 25 If I understand such things correctly, the 8Ohm 2x12 will draw twice as much current as the 16Ohm 1x18 due to its lower impedance. The overall load will be within your amp's tolerance, but be aware that the 1x18 may not be as noticeable as you might want, especially if it's underneath the 2x12. I'd experiment with EQ and how you stack/where you place your cabinets to see what works best. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TimR Posted May 25 Share Posted May 25 3 hours ago, Lfalex v1.1 said: If I understand such things correctly, the 8Ohm 2x12 will draw twice as much current as the 16Ohm 1x18 due to its lower impedance. The overall load will be within your amp's tolerance, but be aware that the 1x18 may not be as noticeable as you might want, especially if it's underneath the 2x12. I'd experiment with EQ and how you stack/where you place your cabinets to see what works best. Kind of. Mixing speakers causes all sorts of interesting things. The impedance of a speaker depends on the frequency so each speaker will be handling the output differently on each note. Adding an 18" to 2x10"s probably won't do what you're expecting. Also need to check the phasing of the speakers. Many years ago I added a Warwick 2x10" to a Trace Elliot 15", there was a massive hole in some frequencies and a massive boost in others. I ended up getting rid of the 15" and adding another 2x10" and stacking them vertically. Sounds absolutely awesome. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil Starr Posted May 27 Share Posted May 27 So, just doing the maths; the Aguilar is 500W into 4ohms and 250 into 8ohms so it is 125W into 16 ohms. That's peak so unless you run a lot of distortion or bass boost your speakers are all safe and in terms of power handling 125W into a 100W rated speaker is the same sort of level as 250W into a 200W speaker. No worries there. For the amp the impedance of all three speakers is 3.3ohms which is a little low. That will draw more current from the amp than it is designed for and if you run it flat out could cause some heating problems and eventual failure. Probably the amp has protection and if you run the whole system no louder than you do with the two 12's then you shouldn't have problems. The big issue is that an 18" speaker rated at 100W is probably from the early 1970's. Most modern 18's are rated at 600W continuous or higher. The change is because modern speakers use high temperature glues and heat resistant coil formers. Old speakers used paper formers and low temperature glues and literally burned out at high power and your speaker is almost certainly one of those, and it's 50 years old. Some 50 year olds can still run a good race but some would have a heart attack Have some fun and try it out at moderate levels on its own first and listen for any signs of stress. Then try it with one or two of your 12's. I wouldn't personally take it on stage unless I'd run it for quite a few hours and really loved the sound. The reality is that this speaker is at the end of its life and you can expect it to blow at any time. Like any pensioner it can have a short time enjoying an active life and a sudden end or can sink into inactivity and maybe stretch out a few extra years doing nothing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Bungo Posted May 31 Author Share Posted May 31 On 23/05/2024 at 16:51, Mike Bungo said: I use an Ampeg Classic Analog Bass Preamp Pedal which is great and a TC Electronic Nova Drive which has both overdrive and distortion and this also works well...... I will have a play with the 18" cab and see how it sounds On 25/05/2024 at 09:47, Rosie C said: @Mike Bungo what brand is your pedal board? I'm looking for something at the moment... Bought on Amazon👍 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosie C Posted June 1 Share Posted June 1 On 31/05/2024 at 16:00, Mike Bungo said: Bought on Amazon👍 Thanks Mike! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Count Bassy Posted June 1 Share Posted June 1 Saying "Ohms and Watts" is just lazy. Please use the full version , i.e. "Holmes and Watson". 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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