Resistance is Futile (Bass Amp Ohms)
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Posted on May 07, 2003 04:26 am
Jamie Garrett
Contributor Since: Sep 09, 2002
I have a Peavey bass head that outputs as two TS 1/4" to send to speaker cabinets. On the back of the head it says "230w at 4ohms, 300w at 2ohms".
My friend has a pair of PA cabinets with a 12" sub, a mid, and a horn tweeter in each. They're rated as 8ohms and a max watts 400w.
The wattage looks good, but is 8ohms too much impedance or resistance or whatever? I want to hook my bass head up to his cabs, but will I hurt my amp or his speakers??
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WaltChief Cook and Bottle WasherMember
Since: May 10, 2002
May 07, 2003 06:38 am Ok Jamie,
You will be fine. Resistance is just that. Like back pressure from an exhaust system. What your Peavey head is telling you is that it will function with as little as two ohms of resistance. Anything below that would be unadvisable. If you were to use one cab the total resistance of the system would be 8 ohms per the rating on the cab. If you plugged in both cabs the resistance will be half or four ohms. Given your Peavey will deliver 230 watts at 4 ohms and the total power handling capability of the two cabs is 800 wats (400 x 2) you are plenty safe.
Now having said that, go lightly with the bass when you fire up his cabs. Many PA cabs are not equiped with speakers (even at 12") to handle the massive low frequency power a bass can produce. Listen for fuzzing in notes below the 5th fret on the E string. It is possible that you could hyperextend his subs.
May 07, 2003 11:55 am cool! we're gonna shake his whole neighborhood. thanks
we've already determined that the PA cabs response falls off around 50Hz or so. They choked on some car audio competition bass tracks, so they're junk I guess. I have a 5-string from Ibanez with EMG Selects, so I can hit some pretty low notes. I'll be sure to take my time bringing the gains up. Plus I have a compressor now. I think a quick attack on the comp will punish any rogue peaks, right? I'm still trying to figure out the best settings for this thing.
WaltChief Cook and Bottle WasherMember
Since: May 10, 2002
May 07, 2003 10:01 pm Just by ear my friend! Compression will help. You may also have to play with your bass knob if the subs start "passing gass", especially with the B string.
RockOn! Vibrate them there neighbors!
May 08, 2003 01:14 am awesome, thanks Walt! -j
