[Advice] Confused about differences between Fender Rumble Cabs

[pedroyoyoma]

Hello, I am a little confused on the options for Fender Rumble cabs. I have a Fender Rumble combo that I really love, and recently picked up a David Eden 800T head.

My head can run 440 Watts in each channel at 4ohms, so I can run two cabs at 440W each - or it can do a bi-amp mono mode that runs 880W in 8ohms.

My questions:
1) What are the sound and technical differences in sound/quality between the multiple Fender Rumble cabs? I see three at the same price: 4x10 500W w/horn, 2x10 700W, and a 2x10 700W that says the power handling is "350W Continuous, 700W Program". I am not sure what that means.

2) Also, it may be my lack on knowledge, but why is the 2x10 louder than the 4x10?

3) I was planning on running one channel at 440W at 4ohms to a single cab - but is that a bad idea since these cabs are all 8ohms?

4) Lastly, if I get the 700W cab, could I safely use my head in bridged mode at 880W Ohms as long as I don't max out the volume?

Edit: I just saw that guitar center as a 4x10 1000W at the same price! Now I'm more confused...

Thanks!

 

[mmbongo]

'Program power' is basically a made up number and should be ignored. RMS watts is the only figure that matters. In this case, the 210 handles 350 watts.

Looks like the difference between the 2x10 cabs is simply the grill cloth color. They are the same otherwise.

Why is the 410 the same price as the 210? No idea. But since it is rated at only 500 watts and is very heavy, it seems to use cheaper speakers.

Your best bet with any of these cabs and the amp you have is to get two 8 ohm cabs and run each one one channel. Otherwise, you're risking overpowering any of these.

 

[pedroyoyoma]

'Program power' is basically a made up number and should be ignored. RMS watts is the only figure that matters. In this case, the 210 handles 350 watts.

Looks like the difference between the 2x10 cabs is simply the grill cloth color. They are the same otherwise.

Why is the 410 the same price as the 210? No idea. But since it is rated at only 500 watts and is very heavy, it seems to use cheaper speakers.

Your best bet with any of these cabs and the amp you have is to get two 8 ohm cabs and run each one one channel. Otherwise, you're risking overpowering any of these.

Thanks. I wish there was more info about the speakers. I looked up the specs, and they both say "10" Eminence® Ceramic Magnet Speakers".

I thought it wasn't good to play 4ohms though an 8ohm cab? Otherwise, I could do two 8ohm cabs.

 

[mmbongo]

Thanks. I wish there was more info about the speakers. I looked up the specs, and they both say "10" Eminence® Ceramic Magnet Speakers".

I thought it wasn't good to play 4ohms though an 8ohm cab? Otherwise, I could do two 8ohm cabs.

Yeah those speakers are not...great. They are Eminence, but made in China.

Your amp is minimum 4 ohms per channel, that means you cannot go below 4 ohms. So 4 ohms is fine. 8 ohms is fine.

In bridged mode you cannot go below 8 ohms. However, in bridge mode you risk destroying any of the cabinets you linked. Running an 8 ohm cab to each channel, non-bridged, is ideal for those cabs and your amp will run cooler and happier!

 

[abarson]

All 3 Rumble cabinets use ceramic magnet speakers and are 8 ohms.
115 - 300 continuous, 600 program $299
210 - 350 continuous, 700 program $399
410 - 500 continuous, 1000 program $399

"Continuous" and "program" are nebulous terms and don't make it easy to compare to other speakers. RMS is really the metric that should be used.

Why are the 210 and 410 the same price, even though it's double the material? Dunno, I guess Fender wants to sell more of them.

Just to be clear, you don't "play" ohms. An amplifier needs to see a speaker load no less than it's marked rating. In your case do not connect a load less than 4 ohms to either channel: higher loads (such as 8 ohms) are fine.

 

[pie_man_25]

I'd personally be happy with two of the 210 cabs and have each channel of the amp going into either of the cabinets. The 210 cabs are individually 8 ohms so you're fine if you're not bridging the amp into one or both of them, that could get messy really fast.

You could do the same thing with 410 cabs, or even just use one with one channel of the amp. Using two 410s would get loud as heck, but would also suck to move. Using two 210s would suck to move less than two 410s, but an individual 410 isn't so bad either. That's kinda where you get into more subjective territory.

 

[JimChjones]

Watts are not a measure of volume anyway, but when it comes to cabs this is multiply so. The watt rating of a ccabinet is nothing more than a measure of how much power it can take without damage. The actual volume it puts out for each watt is measured in a less well understood and less well reported figure called sensitivity, and has a reasonable relationship to the area of the speakers in the cab(s).

Always best to go back to manufacturers web site for details, that Sweetwater seems to be suffering from poor cut and paste skills which is much of what is confusing you.

 

[JakobT]

The two 210s are identical except for the grille cloth and corner protectors. The black one is made to match the Rumble Stage 800 combo, and the silver to match the Rumble 500 combo.

They are both rated at 350 watts continuous. They also match exactly the speaker setup in those two combos respectively even though the Stage 800 puts out 400 watts at 8 ohms and the 500 puts out 350. This indicates that power ratings of the cabs may be on the conservative side.

I heartily agree with @JimChjones that you should always double check specs on the manufacturer's website, dealers often misquote specs.

 

[pedroyoyoma]

Thanks all. This is helpful. I looked up the specs on the site and confirmed everything y'all are saying. Seems like same speakers, same material, just the 4x10 pumps out more power than the 2x10. Feels strange that they should be the same price, which makes me a little confused - like there's a catch, but I am leaning toward the 4x10.

 

[G-Dog]

Thanks all. This is helpful. I looked up the specs on the site and confirmed everything y'all are saying. Seems like same speakers, same material, just the 4x10 pumps out more power than the 2x10. Feels strange that they should be the same price, which makes me a little confused - like there's a catch, but I am leaning toward the 4x10.

Correction: The amp "pumps out" whatever power level it's set for, one of the settings being the speaker impedance connected to it. For example, the same amp, at the same EQ settings, that puts 400W into an 8 ohm cab, will put 800W into a 4 ohm cab. It is said that lower impedance "draws" more power out of an amp.

The cab can then either handle the power level it's given safely, or not. It may seem to handle much more than its rating for a while, but it may also be getting damaged before you actually hear the problem. Daisy chaining two 8 ohm cabs gives a 4 ohm load, which draws more power, and provides more cone area for more Sound Pressure Level (SPL).

The 410 can safely handle more power than the 210. The advantage of the 410 is that it spreads that power over more speaker cone area for more SPL, which usually sounds fuller & richer and seems louder.

The disadvantage of the 410, and hence it's lower popularity, is its weigh and bulkiness. But it comes with rolling casters that help in moving it. The lower weight of the 210 makes it more popular, so it has had a price increase, or two, since its introduction.

HTH
.

 

[mmbongo]

Thanks all. This is helpful. I looked up the specs on the site and confirmed everything y'all are saying. Seems like same speakers, same material, just the 4x10 pumps out more power than the 2x10. Feels strange that they should be the same price, which makes me a little confused - like there's a catch, but I am leaning toward the 4x10.

Well no, the 410 does not pump out ANY power. It accepts power. In this case it will accept up to 500 watts before it starts to melt. Which is strange because if it used the same speakers as the 210 then it should handle 700 watts.

See the 210 handles 350 watts...or 175 watts per speaker.

But the 410 handles 500 watts...or 125 watts per speaker. That, plus the massive weight increase...is why I say the 410 uses different speakers. I don’t know for sure though.

 

[JimChjones]

just the 4x10 pumps out more power than the 2x10. Feels strange that they should be the same price,

You really need to understand this. Neither cabinet pumps out any power at all. Amplifiers pump out power, cabinets use it. The Watts rating of a cabinet is how much power is safe to pump into it, and has very little to do with how much sound volume it delivers.

As for prices, they are nothing like the same price here at my local (v well known) shop in the UK, so there's presumably a special deal going on...