Hi. If an amp is rated 250 watts per side into four ohms, does that mean that you can connect an 8 or 4 ohm cab to each side? Also, if you have two 200 watt 8 ohm cabs in parallel, what would be the ideal wattage of the amp? thanks.
Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
Welcome to TalkBass! Want to remove ads? Register an account and login to see fewer ads, and become a Supporting Member to remove almost all ads.
Biamping Question
- Thread starter ChaosHappy
- Start date
<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by ChaosHappy:
Hi. If an amp is rated 250 watts per side into four ohms, does that mean that you can connect an 8 or 4 ohm cab to each side? Also, if you have two 200 watt 8 ohm cabs in parallel, what would be the ideal wattage of the amp? thanks.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
1. Yes you can connect a cab to each side. Bi-amping means two independant amps.
2. For 2x200w in parallel at 8ohms each, the the amp shouldn't excede 400w into 4ohms.
Hi. If an amp is rated 250 watts per side into four ohms, does that mean that you can connect an 8 or 4 ohm cab to each side? Also, if you have two 200 watt 8 ohm cabs in parallel, what would be the ideal wattage of the amp? thanks.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
1. Yes you can connect a cab to each side. Bi-amping means two independant amps.
2. For 2x200w in parallel at 8ohms each, the the amp shouldn't excede 400w into 4ohms.
Thanks for replying. But now i have another question. If a biampable amp has two independent amps, does that mean that i can put a 4 ohm cab on one side and an 8 ohm cab on the other? On a different note, if an amp has a minimum impedence of 4 ohms, does it automatically mean that it can also handle 8 ohms? thanks again.
If your head is truly bi-amp capable (ie. has two amp stages in a single enclosure), the answer should be yes to both. The primary advantage to having a head with true "bi-amp" capabilities is the ability to use simultaneously 2 different cabs with substantially different impedance/power handling specs covering two different frequency ranges without having to worry about grossly unequal power distribution, impedance mismatching, massive explosions etc.
Keep in mid that there is a substantial difference between a head with true "biamp" capabilities and a head that merely has two (or more) speaker connections and specifies "ratings per side." In the former case, you effectively have two amps, each driving its own cab. In the latter case, you are connecting two cabs in parallel to a single amp, and there you *do* have to worry about matching impedances and possibly frying your equipment. If the amp isn't truly biampable, connecting an 8 ohm and 4 ohm cabinet in parallel is a reason for worry.
If you're at all unsure as to to how your amp is configured, definitely contact the manufacturer or a knowledgeable tech before you try anything.
[Edited by Christopher on 08-09-2000 at 04:59 PM]
Keep in mid that there is a substantial difference between a head with true "biamp" capabilities and a head that merely has two (or more) speaker connections and specifies "ratings per side." In the former case, you effectively have two amps, each driving its own cab. In the latter case, you are connecting two cabs in parallel to a single amp, and there you *do* have to worry about matching impedances and possibly frying your equipment. If the amp isn't truly biampable, connecting an 8 ohm and 4 ohm cabinet in parallel is a reason for worry.
If you're at all unsure as to to how your amp is configured, definitely contact the manufacturer or a knowledgeable tech before you try anything.
[Edited by Christopher on 08-09-2000 at 04:59 PM]