Tube watts and under-powered cabs

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Danny Provolone

Danny Provolone

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Nov 22, 2015
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#1
Hello, all. I'm not a n00b, but I'm not as savvy with tube bass amps.

I currently run a SansAmp RPM, powered by a Crown XLS1500 (which has been doing some strange things lately), with a GK Neo 4x10 (800 Watts RMS @ 8ohms).

I'm planning on switching things up, looking at snagging a custom 6x10 cabinet and a Mesa M9 Carbine rack head to power it. HOWEVER, if I stick with my GK cab, and since the M9 is rated at 600 watts tube power, will I be damaging my cabinet, seeing that it will be under-powered?

Please help :(
 
#9
Besides all of the above, the M9 isn't a tube head...it has a tube in the preamp, but the output is MOSFET as far as I know...certainly my M6 is. What it is, is a very STOUT 600W with a volume knob that has a taper that gets loud incredibly quick. You won't be damaging it because it's underpowered, but if you goose the h*ll out of the low-end EQ and hit it hard, you may blow it from over-excursion. Power ratings for cabinets are usually THERMAL ratings...but that doesn't mean you CAN'T blow it with a smaller amp.
 
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#13
Danny Provolone said:
Hello, all. I'm not a n00b, but I'm not as savvy with tube bass amps.

I currently run a SansAmp RPM, powered by a Crown XLS1500 (which has been doing some strange things lately), with a GK Neo 4x10 (800 Watts RMS @ 8ohms).

I'm planning on switching things up, looking at snagging a custom 6x10 cabinet and a Mesa M9 Carbine rack head to power it. HOWEVER, if I stick with my GK cab, and since the M9 is rated at 600 watts tube power, will I be damaging my cabinet, seeing that it will be under-powered?

Please help :(
Click to expand...

Forget all of the misinformation you have been given. Let's talk only about what is.

1) The M9 is a hybrid amp....meaning tube preamp and solid state power.

2) Watts are watts.

3) Power ratings for soeaker cabs are thermal and have little to do with how much volume a cab can or can not handle.

4) I drive the crap out of an 800W Euphonic Audio cab with a 30W head. Stupid loud.

5) When all is said and done, use you EARS AND not STATISTICS to determine if you are working a cab too hard. The cab will yell for help long before it blows.

The M9 with a 6-10 (if the cab is designed well) should take your face off. The M9 with the 4-10 will still get silly loud. With both, listen for signs of distress.
 
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#17
Danny Provolone said:
Hello, all. I'm not a n00b, but I'm not as savvy with tube bass amps.

I currently run a SansAmp RPM, powered by a Crown XLS1500 (which has been doing some strange things lately), with a GK Neo 4x10 (800 Watts RMS @ 8ohms).

I'm planning on switching things up, looking at snagging a custom 6x10 cabinet and a Mesa M9 Carbine rack head to power it. HOWEVER, if I stick with my GK cab, and since the M9 is rated at 600 watts tube power, will I be damaging my cabinet, seeing that it will be under-powered?

Please help :(
Click to expand...
There's no such thing as "underpowering."

Also that's a hybrid head, not a tube head.
 
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#20
Yes, they can!

It has something to do with interference and potential sound molecules inherent frequencies.

As we all know everything is made of vibrations, so everything vibrate at it's own frequency already, even without any outside stimuli.

That is why even if you are in a completely sonic isolated room alone and with all the light shut off for about 24 hours or so, you will reach a state where your hearing sense will be sharpened at such a degree that you will begin to hear these vibrations as sounds.

The thing is when you under power a cabinet the vibrations going through the speaker is interfering with the potential sound molecules inherent vibrations (the watts that you don't use, so to speak), this will start a chain reaction enhancing both the wave length of the vibrations and the freqency of both your input and the potential sound molecules.

At the point where they reach equal frequency range the actual interference between your input and the inherent vibrations of the under powered speaker will cause the cone of the speaker to vibrate gradually more and more at a gradually faster and faster rate until the speaker cones simply shatters.

Take a look at this bridge, same that happens here, the inherent vibrations of the bridge has reached same frequency as the air waves, caused by the bridge's over sturdy design compared to the strength of the wind actually hitting it:

giphy.gif






:woot:
:roflmao:

Just pulling your leg....

No such thing as under powering a cab, as has already been stated!
 
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