w(h)atts ?

timplog

timplog

Supporting Member
Jul 18, 2016
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santa fe, new mexico
#1
greetings all
dumb question or basic un-understanding...

have two 400 watt rated 8 ohm cabs.
have an 800 watt in to 4 ohm amp.

when thinking speaker safety is this config ok?
are the 800 watts available from the amp split between the 2 cabs or do each driver need to be 800 watt rated?

looking at picking up a Mesa D800+ and in to 2 Markbass 12"" cabs I already have.

thanks for reading and wishing us all the best of the season.
 
#3
Be sure that your cabinets are rated using RMS metrics, otherwise the amp may be powerful enough to damage the cabinets without you realizing it.

Also, with 12” cabinets driven hard, it’s generally beneficial to run the HPF up to between 40Hz and 50Hz. This is discussed in the amp’s owner’s manual.
 
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#5
Maybe 400 watts Thermal.
Likely 180 to 250 before distortion

Keep in mind actual power handling
Before distortion is much lower.

Likewise you can damage speakers
Mechanically way before the coil melts.

It's common sense with volume.
You could use a 2000 watt amp.
Long as you didn't go wild with the volume.

Amps don't spew out 800 watts all the time.
 
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#6
many thanks !
good news on the wattage front and really excellent to know that agedhorse has the time and generous inclination to help us in this forum.
nice sense of community

I won't be driving these much more than 1/3 power but will double check RMS ratings, thanks
looking forward to my first Mesa experience!

thanks
stay well
 
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#7
timplog said:
greetings all
dumb question or basic un-understanding...

have two 400 watt rated 8 ohm cabs.
have an 800 watt in to 4 ohm amp.

when thinking speaker safety is this config ok?
are the 800 watts available from the amp split between the 2 cabs or do each driver need to be 800 watt rated?

looking at picking up a Mesa D800+ and in to 2 Markbass 12"" cabs I already have.

thanks for reading and wishing us all the best of the season.
Click to expand...
You're good bro
 
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#13
Markbass cabs are very robust as long as they are not abused, i.e., crank the lows all the way. I have something analogous to your cabs, the NY122 which is a 2x12 at 4ohms. I can't stay in the same room with it if I turn my 250W Little Mark up to halfway. At high volumes the cab sounds better with the lows flat or even pulled back a bit.
 
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#14
Each of the 8 ohm cab should be inefficient like an AI or Acme and then they should be at least 500 watt RMS and triple that for peak and do not run the amp more than 60%. Cut the bass on amp and bass guitar , use 2 HPFs and pad the preamp and use a 100 ft cord and do meditation so that you don't grind so hard. No music harder than folk.

You should be safe then of not blowing your speakers - unless you use some non Neutrik branded cables. You were warned. Can't emphasize this enough, no harder than folk music.

I did test this with a pickup with only 10 windings. I almost forgot that.
 
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#16
timplog said:
many thanks !
good news on the wattage front and really excellent to know that agedhorse has the time and generous inclination to help us in this forum.
nice sense of community

I won't be driving these much more than 1/3 power but will double check RMS ratings, thanks
looking forward to my first Mesa experience!

thanks
stay well
Click to expand...
Just an FYI. The OUTPUT level is only part of the equation of Power Level. You could have the OUTPUT rather low and be boosting max level of BASS and LOWER MIDS and easily destroy those cabs with the D800+.

Utilize the HPF and maybe even switch the Ohm Selector on the back of the amp to 2 Ohm this lowering the wattage from 800 @ 4Ohms to 600 @ 4Ohms.

Your ears, a healthy amount of common sense, and reading through the manual via Mesas website, will do you just fine :)
 
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#18
logdrum said:
Each of the 8 ohm cab should be inefficient like an AI or Acme and then they should be at least 500 watt RMS and triple that for peak and do not run the amp more than 60%. Cut the bass on amp and bass guitar , use 2 HPFs and pad the preamp and use a 100 ft cord and do meditation so that you don't grind so hard. No music harder than folk.

You should be safe then of not blowing your speakers - unless you use some non Neutrik branded cables. You were warned. Can't emphasize this enough, no harder than folk music.

I did test this with a pickup with only 10 windings. I almost forgot that.
Click to expand...
Hilarious.
 
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#20
ficelles said:
@agedhorse will be able to answer re the Mesa of course, but it's worth remembering that with many (most?) amps 1/3rd travel of the output control doesn't necessarily mean 1/3rd power.
Click to expand...
On all the Mesa SW series amps the gain and master controls operate in a linear fashion, meaning they progressively act throughout their entire rotation. You are correct that many amps are almost max power with controls only half way through their rotation...this makes accidental damage to speakers much more likely than with the Mesa SW style controls IME.
 
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