Here's my deal, i recently bought an orange rocker 30 head and a 2x12 cab to go with it. I've played a couple shows and think that it needs to be a little louder. i have an old fender stage100 and was thinking of plugging into both the cab and the fender out of the head. is this a good idea? on the back of the head there are two 8 ohms outputs and one 16. the orange cab is 120 watts 16 ohms, and the fender has an external speaker jack that's 8 ohms 100 watts. could i continue using the 16 ohm output for the cab, and add a cable going from one of the 8 ohm outputs into the back of the fender? help!
I wouldn't recommend plugging two amps into one cab.
"A cheerful heart is good medicine."
I wouldn't recommend plugging two amps into one cab.
I think technically i would be plugging in one cab, and one combo amp into the head. still a bad idea?
I think you mean to say you will use the Orange head to drive the Orange cab and just the speaker section of the Frontman combo, where the Frontman combo's internal amp is disconnected from the speaker and not used? Correct? That's probably the only thing you should be attempting. Because, as Ric says, it is forbidden (in most cases) to end up connecting two amp output to each other. Bad things usually happen unless the amps are specially designed for paralleling (these are not!)
If you are just adding an extra speaker (in the form of the Frontman speaker), then the Q is: Should the Orange amp be used to drive a 16 ohm Orange cab plus an 8 ohm "cab" (that's really a combo speaker). The info that came with your Orange amp should tell you which of the outputs and in which combinations may be used. What I suspect: you can connect (1) 16 ohm cab or (1) 8 ohm cab or (2) 8 ohm cabs -- but maybe not (1) 16 Ohm plus (1) 8 ohm cab. Couldn't find the spec on line to tell you for sure.
Do you have a PA system? If so, maybe you should be mic'ing your amp.
-=tension & release=-
Witch Mike
You need to understand the difference between a Speaker Out and a Line Out. A Speaker Out is a highly amplified and powerful signal meant only to drive a speaker. A Line Out is a relatively weak signal that needs to be amplified.
Notice the Send and Return on the left on this Mesa amp. This is the Effects Loop. The Send is a weak signal from the pre-amp stage of this amp that needs to be amplified. You could go from this Send into the Fender amp. Some amps have a Line Out, or a Pre-Amp Out. These are just different names for the same thing.
Now notice the Speaker Outs on the right. This is a powerful signal, notice the LIGHTNING BOLTS. This is a powerful signal meant only to drive speakers. Never go from a Speaker Out into anything other than a speaker. The one exception would be an attenuator which goes between a Speaker Out and a speaker, which turns much of the signal into heat, and sends far less signal into a speaker, allowing you to push an amp but keep volume low. But again, you only go into a speaker.
So, if your Orange has an Effects Loop, you can go from the Send into your Fender amp. If it has a Line Out or Pre-Amp Out you can go from these into the Fender. They are all the same thing.
But do not go from a Speaker Out into the input on another amp, it will fry the 2nd amp.
You could however go from the Speaker Out into the Fender's speaker directly. You would need to disconnect the Fender's speaker from the Fender's head, then with a speaker cable (not instrument cable), connect the Fender's speaker to the Speaker Out on your Orange.
If you know something better than Rock and Roll, I'd like to hear it - Jerry Lee Lewis
I was thinking what gnease wrote, that Witch Mike wants to connect the head to the two "cabs" (one being the speaker in the Fender combo.) But if it's as Wes Inman suggests, that he wants to run the Orange speaker out to the Fender amp input, that's definitely a no-no.
What I suspect: you can connect (1) 16 ohm cab or (1) 8 ohm cab or (2) 8 ohm cabs -- but maybe not (1) 16 Ohm plus (1) 8 ohm cab. Couldn't find the spec on line to tell you for sure.
The Orange speaker ohm ratings are a bit confusing/misleading in this regard. The 8 ohm outs are actually meant to go to either (1) 8 ohm cab or (2) 16 ohm cabs. Here is what the manual says:
2. Speaker Outputs
When using a single Orange 16 ohm speaker cabinet, (i.e. PPC412 or PPC212), attach it to the
16 ohm output socket on your amplifier.
When using two Orange 16 ohm speaker cabinets attach each one to a separate 8 ohm
output socket on your amplifier.
When using a single 8 ohm cabinet attach it to either one of the two 8 ohm output
sockets on your amplifier.
WARNING: Never use two 8 ohm cabinets at the same time.
Based on this, I would think the Orange head doesn't want to see less than 8 ohms, so combining the 8 and 16 ohm cabs would not be recommended. Unless my math is wrong ... which is possible. :lol:
