i have a crate 120 watt solid state amp, i was thinking of getting a 4x10 cab, how much better will it sound if i do this, and will it sound louder?
Rockerman
This is going to sound confusing. If you add a cab to your amp it will not really be much louder, but it will sound louder. :D
Does that make sense?? I didn't think so.
Sound is created by moving air. If you add a cab you will be moving more air. So it will be louder.
At the same time, you are sharing your amps watts. If you have one 12" speaker, it is receiving all 120 watts. But if you add 4 more speakers and they are the same impedence or ohms, they will share equally.
What is that? 120 divided by 5 or 24 watts each.
I know you didn't ask for this, but you have to understand a little bit about Sensitivity. This is also called SPL (sound pressure level). It is also called Efficiency.
You will see speaker specs like this: 100 dB @ 1W/1M. This means this particular speaker will produce 100 decibels of volume at one meters distance with one watt of power applied.
That's right, just ONE WATT.
12 decibels is considered a doubling of volume or twice as loud. So a speaker rated 100 dB @ 1W/1M will be twice as loud as a speaker rated 88dB @ 1W/1M.
No matter how many watts are applied, the first speaker will always be twice as loud as the second speaker I've mentioned here.
With me so far?
Now, everytime you double the watts to a speaker you will get a 3dB (decibel) increase in volume.
You can figure out how loud any speaker will be if you know it's Sensitivity, Efficiency, or SPL rating. Here is how loud that 100dB @ 1W/1M speaker would be with your 120 watt amp.
1 Watt- 100dB
2 Watts- 103dB
4 Watts- 106dB
8 Watts- 109dB
16 Watts- 112dB
32 Watts- 115dB
64 Watts- 118 dB
128 Watts- 121dB
256 Watts- 124dB
512 Watts- 127dB
1024 Watts- 130dB
So, your amp would produce about 121 decibels of volume with this speaker. That's pretty loud. A jet engine produces about 130 decibels volume. I've read you can cut concrete with 200 decibels.
Sound can even be fatal to people! :shock:
Why are you telling me all this? I just want to know if this cab will make by amp louder! I didn't ask to go to speaker school! :roll:
Well, I'm a goof. But I think this stuff is pretty interesting.
OK. Lets say that those four 10" speakers are rated 100dB @ 1W/1M just like the 12" in your combo. They are all rated 8 ohms (most speakers are 4 or 8 ohms). Now, remember they are sharing the 120 watts equally to receive 24 watts each. Now go back to the chart above. Now you can see each speaker will put out about 113.5 dB each.
What?? I've lost 7.5dB volume?? And that would seem true.
But.....
It is known when you put 2 identical speakers in close proximity to each other you get about a 3 dB increase in volume. You've added 4 speakers. So you should get about a 6 dB increase. So now you will be up around 119.5 decibels.
Huh?? That's about the same.
And it is about the same. That's why I said your amp will not be louder.
But......
It will still sound louder. Don't ask me why. I don't know. :oops: Nobody knows. But it will sound louder.
You will be moving more air. So your amp will sound much fuller. Your bass response will probably be much better. Especially with a closed back cab. So you will get powerful bass. That will sound awesome with distortion. And the sound will spread wider with much greater coverage.
So get the cab. It looks good, it sounds good. It's Rock and Roll baby!
But it won't be louder. It will just sound louder. 8)
If you know something better than Rock and Roll, I'd like to hear it - Jerry Lee Lewis
Wes,
You have convinced me that I am confused but, at the same time, I'm not confused. :lol:
Thanks for the break down................ I think......... :P
yah wes, you kinda lost me for a sec, but i'm following you now, i have 2 8 ohm 12 inch speakers in my amp now, and its very loud, so if i get the cab, your saying it willsound louder and better right?
That's right rockerman, and good job Wes with the explanation.
I also have a crate 120 watt combo amp with 2 speakers, and may just have to get a 4 speaker cab also. Can't have anybody sounding louder than me! :wink:
"The only way I know that guarantees no mistakes is not to play and that's simply not an option". David Hodge
i'm with you on that bro, if its to loud your to old :twisted:
Rockerman
OK, so at present each speaker in your amp is getting 60 Watts each. And it's pretty loud isn't it?
People fall for this power scam all the time. 15 watts is amazingly loud. The most important thing you want with an amp is TONE.
Just think, when you see a fellow with a 100 watt head on top of a 4 X 12 stack, each speaker is only getting 25 watts!
And as I mentioned, 12 decibels is considered a doubling of volume. To gain 12 decibels you need approximately 10 times the power. So to be twice as loud as a 50 watt amp you would need a 500 watt amp!!
It is cheaper to buy a more efficient speaker that produces more volume with less power than to buy a more powerful amp.
But get the cab. It will sound much fuller. If you play heavy Rock it is definitely the sound you want. And because you are pushing more air, the volume produced will spread and cover a much greater area. This is why everybody went to stacks in the first place.
If you know something better than Rock and Roll, I'd like to hear it - Jerry Lee Lewis
thanks wes, i play hard rock, i was very interested in the sound over the loudness, you answered my question to a tee. ty
Wes has done a great at explaining the answer to the question. The trick is being able to control your tone at any volume. When your practicing at home turning it up and playing is always fun, it's when you are asked to play out with others your need to able control your volume to fit with the rest of the musicians and band. When you over power the rest of the band it makes the whole band sound bad. That leaves no dynamics. Without dynamics your playing and the band will sound like (insert four letter word).
As explained about watts into each of the speakers in a cabinet. I have wired my cabinets so that each side of the power amps have their own speaker. Thus driving more power in each individual speaker. Example: 4x12 cabinet loaded with Celestion G12M-70's, the Mesa boogie power amp side A drives 1 speaker, side B drives drives 1 speaker. Marshall power amp side A drives 1 speaker and side B drives 1 speaker. These tube amps are run at their output stage saturation point, I then use an attenuators to cut the dB's to the speaker allowing for control of the volume.
The line outs from the attenuators in run back into Equalizers, into effects sound processors, Eq's and out to more amps. This set up allows me to have "dry" output saturation coming from the first sets of amps and "wet" signal coming from the second set of amps. The first set of amps is were I achieve tone and monitor my sound, the second stage is say final output. Have you tried playing with a 756ms of delay and stay in time without a dry signal to monitor your playing? It's all about great tone and having control of your signal chain from beginning to end.
Hope this gives you ideas to build from and being creative with power to achieve great tone at any volume.
Joe
helps out tremendously forrok, i dont want to sacrifice a good sound for volume
you and wes are my 2 go to guys for amps, effects and sound, you guys are the best. oh ya forrok, i left another question on an earlier post about effects that i thought might give me the sound im lookin 4, will you check it out and give me your opion? thanks. the post was effects recomendations.
