Driving a 4x12 Cab

[James C]

Hi,

I'm getting rid of a Line6 HD 147, and with the money i'll be getting a new amp head, however i'm just wondering whether 30/40/50 watt heads would be powerful enough to drive a 4x12 (loaded with GT-75s) going off of the fact that my 6 watt Harly will scream through a v-30 i'd imagine so, but i thought i'd open it up to the floor.

Shortlist of amps are - Cornford Roadhouse 30 or 50, Bogner Alchemist HD40, ENGL Fireball 60w and Marshall VM2266 50w or JVM205H

[sgmypod]

er yes

[hunter]

4x12s sound also good at lower volumes. I ran a TinyTerror through a 4x12 and it was blasting!
G12T75s are not my favourite speakers though.

[sgmypod]

better mixed with another speaker

[James C]

I'm Starting to look at the Vintage Modern Amp as it should balance nicely with the sharper response (IMHO) of the GT12-75s and marshall recommend this pairing for more hard rock tones (as opposed to the greenbacks) although if i had the money i would load some V30s into the cab (x-pattern) cheers for the responses guys

[hunter]

I'm Starting to look at the Vintage Modern Amp as it should balance nicely with the sharper response (IMHO) of the GT12-75s and marshall recommend this pairing for more hard rock tones (as opposed to the greenbacks) although if i had the money i would load some V30s into the cab (x-pattern) cheers for the responses guys

VMs rock! Not sure how they match with G12T75s, but those amps are very much fun! I owned one for some time and enjoyed it a lot!

[badgermark]

I've blasted my 15 watt tiny terror head through a full stack before, sounded HUGE. Not much to contribute, just thought i'd boast.

[indysmith]

Put a 5W Blackstar through an Orange 4x12 the other day loaded with Vintage 30s - sounded wicked - and very surprisingly loud.

[Dmoney]

ive driven a 4x12 with a tiny 1.2watt op amp before. not exactly load enough for a stadium, but not quiet

[Roobubba]

... but a higher power amp driving the speakers really does add some magic to the sound! I love the sound of a well-driven 4 x 12, get that air moving!!
That's not to take anything away from the 15W and lower power amps people have mentioned above - I'm sure these also sound fantastic through a 4 x 12!!

But in answer to the original question, yes, 30-50W is easily enough power to push a 4x12 depending on what speakers you have in there ;)
If you've got 4 EVM12L black labels (rated at 300W each), then good luck if you want any kind of speaker breakup (I dislike speaker breakup because I'm into more technical/articulate heavy stuff than bluesy music). If instead you have a quad of greenbacks and love power tube distortion, then 50W should do the job nicely :)

Roo

[James C]

Not really looking for too much speaker breakup as i'll be doing NWOBHM styled guitar, will probably get a 2x12 for bluesier applications if the need arises.

Cheers for all of the info guys

[Dmoney]

Put a 5W Blackstar through an Orange 4x12 the other day loaded with Vintage 30s - sounded wicked - and very surprisingly loud.

isn't that roughly half as loud as a 50watt blackstar? In terms of sound power levels and watts. 18watt marshalls are a pretty darn loud

[indysmith]

Put a 5W Blackstar through an Orange 4x12 the other day loaded with Vintage 30s - sounded wicked - and very surprisingly loud.

isn't that roughly half as loud as a 50watt blackstar? In terms of sound power levels and watts. 18watt marshalls are a pretty darn loud

I've no idea - never played one of the 50W Blackstars. Power ratings and sound pressure levels and percieved volumes really aren't very closely related. All depends on the circuit.

[Dmoney]

Put a 5W Blackstar through an Orange 4x12 the other day loaded with Vintage 30s - sounded wicked - and very surprisingly loud.

isn't that roughly half as loud as a 50watt blackstar? In terms of sound power levels and watts. 18watt marshalls are a pretty darn loud

I've no idea - never played one of the 50W Blackstars. Power ratings and sound pressure levels and percieved volumes really aren't very closely related. All depends on the circuit.

perceived volume is relative to frequency. I thought a 50watt head was 3db lower power than a 100watt head. but that doesnt mean its potentially half as loud. I thought like, a 10watt head sounds half as loud as a 100watt head to the human ear. i used to know all the maths involving sound power level. 20 time the logarithm of RMS over 2x10 squared. something like that. been a LONG time since i did acoustic mathmatics.

[James C]

Quote from: indysmith on Today at 01:47:13 PM
Quote from: Dmoney on Today at 07:29:13 AM
Quote from: indysmith on April 02, 2009, 05:48:52 PM
Put a 5W Blackstar through an Orange 4x12 the other day loaded with Vintage 30s - sounded wicked - and very surprisingly loud.


isn't that roughly half as loud as a 50watt blackstar? In terms of sound power levels and watts. 18watt marshalls are a pretty darn loud

I've no idea - never played one of the 50W Blackstars. Power ratings and sound pressure levels and percieved volumes really aren't very closely related. All depends on the circuit.


perceived volume is relative to frequency. I thought a 50watt head was 3db lower power than a 100watt head. but that doesnt mean its potentially half as loud. I thought like, a 10watt head sounds half as loud as a 100watt head to the human ear. i used to know all the maths involving sound power level. 20 time the logarithm of RMS over 2x10 squared. something like that. been a LONG time since i did acoustic mathmatics.

My brain is hurting