Mr. Foxen

Firstly, how have you established that the amp needs fully revalving?

Pre valves are plug and play, but how easy they are to get at is up to the amp.

[quote name='EBS_freak' timestamp='1355319638' post='1896851'] Agreed. But if it was really critical, it would be par for the course. [/quote] 90% of people pay for the name badge and nothing else. No point in investing money in the rest as a big player. The small players just advise some break in tones on their website to cover those who work with their ears. I got mine broken in by renting them as backline for a local festival.

99p is free to list on Ebay, so always worth sticking things up for that.

[quote name='solo4652' timestamp='1355303560' post='1896484'] OP here, folks. OK - so there may or may not be a "playing-in" period for a new speaker. Perhaps I should have asked something like: "I've just received my second Promethean combo following an apparent speaker failure in the first one after 45 minutes. Are there any sensible precautions I should take to "play in" the new one to help prevent another possible failure, or are such steps unnecessary?" [/quote] Play it as hard as you can right away, if there is a flaw that will result in a failure, you want it to happen right away, within warranty and before you get super dependent on the individuality of that amp. Then you can replace it with same or different depending. If you find yourself eqing in some bass early on, just be aware later you might not need to, so don't necessarily count it as a limitation of the speaker as new.

Ever done that thing where you put a bunch of EQs in a row with different settings? Sounds a bit like that sort of mess built into an amp.

Not sure if these are jap, but cheapish, sandwich boy, 6 bolt plate: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/VINTAGE-KAY-1960-70-s-BASS-GUITAR-/221165530236?pt=UK_Musical_Instruments_Guitars_CV&hash=item337e7e2c7c

[quote name='stingrayPete1977' timestamp='1355221180' post='1895439'] Where do you draw the line with your argument though? If your telling me to run my 9.2 at 8 ohms and 500 watts as it will make no difference will you tell the guy using a 6.2 to use an 8 ohm cab at 375 watts as it makes no difference, the guy with a shuttle 3.0 to use an 8 ohm cab etc until everyone has a 30 watt behringer combo [/quote] I've jammed with drums with a 30w head. The issue with the combo would be the poor speaker, not the watt rating. The line is what you speakers can convert into sound, and its not unlikely a quarter to a half of the watt rating of the speakers.

If wearing out exists, the wearing in has to exist, the only difference is whether you like the change in spec or not.

[quote name='stingrayPete1977' timestamp='1355164220' post='1894897'] I'd rather have all the available power on tap myself so if I knew I only wanted one cab I'd hunt for a single cab solution. [/quote] Chances of the cab being able to use double watts is pretty slim too.

Was it modded to adjustable bias? They weren't made with it initially because Mullards were consistent enough it didn't matter. If its off balance you get a nasty bit in the upper end.

[quote name='Basskiller666' timestamp='1355144248' post='1894522'] After researching more on the Hydrive its only an 8 ohm cab, Im really chasing a 4 ohm cab to save on using two cabs but thanks for your thoughts [/quote] Aiming for 4ohms isn't a good plan, no benefit. Two cabs is louder because its two cabs, twice as much speaker touching air, not because the ohms is less. A 4 ohm cab in practice is unlikely to be any louder than an 8ohm equivalent an just serves to remove the option of another cab.

100w ones were Marshall clones pretty much. Kind of badly made, have some cult recognition from being weapon of choice of grotty stoner bands and such. Really cheap nasty board mount pots. Probably fairly serviceable if working, might do better for cheaper due to the cult status.

[quote name='Basskiller666' timestamp='1355095511' post='1894082'] Thanks Mr Foxen I will give that a try, Although I do already have that pulled down quite low, btw the lowest slider is 33Hz. So do you think If my amp is set up right my 300w cab should be able to handle it? [/quote] 33hz is a pull it all the way down one, nothing useful there, just cab breakage. Your cab will let you know when it isn't handling it by farting out, its whether that is loud enough for you before then that is the important bit. Watts have no bearing on either. If it was loud enough before, with the right eq, it should be loud enough now.

[quote name='Basskiller666' timestamp='1355094218' post='1894058'] The cab is obviously not built to handle 900w that the Mesa is putting out as it breaking down and farting even at low volumes. [/quote] This bit says the amp is putting out more/lower lows that the one you used previously, its not a watts thing as much as a voicing thing. If there is a graphic eq, what's the lowest slider? If its 50hz or below, pull it down, frequencies that fart out your cabs aren't going to be missed in your tone.

Watt ratings are effectively meaningless on cabs, so best ignore them. If a cab sounds good to you, but is farting out before you are loud enough, you need to get another one of those cabs to use in addition. The watts doesn't relate to where they fart out, but where they fart out does relate to where they'll break.

+1 on Dreadfuls drummer. I jammed with the guy for a year because he was so reliable and committed, bringing all his breakables on the train to practice impressed me, so I kept on playing for a year even you he could barely play drums.

Plus they'll have differing phase relationship between the voltage and output, which will cause all sorts of tonal oddities.

The 4x10 is going to be loads louder and handle loads more power than the 15, means that if the 15 starts farting out, the 4x10 will drown it out and you won't know to turn down. That's how 15s break when paired with 4x10s and its nothing to do with wattage numbers. Much better off getting two of the same cab, that you do like the sound of. If the 4x10 alone isn't low enough, replace it with something that is, and add more until loud enough.

Depends if the daisy chain is series or parallel.

Spec other than nominal impedance is a bit difficult, since most of the standard supplied specs are pretty much completely irrelevant to anything, or plain misleading. Speaker diameter and thermal power handling and an unspecific frequency band are the first things you get to see. Paying attention to them cab be pretty misleading.

With many manufacturers 'designed' at all is going to require a pretty broad definition of the term.

Its a GEC, get 4 of them and they can pull about £4-500 if they test good. The predate valves being crap enough need matching, they were made right to start with.

When I lived at the House of Bass had it a few times people would come to buy things and pull the old 'I only have slightly less cash that we agreed on me.' trick. But in the post office just next door is a free cash point so not a valid excuse.

I don't think it will add to the price, it will probably mean out of a choice of two equivalents, yours will have the edge.