daisy-chaining cabs - the effect on impedance?

[Johnny Wishbone]

Guys, I'd appreciate your help with this one if you'd be so kind as to indulge me:

I use a 1x15 cab and a 4x10 cab (both 8 ohms) and until now have always run one speaker output from my GK 700RB-II to each cabinet, giving a total load of 4 ohms (as I understand it, anyway).

If I were to daisychain the cabs rather than running each from a separate output, would this still produce the same load overall, or is it different? My mate thinks daisychaining the cabs this way will produce a total load of 16 ohms. The amp only has power ratings for 4 & 8 ohms, so I don't want to risk damaging it with too high a load.

I ask as I've just replaced my sh*tty old speaker cables with brand new ones (courtesy of OBBM of course) and they're too short to reach the bottom cab in the stack. It will reach from cab to cab though, so I could daisychain them with these cables.

I should point out that this is enirely my own fault - I assumed my old leads were 1 metre in length so ordered two new ones on that basis. It turns out they were actually 1.5 metres (I know, I know, I should have measured!).

Basically, should I put this down to experience and order a longer lead, or am I OK daisychaining?

[clauster]

Daisy chaining should still give you 4ohms as the connectors on the back of cabs are usually in parallel.

If it doesn't you won;t harm the GK - you'll just have a quieter amp

[Jono Bolton]

Yep, daisy chaining will give you the 4 ohms, not 16. Adding 2 8 ohm cabs together gives you 4 ohms, not 16. You'll be fine.

[Johnny Wishbone]

Nice one guys. I figured daisychaining would still be in parallel (and therefore 4 ohms) but you know how when someone tells you otherwise you start questioning yourself? Or is that just me?

[David Nimrod]

[quote name='Johnny Wishbone' post='164698' date='Mar 27 2008, 06:49 PM']...but you know how when someone tells you otherwise you start questioning yourself? Or is that just me?[/quote]


No, it's not just you

[richy316]

Loving the screen name Jonny Wishbone! classic film............................................ "mmmmmmmmmm your name iiiiiss Lutz!! Chief Lutz!!"