How much volume ?

[Kevin Dean]

I have a Ashdown ABM light 500w Head & at the moment just one Ashdown 8 ohm 2 x 10 Neo Light cab . How much wattage am I using Is it 250w ? & would it be louder using another cab or just moving more air ? & what's the difference ?

[BassTractor]

One technically well-informed person (don't remember who and don't remember which thread, but you might try a search or three) explained that [b]in principle[/b], given the right components and design, and amp could well deliver 500 W to that 8 Ohm load.
However, reality being reality and budgets being budgets, in this case of Ashdown it's not unreasonable to expect that it might deliver something like two thirds of that into 8 Ohm. To be able to be precise, one must either have the data sheet from Ashdown, or calculate through the amp design.

As to what two cabs will do, enormous amounts of text have been written about that on these boards, so I'd advise a search or four. The skinny is: yes! (presuming that with "another" cab you do mean "connecting an additional" one, and not "using a different" one).
Me, I'm not a tech, but my feeling is two cabs are more [b]effective[/b] than one, for different reasons, and that given the same total volume, they will give a sound more true to the intentions of the amp. I may be corrected on this.

[xgsjx]

Trying to measure how loud your amp goes using watts is like trying to measure how fast your car goes by using RPM on it's own.

Volume is measured in decibels, which is measured as SPL. Watts are heat.

To answer your wattage question, the amp with an 8Ω load will average about 300-350 watts (this depends on the instrument, where the amp's dials are set & also which note is being played).

If you like your cab & require more volume, then adding another identical cab makes more air but keeps the same sound, which in turn more air makes more volume as it increases the overall SPL.

[Lozz196]

[quote name='xgsjx' timestamp='1412612783' post='2570382']
If you like your cab & require more volume, then adding another identical cab makes more air but keeps the same sound, which in turn more air makes more volume as it increases the overall SPL.
[/quote]

That`s it - like the sound, if possible add in another of the same cab, then set face to grin.