Mudpup Posted December 10, 2017 Share Posted December 10, 2017 I have a dilemma I've recently grabbed a new amp that runs best at 2 ohms - an EBS TD660 - and i want to maximise its output. I also plan on keeping my GK 700RB which maxes out at 4 ohms. Effectively i need a modular cab setup that could be used to achieve maximum oomph from both amps. I like a big sound with booty and zing. Using a Stingray or Precision mainly. I currently use 2 x Barefaced BB2 cabs (8 ohms each/4 ohms total) in a loud rock band so need a load of welly. I could sell both of the BB2's and replace them with a couple of 4 ohm cabs of some description - maybe a 4x10 and a 2x10 or a 2 x 12 and a 1 x12 of some sort to keep some options. That gets me down to 2 ohms. I could just add a cab (either 4 or 8 ohm) to my existing setup - but this is getting too big i reckon, i'll have a 9 foot tall rig. I could sell a single BB2 and add a 4ohm cab of some sort - any ideas as to which cab would complement the Barefaced? Maybe a Super 12? This will get me somewhere nearer my 2 ohm goal at 2.67 ohms.... I would prefer to buy secondhand from the market place here... Any ideas/opinions/wisdom would be gratefully appreciated - what would you do? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Fitzmaurice Posted December 10, 2017 Share Posted December 10, 2017 20 minutes ago, Mudpup said: I have a dilemma I've recently grabbed a new amp that runs best at 2 ohms - It doesn't run best at 2 ohms, it's just capable of running at 2 ohms, and running at 2 ohms doesn't maximize anything other than current draw, which isn't a good thing. You're wasting time and money going to 4 ohm cabs. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lozz196 Posted December 10, 2017 Share Posted December 10, 2017 Well looking at this, if you really want a 4ohm cab to pair with one of the 8ohm BB2s, why not get a Big Twin 2. You`ve then the option of a BB2 for rehearsals, BT2 for moderate gigs, and both for mahoosive gigs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mudpup Posted December 10, 2017 Author Share Posted December 10, 2017 27 minutes ago, Bill Fitzmaurice said: It doesn't run best at 2 ohms, it's just capable of running at 2 ohms, and running at 2 ohms doesn't maximize anything other than current draw, which isn't a good thing. You're wasting time and money going to 4 ohm cabs. There are quite a few user reviews on the USA bass site that say the amp really opens up and begins to 'breathe' better at 2ohms. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mudpup Posted December 10, 2017 Author Share Posted December 10, 2017 16 minutes ago, Lozz196 said: Well looking at this, if you really want a 4ohm cab to pair with one of the 8ohm BB2s, why not get a Big Twin 2. You`ve then the option of a BB2 for rehearsals, BT2 for moderate gigs, and both for mahoosive gigs. yep that was a sensible option i was thinking of... i also keep looking at some of the cabs you're moving on ;-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tonteee Posted December 10, 2017 Share Posted December 10, 2017 2 minutes ago, Mudpup said: There are quite a few user reviews on the USA bass site that say the amp really opens up and begins to 'breathe' better at 2ohms. With the greatest of respect Mudpup, that sound like forum talk. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mudpup Posted December 10, 2017 Author Share Posted December 10, 2017 Just now, Tonteee said: With the greatest of respect Mudpup, that sound like forum talk. Yeh i know, but its a fairly consistent one over there so i thought it may have a bit of substance. I probably need to borrow something and just try it at a louder gig to see if the theory is sound and then make a decision from there.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tonteee Posted December 10, 2017 Share Posted December 10, 2017 Sounds like they're describing an intangible sense of expense justification! But I'm glad you got the appropriate end of my stick. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris_b Posted December 10, 2017 Share Posted December 10, 2017 Sorry, I don't believe that any amp is going to sound any better at 2 ohm than at 4 ohm. Especially through the cabs you're using. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Fitzmaurice Posted December 10, 2017 Share Posted December 10, 2017 (edited) 58 minutes ago, Mudpup said: There are quite a few user reviews on the USA bass site that say the amp really opens up and begins to 'breathe' better at 2ohms. I doubt any of them has the slightest clue what they're talking about. What they're actually referring to is that using two cabs sounds better than one. That's the case 99 times out of 100, and it has nothing to do with the impedance load, everything to do with the increase in sensitivity when you use more than one cab. How many of them did side by side comparisons of the same amp with two 4 ohm cabs and with two otherwise identical 8 ohm cabs? Quote its a fairly consistent one over there so i thought it may have a bit of substance. I bet you couldn't find a single one of them who's understanding of how a speaker works goes beyond 'you plug it in to an amp'. Edited December 10, 2017 by Bill Fitzmaurice 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thodrik Posted December 10, 2017 Share Posted December 10, 2017 I have an EBS Fafner which is a very similar type of amp to the EBS TD660. They are both 'hybrid' amps which have a single 12AX7 preamp tube. The power section is MOSFET. I cannot see any reason as to why a MOSFET amp would actually 'open up' or 'breathe' better when run at its limit. It isn't a valve amp with a 4 ohm minimum load, so there is no danger in using a single Running two 8 ohm cabs will have the same sound as running two 4 ohm cabs. You would theoretically have the capacity to be 'louder' when running at 2 ohms. However if you have an EBS amp that isn't 'loud' enough with two decent 8 ohm cabs, then the problem is most likely the stage volume levels of your band being too loud and/or your cabs not being big enough to spread the sound. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
P-ZARN Posted December 10, 2017 Share Posted December 10, 2017 Hi Jon I had the same dilemma when I had the EBS TD650 Likewise, running it through 2 barefaced BB2's. I subsequently acquired 2 Barfaced 2X10 cabs each 4 ohms so effective 2 ohms when used together . Obviously the BB2 and the 2X10 have different sound characteristics, but in terms of output with the same settings on the amp I would say there was no noticeable increased output when using the 2 2x10 cabs {effective 2 ohms]. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mudpup Posted December 10, 2017 Author Share Posted December 10, 2017 1 hour ago, P-ZARN said: Hi Jon I had the same dilemma when I had the EBS TD650 Likewise, running it through 2 barefaced BB2's. I subsequently acquired 2 Barfaced 2X10 cabs each 4 ohms so effective 2 ohms when used together . Obviously the BB2 and the 2X10 have different sound characteristics, but in terms of output with the same settings on the amp I would say there was no noticeable increased output when using the 2 2x10 cabs {effective 2 ohms]. Cheers :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Dare Posted December 11, 2017 Share Posted December 11, 2017 Bill's correct as usual. Many amps that run at 2 ohms have some kind of limiting circuit, anyway, to prevent excess current draw/overheating, so you're no better off than if you run them into 4 ohms as far as power output goes. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest bassman7755 Posted December 11, 2017 Share Posted December 11, 2017 If your amp cant do the business powering two BB2's then you need another amp, end of. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pete.young Posted December 11, 2017 Share Posted December 11, 2017 Sell your existing cabs and buy 4 8Ohm 8x10s. Job done. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mudpup Posted December 11, 2017 Author Share Posted December 11, 2017 According to the manual it puts out 460w into 4 ohms and 660w into 2 ohms - i just thought that 200w would be a noticeable difference.....maybe even just adding headroom for when i do push it hard. We do a few regular gigs in strange sounding rooms that suck the guts out of the sound (i've noticed this with all my amps, not just this one) and i have had to push them pretty hard to get the sound balance sorted. The notch filter on the amp may sort it out but i was just looking at potential options (and i was stuck inside in the snow with not much else to do apart from GAS about stuff ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mudpup Posted December 11, 2017 Author Share Posted December 11, 2017 5 minutes ago, pete.young said: Sell your existing cabs and buy 4 8Ohm 8x10s. Job done. At last - a voice of reason..... I like your style Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Fitzmaurice Posted December 11, 2017 Share Posted December 11, 2017 (edited) 1 hour ago, Mudpup said: According to the manual it puts out 460w into 4 ohms and 660w into 2 ohms - i just thought that 200w would be a noticeable difference... It's not. Anything less than a fourfold increase in power isn't worthwhile. On that adding a second identical 8 ohm cab will have the exact same effect as quadrupling power, you'll get a 6dB increase. Edited December 11, 2017 by Bill Fitzmaurice 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mudpup Posted December 11, 2017 Author Share Posted December 11, 2017 cheers Bill :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lozz196 Posted December 12, 2017 Share Posted December 12, 2017 Yeah I think a lot of sounding louder with more cabs is a lot to do with them simply being higher so nearer our ears. Must admit though, the difference in adding in the same cab again to an amp always makes me smile. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kevsy71 Posted December 12, 2017 Share Posted December 12, 2017 (edited) I usually don't notice the extra cab when I'm standing 2 feet away - but a huge difference at the other end of the room! Edited December 12, 2017 by Kevsy71 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fretmeister Posted December 12, 2017 Share Posted December 12, 2017 On 10/12/2017 at 17:25, Mudpup said: There are quite a few user reviews on the USA bass site that say the amp really opens up and begins to 'breathe' better at 2ohms. You need to remember that about half of them will be creationists and thus don't get an opinion on anything to do with maths. 2 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xgsjx Posted December 13, 2017 Share Posted December 13, 2017 20 hours ago, fretmeister said: You need to remember that about half of them will be creationists and thus don't get an opinion on anything to do with maths. What's that meant to mean? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Dare Posted December 13, 2017 Share Posted December 13, 2017 It means that a good half of the population of the US believes the world to be about 6,000 years old and to have been made in 6 days, so one is advised to treat their pronouncements on anything scientific/technical with caution (Bill F is an exception, obviously). 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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