Chained Speakers.

[SeanT]

Hi I have a 1978 Peavey Series III 400 bass amp and play through a single 15" Speaker.  

The Amp has two speaker sockets at the back, and the 15" Speaker has two input sockets (see pics)

 

I am looking to buy a Peavey 410 TVX 4x10 Speaker Cabinet to work in conjunction with my 15" Speaker, but the Peavey 410 only has a single input socket.  Can anybody tell me if l'll be able to use these two speakers together through this amp?

 

Cheers.

 

[Stofferson]

9 minutes ago, SeanT said:

Hi I have a 1978 Peavey Series III 400 bass amp and play through a single 15" Speaker.  

The Amp has two speaker sockets at the back, and the 15" Speaker has two input sockets (see pics)

 

I am looking to buy a Peavey 410 TVX 4x10 Speaker Cabinet to work in conjunction with my 15" Speaker, but the Peavey 410 only has a single input socket.  Can anybody tell me if l'll be able to use these two speakers together through this amp?

 

Cheers.

 

HI Mate

 

Short answer is no, The amp goes down to 4 ohms lowest, the 1 x15 is fine, but the 4 x10 you'd only be able to run on it's own as that's 4 ohms, technically you can plug both in but that would take the total impedance to 2.67 ohms which could cause the amp to overheat / distort / fart out.

 

If the 4 x 10 was 8 ohms the same as the 1 x 15 this wouldn't be an issue as the total would be 4 ohms which is safe for the amp

[Bill Fitzmaurice]

+1. Get another identical 115. Not only will it work, it will work better than mixing cabs.

[SeanT]

Cheers for that Stofferson, immensely helpful info, thanks.

[SeanT]

33 minutes ago, Bill Fitzmaurice said:

+1. Get another identical 115. Not only will it work, it will work better than mixing cabs.

Thanks for that, I thought (in my ignorance) that the mixture of a 15" and a 4x10" would offer more diversity of sound but cheers for informing me otherwise. Priceless information, thanks.

[Bill Fitzmaurice]

Diversity is just what you don't want. The two cabs would be both augmenting and detracting from each other, depending on frequency, while the 410 would likely be cruising comfortably while the 115 is stressed. Mixing different size drivers to take advantage of the main difference in how they work, which isn't response, it's dispersion, is SOP with hi-fi and PA. But in hi-fi and PA crossovers are employed so that the different sized drivers are not operating within the same frequency bandwidth. They've done that since the 1920s. Electric bass cab manufacturers as a whole are just a wee bit behind the curve. 🙄

[BassmanPaul]

Agreed! A single 15 is a very poor match for a 4x10.

[Downunderwonder]

21 hours ago, SeanT said:

Thanks for that, I thought (in my ignorance) that the mixture of a 15" and a 4x10" would offer more diversity of sound but cheers for informing me otherwise. Priceless information, thanks.

Bill is a very reliable source of information. Diversity doesn't always blend well. Far from it. Sometimes a bit of diversity will work out ok but your proposed diversity is a non starter thanks to the amp impedance limit being exceeded. In any case it's a lottery so the advice to double up your current cab is sound.

19 hours ago, Bill Fitzmaurice said:

Diversity is just what you don't want. The two cabs would be both augmenting and detracting from each other, depending on frequency, while the 410 would likely be cruising comfortably while the 115 is stressed. Mixing different size drivers to take advantage of the main difference in how they work, which isn't response, it's dispersion, is SOP with hi-fi and PA. But in hi-fi and PA crossovers are employed so that the different sized drivers are not operating within the same frequency bandwidth. They've done that since the 1920s. Electric bass cab manufacturers as a whole are just a wee bit behind the curve. 🙄

Ahem, you're missing a comma.

Edited July 16, 2022 by Downunderwonder

[pete.young]

Buy the 410 and ditch the single 15!

[paul_5]

Or 2 2x10”s and stack them vertically 😉

[Bill Fitzmaurice]

2 hours ago, pete.young said:

Buy the 410 and ditch the single 15!

The 410 is a classic example of how not to build a speaker. Placing drivers side by side halves the midrange dispersion compared to vertical placement, while creating comb filtering in the highs.

Quote

Or 2 2x10”s and stack them vertically 😉

That. It gives maximum horizontal dispersion, no comb filtering, and places the upper drivers high enough so that you can hear the mids and highs without having to stand 3 meters out.

[warwickhunt]

Edited July 16, 2022 by warwickhunt

[pete.young]

1 hour ago, Bill Fitzmaurice said:

The 410 is a classic example of how not to build a speaker. Placing drivers side by side halves the midrange dispersion compared to vertical placement, while creating comb filtering in the highs.

 

 

In this particular instance, if the OP is looking at a second-hand 410TVX, his budget is probably less than £100. Despite the theory, the 410TVX is a decent sounding cheap cab and would be a decent upgrade on a single BB115T.

[warwickhunt]

7 minutes ago, pete.young said:

 

In this particular instance, if the OP is looking at a second-hand 410TVX, his budget is probably less than £100. Despite the theory, the 410TVX is a decent sounding cheap cab and would be a decent upgrade on a single BB115T.

 

On a limited budget my 'suggestion' might be to either by a 2nd matching 115 Peavey cab or as an alternative; sell the 115 and buy a pair of the Peavey TX TVX 210 cabs and stack them as a column.  

 

The 210 was more often sold in 4 ohm format, so I'd rewire the 2x10s to 16 ohm and the pair would give you an 8 ohm load.  The difference between 4/8 ohm would be minimal in comparison to the benefit of having the cabs vertical and a driver almost at ear level.  

[BassmanPaul]

8 hours ago, paul_5 said:

Or 2 2x10”s and stack them vertically 😉

Which is exactly what I do with mine.