Mark Bass

[Bombaymicks]

Hi Guys I'm Looking at upgrading to a Markbass Traveller 4 ohm 2X10 and a Little Mark tube 800- would they be compatible?? Cheers Mike

[Jakester]

They're 'compatible' in that they will work, but if the cab power rating at 4ohms is less than the maximum power the amp can put out (800w at 4 ohms), you'd probably need to ensure you weren't running the amp at full gain/volume and/or driving it hard.

 

I haven't seen a 4ohm 2x10 Traveller but I think it would probably be up to a max of about 300/400/500w, so you may find you're not using the full potential of the amp as the speakers can't keep up with it.

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Are you sure it's 4ohm and not 8ohm?

[Bombaymicks]

Hi Yes its definitely 4 ohm. they are still around if you look but there are more 8 ohms on sale Thanks..... I just don't want to blow my speakers !!!

 

[Jakester]

Hmm, I think there's potentially more of a risk then  - if you're getting the full whack 800w from the amp into a cab that's only rated for say 400/500w, if you run the amp too hard you could well damage the cab. 

 

Found the specs of the cab - it's rated up to 400w, so if you run the amp hard, you could essentially be putting double what the cab is designed to take into it!

 

I guess if you're VERY circumspect and don't drive the amp, it might be okay.

 

Looks like the 4x10 might be a better option: https://www.thomann.de/gb/markbass_standard_104hr4ohm.htm

[fretmeister]

If you find an 8ohm then later on you can always add another 8ohm cab.

 

I like a modular set up. 1 cab for small things, 2 cabs for a bigger show. Lower individual weights to carry too.

[franzbassist]

53 minutes ago, Jakester said:

I guess if you're VERY circumspect and don't drive the amp, it might be okay.

I'd agree with this.  People rarely drive their amps that hard, but it's quite a difference in power handling so you could do some harm.

[basexperience]

On 16/12/2022 at 09:45, Bombaymicks said:

Hi Guys I'm Looking at upgrading to a Markbass Traveller 4 ohm 2X10 and a Little Mark tube 800- would they be compatible?? Cheers Mike

I’ve been using a Warwick LWA500 and an 8 ohm Markbass traveller 2x10 now for several years as my go-to rig for pub / small venue gigs. I’ve got bigger cabs and amps for other stuff, all 8 ohm on the cabs. 

 

Your little mark tube 800 will sound huge through an 8 ohm 2x10, trust me. The cab is back ported, so generally I have to be careful with bottom end and I’ll back the cab up to a wall - this throws huge bass out front. 
 

advantage there is you can expand with another 8 ohm cab later: I have a Warwick Neo 1x15 8 ohm I’ll pair with it sometimes for a 4 ohm load and more power. 
 

the LWA is effectively running <300w at 8 ohms, and I really don’t turn it up above 5/6 often on gigs. Your choice of head will kill on it, and be inside the power handling envelope. 

[Jakester]

5 hours ago, basexperience said:

I’ve been using a Warwick LWA500 and an 8 ohm Markbass traveller 2x10 now for several years as my go-to rig for pub / small venue gigs. I’ve got bigger cabs and amps for other stuff, all 8 ohm on the cabs. 

 

. Your choice of head will kill on it, and be inside the power handling envelope. 

I simply don’t think that’s correct - OP is looking at a 4 ohm cab. There’s a significant risk that he’s well outside the  “power handling envelope” if he runs an amp that can output 800w at 4ohms into a cab rated at 400w at 4ohms. 

[DGBass]

If you wanted to get the full benefit of a Tube 800, the New York 122 2x12 4 ohm cab would be a good match. It's a step up in size, weight and price but still relatively light weight. The only downside is Markbass have now discontinued the New York 122 but you might find some stock still available somewhere. Using a Tube 800 with a single 8 ohm Traveller 102p would I think work fine, the amp will run at around 400 watts at 8 ohms if you turned it up full which not many people do these days. Although the traveller 102p will be rocking at that power level, it should cope. I've used a traveller 102p 8 ohm with a 500 watt Markbass head and to be honest, its plenty loud for most pub/club gigs, especially if you park it near a solid wall. A tube 800 and a traveller 102p 8ohm would be plenty powerful and reasonably safe to use power level wise.

[lemmywinks]

Will be fine, you're better off with an 8ohm as that means you can add an extra cab if the opportunity presents itself. With 4ohms if you need more volume you're stuck really.

 

You're no more likely to blow your cab with a 4ohm load than you are with 8ohms, similarly you can blow a cab with less power than it's rated for. If it sounds like it's struggling then turn the volume down or roll off a bit of low end. Unfortunately the myth that a 4ohm load means you amp will be pumping a ton of extra power to the cabs is one that refuses to die on forums, same with using watts to rate power handling.

 

[Jakester]

1 hour ago, lemmywinks said:

Unfortunately the myth that a 4ohm load means you amp will be pumping a ton of extra power to the cabs is one that refuses to die on forums, same with using watts to rate power handling.

 

 

It's not a 'myth', it's just common sense. 

 

All things being equal, if you're driving an amp hard that puts out more power with a 4ohm load into a cab rated for half that (and note I say 'rated', as in the that's the manufacturer's suggested power maximum) then you're going to blow the speakers. 

 

Of course, if you barely crank the gain on the amp, or you're playing in a quiet environment, then it might be fine. But conversely, if you're pushing an overdriven signal into an amp running close to max gain and output, then you may not. 

 

It's OP's money - if he wants to do it and it works, fine. If it doesn't, it could be an expensive mistake. I wouldn't. 

 

 

[agedhorse]

3 hours ago, lemmywinks said:

Will be fine, you're better off with an 8ohm as that means you can add an extra cab if the opportunity presents itself. With 4ohms if you need more volume you're stuck really.

 

You're no more likely to blow your cab with a 4ohm load than you are with 8ohms, similarly you can blow a cab with less power than it's rated for. If it sounds like it's struggling then turn the volume down or roll off a bit of low end. Unfortunately the myth that a 4ohm load means you amp will be pumping a ton of extra power to the cabs is one that refuses to die on forums, same with using watts to rate power handling.

 

No, this is not true.

 

Overpowering is by far the greatest cause of speaker failure.
 

Power (watts) is absolutely correct in describing power handling, once you understand what it means. 

 

In this case, the “myth” that a 4 ohm cabinet will draw more power from the amp is absolutely correct for virtually all solid state amps as they are turned up.

 

To the OP’s question, the 8 ohm 210 is a MUCH better and safer choice with no downside and many upsides.

[lemmywinks]

2 hours ago, agedhorse said:

No, this is not true.

 

Overpowering is by far the greatest cause of speaker failure.
 

Power (watts) is absolutely correct in describing power handling, once you understand what it means. 

 

In this case, the “myth” that a 4 ohm cabinet will draw more power from the amp is absolutely correct for virtually all solid state amps as they are turned up.

 

To the OP’s question, the 8 ohm 210 is a MUCH better and safer choice with no downside and many upsides.

 

It's going to make zero difference in this case, you can make a Traveller 102 go pop with that amp regarless of the impedance. Hence why you make adjustments to volume or low end if the cab is struggling. The reason to go for 8ohms is to not be stuck using a single cab, not out of fear of damaging the drivers which you can do with most setups.

[agedhorse]

I disagree, an accident or momentary lapse of good judgement will put the 4 ohm cabinet at greater risk. 
 

This doesn’t mean you CAN’T damage the 8 ohm cabinet but it will be much harder to do.

[lemmywinks]

I mean if the OP likes the cab, is absolutely sure he won't need to add another at some point and the price is right then he should just go for it. I wouldn't let the possibility of tripping over, knocking the volume knob up to max and blowing the drivers be the difference between me buying a cab or not and I'm not sure anybody else would either.

 

Most people would pick the 8ohm version as it's the same deal but with more flexibility which is the main concern IMO.

[Sparky Mark]

Thoughts in no particular order:-

 

A 4 ohm 210 will appeal to a smaller market if you come to sell it later on.

 

It seems logical that if you're buying an 800 watt amplifier you are planning on using more than just a 210 in the future(?).

 

If a 210 is all you'll ever need then a 350 to 500 watt at 4 ohm head should be plenty and save you some money.

 

The 8 ohm version will allow you to  add another 8 ohm 210 to create a better balanced rig, especially with the 800 watt amp. 

[Nebadon2000]

On 16/12/2022 at 07:00, Bombaymicks said:

Hi Yes its definitely 4 ohm. they are still around if you look but there are more 8 ohms on sale Thanks..... I just don't want to blow my speakers !!!

 

 

You can blow up Speakers with any amount of Watt's; Just don't try to😀

 

8 Ohm may be wiser choice based on Amp output power at 8 Ohm matches Cab and you can in future add another 8 Ohm Cab of any size that handles additional 400 watts of Power at 4 Ohm