Streamliner output?

[Gypsyfolk]

I have for years been using a genz benz streamliner 600 as my main gigging amp. It has been trouble free and sounds great with an aguilar db112. Almost all the time I find one cab enough, I last played with 2 cabs about 6 months ago. Yesterday I was trying some things out at home and I noticed whilst the amp sounded fat and wonderful with 1 cab (running 8ohm) when I connected 2 cabs (running 4ohms) it sounded thin and horrible. Each cab individually sounded great and I'm sure 6 months ago running 2 cabs was glorious. Any ideas? I tested the leads, not them.

[Downunderwonder]

How horrible?

 

If you are exaggerating the horribleness you may be ok. It's possible that at home you can't get the output stage into the sweet overdrive mode @4 ohms because it gets too loud before that happens, leaving you with clean tone.

[BassmanPaul]

Let's ask the man himself: @agedhorse 

 

[bertbass]

Sounds like the speakers are out of phase to me.

[Bigwan]

Yup, as @bertbass says if both cabs sound fine on their own one of your speaker leads may be to blame. Individually they'll sound fine but combined one speaker is "pushing" while the other is "pulling", cancelling each other out. Flip the connections on one end of one of the speaker cables. Should sort your issue out. If you're using speakon connectors it may be a screwdriver job.

[BassmanPaul]

Use a 9V battery across the speaker lead and watch how the cones react. If one moves in with the battery positive against the tip of the jack and the other moves out they are not operating with the same polarity.

[Gypsyfolk]

Thanks guys, you were spot on. I'd forgotten that I'd replaced one of the drivers and I hadn't used both together since. I flipped the wires around and all is well in the world again! The aguilar driver that I took out was making a bit of a buzz sound although I cannot see any physical damage. Does anyone recone them? 

[Downunderwonder]

1st see if Aguilar supplies reconing kits. Then find your local recone specialist. 

[Marty Forrer]

I sold my Streamliner a few years back and suffered instant regret. I've had my eyes out for another ever since, but here in New Zealand I think there was only ever a small handful brought in so they're few and far between. One just came up on our interweb auction site, so I grabbed it for less than I sold my first one for. Once again I'm in bass nirvana. I've played many other amps since, and they're all excellent, but only the Streamliner gives that creamy, tubey sound with the soft transient at the start of each note, all the while retaining punch and clarity. A tube amp in a 6lbs package.

[msb]

They are great amps. Legend.

[Kalim]

I have the same regrets! For me, the best amp ever is clean, fat, luscious, airy up the top end, and brilliant for rock, soul, and funk slap. I had the streamliner 900 playing through the Techsoundsystems 2x10 going down to 37hz) a brilliant match.

[Downunderwonder]

A handy trick with 900w Streamliners is to wire up your cabs to get a 16ohm load. Then you can push it and get the full output sag overdrive thing that was painstakingly engineered in without blowing anything up, including the patrons' hearing.