Wattage rating 120 amp/120 cab?

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cellardweller

cellardweller

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In a couple of weeks, I'll be buying the univalve/avatar combo.
It's my understanding that their 2x12's are rated at or around 120 watts.
I also have my ampeg, which is tube, rated at 120 watts.

My (somewhat stupid) question is, as long as I don't crank the ampeg to 11, it should run the 2x12 without any fear of frying a speaker, right?

I'm mostly curious about running the univalve through the ampeg and into the 2x12, and hoping this is possible (not that it will deter me from the univalve though :D )

Thanks in advance.
 
Yes, but could I hook up 6 cabs and still be fine? :D


okey dokey then... thanks.
 
cellardweller said:
In a couple of weeks, I'll be buying the univalve/avatar combo.
It's my understanding that their 2x12's are rated at or around 120 watts.
I also have my ampeg, which is tube, rated at 120 watts.

My (somewhat stupid) question is, as long as I don't crank the ampeg to 11, it should run the 2x12 without any fear of frying a speaker, right?

I'm mostly curious about running the univalve through the ampeg and into the 2x12, and hoping this is possible (not that it will deter me from the univalve though :D )

Thanks in advance.
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I have blown more speakers by underpowering them and putting the amp into severe clipping than by overpowering them.
 
Really?

So it would be preferable to run the uni through the ampeg into the 2x12 (from the standpoint of speaker longevity)?
 
ggunn said:
I have blown more speakers by underpowering them and putting the amp into severe clipping than by overpowering them.
Click to expand...


that si something typical for SOLID STATE amps, as they clip "late but extremely hard", whereas tube-amps clip "early but soft"

but what ggunn says is true ... its easier to blow a 100w speaker with a 50w amp than the other way round

cheers
alfred
 
AlfredB said:
but what ggunn says is true ... its easier to blow a 100w speaker with a 50w amp than the other way round
Click to expand...
For every answer there are two questions it seems... or four!

How would I know, or be able to predict (preferably) clipping?

THD website said:
There will be a huge range of choices and options in the cabinets including head boxes, 1-12" combos, 2-12" combos, 2-10" combos and others.
Click to expand...

It mentions 2x12's, but would it be safer to go with a 1x12 cab for the univalve?

Is there a specific celestion or eminence speaker I might request in a 2x12?
Or is the 2x12 just overkill for this particular amp?
 
Ryan, you're making my head hurt! No wonder I've always gone for combo amps! Sheesh...


Well, except for my bass rig in my dreams. It's a Gallien Krueger full stack, 4x12 on top of a 1x15....
 
cellardweller said:
would it be safer to go with a 1x12 cab for the univalve?
Click to expand...



If you want a 212 (and you should, there is a lot more bass you can get ;)), there is nothing to worry about.


You are thinking too much, just buy it and play it. :D


but for the ampeg, I would say no if its tube, becuase 120 watts of tube is going to be way higher than 120 watts. It will probably be over 200 if it got measured. If its solid state, you shouldn't have a whole lot to worry about at all if you never push it all the way.
 
Rokket said:
Ryan, you're making my head hurt! No wonder I've always gone for combo amps! Sheesh...
Click to expand...
outlaw said:
If you want a 212 (and you should, there is a lot more bass you can get ), there is nothing to worry about.You are thinking too much, just buy it and play it.
Click to expand...



But what if my socks are crooked? Huh... what then?

Point taken.

Am I OCD or what... :D
 
AlfredB said:
but what ggunn says is true ... its easier to blow a 100w speaker with a 50w amp than the other way round

cheers
alfred
Click to expand...

No, come on.

You'd have to clip a 50W amp good and hard for a period of time to blow a 100W speaker.

With a 100W amp, all it takes is one solid chord with the amp on 10 to blow a 50W speaker.

People blow more speakers the other way, because they don't know the dangers of severe amp clipping. It's not easier to do, though.
 
boingoman said:
No, come on.

You'd have to clip a 50W amp good and hard for a period of time to blow a 100W speaker.

With a 100W amp, all it takes is one solid chord with the amp on 10 to blow a 50W speaker.

People blow more speakers the other way, because they don't know the dangers of severe amp clipping. It's not easier to do, though.
Click to expand...

First, as someone earlier said, this kind of thing is much more prevalent with solid state amps, but I have blown PA drivers in my ignorant youth by pushing underpowered amps into hard clipping; it doesn't take long and it's as easy as pushing up a slider.

Second, the power rating on speakers is conservative (unless we are talking about cheap speakers that are overrated to generate sales) and averaged over time. I doubt that a 50 watt speaker would instantly blow up from one thud from a 100 watt tube amp.
 
Outlaws said:
If you want a 212 (and you should, there is a lot more bass you can get ;)), there is nothing to worry about.


You are thinking too much, just buy it and play it. :D


but for the ampeg, I would say no if its tube, becuase 120 watts of tube is going to be way higher than 120 watts. It will probably be over 200 if it got measured. If its solid state, you shouldn't have a whole lot to worry about at all if you never push it all the way.
Click to expand...

??? The tech I go to had my 44 watt Super Reverb on the bench a while back, and full out it tested as 46 or 47 watts. It was a little hotter than the rating, but not much.
 
ggunn said:
First, as someone earlier said, this kind of thing is much more prevalent with solid state amps, but I have blown PA drivers in my ignorant youth by pushing underpowered amps into hard clipping; it doesn't take long and it's as easy as pushing up a slider.

Second, the power rating on speakers is conservative (unless we are talking about cheap speakers that are overrated to generate sales) and averaged over time. I doubt that a 50 watt speaker would instantly blow up from one thud from a 100 watt tube amp.
Click to expand...

Speakers blow for two reasons:

They get too hot, or move too far.

If you blew a speaker with a clipping amp by simply pushing up a fader, the speaker was probably on the edge anyway. The amp had already already clipping, probably, and the speaker had been getting hotter and hotter. Also, a clipping amp can generate peaks well in excess of it's rated power. In the case of many solid-state amps, up to 2 or 3 times it's rated power.

If the speaker can handle it, you can clip any amp for hours and the speaker won't fry.

An over-excursion can happen in an instant, from too much power.
 
Guitar amp speakers are made to handle distortion and get beat up. PA stuff is a completely different ball game.

Cellardweller, if you are talking about the THD Univalve, you will be fine with the 2X12 cab you mentioned.

I wouldn't recomend taking the speaker output of the univalve and plugging it into anything but a speaker. But there is a line out that you can set to instrument level to run into the input of your ampeg. I don't know if there is a way to turn off the output stage of the THD. If not, it will need it's own cabinet or you will blow the output transformer of the THD. So you will need 2 cabs to run them both.

My guess is that you will plug into the THD and want to throw your Ampeg out the window.
 
Farview said:
My guess is that you will plug into the THD and want to throw your Ampeg out the window.
Click to expand...
Most likely that will be the case. I'll keep the ampeg around and use the crate to prop up my car during tire changes...

From the THD website:
The UniValve can drive any speaker load from 2 ohms all the way up to 16 ohms. When there is no speaker plugged into the speaker jack, the amp uses its own built-in dummy load so no damage will occur, and to allow the silent use of the amp for direct recording purposes when miking a cabinet is not practical.
Click to expand...
 
I didn't think to go to the site. So it will work like that. Keep the ampeg around for backup. The THD will most likely blow it away.
 
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