jeffh
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Posts: 40
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Post by jeffh on Oct 28, 2012 17:57:45 GMT -7
I'm loving my Mini Z head! Great classic rock tones at reasonable volume, but loud enough to be fun.
So far I've only played it through 4 ohm cabs - currently 2x12 Emi Tonkers in a Hiwatt-style cab. Any differences to notice running at 8 ohms through a proper 8 ohm cab? I don't currently have any cabs set up for 8 ohms to try and I'm just curious.
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Post by bryan0418 on Oct 28, 2012 18:59:10 GMT -7
There are really 2 answers to your question. The first and standard answer is - Running a 4 ohm speaker off the 4 ohm tap is supposed to sound identical to an 8 ohm speaker off the 8 ohm tap, with the same model speaker, just different ohm ratings. The loads are the same off each tap so it "Should" sound the same.
The second answer is the grey area. A lot of people claim the higher the ohm load the better it sounds. They say 16 ohm cabinets off a 16 ohm amp tap is the best sounding setup. A theory is that when you run off the highest ohm tap, in your case 8 ohms on the Mini Z, you utilize all of the copper wire windings on the output transformer thus getting all of the tone. A good quality output transformer like Dr Z specs in all of his amps is a very important part of the "Z Sound." Cheaper amps use cheap transformers and that shows.
Trust your ears. What you think sounds best is the right way. A lot of guys even run an 8 ohm speaker off the 4 ohm tap and like that sound. Just don't ever run a lower ohm speaker off a higher tap. You will burn out the tubes and possibly harm the transformer.
Playing at home is one thing to hear the nuances of your amp. Put it on stage with a full band and those slight tone changes seem to fade away.
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jeffh
New Member
Posts: 40
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Post by jeffh on Oct 31, 2012 17:05:10 GMT -7
A theory is that when you run off the highest ohm tap, in your case 8 ohms on the Mini Z, you utilize all of the copper wire windings on the output transformer thus getting all of the tone.
That's what I was referring to - I've read that theory and wondered how it holds for the Mini - if the sound would be fuller at the full rating (8 ohms) of the OT. I'm just playing at home so I can obsess over this stuff. ;D
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