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Post by real.sladdi on Mar 16, 2006 12:53:36 GMT -7
I have a general question concerning speaker wiring: How should I wire the two 8 Ohm speakers (Red Fang/ G12H) in my 2x12"cab - in parallel (4 Ohms) or in Series (16 Ohms)? Is there any signifant difference in tone? And what is best/ most useful load for my MAZ Sr. Head - 4 or 16 Ohms (most of the Z cabs seem to have 16 Ohms)? Or is there maybe no noticable difference at all... Thanx in advance for your advice/ expertise...
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Post by billyguitar on Mar 16, 2006 13:48:28 GMT -7
Theoretically 16 ohms is supposed to sound better. Try it both ways and tell us what you think.
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Post by zdogma on Mar 17, 2006 6:16:14 GMT -7
I agree, I would try both. Here's an excellent link which talks about the pros and cons and how to's of building and wiring cabs (pa, stereo, guitar, whatever). Apologies if you've already seen it. colomar.com/Shavano/construction.html
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Post by kingink on Mar 21, 2006 21:08:06 GMT -7
For me, it's not so much a question of the actual impedance but a difference between series and parallel wiring. Mind you, I haven't done a comparison for awhile, but this summer past I kept switching off between parallel and series on both my Z-Best and Earcandy Buzzbomb cabs and stuck with parallel. I was using a Maz Sr. and an SF Bassman head with the AA864 mod and modded bass channel (for more mids).
I'm going to go out on a limb and try to describe what I heard (and felt) between the two types of wiring.
Parallel: more "open" sounding, more high highs and low lows, maybe even a little scooped?
Series: more honking/midrangey and crunchy/distorted sounding. Some high end roll off emphasizing high mids.
Since the Earcandy cab is front loading, the difference may not be as pronounced with it, but I noticed big differences with the Z Best, which loads from the back. For example, I had two G12Hs (8 ohm) in the Z. Using an Ibanez Talman (don't laugh, the Kent Armstrong pickups are pretty cool) with noiseless P90-style pups, I heard more Strat-like air/glass/chime with parallel wiring (4 ohms). In series (16 ohms), there was a definite high-end roll off, making the same guitar/pickups have more of a Tele punch/twang/upper mid tone.
And while band practice tapes may not be the best way to measure guitar tone, I could hear a difference here too. For instance, on one song I pluck an open G string and let it ring. It has a lot more honk than the tone I get now. The tape is from the summer, when I was running the speakers (greenbacks in one cab, G12Hs in the other) in series, then both cabs in parallel into the amp (via a Hotplate attenuator).
Nowadays, I have 4 16 ohm greenbacks, wired in parallel with the cabs connected in parllel to the amp (through the Hotplate). I really like this set up much better than the series/parallel setup.
There are probably differences in tone between the actual impedances, and when I get another Z Best, I'll experiment with that.
I hope this info is useful. I'm sure there's someone around here who hears the exact opposite results, so YMMV.
David
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Post by billyguitar on Mar 22, 2006 8:47:07 GMT -7
I don't understand it really but there is another factor I've heard about, branch inductance. Gerald Weber discussed once in a book or article. One good thing about parallel wiring is that if one speaker blows the other will still play. With series if one goes the whole cab goes down.
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