4x12 wiring options.

  • Thread starter Thread starter Smash
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This whole thing reminds me of someone adjusting a compressor that isn't turned on.

I agree with Dave.... It pretty much needs to be immediate.

I have one of my rigs set up so I can switch between 8 cabs in real time. It really opened my mind to how much of this stuff is only in our head.
 
stephen sawall said:
I have one of my rigs set up so I can switch between 8 cabs in real time. It really opened my mind to how much of this stuff is only in our head.
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There have been plenty of times where I couldn’t hear any change or effect. I’m honest with myself though and won’t dwell on it.

This is a big think with tubes. How many times have we heard people say NOS tubes don’t sound any different than new stuff. All without having tests done on the tubes to determine apples to apples (or as close as possible). All tubes are slightly different and thus sound different. That’s why you can’t buy one NOS Mullard and say it’s the best tube you’ve heard. You could have gotten lucky with a good one or the one you swapped was just junk and anything different would have sounded better.

Back to the topic at hand, speakers are also a major variable. Are all of the speakers broken in the same, at the same time? Have the speakers been abused and now you can’t audibly can’t hear a change? How loud are you playing? Speakers sound VERY different when play loudly vs bedroom volumes. I am so anal about stuff like this that several years ago, I changed out all 16 speakers in my four Cameron cabs for fresh brand new ones and broke them all in at the same time. Why?… because each cabinet had a different sound with the old speakers and I wanted to eliminate that as much as possible (now think about how different vintage speakers can sound). Yup, I’m psychodave. 🤣
 
I have never heard two speakers sound identical. Even new each one sounded different. Sometimes very different.

Even a rig can sound different from day to day with nothing changed.
 
7704A said:
This is the main question I think: can wiring change what goes into a speaker/how it interacts with an amp? In a 2x12, series vs parallel wiring will change what goes into each speaker/how each speaker interacts with the amp, particularly if you're mixing speakers. I have not looked into S/P or P/S for a 4x12 though.
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This is the point or me. Does it change the transformer interaction with the speaker. This would be a good question for steve fryette. I wish he just answered all my questions on the show. He could still drink. But half the show is rig talk technical questions
 
Big difference between every wiring method...AND THAT'S THE BOTTOM LINE BECAUSE STONE COLD SAYS SO!!!
 
Smashedguitaris⸸ said:
But half the show is rig talk technical questions
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Could get interesting real fast...

💀RiffWARz💀 Steven Fryette...its high noon n00b! ITS TIME TO BATTLE ⚒️​

Smashedguitaris⸸ said:
Does it change the transformer interaction with the speaker.
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I just did some quick circuit analysis, and I think it will. With series/parallel each speaker has another speaker's impedance in series with it. With parallel/series, each speaker has only half of another speaker's impedance in series with it (assuming all speakers are identical). So the damping factor for a given speaker will be higher in P/S, meaning the amp will be better able to control it. Caveat: while I've studied physics, audio systems are still pretty new to me and I'm going off a cursory understanding of damping factor.

Quick calculations solving for DF corresponding to a single speaker in the quad:
20240619_140611.jpg

Edit: I don't know how audible/feelable this change would be.
 
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7704A said:
Could get interesting real fast...

💀RiffWARz💀 Steven Fryette...its high noon n00b! ITS TIME TO BATTLE ⚒️​


I just did some quick circuit analysis, and I think it will. With series/parallel each speaker has another speaker's impedance in series with it. With parallel/series, each speaker has only half of another speaker's impedance in series with it (assuming all speakers are identical). So the damping factor for a given speaker will be higher in P/S, meaning the amp will be better able to control it. Caveat: while I've studied physics, audio systems are still pretty new to me and I'm going off a cursory understanding of damping factor.

Quick calculations solving for DF corresponding to a single speaker in the quad:
View attachment 319296
Edit: I don't know how audible/feelable this change would be.
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Interesting as fuck. Even if audibly it isnt relevant
 
Smash said:
I have wired my cabs a lot of ways, but never compared 1:1 so to speak. I have settled on a method that I definitely enjoy. And I think Mesa uses this style. What is the difference in this wiring vs others. I have posted a couple common wiring methods that I have used in the past also. View attachment 318378
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Can you tell me how 4 of the 30 watt Anniversary speakers sound ? I have 2 of them and was thinking of trying them with 2 more to make 4 of them together..I know the 2-12" EVH cabinet I had had 2 of them stock and they sounded amazing with the standard 6L6 EVH 3 5150 head.. I have read that 4- V30's sound great with Orange amp heads..but since I have 2 of the 30 watt Anniversary speakers already it would be cheaper to just get 2 more.
 
riffermadness said:
Can you tell me how 4 of the 30 watt Anniversary speakers sound ? I have 2 of them and was thinking of trying them with 2 more to make 4 of them together..I know the 2-12" EVH cabinet I had had 2 of them stock and they sounded amazing with the standard 6L6 EVH 3 5150 head.. I have read that 4- V30's sound great with Orange amp heads..but since I have 2 of the 30 watt Anniversary speakers already it would be cheaper to just get 2 more.
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They sound great, but can be a bit overwhelming in the high end. Just mix two with some traditional greenbacks or v30s.


Right now i have 4 redbacks
 
Smash said:
They sound great, but can be a bit overwhelming in the high end. Just mix two with some traditional greenbacks or v30s.


Right now i have 4 redbacks
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That's what I was thinking about the high end..I can't decide what to get to go with the 2 yet.
 
There is a difference in tone when running a cab in 16ohms vs 8, and 4. 16 sounds the brightest.
 
There is another option, but I may have been the only person doing it.

I wired my 4x12 to be in stereo with a tip/ring/sleeve jack, but the tip was the ground.

I made two custom wires.

Wire 1 was the stereo wire, on the power amp end it was normal, tip is hot, sleeve is ground. On the cabinet side, TRS plug was tip is ground, left hot was ring, right hot was sleeve.

Wire 2 was mono, normal on amplifier end, tip was ground and sleeve was hot on cabinet end.

This way, I could use cab in stereo or mono depending on the application. However, it always required my custom wires.
 
njshred said:
There is another option, but I may have been the only person doing it.

I wired my 4x12 to be in stereo with a tip/ring/sleeve jack, but the tip was the ground.

I made two custom wires.

Wire 1 was the stereo wire, on the power amp end it was normal, tip is hot, sleeve is ground. On the cabinet side, TRS plug was tip is ground, left hot was ring, right hot was sleeve.

Wire 2 was mono, normal on amplifier end, tip was ground and sleeve was hot on cabinet end.

This way, I could use cab in stereo or mono depending on the application. However, it always required my custom wires.
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This makes me wonder of i ever reversed polarity on the whole cab. I dont think it matters as long as in phase, but it is moving the speaker exactly opposite of what you normally would..
 
Nigel said:
View attachment 318555
Use this, and you can fit a switch to go from Vintage (series/parallel) to modern (parallel/series).
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Did this on old jcm900 cabinet.

Having someone flip switch randomly after 5 minutes.... couldn't tell them apart. Placebo was big deal.

Not big difference at all.
Sold cab later with switch still installed.

This playing heavy gain with 5150.

Maybe you tell more difference with cleaner sounding. But since then tried both ways separately and I finally just said, okay... and wired it how mesa diagram show.

Work fine. Sound good. Enjoy.
 
p1lch3r_Buttafukk0 said:
There is a difference in tone when running a cab in 16ohms vs 8, and 4. 16 sounds the brightest.
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Turn treble precense down 1 notch.

An already bright speaker sound no more dull if wired 8 ohms.

My experience going through 25ish speakers of varying types and ohms in 4x12 enclosed cabinets.

A dull speaker or dark doesn't shift into bright land if 16ohm.


Too many sniff of cork.
 
Kōbra said:
Too many sniff of cork.
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Everything sounds the same all the time, that's why everyone should play basic bitch death metal with basic bitch amps through basic bitch speakers, or else theyre a cork sniffer. Definitely
 
Kind of a necro bump, but I have questions. I have a 4x12 that's 4 ohms. All 4 speakers are 4 ohms.
Can I rewire it so it's 16 ohms?
I've googled, but not sure I've found good info.
 
Kōbra said:
Turn treble precense down 1 notch.

An already bright speaker sound no more dull if wired 8 ohms.

My experience going through 25ish speakers of varying types and ohms in 4x12 enclosed cabinets.

A dull speaker or dark doesn't shift into bright land if 16ohm.


Too many sniff of cork.
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RIP Kobra
 
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