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I've often wondered this so I thought I would raise the question.

If I have an amp head to which I can connect 1 or 2 cabs of the same ohm rating, will the addition of more cabs increase the total amount of volume output? i.e. will connecting 2 amps give twice the volume of connecting 1 amp, or is there more to it than that?

johnnyseven wrote:I've often wondered this so I thought I would raise the question.

If I have an amp head to which I can connect 1 or 2 cabs of the same ohm rating, will the addition of more cabs increase the total amount of volume output? i.e. will connecting 2 amps give twice the volume of connecting 1 amp, or is there more to it than that?

If you have a solid-state amp that says something like "4-8 ohms" then plugging in 2x 8 ohms will give you twice as much power as pugging in 1x 8ohms. You're applying the same voltage across two similar loads.

Valve amps: it ain't necessarily so. The output transformers are wound with taps so that the different speaker loads present a similar anode load to the output valves. If the tap is selected by the extension speaker socket, like on Eric's White valve amp, then you should get about the same power from two speakers as from one.

im glad you answered that. i was secretly wondering the same thing since my "new" peavey musician head has two outs, but says 2ohms and some other none sense. of course, its solid state, and from the late 70's early 80's so it was built with duct tape and eddie van halens chest hair.

However, having two speakers pushing air around is sort of "louder" than having one. Having those speakers in separate cabs and spreading them out can also change the way the sound is being thrown at the audience. Somebody else could probably explain it better than me, but more speakers does mean more presence and thump.

This is interesting. My experience with my old solid state combo was putting an additional 2x12 cab on the external out made the amp sound quieter at the same volume level. Pumping up the volume brought it back to the same "volume" from a perception point of view and also (again my perception) made it sound much better. I kind of figured that the increased load meant you had to make the amp work harder for the same "volume" and working it harder made it sound better. I just made all that up in my head though.

Since I've moved to a valve amp, I've not really experimented with one 2x12 or 2 (it's a rack power amp), it just sounds like god.

moogmusic wrote:This is interesting. My experience with my old solid state combo was putting an additional 2x12 cab on the external out made the amp sound quieter at the same volume level.

Interesting. Much depends on the sensitivity/efficiency of the system. If you have a less efficient extension cab on a valve combo then your overall acoustic output will be reduced. You might want to do that for other reasons though (to get a flatter response, cleaner tone or whatever).

Another thought; if you were to put your combo on a chair, it might sound louder than standing it on an extension cab as the extension cab output would be down by your feet....

I thought I read that stacking speakers makes louder sounds. Something about the peaks of the soundwaves hitting eachother and magnifying?
I think that more cabs or speakers sounds better. Just telling you what my ears hear. I don't know if louder is the right word...

Always thought the Marshally setting on my vibro champ xd sounded like the shit of a horse who eats too much cardboard, but running it through my closed back 4x12 made all the difference, it actually sounds legit. Pushing more air makes all the difference for certain applications and loud rawk/low-end are some of 'em.