Apr 3, 2010 10:48 AM
Can I use a Cabinet with my Spider IV 75 amp?
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Hi all,
I've recently purchased the Spider IV 75 amp as I wanted an amp with loads of preset
sounds so I could change sounds for different songs easily.
I'm now gigging in a band and was wondering if I could use a Cabinet with my amp
to get extra volume for bigger venues.
Sorry if this is a ridiculous question but i'm still learning about all this different
equipment
Cheers
Dan
Hi
The short answer is no.
The longer answer is:
I don't have a Spider IV 75. I have a Spider IV 150. The connections at the rear of my Spider IV 150 include a Left and Right speaker output. I know that if I use an external stereo (or two mono cabs) speaker cabinet of the correct impedance (8 ohms per side) that the internal speakers are disabled to protect the amp from being overloaded. Not being a Spider IV 75 owner I'm not 100% sure whether you even have a speaker output socket on the back of your amp - and none of the manuals for the Spider IV 75 show the back panel for a Spider IV 75. I strongly suspect your amp doesn't have a speaker output jack though, so if that is the case, without modifying the speaker output leads attached to your amp's speaker, and possibly changing your amp's speaker depending on what sort of extension cab you want to use, the answer is still no.
The speaker in your amp is an 8 ohm speaker. The amp is designed to provide 75w of power into an 8 ohm load and no less than that. If you were to attach another 8 ohm speaker in parallel with the internal speaker, the speaker impedance load presented to the amp would be 4 ohms and that being the case, the amp would try its best to become a 150w (approx) amp but unfortunately the internal components would find the strain too much and the output module would simply burn out. You would have to change your amp's internal speaker to a 16 ohm model and then use an external speaker cabinet with a load of 16 ohms in parallel with your amp's internal speaker to maintain the required 8 ohm speaker load. IF you do want to use say an external 2x12 cabinet as well as an internal speaker, the internal speaker would need to be 16 ohms and the external speaker cabinet would have to have a total impedance of 16 ohms too (two 8 ohm speakers in series). If you just wanted to use an external cabinet you would need to disconnect the internal speaker and tape up the contacts on the speaker wires to be safe so they can't touch, then you'd connect your 8 ohm external cabinet to your amp's speaker jack if it has one - or if it doesn't, you'd need to connect the external cab directly to the speaker wires you've just taped up.
If you swapped your amp's speaker for a 16 ohm model or tried to add an external cabinet by running wires from the existing speaker wires, the configuration would not be supported or recommended by Line 6 and if you accidentally fried the amp, your warranty would be invalidated. You could probably run your amp with a 16 ohm single internal speaker without problems being caused to the amp itself, but it would only run at half power (37.5w) and for obvious reasons you wouldn't really want to do this as you are I believe after more volume rather than less.
Would adding an external speaker give your amp more volume? Your speaker configuration would potentially give your amp the ability to move twice as much air, but the amp's power would be spilt equally between the two speakers, so neither speaker cone would move quite as far individually. In practice you would probably notice a very slight increase (and I DO mean VERY slight) in overall volume and slightly less distortion if you used two speakers rather than one, but the difference in volume would hardly be noticeable to the human ear. i think you would be more likely to notice a difference in the amp's tone than a significant rise in volume, which may or may not be a good thing :-)
Would it be worth the effort and extra expense as well as the risk to your amp? Realistically, probably not IMO as you'd probably need to swap out your amp's speaker for a 16 ohm model and what you'd get for your money probably wouldn't warrant the expense.
If you really want more volume, your preferred options would be to buy a Spider IV 150 combo or head and cabinet, or to buy a Spider Valve MkII 212 40w combo (valve amps are perceived as significantly louder per watt than solid state amps are in general) or HD100 head plus cab. The Spider IV 150 combo is a seriously loud amp as it stands.
Nick
Hi NIck,
Many thanks for your full and honest answer.
I think what i'll do is wait a bit and then buy the Spider IV 150 HD and
a cab to go with it.
Thanks again mate
Dan
Another way to get more volume is to replace the OEM speaker with one that is more efficient. While you're at it, you can also get one with a NEO magnet, which will weight several pounds less.
GmanJeff wrote:
Another way to get more volume is to replace the OEM speaker with one that is more efficient. While you're at it, you can also get one with a NEO magnet, which will weight several pounds less.
Very true ![]()
Hi y'all,
I can't help but jump in here.
Are you saying that I can get more volume from my Spider IV 150 by installing more efficient speakers? I don't see how, for is the amp not pushing out 2 x 75 watts and no more?
Would I put in higher wattage speakers, or just a better brand? This is a very interesting topic to me, thanks for any additional info.
Yes, that's right. You'll get more volume/loudness with more efficient speakers, even though your amplifier generates the same wattage. The quality of the speakers has nothing to do with it (although quality may affect other parameters, like tone and durability). Driven with the same amount of power, a more efficient speaker will be louder than one that is less efficient. If I recall correctly, the rated efficiency of the stock Celestion is 96 db or so, meaning that when driven with one watt (the standard industry measurement level for efficiency), the speaker will put out 96 decibels at one meter. Other speakers, put out more, less, or the same amount of volume, depending on their design. The Eminence Tonkerlite I installed in my Spider IV 75 puts out 101 decibels at one meter when driven with one watt. One interesting thing is that you have to double amplifier power to get an additional 3 decibels of output (an increase that is perceptible). So, by installing a speaker that is 3 or 4 decibels more efficient, I effectively accomplished the same thing as leaving the stock speaker in and driving it with a 150 watt amp!
The Tonkerlite also weighs 4.1 lbs, as opposed to the 7+ pounds of the stock speaker, so I also saved some weight. For more info, just Google "speaker efficiency", and I'm sure you'll find plenty of information on this topic. As far as "wattage" goes, I think you're asking about the maximum power rating given to a speaker. There, you just need to make sure that the speaker can handle the maximum volume your amplifier puts out. If you have 2 speakers, each rated at 75 watts, and your amp puts out 150 watts, you're fine. The Tonkerlite is rated at 125 watts, so I have a comfortable margin of safety over the maximum 75 watts my particular model amp can generate. The maximum power rating has nothing to do with how loud a speaker gets, only how much power it can absorb or handle before it will be damaged. Apples and oranges, when speaking of speaker efficiency and of speaker power ratings. They are different measurements of different attributes.
As an aside, though, my Spider 75 was capable of deafening volume even with the stock speaker. I replaced the stock speaker to save some weight, as I use my amp for gigs and am always looking for ways to lighten my load. The increase in efficiency was a bonus, but I am very unlikely to ever take advantage of it, since even in stock form the amp is more than sufficiently loud for playing gigs in average bars and restaurants. I hope this helps.
Hey GmanJeff and Nick Mattocks,
Has anyone mentioned that you two are awesome?
Those are some of the most useful and informative replies I have come to note on this forum. Whether or not I can afford to do speaker replacements, it is always an interesting and informative learning experience here. I appreciate you both taking the time to reply.
You're very welcome!
Glad you find the info useful ![]()
Just to add to what GmanJeff has said, it's all about how much volume of air can be moved. Think of the speaker cone as an air pump. If the speaker cone in any given speaker rated at 100w power handling is made of a fairly rigid material and the 'surround' part that attaches to the front ring of the speaker chassis is also fairly rigid, the voice coil wont be able to move very easily as the amp injects power, so not too much volume of air gets moved, however if you make the surround out of a more flexible material that provides less resistance to movement, the speaker cone will be able to move more freely backward and forward in the speaker basket and therefore this more efficient speaker will move or pump a greater volume of air for the same amount of power injected by the amp.
Nick
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