Catalyst Output Power

[ramosv]

Hi, been searching and couldn't find enough information. I have a Catalyst 100 and it came with a 4ohm stock speaker. I've heard that if you use an 8ohm load, it would cut the power output by half.

1. Is this valid to the Catalyst?
2. If this is valid, can I now use a 65W rated 8ohm speaker safely with the Catalyst 100 at loud volume?

 

Thanks in advance if anyone can clarify. :) 

[rd2rk]

The danger in changing speaker ratings is usually in the other direction - swapping an 8 ohm speaker for a 4 ohm speaker.

I'm not an electrical engineer and I did not design the Catalyst amp. Only Line6 can answer your question with total assuredness.

 

Other things to consider - what is the "sensitivity" of the speakers involved? A 3% difference in a speaker's sensitivity rating could decrease or increase the apparent volume.

I've never seen the specs on the Cat's speaker, and I highly doubt that L6 would be willing to release those specs for their special design Cat speaker.

 

Here's a couple of articles to help you understand these principles:

 

Speaker Impedance Changes Amplifier Power - Geoff the Grey Geek

Understanding Speaker Sensitivity - Geoff the Grey Geek

 

How does the attenuator factor into the equation?

 

The Cat has a feature whereby as the power output is decreased, EQ is applied to compensate for the Fletcher-Munson effect. How would that be affected?

 

The design team tested many types of speakers to find the best sound across all of the 6 amp types in the Cat and designed the speaker with the results of those tests in mind. This info, BTW, comes from the head of the design team (@Rikman) and he explained the process in one of the Cat threads over on TGP. So, if you replace the speaker with something that sounds GREAT with the Hi-Gain amp, it might sound awful with the Clean amp and/or detract from the "Voxy-ness" of the Chime amp.

 

Bottom line - how much of an improvement would you realize to the tone of your favorite Cat amp? 5%? 0%? At what cost to the tone of the others? What else might be compromised?

 

Since NOBODY from L6 monitors this forum regularly, you might TRY for an answer to these questions by asking on the D&M forum over at TGP. The head of the Cat's design team goes by @Rikman (had to search for that!).

 

And here's a thread re:Catalyst speaker changes:

 

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