Adding monitors

[joeruffatto]

Hi: I want to add another wedge or two to the PA and have a question or two. Should I worry about matching the new monitor's power rating to my existing wedges? Should I be concerned about buying a monitor whose power rating exceeds that of my amp. I have plenty of power, but am wondering if it is better in terms of sound quality to match the power of the amp to the speaker. All thoughts appreciated. Joe

[twostone]

You need to be worrying about making sure their not a mis match brand, make, and model of monitors IMO.

 

Might help tell us what you already have and what you plan on getting might yield better advice results.

 

Also under powering drivers is just as bad as over powering them.

under powering them usually ends up you sending a clipped signal to make up for volume that you'll never get.

[Unalaska]

Match the monitors. If you can't then you can't. With monitors any 250w @ 8 ohm amp and a speaker around the same size works well.

[GCDEF]

 

Also under powering drivers is just as bad as over powering them. under powering them usually ends up you sending a clipped signal to make up for volume that you'll never get.

 

 

Don't start that nonsense here. Just don't. You might clip an amp if it isn't powerful enough for what you need, but that is wholly and completely unrelated to how much power your speakers can handle.

[imnotded]

 

Don't start that nonsense here. Just don't. You might clip an amp if it isn't powerful enough for what you need, but that is wholly and completely unrelated to how much power your speakers can handle.

 

 

I think he meant that if your amp isnt big enough you are going to push the amp too hard so you have enough volume.

[Gregidon]

 

I think he meant that if your amp isnt big enough you are going to push the amp too hard so you have enough volume.

 

 

Right, but almost all modern amps have clip limiters. As long as that is engaged, there is almost no way to clip the output of an amp.

[twostone]

Right, but almost all modern amps have clip limiters. As long as that is engaged, there is almost no way to clip the output of an amp.

 

My bad that's what I meant I know in the past I fried a few speakers because I pushed the 200w amp to hard into a 400w speaker trying to get more SPL another words the old saying I brought a knife to a gun fight.

 

I learned by experience the Ampeg slogan the more air you push the more volume you have and that's why we put in 8-10" drivers in our 8x10 cabs. or is it the other way around I forgot.

[GCDEF]

My bad that's what I meant I know in the past I fried a few speakers because I pushed the 200w amp to hard into a 400w speaker trying to get more SPL another words the old saying I brought a knife to a gun fight. I learned by experience the Ampeg slogan the more air you push the more volume you have and that's why we put in 8-10" drivers in our 8x10 cabs. or is it the other way around I forgot.

 

That's fine but you would have pushed the same amp just as hard into 50 watt speakers (assuming you didn't blow them first) or 2,000 watt speakers. The power handling of the speakers is irrelevant. I don't know why overdriving an amp is referred to as "Underpowering speakers", but it's the source of a whole lot of misinformation and confusion.

[monthlymixcd]

My advice for monitors is to get cabs that have speakers that are more efficient if you need more volume... all other things being equal... more volume with the same or even less power.

 

FWIW - I give the opposite advice to guitar players looking to get more power tube distortion from their amps without punishing stage volumes... probably shouldn't be using 102db drivers if there is a similar sounding 96db driver that would effectively eat twice the amp power at the same relative stage volume. Glowing Glass = Good Grooves. (Then of course there's the desire for a little speaker cone breakup... but that's even further OT...)