Wattage Reassurances Please!

[SkyofOnyx]

So I just got a 100W EL34 Head that has a half power switch to set it at 50W. I want to get a 212 cab that has Two Greenbacks in it, which are 25W a piece, equalling 50W.

 

So the guy who sold it to me says that I would want a cab with more wattage so that I wouldn't blow the speaks.

 

Is there something I don't know about Greenbacks that wouldn't be able to handle the 50W setting? Is it more a safety precaution since wattage ratings can be modest/variable?

 

I would just like some feedback to make sure I'm not getting myself in trouble here!

 

Thanks!

[Stevenexp]

the speakers in the cab should double the watts of the head. That's a good rule of thumb. I have a mesa triple recto at 150 watts with a 300 watt cab.

[PaoloJM]

 

So I just got a 100W EL34 Head that has a half power switch to set it at 50W. I want to get a 212 cab that has Two Greenbacks in it, which are 25W a piece, equalling 50W. So the guy who sold it to me says that I would want a cab with more wattage so that I wouldn't blow the speaks. Is there something I don't know about Greenbacks that wouldn't be able to handle the 50W setting? Is it more a safety precaution since wattage ratings can be modest/variable? I would just like some feedback to make sure I'm not getting myself in trouble here! Thanks!

 

 

It's more something you don't know about tube heads. They can fire out about 50% more power than the rated wattage when pushed at full tilt.

Your amp could easily through 75 Watts of power at these speakers, possibly even more.

Speakers are also noramlly capable of handling more than their rated power but it's always, always, always best to over-rate your speakers.

[Ancient Mariner]

A lot depends on the speakers and the amp, and also whether you intend to drive it cranked or not. Doubling the wattage of the amp for the speakers will give a lot of safety, but you may feel like you're not working the speakers hard enough for good tone, especially if you don't crank it hard.

[ColourOfFire]

 

A lot depends on the speakers and the amp, and also whether you intend to drive it cranked or not. Doubling the wattage of the amp for the speakers will give a lot of safety, but you may feel like you're not working the speakers hard enough for good tone, especially if you don't crank it hard.

 

 

The OP doesn't seem to have a broad knowledge about this topic (that's not meant as an insult), so I guess it's best for him to play it safe and get a higher rated cab.

[GCDEF]

 

the speakers in the cab should double the watts of the head. That's a good rule of thumb. I have a mesa triple recto at 150 watts with a 300 watt cab.

 

 

That's a bit extreme. A lot of 50 or 60 watt combos come with a V30 which is 60 watts and they don't seem to blow. I'd be a little worried about an exact match, but double, while safe, isn't really necessary.

[mplecha]

I wouldn't do it.

[worldoftone]

Take it from someone who has blown scads of speakers. Get them over-rated. Just do it. Tube heads are rated at CLEAN headroom, not turned up into clipping. I was going to post numbers I measured on Clean RMS vs. Cranked RMS. Maybe one of these days.

 

- WOT

[tommythelurker]

 

It's more something you don't know about tube heads. They can fire out about 50% more power than the rated wattage when pushed at full tilt.

 

 

That's exactly what I was going to say.

 

 

But... that's full tilt. If you're using a high gain head with a master volume and keeping the volume down it won't be a problem. You really only start to risk blowing the speakers if you're running near the point of overdriving the power section which is going to be pretty damn loud, even for most gigs.

 

If you use your ears and a little common sense it'll be fine. Something like a hot plate may help too. If you really want to let it rip straight into the cab, then ya, you should get a bigger cab.

[SkyofOnyx]

Great input guys! Thats all I needed, thanks!