5 watt champ head into a large cab?

[Kmaxbrady]

I’d like to order one of those 5 watt champ kits, but instead of a combo with an 8” speaker build it into a head and run it through a 2x12 or maybe a 4x10 (Not sure why the 4x10, I just like the idea of it)
Anyone tried this with good results? Also, who makes the best quality kit?

 

[Peegoo]

Heck yeah, a small amp into a large cabinet does substantially boost the volume of the amp. And it sounds huge.

Wattage does not equal volume.

I installed speaker-out jacks on my two Microcubes and when it's plugged into a 4x12, the little 2-watt amp rattles the windows in a big way.

 

[Kmaxbrady]

Heck yeah, a small amp into a large cabinet does substantially boost the volume of the amp. And it sounds huge.

Wattage does not equal volume.

I installed speaker-out jacks on my two Microcubes and when it's plugged into a 4x12, the little 2-watt amp rattles the windows in a big way.

Awesome. I wonder how much headroom I could get from a champ head. I’ve heard they start to break up around 4 or 5. A 2x12 could have a higher breaking point right? Or do I have that backwards?

 

[DrPepper]

Research Kevin O'Connor's detuned cabinet, sounds phenomenal (I've had mine over 15 years)...

 

[jimgchord]

Awesome. I wonder how much headroom I could get from a champ head. I’ve heard they start to break up around 4 or 5. A 2x12 could have a higher breaking point right? Or do I have that backwards?

Theres not much headroom to be had with a champ. More efficient speakers can help.

 

[black_doug]

Any 4 ohm cab would sound good.

 

[drneilmb]

If you want headroom, why a Champ? A tiny amp that's ready to GO is not where you want to be looking if what you want is clean headroom. I know they're cheap in kit form, but I fear that asking about headroom is a bad omen for your eventual satisfaction.

What are you hoping to achieve with this amp?

-Neil (happily playing 1-3W handmade tube amps at home through 1x12 and 2x10 cabs)

 

[Kmaxbrady]

If you want headroom, why a Champ? A tiny amp that's ready to GO is not where you want to be looking if what you want is clean headroom. I know they're cheap in kit form, but I fear that asking about headroom is a bad omen for your eventual satisfaction.

What are you hoping to achieve with this amp?

-Neil (happily playing 1-3W handmade tube amps at home through 1x12 and 2x10 cabs)

Most of my playing is just at bedroom volume. No gigging, mostly clean with slight breakup. So I’m wondering how loud a champ can get without any distortion in that “bedroom volume“ realm.
Mostly just looking for an interesting project.

 

[Javier668]

I tried mine in the 59 bassman cab using the weber matcher and rocks!

 

[drneilmb]

In the bedroom volume realm, I would guess that a 5W Champ has plenty of loudness to give up to slight breakup. I use a 1W Deluxe Micro in my home office with 1x12 and 2x10 cabs and it's a fairly raucous amp, but it has some slight breakup tones with enough volume to be fun to play.

And building an amp is a helluva fun project!

 

[Jsnwhite619]

This one is built a little more stout than any kit will be - bigger transformers, bigger filter caps - but this is a 5f1 clone I did a while back through a 4x12 cabinet and P90 Les Paul through it.

 

[LAPlayer]

Sure. Hendrix, Zappa, Clapton, Lennon - and even me - have used the Pignose 5w amp for great tone into bigger boxes.

 

[Peegoo]

Here's an amp I built years ago; it's a 5F1 circuit in a cab that's sized for a 1x12, but with two 8" speakers mounted diagonally in the baffle...kindasorta like a twin Champ. It's a grunty little beast.

It's louder than my 1966 BF Champ and 1972 Vibro Champ, but not twice as loud.

 

[VintageSG]

I'm going to pluck figures from my fundament here.
Assume, for the sake of simplicity, that a Champ will deliver 2 Watts of pristine cleans, and anything above a requested 3 Watts is going to be grubby. If you have a 2x12" with a combined sensitivity of 100dB/W, then that 2 Watts is going to be giving you 103dB if you have the cab on a stand, the speakers pointing at you and you sit 1M away.
103dB is rather loud
1W will give 100dB

The first few Watts do the heavy work, volume wise. Double the power, gain ~3dB

This is my Champ-a-like :



It's a kit amp, an Ampmaker WF-55. It sounds glorious. I built a 2x10" cab. A match made in heaven.

Be warned. Building amps is an enjoyable hobby. So much so, you'll need more shelves to hold your fruits. Build head units for the sake of space

 

[Asmith]

Awesome. I wonder how much headroom I could get from a champ head. I’ve heard they start to break up around 4 or 5. A 2x12 could have a higher breaking point right? Or do I have that backwards?

The 4 would just be louder and the breakup would be about the same (depending on it's impedance curve and the EQ if the speaker).

 

[jimgchord]

 

[black_doug]

Here's my 1x10.

 

[black_doug]

Hey @Kmaxbrady did you know you started this thread twice? It's a duplicate.

 

[berzirk]

I’d like to order one of those 5 watt champ kits, but instead of a combo with an 8” speaker build it into a head and run it through a 2x12 or maybe a 4x10 (Not sure why the 4x10, I just like the idea of it)
Anyone tried this with good results? Also, who makes the best quality kit?

Funny you should ask....
I have a 5W Champster from LilDawg and recently purchased a 2x12 cabinet from MojoTone.
Threw in a Tone Tubby Chicago Alnico and a Tone Tubby Black Beauty Ceramic. Both 20W speakers
Really digging the sound. I also have a DrZ Carmen Ghia that I play through the combo.
I think you will like it. I know Ted Weber makes really great speakers to evoke the vintage vibe of the champ circuit, but I just wanted to try something different and heard some nice reviews on the TT's. For
I really like the 2x12.

 

[nojazzhere]

Along your line.....I built a cabinet for one of my Vox Pathfinder 15R chassis with four 8" speakers. It sounds massive. I've gigged a few times with it. I call it my 15Watt Vox "Super Reverb".