1 speaker vs multiple speakers?

[Nicko_Lps]

I’ll check it out, thank you. Weber has a cabinet called the Maggie that’s a Deluxe sized cabinet with a 10” and an 8” speaker, and they can get it made with a tweed champ cutout. Been toying around with changing the cabinet from the current Princeton sized 1 x 10 to this Deluxe sized 10/8 thingy.

Wondering if it would sound better or not.

That 8+10 cab is meant for a tweed champ though, tight space..

Is your amp a small one or you want to make a different cab?

I dont see any other reason going to an 8" but only the tight space and maybe reducing the output volume by a huge margin

 

[tugboat1980]

That 8+10 cab is meant for a tweed champ though, tight space..

Is your amp a small one or you want to make a different cab?

I dont see any other reason going to an 8" but only the tight space and maybe reducing the output volume by a huge margin

It is a tweed champ. Currently in a Princeton cabinet with a 10” speaker. Trying to argue over if it will be worth it or not. It’s already in a bigger cabinet with a bigger speaker. Debating whether the additional 8” would add anything meaningful to the sound. (Understanding I’d need 2 new speakers to make up the impedance difference).

 

[39martind18]

Over the last decade, I've taken to using a 2x10 setup in my various Deluxe Reverbs, with excellent results. My 1969 DR has had a pair of D110F JBLs and K110 JBLs at various times. Both sounded glorious, though heavy as hell. I also installed a pair of Jensen Neo 100W that sounded just about as good, but weighed about 18 lb less. When I traded the '69 DR off several months ago, I reinstalled the 1x12 baffle with a Weber F150 8 ohm, and put the Jensens in my TMDR. They worked well, but on a whim, I put back the original 12" Jensen Neo, and was surprised that I actually liked the sound better. Go figure...

 

[Nicko_Lps]

It is a tweed champ. Currently in a Princeton cabinet with a 10” speaker. Trying to argue over if it will be worth it or not. It’s already in a bigger cabinet with a bigger speaker. Debating whether the additional 8” would add anything meaningful to the sound. (Understanding I’d need 2 new speakers to make up the impedance difference).

I dont know if you should take what follows as an actual fact because i will mention bigger speakers.
Just in case if it falls to the same way:

I was listening to 2 pro players(really good players with insane gear experience) last year, they both came to argue that 2x12 comes out way too strong(i love it for this), they both "kind of" agreed that 2x12 comes a bit weak.

They finally said that 1x12 and 1x10 might be the best case for an amp like Vibrolux silverface.

Adding another 8" speaker and buying 2 new speakers ? How about adding a separate cab below your amp, a 1x12 thiele style cab to make things even

 

[J-bass&Tele]

Wow, the 4x10 sounded gross in that clip all around. 2 x 10 sounded really good, but at times I actually preferred the 1 x 10. Wonder what it would sound like in the room?

I sort of suspect that there were some phase issues with the micing of the 4x10, some weird dips in some low mid frequencies and a high mid peak that wasn't there with the 1x10 and the 2x10, those two sounded similar to my 1028k (he used 1028p for the 1x10 and the 2x10).

 

[bigben55]

I dont think it's just 1 speaker vs multiple speakers. It's just as much cab size and the speakers themselves. I once had a 1966 Super Reverb and a 1966 Pro Reverb at the same time. Both were great, but the SR always sounded better. Same circuit, roughly the same wattage.

 

[fenderchamp]

Is there a sonic difference between a single speaker and multiple (of the same) speakers or is it mostly about moving more air and matching speaker wattage to amp output? I’ve always played single speaker combos and am curious.

I think a 4x12 sounds a bit different than a 1x12.

Not better or worse, but different.

A 1x12 on the floor sounds a bit different than the same 1x12 on a chair even.

a 2x12 open back cab sounds a bit different than 1x12 too.

They all sound different.

 

[jhundt]

But the super reverb is a different amp. What about a super reverb through one 100w 10” speaker?

I was given an old blackface Super Reverb back in 1980. It had blown speakers. I replaced the baffle with a single 12" Celestion, which was the only loose speaker I could find back then. It sounded pretty darn good!

 

[RaistMagus]

I was given an old blackface Super Reverb back in 1980. It had blown speakers. I replaced the baffle with a single 12" Celestion, which was the only loose speaker I could find back then. It sounded pretty darn good!

I've heard about 1x15" supers but never a 1x12"

 

[WalATX]

OP, I have a 2x10 Deluxe Reverb kit amp (cab built by Weber), and I think it sounds fatter and wider in general than the 1x12 DRs I have tried/heard. I have an alnico and a ceramic (one of each) in the cab. Weber cabs are great quality, same with their speakers. They might also customize a cab for you with 2x10, 10+12, etc. I’m happy with mine.

I also run a 2x12, one alnico and one ceramic, with a “Marshall-inspired” amp that I built. When I ran that amp through a 1x12 it didn’t sound nearly as monstrous—in the room.

I don’t know what they would sound like miked up on stage or into a DAW, compared directly to a single speaker cab. The 2x10 DR sounds absolutely glorious recorded with two mics, though.

I will say I have never regretted having two speakers in my amps. If that’s the case it would be about mobility, in which case I would use a IR loader or amp sim pedal and throw everything in a backpack.

 

[GPoint]

Single loudspeaker sounds rather similar to parallel connected speakers (some difference can come from the amp how it reacts on different load impedances). But serial or combined (serial/parallel) sounds different, because any kind of serial connection kills damping factor of the amp. Serial connection is good ONLY for electric guitar or someone else lead function instrument. Clean tones sound better (more precise) from single or parallel connected loudspeakers (bass, keyboards, acoustic guitar, etc.).

 

[mannyandlily]

Two speakers (amps) connected for stereo sound are really good with delay and some modulation effects.

 

[jhundt]

I've heard about 1x15" supers but never a 1x12"

Back in those days it was really hard to find loose speakers. I went to every shop I knew, and nobody had anything loose, except the one Celestion. I would have loved a 15! I got hold of an old JBL 15 many years ago and used it quite happily in a home built AC15 kind of amp.

 

[Reivaj]

It turns a small source of sound into a wall of sound. Each identical speaker added moves more air. BUT, as BOSE and others figured out years ago, the result is more than simply additive. Adding more speakers in the same plane/phase as the original creates the impression of a much larger speaker than the surface area of the two simply added together. The sound waves from two sources ideally produce "constructive interference", creating what some would call a bigger sound. In addition, more complexity in the wave field usualy creates a a more interesting or hopefully pleasing tone. Adding even more speakers and banks of speakers adds even more sonic complexity and a larger wave front.

But there is more to it than just adding speakers/stacks. The placement and spacing of those speakers sculpts the wave front. There is a reason stacks of speaker cabs are often identical and stacked closely together and not spread around the stage. Each source of sound waves needs to work and play well together to create an optimum sonic experience for listeners in different areas of a room or even a stadium.

I don’t agree. I’d rather have 2 speakers separated than close together

 

[Reivaj]

But bear in mind that I want the sound to spread rather than concentrate on a beam that can only be appreciated/enjoyed if you are placed in a very specific position.

 

[Boreas]

But bear in mind that I want the sound to spread rather than concentrate on a beam that can only be appreciated/enjoyed if you are placed in a very specific position.

I am not really talking about "soundstage" qualities, but more acoustic wave interference - constructive and destructive and why a two-speaker combo, cab, or stack usually sounds better than a single large speaker. Separating speakers can have good and bad effects depending on wave phasing and placement.

 

[bebopbrain]

It is all about dispersion.

Have you seen radio stations with lots of antennas? The multiple "speakers" allow the station to spread out the signal in one direction (towards their listeners) and away in another direction (the ocean, maybe).

It's the same with guitar cabs. Multiple speakers spread out the sound. But here's the kicker, the multiple speakers need to be vertical, not horizontal. The Fender Twin, AC30, VT22, etc. simply got it wrong. The Marshall stack got it right. The direction we want the sound to go is left/right and the direction we want to avoid is up/down. Vertical speakers fill the room this way better.

 

[PhredE]

It is all about dispersion.

Have you seen radio stations with lots of antennas? The multiple "speakers" allow the station to spread out the signal in one direction (towards their listeners) and away in another direction (the ocean, maybe).

It's the same with guitar cabs. Multiple speakers spread out the sound. But here's the kicker, the multiple speakers need to be vertical, not horizontal. The Fender Twin, AC30, VT22, etc. simply got it wrong. The Marshall stack got it right. The direction we want the sound to go is left/right and the direction we want to avoid is up/down. Vertical speakers fill the room this way better.

Yup, exactly. The existence of vertical line array speakers make the point.

 

[Dostradamas]

It is all about dispersion.

Have you seen radio stations with lots of antennas? The multiple "speakers" allow the station to spread out the signal in one direction (towards their listeners) and away in another direction (the ocean, maybe).

It's the same with guitar cabs. Multiple speakers spread out the sound. But here's the kicker, the multiple speakers need to be vertical, not horizontal. The Fender Twin, AC30, VT22, etc. simply got it wrong. The Marshall stack got it right. The direction we want the sound to go is left/right and the direction we want to avoid is up/down. Vertical speakers fill the room this way better.

I agree, with one closed back on top and the open back on the bottom is how I like the cabinets oriented.
I also start with an isolation base (3/4" plywood with 4 x 4 rubber iso pads for feet

)
the cabinets sit on.
This decouples the cabinets from the floor.
I use these little

2 x 2 iso pads between and under the cabinets, two in front under the feet and two in back under the edge.
This creates about a 5 degree tilt back for the bottom cab and about a 10 degree for the top.

Isolated from the floor and each other as well as slightly different angles makes for a very clear dispersed tone I love.

Yes dispersion is what I am after

 

[PakalaHawaii]

I use a Mesa Boogie single 12" now, but I've found that multiple speakers like a Twin make a somewhat more complex sound.