8-ohm vs. 16-ohm confusion with Orange Tiny Terror

[Armchair Bronco]

OK, I guess I'm confused about how cabinets and amp heads work together, so I need some advice or clarification.

I currently have a Tiny Terror head. As you may know, it has two 8-ohm jacks and one 16-ohm jack on the back of the unit.

I also have an 8-ohm Avatar 1x12 cab with a G12H30. I have that connected to one of the 8-ohm jacks. So far, so good...

Now -- when I bought my cab from Avatar, I told the owner (a really nice guy, BTW, but I've forgotten his first name) that I would eventually be getting another Avatar 1x12 cab with a Vintage 30. I said that I wanted to turn these two 1x12's into a "mini stack" and use 'em at the same time with the same head. However, I also wanted the option of running either one by itself. He suggested I get an 8-ohm speaker, so that's what I did.

So: I'd like to know, what should I order when I'm ready for cab #2? An 8-ohm or a 16-ohm speaker? Keep in mind that I'll only be connecting these to the Tiny Terror (it's the only amp head I own).

And when I get my new cab, how do I connect it? To the back of the TT, or do I daisy-chain it off the existing 8-ohm cab (my Avatar has 2 inputs on the back, so I'm assuming this is for daisy chaining)?

I'm really confused and don't want to order the wrong thing or fry my TT! Please educate me.

 

[TexGoneNW]

Hmmmm, without going into the usual series/parallel discussion, not knowing exactly what the manual has to say for the TT, I'd suggest you contact the tech folks at Orange for specifics.

I'm going to quote the FAQ on the Orange site below:

What outputs do I use when I'm using an extension cabinet?

When using two speaker cabinets with Orange heads, both cabinets must have an impedance of 16 ohms. Plug each cabinet into an 8 ohm output. Do not mix cabinets of different impedances - harm may come to your amplifier as a result.

 

[chabby]

It depends - if you want to run the new cab all by itself you could get it in 16ohm and plug it into the 16ohm jack on the TT. Otherwise, you can get 2 8ohm cabs and run one each into the TT becasue you said the TT has two 8ohm speaker jacks on the back. In othe words you can always go down in ohms on the cabs as long as youre not exceeding the ohms on the out jacks on the TT. But then you also have a question of balance too between cabs. Because the TT wants you to run either one 16ohm cab, or 2 8ohm cabs. At least I think thats how it works. I think those out jacks mean that the amp wants to see either 2 8 ohm cabs or one 16 ohm cab. Therefor since you already have 1 8 ohm cab you need another one otherwise it wouldnt have 2x8ohm jacks. Or 1x16 ohm and no 8 ohm cabs. The amps limit is 16ohms.

 

[Armchair Bronco]

Hmmmm, without going into the usual series/parallel discussion, not knowing exactly what the manual has to say for the TT, I'd suggest you contact the tech folks at Orange for specifics.

I'm going to quote the FAQ on the Orange site below:

What outputs do I use when I'm using an extension cabinet?

When using two speaker cabinets with Orange heads, both cabinets must have an impedance of 16 ohms. Plug each cabinet into an 8 ohm output. Do not mix cabinets of different impedances - harm may come to your amplifier as a result.

Thanks for the feedback. This is bad news for me, especially as I explained to the folks at Avatar exactly what I was trying to achieve. I also admitted up front that I was ignorant about ohms and impedances and so on, and that I would rely on their recommendation.

Sounds like I should have ordered one 16-ohm cab to get started (plugged into the single 16-ohm jack on the Tiny Terror), and then later I would order *another* 16-ohm cab (this time connecting each cab to its own 8-ohm jack on the back of the Tiny Terror).

Maybe if I offer to split the difference on shipping, the folks at Avatar will do the right thing and send out a replacement 16-ohm speaker. (...Crosses fingers...)

 

[teerjerker]

Don't they mean you need 16 ohms in total? 8+8? If so, it looks like you are fine.

 

[chabby]

Nope, I don't think so 8-8 in parallel? or what?

Nope you are not going to need but one 16ohm cab.
what you need is either two 8ohm cabs or one 16ohm cab.
If you get another 16ohm cab wher are yo gonna plug it in? You can't plug it into the 8ohm jack. That is, you can't pulg an 16ohm speaker into an 8ohm amp jack.

Its just like my Epihone Vale Junior - it's matching cab with Lady Luck Emninence speaker is 16 ohms. Only difference is the Valve Jr has 3 jacks which are 1 16ohm and 1 8ohm and 1 4ohm
.

My Masters TVA30 has only two speaker jacks 1 8ohm and 1 4ohm.

 

[teejoo]

There are 3 options for the TT:

*A single 8 ohm cab in the 8 ohm output
*A single 16 ohm cab in the 16 ohm output
*2 16 ohm cabs in the 2 8 ohm outputs

 

[Armchair Bronco]

There are 3 options for the TT:

*A single 8 ohm cab in the 8 ohm output
*A single 16 ohm cab in the 16 ohm output
*2 16 ohm cabs in the 2 8 ohm outputs

Yep, this was confirmed on another site.

Too bad for me. Seems like I've got the wrong impediance...

 

[telemnemonics]

I stumbled on this thread googling for info on dual terror voltage switching, and finding three incorrect vs two correct answers to the OPs question, I thought I'd add one in hopes of clarifying this easily confused subject. The internet has comparable amounts of misinformation to the correct information available, it would be nice if the mis-info would self delete, so that this misinformation would not keep getting distributed via google as useful information, to be utilized and re-disseminated by unsuspecting googlers.
The two 8ohm outputs are not for use with two 8ohm cabinets.
Two 8ohm cabinets (or speakers) plugged into any amp output jack(s) equals a 4ohm load.
The two 8ohm output jacks are wired for use with two 16ohm cabs (8ohm combined load); or one 8ohm cab.
8ohm+8ohm does not "equal" 16ohm.
Two 8ohm speakers CAN be wired in series to equal a 16ohm load, but plugging two 8ohm cabs (or speakers) into two output jacks is connecting them in parallel, which equals a 4ohm load.
It would be possible to make a box to plug two 8ohm cabs into that would connect the two cabs in series, equaling a 16ohm load, so that the two 8ohm cabs could then connect to the 16ohm output jack on the amp via the series box.
This would be very easy and cheap to make, but also easy to forget what it does and connect wrong.

 

[Crazy neddie]

FYI I used to have a TT head and I used a 16 ohm cab most of the time but also used 8 ohm cabs many times. I used the 8 ohm cabs cranked up full tilt and never had any problems. I can't guarantee you won't have any problems but I did not have any issues. Avatar should exchange that cab or at the very least send you a 16 ohm speaker and let you ship the 8 ohm speaker back.

 

[telemnemonics]

FYI I used to have a TT head and I used a 16 ohm cab most of the time but also used 8 ohm cabs many times. I used the 8 ohm cabs cranked up full tilt and never had any problems. I can't guarantee you won't have any problems but I did not have any issues. Avatar should exchange that cab or at the very least send you a 16 ohm speaker and let you ship the 8 ohm speaker back.

You ran two 8ohm cabs together @ 4ohms total load?
I agree and it's common knowledge that you can generally get away with that much of an impedance mis-match, which is good to know as long as it's viewed as a mis-match you can probably get away with, not as a correct match.
The labeling of two 8ohm jacks that are intended for two 16ohm cabs (8ohm combined load) adds to the confusion of impedance matching, and I'm not disagreeing with you on your use of two 8ohm cabs, just trying to give a simple answer to a simple question. Hopefully someone just learning about impedance matching will do further research to learn about how much they can push an amp beyond it's particular specs.

 

[Crazy neddie]

You ran two 8ohm cabs together @ 4ohms total load?
I agree and it's common knowledge that you can generally get away with that much of an impedance mis-match, which is good to know as long as it's viewed as a mis-match you can probably get away with, not as a correct match.
The labeling of two 8ohm jacks that are intended for two 16ohm cabs (8ohm combined load) adds to the confusion of impedance matching, and I'm not disagreeing with you on your use of two 8ohm cabs, just trying to give a simple answer to a simple question. Hopefully someone just learning about impedance matching will do further research to learn about how much they can push an amp beyond it's particular specs.

No, sorry for the confusion. I meant that I used a 16 ohm cab most of the time but on many occasions I used an 8 ohm cab instead. Not multiple cabs at the same time.

 

[deadbeat son]

OK, I guess I'm confused about how cabinets and amp heads work together, so I need some advice or clarification.

I currently have a Tiny Terror head. As you may know, it has two 8-ohm jacks and one 16-ohm jack on the back of the unit.

I also have an 8-ohm Avatar 1x12 cab with a G12H30. I have that connected to one of the 8-ohm jacks. So far, so good...

Now -- when I bought my cab from Avatar, I told the owner (a really nice guy, BTW, but I've forgotten his first name) that I would eventually be getting another Avatar 1x12 cab with a Vintage 30. I said that I wanted to turn these two 1x12's into a "mini stack" and use 'em at the same time with the same head. However, I also wanted the option of running either one by itself. He suggested I get an 8-ohm speaker, so that's what I did.

So: I'd like to know, what should I order when I'm ready for cab #2? An 8-ohm or a 16-ohm speaker? Keep in mind that I'll only be connecting these to the Tiny Terror (it's the only amp head I own).

And when I get my new cab, how do I connect it? To the back of the TT, or do I daisy-chain it off the existing 8-ohm cab (my Avatar has 2 inputs on the back, so I'm assuming this is for daisy chaining)?

I'm really confused and don't want to order the wrong thing or fry my TT! Please educate me.

Thanks for the feedback. This is bad news for me, especially as I explained to the folks at Avatar exactly what I was trying to achieve. I also admitted up front that I was ignorant about ohms and impedances and so on, and that I would rely on their recommendation.

Sounds like I should have ordered one 16-ohm cab to get started (plugged into the single 16-ohm jack on the Tiny Terror), and then later I would order *another* 16-ohm cab (this time connecting each cab to its own 8-ohm jack on the back of the Tiny Terror).

Maybe if I offer to split the difference on shipping, the folks at Avatar will do the right thing and send out a replacement 16-ohm speaker. (...Crosses fingers...)

Yep, this was confirmed on another site.

Too bad for me. Seems like I've got the wrong impediance...

Don't fret. You can build a simple box or cable to connect two 8 ohm cabs in series to yield a 16 ohm load to connect to the 16 ohm output on the amp.

I can help you do this, but first I need to know, do you understand how series wiring works, and are you handy with a soldering iron?

 

[Il Duce]

I'm just sort of reaffirming this, and this is how it works on the amps I own. The 2 8 ohm outputs on the back of the TT are for either 1 8 ohm cab/speaker, plugged into a single output, or for 2 16 ohm cabs/speakers, each one plugged into one of the 8 ohm outputs. You would think they would make it easier to figure out/understand! I had the same issue so I totally know the frustration. One of the ways I set my rig up is with my Ampeg GVT52-112 combo and a Ampeg GVT112 cab. The speaker in the combo is 16 ohms and the cab is 16 ohms and I plug them each into the 2 8 ohm outputs. I also have a couple of 8 ohm speaker cabs and when I use them I plug each one into the 4 ohm outputs. I hope that this helps you out a bit!

 

[deadbeat son]

LOL at me for offering to help the OP in a 5 year old thread.

 

[Il Duce]

LOL at me for offering to help the OP in a 5 year old thread.

Hahahahahaha! Got me too! LOL

 

[telemnemonics]

LOL at me for offering to help the OP in a 5 year old thread.

THIS IS A VERY SERIOUS MATTER!!!
All sins of opinion stand as internet fact for eternity!
YOU WILL BE JUDGED BY GOD AT THE GATES OF HEAVEN!!
If even one unsuspecting amp owner who doesn't read the owners manual gets hot transformers, you will burn in hell!!
Repent now by correcting all internet misinformation!!!
Speak the gospel of truth, lest ye be judged for doing something more useful with your life!!!