Correctly Connecting Swart Stereo head

[ QUOTE="Sheaton84, post: 10186217, member: 153094"]Called Swart amps and spoke with Michael and got my questions answered.[/QUOTE]

now, I am curious as to the answer to the question. Oh wait....I caught this....

 

It is sort of scarey though it says "make sure both speakers are plugged in...."

Like a weird warp ohm drive will occur...lol

 

My experience with them was some of the best customer service around. Proud of their products and deservedly so, too.

 

So, Sheraton, I am thinking that Swart told you that there are two separate power amps and that each one of them needs to be plugged into a speaker load, correct? I am thinking that Swart will also tell you that there is a shorting jack on the output of each amp that provides some protection IF one does not have a speaker load plugged in. That protection should not be deemed to be used for long, right? When the shorting jack does not have a load plugged in, the OT is seeing a short. A short looks better to the OT than would an open circuit, but the short is not anywhere near an ideal situation. Each output needs a load.
What would I do IF this is a new amp and the seller who has that Swart franchise did not know how to run the amp and thereby exposed one of the amps to an improper load? I probably would ask Swart to send me a new amp in trade. I expect a new amp to have undergone no abuse, and running an amp without a load is abuse, imho. OTs do not necessarily either work or not. They can suffer damage and keep on making sound. The sound may be degraded to some extent....small or large. The OT’s lifespan may be ‘challenged’. As for how you are running it, you want two speaker loads. A stereo wired cab with proper impedance for each amp will work. Two separate cabs to achieve a spread of the soundstage is preferable.
good,luck with it.

 

So, do you have matching speakers for the two sides...at the correct impedance. I see where if one plugs into only Input 1, the signal is shared with input two. If you do have matched loads, is there any difference in what you hear through one side compared to the other.....just roll the volumes up and down so as to hear the two sides separately, right? Yes, I have owned a stereo guitar since 1967 and like stereo amplification. I have two .super .champs...one for each pickup in my Es345TDC.

 

I find the info on the Swart site for that head to be lacking. All I can see fro: the Swart site is that. They say that speakers must be connected. I do not see an impedance selector. For the 20/20 stereo amp, there is an impedance selector for each amp. Do you have a picture of the back panel? Or...can you describe the impedance selection there? Is there a manual for this amp?
tabnay rate, I personally would want matched speakers working on each amp. OMMV. If the speakers are not alike, the; they should at least be of the same efficiency rating, imho. You do want to match the load to what the OT wants to see....however that is determined. Matched OT/load produce the best efficiency and safest operation. If you bought a true stereo amp without considering the speaker arrangement, then you dove into deep water unprepared for what you find yourself in. I have no doubt that you can swim to shore somehow, but it will require more monetary expenditure, right? Hey.....you did not get into this endeavor to save money, now did you???? Eeeehaw.....

if each amp output has selectable impedance for either 4 or 8 ohms, then you could run the amp safely with one 4 ohm and one 8 ohm...each running on its one output, you see. However, whether or not those speakers work well with a stereo setup is another question. For my money, when I am in stereo operation, I want everything to be as matched as possible....including the tubes in the two amps. In other words, I would suggest that you always buy matched duets of power tubes so that each output selection is biased the same way. Yes, those outputs are cathode biased and do not need adjustment. However, the tube used determines the operational parameters...how the tube/circuit is biased...and that demands matched power tubes. I would also want the same preamp tubes...all of this along with matched speakers in matched cabs.
now that you know all of this, wouldn’t it be cool if .swart had provided a switch to shut down one side so that you could run that 8 ohm cab on one amp and enjoy the amp...or half of it???? But why would they do that? They want to sell you one of those cool looking stereo cabs, right? Or two mono cabs.

 

Call Swart and ask if you can pull one of those 6V6s and safely run the in mono that way.

 

You can easily turn your 2x12 16 Ohms Mono cab into a Stereo cab ( 1x12 8 Ohms Left + 1x12 8 Ohms Right ) with the addition of this jacks plate. https://www.amplifiedparts.com/products/jack-plate-plug-and-play-mono-stereo
Most of the time a double speaker cab of 16 ohms load has 2 8 Ohms speakers connected in series. I doubt very much it would be 2 32 Ohms speakers in parallel.

I used this model of jacks plate on two of my cabs and it is the most versatile device ever made.
You will get the opportunity to do :
A 16 Ohms Mono cab using both speakers.
A 4 Ohms Mono cab using both speakers.
A 8 Ohms Mono cab using only the Right speaker.
A Stereo cab (8 Ohms Right + 8 Ohms Left).

 

You only need a drill and a jigsaw to achieve the opening. Good measurement is the key word. A router will make a cleaner opening but will require a jig set-up.