is it posible to wire two single driver cab's in series?

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rodney
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Joined: Mon Jun 15, 2009 9:07 am
Location: Beckley, WV

is it posible to wire two single driver cab's in series?

#1 Post by rodney »

i am wanting to have my cake and eat it too, so to speak. i have been hashing over t-48 plans, and i want the portability of single driver cab, with the sensitivity gains of its widest configuration, but also have the luxury of higher empedance (using less amps to run more cabs). if i built a dual driver cab that equalled the max width, this would be a 72" wide cab! i guess what i am asking is, if i reversed one end of a speakon cable,between two cabs on the same amp channel, will this essentially be the same as a series wired dual driver? and using an 8 ohm driver, this would create a 20 Ohm load, yes?

thanx guys!
built:
2 T48
1 WH 10
on the bench:
2x DR 250
Planned:
2x dr250
4x T48

Bruce Weldy
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Location: New Braunfels, TX

Re: is it posible to wire two single driver cab's in series?

#2 Post by Bruce Weldy »

rodney wrote:i am wanting to have my cake and eat it too, so to speak. i have been hashing over t-48 plans, and i want the portability of single driver cab, with the sensitivity gains of its widest configuration, but also have the luxury of higher empedance (using less amps to run more cabs). if i built a dual driver cab that equalled the max width, this would be a 72" wide cab! i guess what i am asking is, if i reversed one end of a speakon cable,between two cabs on the same amp channel, will this essentially be the same as a series wired dual driver? and using an 8 ohm driver, this would create a 20 Ohm load, yes?

thanx guys!
If I'm understanding what you are saying...no, you would end up with two running parallel out-of-phase. Not what you want.

You could do it by utilizing a special jumper cable to go between the two cabs. It would make your cabs useless unless set up in that configuration every time - thus not very scalable for smaller gigs.

The lower number of amps that you want will be offset by the high price of one that will put out enough power to satisfy the needs of all the speakers at the higher impedance.

IMO....it ain't worth the trouble. Run two boxes per side on a reasonably powered amp and your life will be good....

6 - T39 3012LF
4 - OT12 2512
1 - T24
1 - SLA Pro
2 - XF210


"A system with a few knobs set up by someone who knows what they are doing is always better than one with a lot of knobs set up by someone who doesn't."

rodney
Posts: 37
Joined: Mon Jun 15, 2009 9:07 am
Location: Beckley, WV

Re: is it posible to wire two single driver cab's in series?

#3 Post by rodney »

ok,, i see what your saying. thanx bruce.
built:
2 T48
1 WH 10
on the bench:
2x DR 250
Planned:
2x dr250
4x T48

wallywally
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Re: is it posible to wire two single driver cab's in series?

#4 Post by wallywally »

It can be done.
Here is a diagram for an external series box.
Builds:
T-39
DR 280
Wedgehorn 8
Omni 12
SLA
TAT
TLAH experimental

rodney
Posts: 37
Joined: Mon Jun 15, 2009 9:07 am
Location: Beckley, WV

Re: is it posible to wire two single driver cab's in series?

#5 Post by rodney »

that"s brilliant! this eleminates any phase issues?
built:
2 T48
1 WH 10
on the bench:
2x DR 250
Planned:
2x dr250
4x T48

Bruce Weldy
Posts: 8538
Joined: Fri Nov 27, 2009 11:37 am
Location: New Braunfels, TX

Re: is it posible to wire two single driver cab's in series?

#6 Post by Bruce Weldy »

rodney wrote:that"s brilliant! this eleminates any phase issues?
No phase issues....but, I still don't understand why you want to do this? To get the necessary voltage to run twice as many cabs will require very powerful and expensive amps.....

8ohm boxes will let you get 4 speakers per amp with a reasonable output/price point.

6 - T39 3012LF
4 - OT12 2512
1 - T24
1 - SLA Pro
2 - XF210


"A system with a few knobs set up by someone who knows what they are doing is always better than one with a lot of knobs set up by someone who doesn't."

eac
Posts: 58
Joined: Mon Aug 06, 2012 7:27 pm

Re: is it posible to wire two single driver cab's in series?

#7 Post by eac »

Bruce Weldy wrote:
rodney wrote:that"s brilliant! this eleminates any phase issues?
No phase issues....but, I still don't understand why you want to do this? To get the necessary voltage to run twice as many cabs will require very powerful and expensive amps.....

8ohm boxes will let you get 4 speakers per amp with a reasonable output/price point.
Agreed, don't see why he would need it for his use, but he may not be telling us everything involved :wink: If there is a reason he needs the series connection, it will work perfectly.

I can see using this box at times if you do a lot of different sized gigs, or being set up 2 places at once, but don't do it very often. You sometimes have to find ways to make it work, and can't afford the exact equipment for niche gigs... Having a box like this might get you through a gig when an amp goes south, and you have to run extra cabs off 1 instead of 2 amps, or a side goes out, many 'could happen' scenarios. First priority is finishing the gig... Nothing works forever, and if you base your gigging on 'nothing will go wrong' philosophy, something will go wrong. This cheap to build box could 'save your bacon' 8)

Don

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Bas Gooiker
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Re: is it posible to wire two single driver cab's in series?

#8 Post by Bas Gooiker »

you would have to make a dummy male speakon connector with a wire betewwn the 2 terminals to be able to use a single cabinet.

I have done this before, its maybe a good solution for a large amp, but its a royal PITA scaling, let alone have anybody else then you set up the system.
Life is just a game, don't take it to seriously!

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