Amps: one or two speakers?

[salem]

As you know, many great amps are available with either one or two 12 inch speakers. It goes without saying that amps also can be configured with 3 or 4 speakers as well.

My question is, what advantage does an amp with one speaker have over an amp with two speakers? Two would deliver more sound, right?

[m chops]

One theory says 2 speakers move more air .: sounds and feels better

Another says that one can drive a single speaker harder .: sounds better

I like one speaker better because it's lighter and I'm not getting any younger.

Once again, use your ears. Let them be your guide.

[Guest teefus2]

where do you play? two speakers fill a big stage or room better. i have a 2x10cab and 2 - 1x12's that i can take any combination that i need. there is something to be said for a 1 speaker combo being easier to carry.

[Luke]

More surface area gives you more bass, so more speakers result in more bass.

If guitarists would endorse 15" speakers, they could get their 4x12 bass in a single speaker.

[kurtsstuff]

My favorite speaker cabinet of all time is an old Marshall 8x10 but it's just not practical in most cases so I have to settle for a 4x12....Can't seem to get used to anything less than that...Tried the 2x12 and 1x12 route but just did'nt feel or sound right??

[tgoss]

I agree Luke, 15" speakers for guitar are very under rated. I think they sound great.

[hardheartedbill]

multple speakers have a more complex tone, they get some amount phasing that is part of the tone , I was on a single speaker jag the last few years but ran into a 410 open back cab that is the shit , fat complex tone, very cool. I still gig my single speakers cause I play in all kinds of situations and they sound great, but the multiple do have a complex tone that great for classic rock tones ( what I'm playing most these days )

[Brooks]

More surface area gives you more bass, so more speakers result in more bass.

If guitarists would endorse 15" speakers, they could get their 4x12 bass in a single speaker.

years ago i used a 1x15" eminence w/ a marshall head, sounded great. ballsy.

also have a JBL m151 musical inst spkr that sounds great for cleaner jazzy tones, but it now lives in a PA cab w/ tweeter.

[straightblues]

I am a single 15" man myself. I love it.

As far as one speaker being better, I have heard a Bogner single 12 cabinet that sounded like a 4x12 cabinet. There are many variables. Try them all out and see what you like best.

[darc]

"More surface area gives you more bass, so more speakers result in more bass."

Interesting statement. So all things being equal, how would a 2x10 compare w/ a 1x12. I would tend to assume the 1x12 would deliver more bass due to the larger cone, whereas the 2x10 cab is just 2 speakers delivering the same higher-frequency content.

I ask because I almost bought a cheapo 2x10 at GC a few weeks ago, then decided it wasn't for me. Didn't have time to setup an amp and give it a critical listen.

[hardheartedbill]

well ten plus ten is twenty and thats more than twelve

[darc]

"well ten plus ten is twenty and thats more than twelve"

I'm guessing that's a little tongue in cheek? Each 10" element still has a particular voicing which arguably provides less bottom than a 12. I'm not sure that adding more of them changes that fact in and of itself. If anything, the change in cabinet size and construction is going to start affecting tone, but 10+10=20... doesn't convince me.

2 1x10"s vs a single 1x12 would be a more scientific comparison, except phase and stereo dispersion starts to affect perception of tone as well. Kind of a pointless argument from the moment I said "all things being equal", since they just can't be.

[Guest teefus2]

this was the thinking when the early bassmans were 4x10 config. more paper allowed for a more solid and lower fundamental. again with the early svt 8x10 cabs. on a personal note, my trutone 2x10 is more thuddier than either of my avatar 1x12's by themselves. but the 2x12's together are even more thuddier.

[hardheartedbill]

have you ever tried an old 300 watt SVT w/ an 810 cab, unreal, or try an old SWR 8x8 , that will scare you bigtime, sorry for the smartass answer but it's till what I percieve. I love my single 12s and always will, hard to beat a deluxe reverb for what I do, but muliple drivers is the way to go for big rock tone, here's an example of a guitar running through a Hartke metal cone 410, standard A=440 yikes! ( when it kicks in, you;ll hear it LOL )

click here

[darc]

Yeah, I've always wondered about the Henry VIII bass cabs as an example of multiple drivers blowing my theory all to hell. I think the bottom line is that no two speakers pushing air in the same room (and less so in the same cab) can be considered as independent elements.

I'll check out that clip when I get home. I don't think it would prove much through these little computer speakers at work LOL.

[Guest Mike Lee]

My main amp is a 2x10 Dr. Z Z28, but I also had 1x12 for a short time. The 1x12 was a bit brighter and had a bit more deep bass but sounded hollow in the mids and "one-dimensional" compared to the 2x10 for lack of a better term.

The 2x10 has more punch and fullness in the midrange, tighter bass (which allows you to turn up the bass knob more), and smoother highs.

I bought a THD 2x12 cab with Longhorn Celestion 80's, and it sounds similar to the 2x10, just bigger.

[bamboohead]

I am still in the dark as far as most of you guys but, I have a Pignose G40V that has 1x10 that gets pretty loud for what it is. but when I plug it in to a 4x12 cabinet it fills the room with sound. It has more bottom end and seems to be alot louder than with it's 1x10 open back.