How do you get 2 8ohm outs into 4 8ohm cabs?

[geoff_hartwell]

So I have a head that has two 8ohm speaker outputs.

And I have 4 1x10 8ohm cabs that I'd like to have all working.

I could just use two, but is there a way to add a thru output to two of the cabs or something?

[dragan]

you could probably run 2 each in series at 16 ohms , might notice a little gain difference in the way the volume control works , the over all level at the top may be reduced some ( usually its safe to go up in ohmage , just not down ) and if the 8ohm outs on the amp are parallel then your 2 -16 ohm series cabs in parallel make 8 ohms

or... run all 4 this way from one out for an 8 ohm load ( will require rewirng 2 cabinets with a series output either way)

[Bloozguy]

Just use one of the 8 ohm outputs and wire up the cabinets like this:

[dragan]

Just use one of the 8 ohm outputs and wire up the cabinets like this:

thats how 4-10, 4-12 cabs are wired series /parallel , or in this case parallel /series. but youll need an input & output jack on 2 cabinets( not standard parallel jacks )

[dragan]

this is what I was thinking from each 8ohm outputs ,,, the first cabinet in the chain needs an input & output wired so the positive leg runs through the speaker to the output jack and the negative leg is jumped between the input & output this would allow you to use standard speaker wires but would require a switch on the first cabinet to go between series & parallel otherwise it wouldnt work by itself

[kenjones]

Eight cabinets? Hire a roadie to figure it out!

[geoff_hartwell]

I appreciate the responses, but so far this is total greek to me.

Two 8 ohm outs from the head. What do I need to get done to two of the cabs to get all 4 working together?

Dragan: I definitely want the primary cabs to be standalone as well. What do I need in your estimation?

Thanks in advance.

Geoff

[dragan]

basically the cabinet internal wiring & input jacks need a little rearranging to accommodate the same wiring scheme as a 410 cab. Assuming your cabinets ea have 2 -1/4 " female jack ins ,usually two ins are provided to add / jumper a 2nd cab . these are in parallel however and running all 4 cabinets would result in a 2ohm load which is not good for the amp ,so on cabinet 1 from the hot leg input or tip of the first 1/4 " jack wiring goes to the positive terminal of the speaker ( this would be the considered the input jack ) . then from the negative speaker terminal wiring comes back to the tip of the second 1/4" jack ( this would be the output jack ) & sends signal through the first speaker to the second speaker via the 2nd jack and speaker cord , as signal returns through/from the 2nd cabinet it hits the negative lead of the first cabinets 2nd jack . a jumper wire from the negative side of the 2nd jack to the negative side of the first jack then returns the signal to the amp . this accomplishes the "series" wiring resulting in a16 ohm load , but leaves the first cabinet with no way to return signal to the amp when used alone. this is why a switch on the first cabinet is needed to go between standard operation for a single 8ohm cabinet & dual cabinet 16 ohm operation . there is an alternative ( down & dirty solution ) to the switch , that is to use a shorted speaker cable on the 2nd 1/4 (output jack )of the altered cabinet to return signal to the amp when this cabinet is used alone. DO NOT USE A SHORTED SPEAKER CABLE UNLESS THE CABINET HAS BEEN REWIRED !!! This is fairly basic wiring , if you know someone that has electronics / electrical training show them the diagram & explanations here they could easily do this for you . or an amp or even guitar repair person shouldn't charge too much as its not a real big job. this would result in a 16 ohm load at ea of the amp outputs for a total of 8 ohms on the amp which would be safe for the amp. there is another alternative , but would probably be more expensive , that is change to all 16 ohm speakers ,then the standard operation of the cabinets would result in 2 cabinets running at 8ohms on each of the 8 ohm outputs . Hope this helps Its basic wiring & ohms law , but difficult to explain . one other side note is that in series wiring if one of the speakers blows the other will stop working as well because the signal path has been broken . Again hope this helps , I think these are your best options.

[dragan]

After further consideration a custom speaker wire may be a good alternative . assuming again 1/4 " plugs/jacks : from the amp 1/4 " plug tip #1, a single wire runs to another 1/4"plug tip #2 (first speaker ) ,from the shield of #2 plug a single wire runs to the tip of 1/4" plug #3 (2nd speaker ), from the shield of #3 plug a single wire runs back to the shield of plug #1 at the amp. this would accomplish the same thing without altering cabs or changing speakers . two of these one for each pair of speakers . hope Ive helped more than confused

[hamerhead]

Flip the wires around on the end of the cable going into cab 2. Then number/color code the cabs and cables so the grunts don't f**k up.

Is that what you're saying, dragan?

[geoff_hartwell]

Still totally baffled. All 4 cabs have only single 1/4 inch inputs, currently.

But I like the idea of 2 simple custom cables.

How can I get that to work?

[geoff_hartwell]

On another note, is there a simple speaker splitter or multiplier?

[dragan]

couldnt attach pics on this board check message board for diagram & pic

[dragan]

Flip the wires around on the end of the cable going into cab 2. Then number/color code the cabs and cables so the grunts don't f**k up.

Is that what you're saying, dragan?

actually I was just sort of thinkin out loud in response to bloozguys diagram & what it would take to implement it ! I guess I just sort of ran on a little

[Bloozguy]

If you make up a speaker cable that looks like this:

Just make sure all of your cabs are wired the same way internally and that you wire all the tip and sleeve connections on the plugs the same way:

[dragan]

yes ,accomplishes the same thing uses only one output of the amp . either way the amp would be running at 8 ohms (variation on same theme ) .

[geoff_hartwell]

Bloozguy - that's what I'm looking for!!!

[geoff_hartwell]

Wow - here's another one - what would the speaker wires look like if you wanted to use 2 8ohm outputs on the amp to all 4 cabs?

Basically two wires that go to two cabs each?