Connecting DT30 to 2 cabs;

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ANTWHI2015
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Connecting DT30 to 2 cabs;

Post by ANTWHI2015 » Sun Jul 23, 2017 9:10 am

Just got my first Orange, a DT30. The manual isn't clear to me about feasibility of connecting my 2 Marshall 1x 12" cabs (150w, 8 ohms each). Anyone know if I'm ok plugging them in in parallel? Many thanks...

Jondog
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Re: Connecting DT30 to 2 cabs;

Post by Jondog » Sun Jul 23, 2017 12:45 pm

The amp is meant for 8 and 16 ohm loads. You're two 8 ohm cabs would be a 4 ohm load which wouldn't be good for the amp. You could connect one to the 8 ohm output. The other option is to get a special wiring harness to daisy chain the two cabs in series to get 16ohms.
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ANTWHI2015
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Re: Connecting DT30 to 2 cabs;

Post by ANTWHI2015 » Sun Jul 23, 2017 1:00 pm

I thought so, but wanted a second opinion. I'll try daisy-chaining - thanks.

Jondog
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Re: Connecting DT30 to 2 cabs;

Post by Jondog » Sun Jul 23, 2017 1:51 pm

ANTWHI2015 wrote:
Sun Jul 23, 2017 1:00 pm
I thought so, but wanted a second opinion. I'll try daisy-chaining - thanks.
You have to make sure the cabs are in series. Normally daisy chaining puts them in parallel which would be 4 ohms. You can make a simple box that will put the in series for the 16 ohm load.
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ANTWHI2015
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Re: Connecting DT30 to 2 cabs;

Post by ANTWHI2015 » Wed Jul 26, 2017 6:15 pm

So it turns out it has 2x 8 ohm sockets, and 1x 16 ohm. Seems ok if I connect each cab using both 8 ohm sockets, with 2 cables. Anyone know if a splitter cable like this one would achieve Series wiring?....Image

ANTWHI2015
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Re: Connecting DT30 to 2 cabs; speaker wattage??

Post by ANTWHI2015 » Wed Oct 25, 2017 3:05 pm

I've used my DT30 for about 9 gigs now, and all is well. I usually use it with my 2 Marshall 1x 12" cabs (150w, 8 ohms each). Recently I played with a different cab, a house Marshall 4x 12 provided by the venue, and I felt I got a slightly smoother distortion which I liked. I don't know what the speaker specs were.
Given that the amp is only 30 watt, are my 2x 150 watt speakers a good match? I assume it gives "headroom" which helps cleaner tones? Can anyone tell me what I'd notice if I switched to 2x 30 watt 8 ohm speakers? In terms of volume output and tone, that is.....? Thanx.

Rlw59
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Re: Connecting DT30 to 2 cabs;

Post by Rlw59 » Thu Oct 26, 2017 1:53 am

The amp's two 8 ohm jacks are in parallel. If you plug two 8 ohm cabs into them, the amp sees a 4 ohm total load. You've been lucky so far using two 8 ohm cabs, but it's risky. Might be fine forever, might wreck your amp the next time you use it like that.

You can safely use:

One 16 ohm cab plugged into the 16 ohm jack.

Two 16 ohm cabs, using both 8 ohm jacks.

Or one 8 ohm cab using one 8 ohm cab.

I can't see the image of the splitter cable. Normally those cables are parallel. If it's a series splitter it will be labeled that way and sold for that purpose. (If the seller doesn't say it's a series cable, that means it's parallel.)

There's no problem using speakers with high power ratings. The power rating only tells you the max power the speaker can handle -- a high rating doesn't make the amp work harder or anything like that.

But running that 4 ohm load does make your amp work harder, produce less power, and distort more.

You'll get more clean headroom replacing those 8 ohm speakers with 16 ohm speakers.

ANTWHI2015
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Re: Connecting DT30 to 2 cabs;

Post by ANTWHI2015 » Thu Oct 26, 2017 8:56 am

Thanks. I'm inclined towards replacing the speakers with Celestion G12 30 watt 16 ohm, plugging each into the 2 8 ohm sockets.

Rlw59
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Re: Connecting DT30 to 2 cabs;

Post by Rlw59 » Thu Oct 26, 2017 4:18 pm

G12H30's are a popular choice with Orange amps. Of course, it all depends on what sort of coloration, distortion, and volume you want.

I'm a fan of running mixed speakers. Usually a clean-ish bright speaker with a dirtier darker speaker. Had a 2x12 with a Weber Blue Dog and Emi Private Jack that sounded amazing. Now I'm running two 1x12's with a Cerwin-Vega PS12 and a Celestion G12-65. Besides getting a rich tone using both together, I can get much different tones using just one of them. So 3 options depending on mood and situation.

Lots of people prefer not mixing. And that's a lot easier if you're mic-ing your amp through a PA.

Just an option to consider.

If you're able to solder, it's super simple to make a series connector box or series splitter cable. And they're pretty cheap to buy - a lot cheaper than a pair of new speakers.

You've been running an impedance mismatch, and that does affect tone, volume, and distortion. On some amps it's fairly subtle, others are more noticeable. A mismatch in one direction tends to be brighter, in the other direction tends to be darker (I forget which is which). So it's probably worth trying your current speakers in series plugged into the amp's 16 ohm jack.

Mesa actually encourages experimenting with mismatches with some of their amps. Most Fenders are very forgiving of mismatches. But Marshall amps are very unforgiving of mismatches, and Orange strongly discourages them. (But that may be more a matter of legal liability and warranty claims than an actual problem.) Mismatches are more risky if you're cranking your amp all the way up to full power output.

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