Combo Amps, 1x12 vs 2x12

[Ryanenski]

What are the advantages of having a 2x12 over a 1x12 combo amp?

 

[verity38]

well a 2x12 cab.. or combo a 1x12 is going to have less of a tone because of the amount of speakers..as for a 2x12 will have a little bit better tone and more wattage most likely..i would get a 2x12 if your choosing between the two and if you want my overall opinion. get a 4x12 angled..also..if you use a 2x12 a good trick is to tip the cab on its side...it will act taller and project ferther.

-marc

 

[Brewski]

Hey Ryanenski, a 2x12 will give you a deeper tone and move more air than a 1x12, so there will be more perceived volume. A 4x12 will give you even more.

The advantage of a 1x12 is weight, and also if you are recording or playing at lower volumes it will allow you to drive the speaker harder to get an overdriven tone at a lower perceived volume. It also takes a smaller footprint in smaller venues.

 

[JAZZGEAR]

What has been said above is not entirely true and it depends on the configuration/size of the cab.

Take the Lonestar for example, the 1x12 version sounds much better (and has deeper lows) than the 2x12 version. So to say one or the other has more tone is very subjective as, for me, at least, I prefer the tone of the Lonestar in the 1x12 vs 2x12 configuration.

A 2x12 cab when taken off the floor loses all of it's low-end (and is much heavier). While a 1x12 that's in the same size cab as the 2x12 will not suffer the same fate.

 

[cvansickle]

Hmm, interesting debate on this issue. But I discovered for myself the other day what Jazz is saying.

I had tried a couple different Stiletto Ace 112 combos in the stores, and thought they were great. The other day, I got to try a new Ace 212 combo. To my ears, the 112 was a much better sound. Better low end chunk, warmer sound all around. The 212 had no balls and it had a lot of top end fizziness.

 

[Platypus]

Hmm, interesting debate on this issue. But I discovered for myself the other day what Jazz is saying.

I had tried a couple different Stiletto Ace 112 combos in the stores, and thought they were great. The other day, I got to try a new Ace 212 combo. To my ears, the 112 was a much better sound. Better low end chunk, warmer sound all around. The 212 had no balls and it had a lot of top end fizziness.

Blah, don't tell me that

I was debating on whether to order a 1x12 or 2x12 and went with the 2x12

 

[stokes]

It is totally subjective.You have to try it yourself,and decide.If your amp is 60watts that is what you will get regardless of 1 or 2 speakers,your wattage will not increase with more speakers.Two will move more air than one and therefore seem louder and carry further.I have a IIC+ combo,I use it with a 1x 12" ext. cab for larger venues or outdoor situations.In my opinion I get the same tone out of the amp either way,its just "bigger" with the extra cab,but that is how I percieve it,others will hear differently,and have different opinions and they will be right also,because it is totally subjective.There are many factors involved as to how your sound will be affected,such as the amp itself.If the amp lacks headroom,2 speakers can help with that to some degree.The speakers themselves will also dictate how they will differ.In my case the IIC+ has tons of headroom and the EVM's I have also deliver plenty of headroom so in my opinion the 2 spkrs just move more air and carry further.Whereas if you are using a speaker that breaks up easier 2 speakers will break up a little later.And we could go on and on,and I suspect a thread like this will,you will likely get a lot of responses and every one will be right in their own situation,so the short answer would be to try it out and see what you like.

 

[StratRat]

Howdy Folks,

First time poster here and recent Ace 1x12 owner. I was lucky enough to be shopping for an amp and have a local store with one of these tone beasts just waiting to go home with me. I have to say that my guitar hasn't had a moments peace since I get the ACE =).

Heres a quick thought about the topic at hand. Closed back = 1x12, Open back = 2x12 for best sound? Anyone have any first hand experience with this?

 

[zappaslaughter]

Im with Jazzy 100%.

I just bought me a LSC 1 x 12. However I was set on the 2 X 12 in my mind.

I switched between both in the dealership for HOURS, and I just could not justify buying the 2 x 12. I really wanted a 2 x 12 though, for years.
I just couldnt buy the 2 x 12 because the 1 x12 was SOOO much more responsive and warm sounding.

I ended up buying another 1 x 12 extension cab to satisfy my id.

I play them stacked and it sounds amazing.

 

[ylo]

I A/B'd the LSS with 1x12 vs. 2x12, and I could not hear any difference sitting in the sweet spot directly in front of the amps.

The main difference seemed to be the sound dispersion, broader for the 2x12, and with a little more bass way off axis.

I suppose the 2x12 gives a little more headroom / max loudness, but I did not have the amps cranked so couldn't judge this.

 

[t0aj15]

Another thing to consider is the fact that not all amps have multiple impedence taps like the Boogies. Some amps have 4,8,and 16 ohm taps, the Boogies have 4 and 8 ohm taps, and others like my Traynor YCV-50 while they have two output jacks they are connected in parallel, so there is only one 4 ohm tap off the output transformer. While you can safely run an eight ohm speaker (it comes with an 8 ohm Celestion V30) it won,t put out it's rated 50 watts unless it see's a 4 ohm load. In other words adding a second 8 ohm speaker in parallel WILL increase the output power, by dropping the load impedence to the 4 ohms that the amp is rated at.

 

[flieger67]

I'm another first-time respondent.

One other possible advantage of the 2x12 configuration is that you can mix speaker types. That way, you could mix the tonal qualities of different speakers to get fuller or different tone from a single 12" speaker.

I know this may be a bad thing to say on a Boogie forum, but I have a Rivera Suprema 1x12 that I pair with a Rivera 1x12 cab. The Suprema is closed-back with a Celestion Vintage 30 and sounds pretty good on its own, particularly with the drive channel. However, the open-back 1x12 cab with a G12T-85 has little more sparkle and top-end. Blended together, I think the combination of the two has a better sound than just having either speaker by itself.

 

[geddyentwistle]

after years and years of playing, i've found the best balance to be a head with separate 2x12 cabinet

neither component is too heavy... the 2 speakers always sound bigger than one speaker... and you can change the head and cabinet easily when trying to get different sounds