Speaker wattage questions for Mark V ???

[screamingdaisy]

When Celestion rates their speakers they rate them conservatively knowing that people use them with tube amps that exceed their rated wattage. The AC30 has come with a pair of 15w speakers for decades, and even with certain non-master Marshall's that needed to be cranked many people have used 100w Marshall cabs for years with zero issues.

With master volume heads the majority of people don't push them that hard as the preamp can achive grind at low volumes while the power amp/speakers can do their thing at moderate levels without the need to crank the **** out of everything.

This is why people are getting away with such moderate speakers with their Mark V. Unless you're finding your clean channel is starting to crunch at volume you're not pushing your amp to its limit, and if you're not pushing it's limits you're not pushing the speaker all that hard either.

As for your second question, most amps don't use linear pots. They use audio taper, which are logarithmic in scaling. The reason being is that half volume of a 100w amp is around 10w and quarter volume is around 1w.

 

[Mister Joshua]

Screaming daisy has a point about wattage. 1/2 volume equals 10% wattage. Remember also, and forgive me for complicating everything, that the vintage 30 is rated 60 watts rms (root mean squared) which is much less than maximum wattage. Again without being too complicated the V30 will handle over 90 watts safely. It might not sound all that great but it shouldn't die a horrible death. Of course Mesa knows better than to think that anyone would dime a Mark V combo. If you're gonna dime it, you'd probably be using a 412. But Mesa being the manufacturer of really expensive amps would probably not put a speaker that would die into an amp. That would be just bad business.

Peace,
Joshua

 

[screamingdaisy]

I tried experimenting with the FX loop active it appears that I can't I can't overdrive the power amp before I start overdriving the FX loop.

 

[nomad100hd]

screamingdaisy does the loop level on the back of the amp help not to overdrive the loop?

 

[screamingdaisy]

I had the master output wide open and I couldn't get the preamp hot enough to overdrive the power section with the loop engaged, so I don't see how reducing the signal even further will fix that.

 

[MBJunkie]

Arty,

I have owned my MkV 112 Combo with C90 speaker for about 3 years. I have played my MkV stupidly loud at Full Power and 90W channel settings at home for the fun of it without any issues whatsoever. When I say "Stupidly Loud", I mean that I have pushed it to volumes much further than I normally would while gigging with the amp with no issues!

I have also done the very same thing with my Mk IV widebody 112 combo with C90 speaker without issues.

I can't speak for the MkV Combo equipped with the V30 speaker, but my guess is that it can handle "Stupidly Loud" without issues, but some precautions should probably be taken with the V30 to ensure it can handle the load?

IMHO, my MkV Combo with C90 speaker is capable of handling ridiculously high volume playing without issue. For anyone playing in bands that may "push the speaker limitations with the MkV combo....C90 or V30" would most likely opt for the MkV head with either a 212 or 412 cab.

Seeing that you bought the MkV combo with the C90 speaker.....there is nothing to worry about at all! Crank Away......it will be your ears that are the bottleneck....not the C90 speaker IMO!

 

[Andre Oliveros]

well, you can crank the amp a couple of times with C90 and nothing will happen, do it all weeks in rehearsals and gigs, my C90 gone! after a 1 and a half year of use, and i didn't abuse the speaker that much, really i didn't, i played most of the time in 45W mode live an rehearsal, and for the V30 it took me 4 months to blow that one too, and heres a direct answer from a mail i sent to MESA asking about what could went wrong because it didn't feel right to me that two speakers were out : "I can tell you that the V30 is a 60 watt speaker, so that is not enough for the Mark V" so that been said and for my experience, if you like the V30 or the C90 for your combo its ok but do not be sure that any day can fail, but if you have the chance to get another speaker (i get the EVM 12L and its heaven) rated with more wattage i think it would be safer, lets have in mind the purposes of your rig, if you are a bedroom player ejj don't worry, but for gigging and loud rehearsals i would think about it.

greetings

Dre.

 

[MrMarkIII]

Let's clear things up.
The Mark V is a 90 watt amp.
The speaker is also 90 watts.
It's a bit like having a car that will go 100 mph, and buying tires rated for -- 100 mph.
Technically safe. BUT...

 

[nomad100hd]

the 90W ratting is also rms not peak on the speaker.