Which output do you use on Lonestar Special ....

[rickc007]

I just bought a Lonestar Special Head,
and was wondering which output you use to plug
the cab into

there are 3

the manual says the 2 "mains" are best for the 5 - 15
watt setting, yet if you plug an 8 or 16 ohm load in
it's considered a mismatch

the "optional" one is the only 8 ohm output, but that
is not optimal for the 5 watt.

Just wondering if anyone has experimented ....

 

[ricardo loma vista]

According to the LSS manual, the "optional" output is matched when running an 8 ohm load at the 30 watt setting, but you can also use the 15 and 5 watt settings with an impedence mismatch.

Similarly, the "main" outputs are matched to an 8 ohm load for the 5 and 15 watt setting, and the 30 watt setting produces an acceptable mismatch.

The LSS doesn't have the output impedence labeled, but given that you are using 4, 2, or 1 tubes for the 30, 15, and 5 watt settings respectively, I think that the output impedence changes depending on the power setting as follows:

30 watt--> optional output = 8 ohms, main outs = 4 ohms
15 watt--> optional output = 16 ohms, main outs = 8 ohms
5 watt--> optional output = 16 ohms, main outs = 8 ohms

I have tried all configurations in a variety of settings and prefer the main outs when running in any power mode. I usually have ch 1 set to 30 watts, and ch 2 set to 15 watts and I'm plugged into an 8 ohm speaker. At 30 watts, it's looking for 4 ohms, but an 8 ohm load is an acceptable mismatch.

I have used the optional output with an 8 ohm speaker, and it seems a bit tighter on the 30 watt setting, but there's little difference on the 15 watt setting.

When set to 5 watts, the sound of the amp doesn't seem to change at all when plugging the speaker into either the optional or main outputs. This may be because the 5 watt setting distorts so quickly.

Unless you use only one power setting, you will have a mismatch on one or the other settings. However, all mismatches using an 8 ohm cab should be acceptable.

 

[rickc007]

Ricardo, thank you very much for the reply
and taking the time to detail

this explains a lot

thank you

 

[Troy]

I just purchased a LSS (sounds great!) but I'm confused about something with the speaker output jacks.

Should I unplug the speaker plug in the "main" output when I want to use my 8 ohm 2x12 external cab through the "optional" output? Or is it acceptable to leave them both plugged in?

Thanks,
Troy

 

[ricardo loma vista]

With an 8 ohm external cab, you will have a correctly matched impedance in 30 watt mode with the internal speaker AND the external cabinet plugged into the two "main" jacks (two 8 ohm speakers in parallel is a 4 ohm load)

In the 15W or 5 W mode, with both speakers plugged into the mains, there will be an acceptable mismatch, or you can run just the external cabinet plugged into one of the main jacks for an exact impedence match.
Don't plug one speaker into the optional, and the other into the main output at the same time.

Lately, I've been using an 8 ohm extension speaker. I leave both the internal and external speakers in the main jacks, regardless of power setting.

 

[Troy]

Thank you for the excellent information. I read over the owner's manual a little more throughly and have been playing it through the combo speaker and 2x12 through the two main outputs all night. I'm very pleased with the Lonestar Special!