# A Question about wattage and sound



## keeperofthegood (Apr 30, 2008)

Hey oh


I was just munching on some leftover pork chops and thinking over a thread where a fellow is looking for 30 watts at 100 bucks and I got to wondering:

What is more powerful to the dude in the back of the venue:

1 30 watt amp into one 4 x 12
or
2 15 watt amps into two 2 x 12


Just kinda wondered, is the sound power entirely a singular event from one cab or do they add power side by side?


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## loudtubeamps (Feb 2, 2012)

*OK, I'll Bite!*

I believe the sound of someone munching on, let's say.............................
a pork chop, would be as powerful to" the dude at the back" as any other configuration mentioned above providing that ,
A:The air conditioning was blowing towards the back of the hall, at a moment in time before the munching had ceased due to the lack of an abundace of pork chops, over the square root of A & W. and
B:
Pie..............................X......................................R.............................+..............fork............=desert!:tongue73:

I get the feeling someone around here is into food..............:food-smiley-015:


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## keeperofthegood (Apr 30, 2008)

This!











VERSUS ThiS


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## loudtubeamps (Feb 2, 2012)

porkypig.jpg 450×391 pixels


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## hollowbody (Jan 15, 2008)

I think it becomes a question of headroom. the 2 15 watt amps will run out of headroom and only get crunchier, whereas the perceived volume of the 30 watt amp will be louder before it start compressing. So....given the same # of drivers with the same efficiency, I'd say the 30 watt will out-volume the 2x15 watters.

This is, of course, a guess. I don't have any first-hand experience of this.


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## bcmatt (Aug 25, 2007)

I think that they should be the same. Even though each of the 15 watters aren't as loud on their own, they should be just as loud when both on beside each other. The cabinet volume and directions will come into play too, on where they focus that sound. So many variables though. What wattage rating is very accurate in the first place? It would be incredibly difficult to set this up in a completely controlled environment giving you only the variables you want. But I think if you could get exactly the same amp (voicing makes a huge difference in perceived volume) and had one measuring an output of 30 watts and the 2 15 watters measuring exactly that with all the same tone and clarity through the same exact efficiency of speakers with the same dimension of cabinets (the 2x12s adding to equal the 4x12 exactly) I think it should turn out to sound the same. I should think all cabs should be open-backed to make it fair though....


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## jb welder (Sep 14, 2010)

In either example each speaker will get 7.5 watts. As bcmatt mentioned, any differences will be due to cabinet differences, and how the two 2x12 are positioned with respect to each other.


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

I think the unspoken factor here is that what is often rated at "15W" is frequently much less than that If it uses a power-amp chip, that rating is essentially "what the amp would be able to deliver if we had, in fact, provided suitable current". The ability of any given amp to generate the output current to move the speakers into their linear range is in question. Chances are pretty good that the 30W amp will be able to get the speakers, whether 2 or 4, up to speed. But calculations predicated on the assumption that one amp is literally able to do twice as much work as the other, and that the speaker cabs are equivalently efficient strikes me as rather naive. Keep in mind that a cab sized for 4 will have greater cubic volume, hence more bottom and move more air, where the 2x12 cabs will be smaller and, all other things being equal, less efficient.


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## shoretyus (Jan 6, 2007)

Hmmmm posted @ 3:51 pm have anything to do with it?



loudtubeamps said:


> I believe the sound of someone munching on, let's say.............................
> a pork chop, would be as powerful to" the dude at the back" as any other configuration mentioned above providing that ,
> A:The air conditioning was blowing towards the back of the hall, at a moment in time before the munching had ceased due to the lack of an abundace of pork chops, over the square root of A & W. and
> B:
> ...


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## loudtubeamps (Feb 2, 2012)

UMMMMMMM not me so much but I have found some interesting connections to food and beverage in these.
Here in Burlington on Saturday past at the...
D'Oh. Yea ten options and I was still on coffee...
AHH LAWDY GTONE go and get DEB SANTA to make you...
A Question about wattage and sound
Ahhhhh the days of "everyone line up, tallest...
 My family has mixed feelings. The kids mom...

I rest my case.:smilie_flagge17:
" Just goofin' around, that's all!"200px-Marg_Princess_Warrior.jpg 167×167 pixels


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## keeperofthegood (Apr 30, 2008)

loudtubeamps said:


> UMMMMMMM not me so much but I have found some interesting connections to food and beverage in these.
> Here in Burlington on Saturday past at the...
> D'Oh. Yea ten options and I was still on coffee...
> AHH LAWDY GTONE go and get DEB SANTA to make you...
> ...



Yup. I cook. Have for years. Only college I graduated from too. I may have started of taking engineering but cooking is a lot more fun!


LOL and if you look over all four years of posts of mine since coming here you will find a few hundered references or posts on food and for the most part they have been fairly popular. I'm not the only foodie here, maybe just more vocal.

HOWEVER. Have you anything to say on the question posed for the thread in the way of an response to it or are you just hung up by food?


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## blam (Feb 18, 2011)

hollowbody said:


> I think it becomes a question of headroom. the 2 15 watt amps will run out of headroom and only get crunchier, whereas the perceived volume of the 30 watt amp will be louder before it start compressing. So....given the same # of drivers with the same efficiency, I'd say the 30 watt will out-volume the 2x15 watters.
> 
> This is, of course, a guess. I don't have any first-hand experience of this.


I would tend to agree here though i dont have first hand experience.


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## sulphur (Jun 2, 2011)

keeperofthegood said:


> HOWEVER. Have you anything to say on the question posed for the thread in the way of an response to it or are you just hung up by food?


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## loudtubeamps (Feb 2, 2012)

sulphur said:


>


 Oh yeah, hung up on food , but not this way, thankfully!!
My Italian neighbour Isi does come up from Toronto in April with 2 or 3 shoulders of pork.
We spend the day preparing it for his meat grider/sausage maker (Made In Italy) of course.
He drinks waaaayyy more Grappa than I ever could.
At the end of the process we both have enough links to get us through the BBQ season. Yummmm "Garlic",
and thankfully Isi still has all of his fingers!

I would have to vote for the 30 watter.
Next time we'll give the guy at the back of the hall an SPL meter.
sigiifa Who's deaf??!!


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## loudtubeamps (Feb 2, 2012)

keeperofthegood said:


> Yup. I cook. Have for years. Only college I graduated from too. I may have started of taking engineering but cooking is a lot more fun!
> 
> 
> LOL and if you look over all four years of posts of mine since coming here you will find a few hundered references or posts on food and for the most part they have been fairly popular. I'm not the only foodie here, maybe just more vocal.
> ...


I had a sneaky feeling that you were in touch with food more than the average consumer.
Nice one!
What would you say is your speciality dish?
and more importantly,when can we come for dinns?3dgrw
Cheers, d.


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