impedance matching

[bender]

I was trying out a Class 5 head in Guitar Center the other day. I loved it, but I noticed the guy had set it up with an 8 ohm speaker cab, when it should be 16. It sounded fine. Could there be damage now lurking in this head as a result? Or does the fact that it didn't blow straight away mean that it's OK? I did run it at full power for a short while. Thanks!

[surfnorthwest]

Your OK. Always best to match the ohms correctly.

[SteveD]

The class 5 runs in class A and is not prone to damage from load mismatching.

[bender]

Thanks lads. I went ahead and bought it anyway. Great amp. Unfortunately they didn't have a cabinet I liked so I'm sitting here looking at my speakerless head...wishing it was tomorrow so I can go speaker shopping!

[eastwood6]

The C5 head also has an 8 ohm output speaker jack, maybe that was being used? If you are looking for a speaker cab, the matching Marshall C110 cab is pretty nice, it's essentially the C5 combo enclosure without the electronics. It sounds way bigger than its size would lead you to believe, and it's well made. Lightweight too.

[bender]

The C5 head also has an 8 ohm output speaker jack, maybe that was being used? If you are looking for a speaker cab, the matching Marshall C110 cab is pretty nice, it's essentially the C5 combo enclosure without the electronics. It sounds way bigger than its size would lead you to believe, and it's well made. Lightweight too.

I'm pretty sure that he was using the 16 ohm connection...I didn't even realize it had an 8 ohm output until later, just before I bought it.

Regarding the speaker, I noticed after buying the head unit that the speaker - at least over here in the US - costs about $250. The head unit was $350. But the combo is only $399! Crazy. Anyway, I found a nice 1960 4x12 locally for under $400. I will test it tomorrow and probably go for that if it is in good nick. I tested the Class 5 with one of these cabs before, and it seriously rocks. A lot of people say that you can't drive one of these cabs properly with 5 watts, but believe me, you definitely can. Even from the headphone output it works fine. I compared it back to back with Marshall MG series 4x12, a Peavy 4x12 with ValveKings, an Egnater 2x12, an Egnater 1x12 and a Raven 1x12 cab. This was almost everything they had in store. None of them were as good as the Marshall 1960, at least for this amp.

[eastwood6]

That 1960 sounds like a good find. Hope it works out for you. Yes, I paid more for the C5 head and cab separately than if I bought the combo, but I like the flexibility of being able to use the head with other cabs. It sounds killer with my 1965 4 x 10 cabs, just huge. I've decided to downsize to lower wattage amps and lighter weight gear, so I'm happy with the portability of the C5 head and cab set up.

Plus, the C5 head looks so damn cute. Like a SuperLead in HO scale. Wait. Not cute -- I didn't say cute. I mean fierce! It looks fierce! LOL.

[JCM900MkIII]

+10 for mentioning the 1965(A) 4 x 10.
Very nice cab in combination with a C5.

Mine is "open backed" b.t.w.

I got mine for €150

[bender]

One thing I'm amazed about is that when I tested the amp, and later the cab, in stores, it didn't seem insanely loud. But now that I have them at home, I can't believe the volume. Even using the headphones jack to drive the 4x12, it's louder than I normally play. On full power output, I'm afraid to go past 2! Maybe I'm too timid.