This channel is criminally underrated as far as subscribers go. Johan does by far the most interesting, and toneful, videos on KZfaq.

I was thinking the 4x10 would sound the best, but I thought the 2x10 sounded great!

IMO, the 2x10" sounds twice as nice as the single 10", however the 4x10" does not sound twice as good as the 2x10". Verdict, I'll stick with just a pair of speakers for now. GREAT Content Johan, thank you.

Hello Johan, from a listener perspective I prefer the 2x10 setup, to my ears the 1x10 sounds " too dry" and the 4x10 " too engulfed", it' s the best in between solution, cheers!

The 2×10s maybe the most versatile amps, great for recording, live small clubs, but even big stages mic'd and thru PA. Great video, thanks Johan.

I’ve been using 410 cabs for about 15 years now. I love the off axis coverage and fullness I get with my Fenders single coils.

I played a 1959 4x10 Bassman for the first time the other day. I normally use a deluxe reverb. The punch and power you get from higher wattage amps and 4 speakers is really amazing. It changes the way you play. It’s so percussive. I’ve been a 1x12 combo guys for a long while, but nothing matches the powerful feeling of several speakers moving a lot of air.

Interesting, I read the comments and I am not surprised at all the differences the comments were about what listeners liked. I liked all the cabinets, and I imagined how each would work for me. Good video. Cheers 😀

Such a great comparison! In this case I think the 2 x 10 combination really enhanced the bell-like tone of the Strat.

Hi, Johan! These videos are brilliant. You pursue all the questions that consume the hardest guitar nerds. Thank you.

I really preferred the 2x10, however I get the feeling in a big enough room that 4x10 would really move the air and that additional low end would make a ton of sense

I like the directness of the 1x10. It maybe harder to play because you can't hide behind the big low end of the other 2. But it seems you get a lot of nice clarity back for it.

The single 1 just sounded so honest to me.

I remember years ago I put my jcm 900 dual reverb through an ampeg cab with a horn on it that was my friends. Man that thing was amazing.

Whenever I've doubt. Always get back to this channel to setup my gear. Very cool channel

Love to hear that little Marshall head cranked through the Vibrolux cab with your Gibson.

Each sounded good. 2x10 was probably best of the 3 to my ears. God bless and rock on 👍🎸😎

I've always had problems choosing the sound based on the size of the driver due so many variables, qaulity/voicing of the driver, resistance, cab size, cab quality, tube configurations, power amp output. It's all very interesting, love these videos, I learn alot. I've never like single 10inch drivers mostly because they end up in a small box, hence that dull boxy sound. I liked the 2 and 4x10s I this video.

The 1x10 was a real surprise. Very focused and full-range and immediate. The 2x10 was probably the best overall for tone and definition but lacked some of the immediacy of the 1x10. Surprisingly the 4x10 came in last for me. Kinda farty on the low end and tubby sounding and congested. Very, very interesting Johan!

2 x 10 for me.. Right balance. Always love your riffs and enthusiasm johan

I didn't think it would make that much of a difference! The 4x10 sounded the best to me! It does something with the highs that the others just didn't. Thank you for the comparison!

Hi, Johan! The little ine, Marshall, is my work horse, so I am not so much sad about it.. But in the comparison: they all were on rhe same level, Fenders are well known. Well, this is it! See you! Siegfried

I'd wager the different speaker baffles have a lot to do with the differences in sound too. A good follow up test would be to record using 1, 2, and all 4 speakers in the same 4x10 cab.

I've never liked the sound of 1x10, but 10's sound great when they start to multiply. 2x10 is plenty in an open-back cabinet. 4x10 is even better, and can even sound good with a closed back cab.

I have a 4x10 cab with my 4x12. I love mine.

Yep that 2x10 had the sparkle and grunt and was my pick of the 3.

Depends on the room. Something about standing in front of a 410 when playing is glorious. 112 or 210 is probably the most versatile if playing in a lot of different spaces. Also not hating on a 110:) I have trouble taming the bass with more than a single 12 unless the room is huge.

Hi! I think it depends on what amp you are using. For what you use in this demo I like the 2x10 best. I thought the 4x10 had a little to much low end. Of course there can be many variables on this. The size of the venue etc. But for this demo 2x10 is perfect. Cheers!

Thank you. I have a 10” greenback in a cab. The cab hums, so I will build something new. I was going to put a second 10” in, but the difference isn’t enough for me to do it. Thank you again.

The 2x10 sounded really good, thanks for the video ! Now i know what i will put in the little cabinet i'm about to build as a gift to one of the best amps i have in my "home" "studio" ;)

I prefer my 3x10 setup😂Fender Bandmaster brownface💪

I have always preferred the 2x10 Vibrolux over all the other Fender models for some reason. I kept noticing that I preferred the 2x10 combo through the years and have always A/Bed my amps. I have had a great many blackface and silver face amps. They do all sound different but the one thing I always noticed is that I preferred the 2x10 confguration every time I did comparisons. Seems the 2x10 is just right for my ears. I thought the same thing in this comparison.

For a live situation the 4x10 is king but for recording a 1x10 works really well with an Sm57 close up. That design of speaker has left an mark on music and still has a lot to give. Rember how good any small Fender combo sounds with an Alnico 10". I had to use a Fender super champ for a while but it had an alnico blue speaker put in it (10"), it sounded better than a Princeton!!

The Marshall 1965 410 cabinet Celestion G10L 35’s gets dark too. so this is very revealing comparison. and the 1965’s are far and few between in the States

I think it's a matter of taste. Personally I prefer 2x10 but the cabinet in which the speakers are mounted is also important. I think different types of 2x10 cabinets will also sound way different.

Awesome! It would have been interesting to see 4x10 held against an appropriate 2x12.

Thanks Johan, VERY educational for my tone perception. Can definately hear the effect now. I would be interested in the measurement of the frequency to see it also . Great Job!

I notice that the 1X10 is much more bright and trebly by itself but when you add more Speakers you get a fuller bandwidth and the 4X10's ad much more depth and Low mids and still retains the highs. I like the 4X10's much better!!

I always forget how much effect the speakers have and how different they sound… time to experiment some more!

Thanks for the comparison Johan, but please do think about your back when you play!

Of course, one changes their cab shape as well as the number of speakers. Interesting comparison though. I wonder what the differences would be if a 4x12 cab was set up for 1, 2, 3, and 4 speakers....seems like a lot of work! :)

Should have been recorded further away for more collective speaker and room sound, those changes we hear could be due just to the cabinets and construction.

HI, great video as always This is how I would use this 3 configs 1/10 for brighter / solowing, 2/10 for cleanish or solo guitar no other instruments 4/10 for distorted gtrs or very terrible pickups without bass or something

Mesa 4x10 with 3 different speaker types.... 2-V10 celestions, 1- weber Amsterdam, & 1- Eminence Ram Rod... Sublime..Amps? DST jtm45 clone... Fender Dual Showman 80 watt '1969' model. "Phaez" Trainreck clone 18 watt ("McCloud")....A 4x10 mixed speaker array is the tightest- most focused, balanced frequency response live guitar sound I've tried.. Funk, Metal, Country...Etc...... 25 years on gtr... 4x10 mixed cones all the way!

I like the 1 x 10 a bit above the other two. Sounds sweet and kind of honest. I play into a 1 x 12 and not in a band context, so that's probably why it appeals.

None are better than the other, just personal preference.I happen to like the 4/10, primarily because of the bigger lower mids. Single coils, to my ear, sound fantastic in the 4/10 cab. Thank you Johan, Cheers!

As you stated, not that big difference in tone. More growly bass with more speakers in the first riffs. The latter, brighter riffs got more "body" with more speakers. The 1x10 had a very distinct tone in all cases. As usual, I guess preference would depend on circumstances. Very interesting comparison!

My ears preferred the 1x10. Cheers. 🤙

Hey Johan, thank you so much for this channel! I am learning so much about all the things I've ever wondered about Marshalls & cabinets

You could have used 8 ohm speakers in the 4x10 by wiring them series/parallel to get 8ohm total

With clean sounds 4x10 is the best for my ears

could have been interesting to have the same test performed by simply progressively unloading the 4x10, in order to have basically same cab and same speakers, anyway, interesting as usual ;-)

First off, great pic with that guitar and tone for this demonstration. You can clearly hear the difference with a strat clean tone. I also expected them to be more different. 'll never look down on a 1x10 amp again. Really impressive tones with that speaker cab and the room mics. Makes sense though. All the Nashville guys love a princeton in the studio. I have to grab a couple of those eminence speakers. One thought I still wonder about is how would the single 10" cab compare to a closed back 4x10 with the room mics.

love me a 4x10 cab with a 50watt head... well really a pair of them is even better lol, I'm old now though so I have to be happy with a 2x10 combo and a 1x12 combo... still 50watts though, the half stacks have so much thump though, focused biting low ends

Very good test and interesting results. I wonder how the sound differences would be if the mic was placed 6 feet away from the cab to capture the room sound. In the test shown here, the single speaker sounded more defined because the mic was pointing at "one" speaker, with no other sound waves to contend with. And the 4 speaker cab, while pointing at "one" speaker, you know the mic was picking up sound waves from the other three speakers. So, try the same test, micing from a distance to pick up the sound waves further from the cab. ?? I would also get the cabs up off the floor and re-run the test. I'll subcribe so I don't miss the follow up test. Thanks.

Love this channel Johan, you are doing god's work, Cheers Mate!

Another interesting video. In this case, I'm with the majority here and think the 2x10's sounded the best and most balanced. The 1x10 sounded a little thin and the 4x10 sounded a little muffled. Of course, this is all relatively speaking. You seem to really like the SV20H!

Interesting most comments here liked the 2x10 the best when it sounds the worst to my ear by a lot. 4x10 sounded the best to me.

Hi Johan, maybe you covered this? But if you are changing speaker number this of course changes impedance. Depending how the negative feedback is connected to the transformer this could change the interactivity with the negative feedback. This in turn could create a huge difference in perceived top end and low end tightness, when changing impedance. Ie 2ohm load will equate to a squish and presence. A 16ohm load will tighten and darken the amp. I guess the only way of really knowing the changes would be to remove negative feedback completely

2 x 10. Mainly because that's where the tone became more beautiful. I think the 4 x 10 at high volume can sound pretty nice too.

For recording purposes the 1x10 comes out ahead. The midrange is clearer and tighter. I would have a much easier job mixing the 1x10 than the 4x10. The more speakers that are added the more cluttered the midrange becomes & the extra low mids just make it sound muddy for a band context. However, the 2x10 is still quite clear sounding and would work great too. In the room though it's probably much better with the 4x10.

Hey Johan thanks for your work, as awesome as always

Oh great, I'm now going to have to get a 2x12 for my new Studio Classic mini rather than the 1x12 I was planning on - thanks for nothing!

Great video as usual! I know this is a bit off topic... Years ago I usually played 2 Fender Pro Reverbs from '68 and '71 (2×12" each) in parallel. At some point I connected one to a Crate 3×10" cab. The 12s sounded better clean but the 10s had a nice breakup. I didn't get this sound with a single 10 nor with 2×10s.

I am building a cabinet, I was thinking about using the 10 inch speakers, but after listening to his similar video on 12 inch speakers. I think larger speaker makes a difference in all configurations.

I am now sold on building a 2x10 cabinet for my home office. Thanks for the info. I noticed that it looks like you used a Marshall Lead 12 combo body for your 1x10 cab... seeing the missing head hurt me deeply (joking). I have one of those and it's a little trooper of an amp. Had it in the family since 1988. But, I understand. The old solid state amps were good for having shorts and other issues. I ham currently looking to get a Marshall Origin 50 (which you're using either the 20 or 50 there) for a main amplifier. I tried one of those out and was extremely impressed with their versatility.

A Marshall 50 watt bass circuit sounds cool through a 4x10. Makes it sound more like a tweed Bassman.

All sound good!

The Buick straight 8 feels so unappreciated. As does the Ducati Elefant. But impulse responses seem to be giving tesla its moment...

Nice! 10" were made to be used in pairs 😉

I prefer the 2 10setting!☺️

2x10 sounds best... regains the low end and stays clear as well... best midrange as well...

2 x 10 was my favorite

I prefer the 2x10" but my neighbours prefers my headphones 😬

The 2x10 sounds ideal to me for this exercise . But you are in a relatively small space. A gig in a big volume space would bring out the benefits of the 4x10.

Probably cab size and construction had more to do with the sound differences. Out of the 3, I preferred what came from the Fender 2x10.

A mix of all 3 would be NICE

Hmmmm ... it's definitely between the 2x12 and 4x12, but they each have little nuances that make me prefer one over the other for different reasons. I really don't think either of them could be considered a wrong choice.

Johan this is as good a time as any to ask you to compare 4x cabinets as two couples of parallel speakers in series versus two couples of series speakers in parallel. The difference between series and parallel in 2X cabinets is pretty phenomenal.

Interesting, I thought they sounded completely different. The 4x10 sounded cleaner, distant, much more mid-scooped and a lot less top end. Almost sounded phasey vs the others. The 1x10 was very in your face in a good way, quite chime-y. The 2x10 had a huge bottom end and good mids, I think that was probably the best of the bunch in this case. I noticed the mic's all stayed in the same location even though presumably the speaker height off the ground is a bit different cab to cab. Think that made any difference here?

Nice comparison! I am thinking what about installing two different '10 speakers wich will complement eachother . Like Greenback and Creamback together for example.

ive been a 2x12 open back combo guy for many years. half n full stack is too much to haul n not needed on stage. as for bass im a single 15" combo guy. 8x10 cabs should be outlawed!🍻

The 1x10 and 2x10 sounded very similar, but the 4x10 was drastically different. I think I prefer 1 or 2 10's over 4.

I would love to hear the difference between a speaker that's new and old. People say speakers need to be broke in , is that true ?

The 2x10" was the most balanced. Maybe the 4x10" had sounded different with the same 8 Ohm speakers, but in series / paralell.

Two Ten... Really Great..Dear Johan..You have boldly Ventured in to a Title..even Sound Eng.Say comments on low ebb..ITs out of your..Great Trials..creating Authenticity,,Thank you..DrNanda .I find If ONE needs String Tone to Speak .as .in a.Lead Play 1/10..Great..If One Wants..Noodling with Triads..Or..say Rhythm..i.feel 2/10..Great..But..can we House such changes in ONE HOUSING..May be I''sound Stupid..YET.I.wait for Dear Johan to Guide me ..Thanks

Any chance at doing a DSL20C/1922 vs 1936 / SVC212/1965 shootout? I'd love to see how the cab/ext holds against all in a box.

"Last word" of an electric guitar sound is the Cab

Any thoughts on a valco 18 watt 2 x 10”(4ohm single winding) combo cab? It currently has 2 x 60’s Jensen C10R’s. I think they are worn out as I’m hearing some speaker rub. I like a Jupiter 10SC from a shootout I heard and not sure of weather to go with 2 of them or pair with a 70’s horseshoe Eminence. It’s a bit “boxy” sounding and it could be hooked up wrong as I hear one speaker way more than the other. Illusion, out of phase or just plain weaker side of the cab. Need to investigate. It’s how it came but that doesn’t mean it’s correctly hooked up and it is pushing 60 years. Found a great pair of RCA 6973 black plates that really brought it some life. I know that these valc circuits can sound a bit boxy but I just have a feeling I’m missing out on some frequencies.

Wish you would have used a guitar with humbuckers as well as single coils. 410 gets my vote.

You really have to try a Marshall 1965B with G10L-35 in it. :) My favorite cab so far. : )

2 x10 closed back gibson cab and 2 x 12 closed back marshall together

2x10 here!!

I see some older fender cabs had a dividing bit of wood inside, i suppose it was to stop this effect?

I always use 2 4x12 cabs

When is this guy gonna do a podcast? I can listen to him BS all day.

Something I've realized is that... there's so much like "give and take" on everything. I mean like... one speaker/cabinet can sound mediocre compared to another with one type of sound or style, but then the roles reverse with another. - It just makes me want to stop comparing and just dial in the sound properly for whatever is in front of me. - And that has been the way most artists, but for the most tweaky geek types, throughout history anyway. Most just use what they have and make the best of it. Sure, over time they gain knowledge with experience and then find out about equipment and refine their methods and sounds, but kind of like photographers and the like would advise "the best equipment is what you have". Which in a way is very... I don't know, like an excuse or just put too simply, cause sometimes you can just have the "wrong" equipment, in the sense that it just doesn't work for what you're trying to do, which can totally be the case. But at the same time I think you shouldn't nitpick too much and just tweak away and see if you can improve things or find something interesting with what you have. Of course, this kind of demonstration is good to get a sense of something and go into a certain direction, but like I said, at the same time, it also demonstrates that it can change around all the time with any given input from whatever you send into the equipment. Not to even mention the microphones and room and so on. - There's just too many variables, is what I'm getting at.

what having bigger speakers and then smaller sized ones like say a few 10s or 12s and then something smaller. does the speaker size itself sends lower or higher frequencies based in its diaphragm and cone sizes?

Ya need to try a 15” 12” 10” simultaneously in a cab

But...each of these enclosures are very different. Doesn't that have a large impact on the tone as well?