SWR Baby Baby Blue Owner's Manual page 16

BABY BABY BLUE POWER DELIVERY CAPABILITIES (POWER RATINGS)
After determining how the extension speaker you wish to run affects the total operating impedance, you
need to take into account the power handling capabilities of that speaker cabinets as compared to what
the Baby Baby Blue can deliver at that impedance. Those ratings are as follows:
120 Watts @ 8 ohms (internal speaker system)
160 Watts @ 4 ohms
So, for example, if you use one 8 ohm extension speaker cabinet, the power amp will deliver a total of
160 watts into both the internal and extension speaker, 80 watts a piece evenly split. It's unlikely that an
extension speaker would not be able to handle 80 watts of power, and the power rating of the internal
speaker is 175 watts, so overpowering drivers should not be much of an issue. However, there is the situ-
ation known as underpowering your speaker cabinets. This is caused when the power amp, in the process
of trying to drive one or more speaker cabinets, reaches its limit and goes into clipping. That "clipped"
waveform (or "square wave") will quickly heat up the voice coils in speakers, and if operating continually
while clipping, eventually will burn the voice coils and cause the speakers to fail.
This is especially important to remember when running the amp at 4 ohms, as you are operating at or
near the maximum capacity of the power amplifier. With extreme settings on the Gain and Master Volume
controls, you may hear audible clipping of the power amp (and the "power amp clip LED" should illumi-
nate). If so, you have exceeded the maximum capacity of the power amp. POWER AMP CLIPPING CAN
CAUSE DAMAGE BOTH TO ITSELF AND YOUR SPEAKER CABINETS. Back off on the Gain and Master con-
trols to help smooth out the peaks.
Remember, it's always better to have a little too much power than just barely enough. Obviously, the Baby
Baby Blue is a small combo, meant for small gigs and studio work. If you find yourself constantly wanting
more power than the Baby Baby Blue provides, either:
a) Tell your bandmates to turn down
b) Tell the monitor engineer to turn you up
c) (better option) Take the time to investigate getting an external power amp for the additional speaker
cabinets to supplement your rig
d) (best option) Investigate getting a larger combo for those gigs where more power and volume is need-
ed
EXTENSION SPEAKER OUTPUT JACK
One 1/4" phone jack has been provided for connection of the Baby Baby Blue to your desired extension
speaker cabinet. Only SPEAKER CABLE of 18 gauge or heavier (the heavier the cable, the lower the gauge)
should be used to connect your Baby Baby Blue to your extension speaker system. Do not use shielded
instrument cable for this purpose, as this can result in intermittent power loss, cause your amp to oscil-
late and damage itself and/or your speakers, and render the cable useless.
Recommended SWR extension speaker enclosures for use with the Baby Baby Blue include:
• Goliath Junior III 2x10 (8 ohms)
• Bass Monitor 12"
• Son Of Bertha 1x15"
• Workingman's 1x10T
• Workingman's 2x10T
SPEAKER FUSE
The speaker fuse is provided to protect your speakers in the unlikely event of a power amp failure or to
protect your power amplifier from incorrect speaker impedances or hookups. Size and rating of the fuse is
4 amp, fast-blo. Do not defeat the purpose of this feature by using a higher rated fuse as it can damage
your amplifier and void your warranty.
The fuse can open as a result of a fault in an extension speaker cable, the speakers themselves, or the
power amp being sent well into clipping. With this in mind, it is wise to carry extra fuses at all times.
14 • BABY BABY BLUE OWNER'S MANUAL