2x10 or 1x15 cab

[grass132456]

If they cost the same amount of money (usually) why do people get 2x10? Isn't a 1x15 better because it moves more air compared to a 2x10? I hear the some argue 1x15 have a deeper bass while 2x10 have more of a mid-high range clarity while other say that it doesn't matter. And let's say it is the same model, just different speaker size and number of speakers.

EDIT: TB's say that if you put two separate speakers side by side to each other, it will cause sound cancellation, which is why speakers are stacked. How come 2x10's and 4x10's can have 2 side-by-side speakers and still sound nice?

[SactoBass]

Originally Posted by grass132456

If they cost the same amount of money (usually) why do people get 2x10? Isn't a 1x15 better because it moves more air compared to a 2x10?

No. Speaker diameter alone determines nothing.

Originally Posted by grass132456

I hear the some argue 1x15 have a deeper bass while 2x10 have more of a mid-high range clarity while other say that it doesn't matter. And let's say it is the same model, just different speaker size and number of speakers.

The people telling you that it doesn't matter are correct.

[Joe Louvar]

The 115 vs. 210 it really is a matter of personal preference and the 410 isn’t the best design but people like it.

[cchorney]

Different cabs will have different voices. For example, I suspect a Hartke 1x15 will sound brighter than an Ampeg 2x10. Looking at the frequency response range usually tell me little, personally. I need to hear them side by side. But fyi I stand my 2x10 sideways, it helps me hear it better (as the top cone is a little higher up when its on its side, so its closer to my head).

[billfitzmaurice]

Originally Posted by grass132456

How come 2x10's and 4x10's can have 2 side-by-side speakers and still sound nice?

While some may think that they sound 'nice' the fact remains that they do have narrower dispersion in the mids and comb filtering in the highs.
As for the 2x10 versus 1x15, a vertical 2x10 will have wider dispersion than a 1x15, while not necessarily with any less output or low frequency response. But neither all 2x10s nor all 1x15s are the same by any means, you still have to try before you buy to find what sounds best to you.

[Russell L]

The 115 (Markbass Traveler 151P) I got sounds deeper than the 210 (Markbass Traveler 102P) I tried. But, it's because the 115 has a bigger box, apparently, and maybe the specs for each speaker allows it. It's not due to the cone size, though, so I'm told. There is another Markbass 210 that supposedly has more bass than the Traveler version because it's front ported---that means it has a bigger box to accomodate the port.

Sorry, but none of this stuff is intuitive like you'd think it would be.

[billfitzmaurice]

Originally Posted by Russell L

Sorry, but none of this stuff is intuitive like you'd think it would be.

Exactly. Virtually nothing about the behavior of either sound waves or the speakers used to produce them is intuitive; in most cases what intuition dictates is 100% wrong. But where marketing is concerned what usually sells is what the buyer intuitively perceives as 'correct', putting marketing versus engineering concerns squarely at odds with each other. Luckily for the consumer there are resources such as this one, where they can learn how sound waves and speakers actually work, should they choose to do so, and base their shopping on facts rather than intuition.

[staindbass]

there are alot of smart people here with great advice. but since all 10" and 15" cabs dont sound the same, or go as low, or are as clear in the mids, the best way to find out is to try them out side by side. your ears will tell you what is best for you instantly. i also wonder the same thing as you about the 4x10 having side by side speakers,with the comb filtering and cancellation. yet people love them. maybe science does not always equal what you ears want to hear, or those cancellations and comb filtering actually become part of the favored tone.

[JimmyM]

Originally Posted by staindbass

there are alot of smart people here with great advice. but since all 10" and 15" cabs dont sound the same, or go as low, or are as clear in the mids, the best way to find out is to try them out side by side. your ears will tell you what is best for you instantly. i also wonder the same thing as you about the 4x10 having side by side speakers,with the comb filtering and cancellation. yet people love them. maybe science does not always equal what you ears want to hear, or those cancellations and comb filtering actually become part of the favored tone.

That's what I think is going on. In my case, anyway. Not a fan of 410's but I love 810's.

[billfitzmaurice]

Originally Posted by staindbass

i also wonder the same thing as you about the 4x10 having side by side speakers,with the comb filtering and cancellation. yet people love them. maybe science does not always equal what you ears want to hear, or those cancellations and comb filtering actually become part of the favored tone.

It's mainly a matter of not having a point of comparison. How many have actually tested a 4x10 side by side with the equivalent pair of 2x10 vertically stacked, preferably while blindfolded? When hi-fi speaker competitions are held the speakers are kept behind a scrim, so that the outcome is only influenced by the ears, not the eyes or preconceived notions.

[Spectrum]

OKay, dumb question, if speaker size doesn't have any effect on frequncy response, why do stereo set speakers have big woofers and little tweaters?

Or, for that matter, how come basses are longer than guitars (except for the U-bass, which is wierd).

[billfitzmaurice]

Originally Posted by Spectrum

why do stereo set speakers have big woofers and little tweaters?

Dispersion.

[RickenBoogie]

Yes, and generally, lower frequencies require greater power, and therefore larger drivers to balance the volume levels between the higher frequencies, which need much less power, and therefore, not as much speaker to reproduce them.

[Joe Louvar]

Originally Posted by staindbass

there are alot of smart people here with great advice. but since all 10" and 15" cabs dont sound the same, or go as low, or are as clear in the mids, the best way to find out is to try them out side by side. your ears will tell you what is best for you instantly. i also wonder the same thing as you about the 4x10 having side by side speakers,with the comb filtering and cancellation. yet people love them. maybe science does not always equal what you ears want to hear, or those cancellations and comb filtering actually become part of the favored tone.

+1
There is no such thing as a perfect speaker so go with whatever sounds best to you personally. Listen, compare and pick what you like - if it sounds good, it is good!!!

[Ronbo61]

I don't know anything about the science or technical aspects of speaker cabinets. I just know that for me a 2x10 works the best. Like others have stated, you just have to experiment and find what works best for you.

[cchorney]

Originally Posted by Spectrum

OKay, dumb question, if speaker size doesn't have any effect on frequncy response, why do stereo set speakers have big woofers and little tweaters?

Not dumb - the reason as I understand it is that cabinets that have multiple drivers of different sizes have a crossover that sends the lower frequency stuff to the woofer and the higher frequency stuff to the tweeter. So you get the most sound possible because you are driving the, um, drivers with only the frequency ranges they are most comfortable with.

[Joe Louvar]

I think he means- if size doesn’t matter why is there a larger sized woofer in a 3-way speaker box instead of a tweeter and a mid and low driver the same size? Why is the low woofer driver larger than the mid driver if size doesn't matter?

[Shardik]

Cone size and how much the speaker motor (coil and magnet) allows the cone to move determines how much air can be moved (i.e. sound pressure).

Frequency response is another matter entirely. Just consider how headsets produce plenty of bass, even if the elements often are smaller than a hifi speaker tweeter. I will not go into details here, but rest assured that speaker size alone do not determine frequency response.

When choosing a speaker element for a certain purpose, both SPL and frequency response are important factors. But the size of the speaker cone alone is insufficient information.

[billfitzmaurice]

Originally Posted by cchorney

as I understand it is that cabinets that have multiple drivers of different sizes have a crossover that sends the lower frequency stuff to the woofer and the higher frequency stuff to the tweeter. So you get the most sound possible because you are driving the, um, drivers with only the frequency ranges they are most comfortable with.

That's the correct scenario, but with bass cabs different drivers are used in the same passband with no crossover, which sometimes works OK, but more often than not doesn't work work as well as using only one driver type per passband.

[Joe Louvar]

Originally Posted by Shardik

Cone size and how much the speaker motor (coil and magnet) allows the cone to move determines how much air can be moved (i.e. sound pressure).

Frequency response is another matter entirely. Just consider how headsets produce plenty of bass, even if the elements often are smaller than a hifi speaker tweeter. I will not go into details here, but rest assured that speaker size alone do not determine frequency response.

When choosing a speaker element for a certain purpose, both SPL and frequency response are important factors. But the size of the speaker cone alone is insufficient information.

Ok but - I don’t want to hijack the thread so I will let you have the last word - but why is the low driver larger in size than the mid driver in a 3-way stereo speaker? If size doesn’t matter why aren’t the low and mid drivers the same size in a 3-way stereo speaker? Thanks