4x10 + 4x10, or 4x10 + 1x15???

[GoodyearThrust]

Hello everyone, and thanks in advance for the help.

I currently have a Peavey Tour 700 with a 4x10TVX cabinet, and I love it. I have come across a friend who is selling a 4x10TVX and a 1x15TVX cabinet, so the question is...

Pair another 4x10 with my existing setup, or get the 1x15....

What would be the pros and cons of either set up.
Thanks

[CL400Peavey]

Double up on the 410's. No reason to pair a 115 with a 410.

[username1]

Get the matching 410, a 115 doesnt match well with a 410.

[FC Bass]

Easy: Try and get the combination you like best.

[vishuddha]

Good rule... never mix a 410 and a 115. Just don't do it! If you match speaker sizes, you'll be happy!

[two fingers]

4-10. And I don't care what anybody says. I have payed through dozens and dozens of 4-10 cabs. (I used to work at a music store and got to A/B a ton of cabs.) That TVX is a great sounding cab. And two of them together KILLS with the right amp. They move massive amounts of air. You will LOVE them together. (However, putting one on top of the other is no fun at all. But, hey, you only have to do it once a night, right?)

Did I mention that two of those 4-10's sound great together?

[hags2k]

I had a 410 and 115 setup for a while, didnt really dig it, but I always assumed it was the amp, not the cabs. I had no idea it wasn't considered wise to mix them. What is a good match for a 115? I know another 15 would probably work (at least I've seen plenty 2x15 setups), but is a 210 considered a good pairing for a 115, or something else?

[walterw]

this subject comes up every thirty seconds and devolves into long flame-fests between people pointing at basic physics rules and other people pointing at posters of rock stars posing in front of 4x10 on 1x15 stacks.

if you don't have money to burn and want to buy the right gear the first time, get the matching cab and stop worrying about it.

[Foz]

but - but - rocks stars!

[Stumbo]

Originally Posted by hags2k

I had a 410 and 115 setup for a while, didnt really dig it, but I always assumed it was the amp, not the cabs. I had no idea it wasn't considered wise to mix them. What is a good match for a 115? I know another 15 would probably work (at least I've seen plenty 2x15 setups), but is a 210 considered a good pairing for a 115, or something else?

I sometimes use a stacked 1x15 and vertical 2x10. Had it at a jam and used a Digitech SS preamp into friend's 200w tube amp. Sounded good to me. Also have used it with smaller tube amps and older SS amps. No problem being heard in med. to pretty loud rock band at small to medium venue size.

With all the new 15/6,12/6, 4x8 and other varieties of speaker combinations, there's lots to choose from these days.

If you can get a matched 1x15, I'd go with that.

[walterw]

Originally Posted by Stumbo

If you can get a matched 1x15, I'd go with that.

+1, two matched 15s rock! (That's what i use myself)

[4Banger4]

So I just need clarification since this question comes up so often, and I apologize if I missed this answer somewhere.

Is the mixing of differing driver size cabs bad when running a single head not capable of bi-amping?

OR

Is the mixing of differing driver size cabs bad anytime just due to the cabs proximity to each other and the differing frequencies???

Just curious as I always see Carvin list their full stacks as some variation of:
210-115
210-118
410-118
410-115
... and yes the head the pair these with is capable of bi-amping.

Honestly not trying to stir the pot, just want to know from someone who truly knows why.

Thanks

[walterw]

read through some of the endless threads (search bill fitzmaurice for some merciless but accurate science); upshot is that mis-matched cabs can be OK, but can also do weird stuff where you get holes in the frequency response from the phase being different over different frequencies.

matching good cabs reinforce each other and are a guaranteed winner, so that's the best way to go when in doubt.

biamping is weird because once you cross over to take the lows out of one bass cab, it no longer has any point being a bass cab; you could replace it with a little midrange driver and actually do better. (search fEARful)

companies show mixed stacks because they look good in catalogs and people (including famous rock stars) hear with their eyes and think "the big speaker handles the lows while the little speakers handle the highs, so why not put the two together?" and buy that; cab companies are happy to sell what people buy.

[two fingers]

Carvin wants to sell amps. So they offer options. No rocket science there.

The whole mismatched cabs thing is physics. It's too complicated to get into and you can do a search to find DOZENS and DOZENS of threads about it here. The short version is, on paper it's not a good idea. In the vast majority of cases, in reality its not a good idea. But, there have always been those here who have owned rigs with mismatched drivers who swear by them. So, please PLEASE do a search and don't keep this conversation going on THIS thread any longer than it has to. Its been BEAT TO DEATH here. And it ALWAYS gets ugly.

Thank you.

OP, did I forget to mention that TWO Peavey 410TVX cabs sound really good together? Cuz they do.

[Downunderwonder]

Pont 1. Two cabs usually sound better than one cab because louder is always bigger.

Point 2. It's possible for mainstream manufacturers to investigate the phase response of all their speakers and come up with cabs that phase together correctly across the whole bass range, but no mean feat.

Two Genz cabs are claimed by a Genz engineer on here to always sound great together. Presumeably only cabs of concurrent design series carry this claim.

When you look at some of the design howlers that make it into production from some mainstream manufacturers you kinda doubt they looked into phase response at all, probably due to point 1.

Point 3, any two identical cabs give you more of what you like, no question.

Point 4, any two non matched cabs may sound ok together.

Point 5, lots of guys mix cabs and like the results, like to tell the world about it.

Point 6, lots of guys stopped mixing cabs, got better results and like to tell the world about it.

[MysticMichael]

Originally Posted by walterw

this subject comes up every thirty seconds and devolves into long flame-fests between people pointing at basic physics rules and other people pointing at posters of rock stars posing in front of 4x10 on 1x15 stacks.

if you don't have money to burn and want to buy the right gear the first time, get the matching cab and stop worrying about it.

Originally Posted by walterw

read through some of the endless threads (search bill fitzmaurice for some merciless but accurate science); upshot is that mis-matched cabs can be OK, but can also do weird stuff where you get holes in the frequency response from the phase being different over different frequencies.

matching good cabs reinforce each other and are a guaranteed winner, so that's the best way to go when in doubt.

biamping is weird because once you cross over to take the lows out of one bass cab, it no longer has any point being a bass cab; you could replace it with a little midrange driver and actually do better. (search fEARful)

companies show mixed stacks because they look good in catalogs and people (including famous rock stars) hear with their eyes and think "the big speaker handles the lows while the little speakers handle the highs, so why not put the two together?" and buy that; cab companies are happy to sell what people buy.

Tell it, Walter! Tell it!

MM

[dhsierra1]

Originally Posted by MysticMichael

Tell it, Walter! Tell it!

MM

+1

[Foz]

Using two cabs designed to operate full range in your bass rig [as opposed to a frequency divided multi-way stack as in a PA system] is like picking two wheels to go on the back of your car = it works better if they match.

[DERB]

8x10.

[vishuddha]

Originally Posted by Downunderwonder

Point 5, lots of guys mix cabs and like the results, like to tell the world about it.

Point 6, lots of guys stopped mixing cabs, got better results and like to tell the world about it.

Hahaha... so true.