Advice: BE S-15D vs. GK 112-II Neo

[dubstylee]

What's up friendly TB'ers! Need some friendly advice as my local shops don't have either of these. Has anyone had the chance to compare the BE S-15D to the GK Neo 112-II, is this a good comparison?

I play rock, reggae, blues, funk, etc. and I'm curious to know which cab will work better for me. I'm buying only one so I have a cabinet when I'm on the run. I use Fender J or P passive and an Ampeg V4, Peavey VB2, or a LMIII.

I'm wondering if anyone has good experience with these cabinets, and also if one has any pro's or con's over each other. Please share as it would be much, much appreciated.

[dubstylee]

I need some advice! Bumpity bump!!

[KJung]

I played the Bag 15's for years. I have not tried the most recent version of the GK112 though.

One thing to be aware of, the Bag End 'x' models have a very nice coax tweeter, the 'non x' do not. So, the apples to apples with the GK is the 'x' model. The good news with the 'x' models (you can tell it is an 'x' if the dust cap is red) is that the coax tweeter sounds beautiful. The bad news is, for some strange reason, they don't install a tweeter attenuator, so it runs wide open. Beautifull balanced with a second non 'x' 15. Over the top sizzly IMO when running a single 15x (no problem with your LMII, since the VLE is designed as a sort of tweeter attenuator control).

The Bag Ends are using the same basic design they have used for 20 or even 30 years. The voicing of the 15 is very midrangey and warm, and the cab is quite heavy for what it is. The SPL is high, and the quality is good.

Also, while port location in general shouldn't matter much, the particular design of the small Bag End cube, with that big hole cut right behind the driver, seems to result in some directional sound coming from the port, making these particular Bag End executions a bit more fussy regarding placement.

A cab like the GK is much lighter and much brighter in the upper mids (which is typical of neo cabs).

Edit: Matching a tube amp to a cab can be quite challenging. I would think the Bag End would do much better with your V4 than the modern, bright GK voicing, but just guessing there.

[dubstylee]

Thanks KJung, your input is always very much appreciated. I'm thinking I might go with the BAG END, as that has been my first choice for awhile now. Will the 112 go lower? And also, can the S-15D do reggae would you think? I'm not totally concerned with sub-lows necessarily, as a lot of my favorite reggae bassists just use a fridge anyways.

[DavePlaysBass]

I have not played either but I recently pickup up a GK Neo 115-III. I wanted a single cab that was schlepable and better sounding as a single cab relative to my Aggie GS112. The 115 has a balanced tone that sounds signifantly better as a stand alone relative to either my GS112 or Avatar B210Neo. It has the fat round bottom I associate with 15s but also has decent upper mids and the adjustable tweeter has nice top end.

[KJung]

Originally Posted by dubstylee

Thanks KJung, your input is always very much appreciated. I'm thinking I might go with the BAG END, as that has been my first choice for awhile now. Will the 112 go lower? And also, can the S-15D do reggae would you think? I'm not totally concerned with sub-lows necessarily, as a lot of my favorite reggae bassists just use a fridge anyways.

The 'going lower' thing is problematic with small cabs. Most modern 12's will go lower than the very midrange voiced and low end attenuated Bag End. However, the limitation is the classic: 'You can have two of the three, small, low, or loud'.

A small cab voiced very low will almost by definition have low SPL and more importantly, low max SPL (it just won't get that loud).

So, yes, I would guess the GK (and most other modern, ported 112's) will go 'lower', but IMO the Bag will put out more volume for you in the all important upper bass and lower mids.

dub is usually associated with deep bass, and the Bag won't do deep bass. However, with a single, small 8ohm cab, you are MUCH better having upper bass heard than deep bass not heard!

IMO... the Bag (non x model) will probably work nicely for you as long as you don't want to shake the ashtrays in the bar.

If you want to get out your wallet, the Bergantino HT112ER kind of does it all... quite deep on the low end, nice smooth mids, clean top end. It is about the same weight as the Bag End. Just an idea... its the best averaging of the 'you can have two of the three' that I've found in a small cab.... 'real' bass (yet not the super low end extension of the Acme's for example, that get you in trouble sometimes), reasonable SPL, and due to the high quality components and expert design, it can handle a lot of power and give you very surprising max SPL and low end. Really nice... really expensive!

K

[aproud1]

Originally Posted by DavePlaysBass

I have not played either but I recently pickup up a GK Neo 115-III. I wanted a single cab that was schlepable and better sounding as a single cab relative to my Aggie GS112. The 115 has a balanced tone that sounds signifantly better as a stand alone relative to either my GS112 or Avatar B210Neo. It has the fat round bottom I associate with 15s but also has decent upper mids and the adjustable tweeter has nice top end.

Big +1 on the GK Neo115-III. Great well balanced cab with a usable tweeter. Great single cab solution that can hold it's own with a low B.

While I really like the S15D I agree with Kjung on placement issues. Pretty much the only reason I got rid of mine.

[Doug Parent]

+1 GK Neo cabs!

[dubstylee]

Maybe I need to take a look at the GK 15 Neo then, I'm trying to keep the price reasonable anyways. I've heard a lot of good things so far.

[aproud1]

Originally Posted by dubstylee

Maybe I need to take a look at the GK 15 Neo then, I'm trying to keep the price reasonable anyways. I've heard a lot of good things so far.

Call RMC audio for the best price on the neo 15. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised.

[rpsands]

Not a fan of tweeter cabs with low wattage tube amps myself. If you can turn the horn off or bypass it in the GK cab that might be good. Just my preference of course.

[DavePlaysBass]

RMC Audio sold me one for $380 with shipping 2 weeks ago. They matched the 15% off deals going on at GC and MF at the time. 2 weeks ago, the major online guys were out of stock until the end of the month.

[dubstylee]

I'm definately now going to take a look at the GK 115-III Neo. It looks compact, it probably is full across the frequency spectrum, and it's only 40lbs.

[Doug Parent]

Originally Posted by rpsands

Not a fan of tweeter cabs with low wattage tube amps myself. If you can turn the horn off or bypass it in the GK cab that might be good. Just my preference of course.

The GK cab allows the option of bypassing the entire crossover/tweeter.

[KJung]

Originally Posted by Doug Parent

The GK cab allows the option of bypassing the entire crossover/tweeter.

Pretty cool circuit. I assume if you plug a full range sound source into the 'low end' input of the cab, the woofer runs full range. So, you have the option (I think) of a 'true' one way cab, a 'typical' two way cab with passive crossover, and the custom GK 'biamp' mode that matches up with the newer series of heads (700, 1001, etc.). Nice.

Edit: I guess I had that a bit wrong, looking at the manual. You need to have a special 4 pin speakon cable wired to just send a signal to the woofers I guess. No 'low end' input... all done with that 4 pin speakon.

[DavePlaysBass]

I believe the low end is on the 4 pin Speakon on pins 1+ and 1-. Meaning if you hit with a 2 pin speakon or a 4 pin that does not have connects on 2+ and 2-, you should have a direct connect to the speaker.

I am assuming the GK does not have a low pass circuit to the speaker.

BTW I am talking out my ass so be sure before you connect up.

[KJung]

Originally Posted by DavePlaysBass

I believe the low end is on the 4 pin Speakon on pins 1+ and 1-. Meaning if you hit with a 2 pin speakon or a 4 pin that does not have connects on 2+ and 2-, you should have a direct connect to the speaker.

I am assuming the GK does not have a low pass circuit to the speaker.

BTW I am talking out my ass so be sure before you connect up.

Yeah, I'm not sure either, but I guess using a standard speakon will give you full range woofer operation with no tweeter in 'biamp mode'... pretty cool. The manual does state that the woofer is on the +1/-1 pins from what I remember. Cool.

[aproud1]

Using a standard speakon with my head gave me full range operation (woofer and tweeter). Of course there is the l-pad.

[KJung]

Originally Posted by aproud1

Using a standard speakon with my head gave me full range operation (woofer and tweeter). Of course there is the l-pad.

Yes, a standard speakon with the cab switched to full range will, well, give you full range operation with the passive crossover.

Turning down the i-pad is 'OK', but if it is a true crossover and not just a lo pass, you will be cutting out some of the top of the driver response. Typically, better to either buy a one way cab or use the tweeter in a two way, depending on your tone goals.

However, the GK cabs give you the option (it seems) to run full range and bypass the passive crossover all together. Pretty cool if I'm understanding the workings of that back panel.

[dubstylee]

Well it's still between this and the BAGEND, I'll let you know what happens.