Ampeg PF 500 with PF 210 HE

[Grateful]

Originally Posted by CL400Peavey

I use fEARful cabs.

Ah. I'd love to hear one of those. I just can't throw that kind of money at an unknown, nor do I pretend that I can build anything beyond a folding chair.

[JimmyM]

Originally Posted by ric4682

Thanks for the quick response Jimmy! With the tweeter off would you say the HE is more vintage sounding?

Definitely.

[JimmyM]

Oh, sorry...never answered about the tweet in the PF cabs. I don't like tweeters, but that one is pretty nice, especially considering it's an inexpensive cab. It's a compression driver instead of a piezo, and the 2 volume presets for it were very well chosen IMHO. If you have to use a tweeter, you could do a lot worse as far as I'm concerned.

[mbernard110]

Ok, I'm also looking at starting with an Ampeg SVT 115E, mainly due to the fact that I like the look of it much better than the vintage style of the PF's. However, I have read that it is only 200 Watts RMS @ 8 ohms. I am thinking of eventually getting a pair of these or possibly adding a svt210AV to it. Any thoughts on these ideas?

[JimmyM]

That 200w is a serious 200w before fartout, not before it blows up. Most cabs are rated for when they blow up but they'll fart out way earlier. The Ampeg Classic cabs are rated for when they fart out. No conventional 115 for bass is going to do much better than 200-250w before fartout anyway, regardless of what they tell you the power handling is.

As for pairing it with a 210av, might be interesting and may sound quite good, but I prefer matching cabs as to avoid potential phasing problems. Some of my gigs I have enough problem with cancellations from boundary effects that I don't need to add to it with phasing.

[mbernard110]

Awesome, thanks! Would you then consider it a better quality cab/build than the PF115? Or is that kinda subjective?

[rodl2005]

Originally Posted by mbernard110

Awesome, thanks! Would you then consider it a better quality cab/build than the PF115? Or is that kinda subjective?

The pf cab is cool & sturdy enough, the driver in it's fairly light weight, nice tone, but doesn't handle alotta pwr. (2 of em's pretty cool tho)
Many reports of the SVT115 hitting above it's rated power handling & being a very punchy beast.
Outta the 2 I'd only go for the pf if weight was the issue.

[JimmyM]

Power handling I'd rate the PF115he on a par with the SVT 115e, and the build quality is quite good although lighter, smaller, and a different kind of plywood. The speaker in the PF115he is a 450w thermal rated speaker, and I have two and they can take a really good pounding.

EDIT: I just edited some stuff out about thinking the 115e doesn't go as low as the PF115he, but on Ampeg's website, it says it goes lower. Have to admit I was going off a failed memory, then. It's been quite a good few years since I played a 115e, and I didn't think they went as low as Ampeg says, but they're pretty accurate with the specs, so maybe my memory has failed me.