Bergantino Alphabet

[Bassmanbob]

I'm looking to downsize my rig. I purchased a Genz Benz ShuttleMax 9.2, and I was thinking about two Bergantino 112s. I noticed in the classified section that there are many letter options for Bergantino.

They include: AE, HD, HT, NV, EX, IP and HS. The Bergantino website currently shows HD and NV only.

Would you guys please explain the Bergantino Alphabet Soup?

[murphy]

AE- neo loaded cabs...truck coating

HT- PA style horn loaded cast speakers and some with bullet tweeters...HT112, carpet covering
Ex112...no tweeter/horn

HS- High sensitivity ..ceramic, stamped speakers....traditional horn( Foster/Eden style)
carpeted

HD- Newer style ...same horn as AE line, but with trad ceramic speakers....same box as HS line...tolex??

NV- new Vintage....sealed cabs ...no tweeters....carpet, then tolex

IP- Poweramp and DSP programming.....1000watt built in poweramp.....ip112, 500 internally...500 extension
IP310, 212 carpeted

[chadds]

Originally Posted by murphy

Ae- neo loaded cabs...truck coating

HT- PA style horn loaded cast speakers and some with bullet tweeters...HT112, carpet covering

HS- High sensitivity ..ceramic, stamped speakers....traditional horn( Foster/Eden style)
carpeted

HD- Newer style ...same horn as AE line, but with trad ceramic speakers....same box as HT line...tolex??

NV- new Vintage....sealed cabs ...no tweeters....carpet, then tolex

IP- presently discontinued ...... powered cabs with tailored DSPs allowing performance beyond the already superior cab and component designs.

[PDGood]

I had the HT112ER and spoke to Jim Bergantino about the new line (HD). The reason the HT's were discontinued is because the tweeter he used became too expensive. The HD112 is more or less the same thing as the HT112 with a more reasonably priced tweeter. Probably just as good a cabinet since the old tweeter was so bright I had to dial it back to being almost off.
The ER refers to extended range - a slightly bigger box to increase the low end.

[KJung]

That all pretty much covers it.

To add a bit more flavor, the HT cabs were the original Bergantino voicing, and most were quite 'hi fi' in that they had deep low end voicing, very relaxed midrange, and a very treble extended high quality tweeter. So, very 'modern' sounding. The exception was the original HT112 mini stack, which were very small boxes that were tuned mostly to the midrange. Jim eventually updated the HT112 to the HT112ER, which was a larger box and had a more consistent voicing with the rest of the HT line (HT212, HT310, HT322, the HT 's' stack, etc.)

A number of years ago, Jim designed cabs to go with Roger Sadowsky's very nice but short lived all tube amp. The cabs were called SA (SA410 and SA210) and were voiced with very tight surround speakers to kind of emulate a sealed multi 10 vintage box (even though they had a tweeter) to work well with the big low end of that all tube amp.

After Roger got out of the amp business, Jim revoiced the SA to have a bit more open low end (i.e., to voice the cab to optimally work with moderate power SS heads), and renamed the line HS (for 'high sensitivity', since his HT line was voiced deep and smooth and hence was moderate efficiency).

Around this time, he added the IP cabs to the line, which were self powered HT cabs (310, 212 and 112) with DSP electronics that provided multi-band compression and lots of EQ 'flattening' of the cab. These are not longer on the market.

Jim entered the neo cab category with the wonderful AE (Advanced engineering) cabs, and discontinued them recently due to the spike in neo driver cost. He went through a wonderful revoicing of the AE210(b), the AE112(b) and the addition of the amazing AE212 shortly before ending the line. They were smoothed and voiced more evenly than the very upper mid aggressive original versions, and are IMO the best neo cabs around, if you can find a (b) model.

Recently, Jim updated the HS line to the HD line (high definition). The final HT product (the HT112ER) was discontinued and the HD112 was added to the HD line (same low end voicing of the HT112ER with a more organic sounding tweeter and crossover carried over from the AE and HS lines. VERY nice 12's and 10's (112, 212, 210, 410)

The NV line was a line of sealed boxes with no tweeters designed to, well, be 'new vintage'. Higher quality, more full range versions of classic 'rock' cabs from the past (412, 215, 610, etc.). This line was just discontinued, but Jim would probably bring that 610 back at some time if demand builds.

So, what's next. Jim is working on a number of things, and I'm pretty sure we will see some new line of cabs within the next few months

[Baird6869]

Thanks For this Ken. Great info.

You are the Cliff Clavin of cabs!

Originally Posted by KJung

That all pretty much covers it.

To add a bit more flavor, the HT cabs were the original Bergantino voicing, and most were quite 'hi fi' in that they had deep low end voicing, very relaxed midrange, and a very treble extended high quality tweeter. So, very 'modern' sounding. The exception was the original HT112 mini stack, which were very small boxes that were tuned mostly to the midrange. Jim eventually updated the HT112 to the HT112ER, which was a larger box and had a more consistent voicing with the rest of the HT line (HT212, HT310, HT322, the HT 's' stack, etc.)

A number of years ago, Jim designed cabs to go with Roger Sadowsky's very nice but short lived all tube amp. The cabs were called SA (SA410 and SA210) and were voiced with very tight surround speakers to kind of emulate a sealed multi 10 vintage box (even though they had a tweeter) to work well with the big low end of that all tube amp.

After Roger got out of the amp business, Jim revoiced the SA to have a bit more open low end (i.e., to voice the cab to optimally work with moderate power SS heads), and renamed the line HS (for 'high sensitivity', since his HT line was voiced deep and smooth and hence was moderate efficiency).

Around this time, he added the IP cabs to the line, which were self powered HT cabs (310, 212 and 112) with DSP electronics that provided multi-band compression and lots of EQ 'flattening' of the cab. These are not longer on the market.

Jim entered the neo cab category with the wonderful AE (Advanced engineering) cabs, and discontinued them recently due to the spike in neo driver cost. He went through a wonderful revoicing of the AE210(b), the AE112(b) and the addition of the amazing AE212 shortly before ending the line. They were smoothed and voiced more evenly than the very upper mid aggressive original versions, and are IMO the best neo cabs around, if you can find a (b) model.

Recently, Jim updated the HS line to the HD line (high definition). The final HT product (the HT112ER) was discontinued and the HD112 was added to the HD line (same low end voicing of the HT112ER with a more organic sounding tweeter and crossover carried over from the AE and HS lines. VERY nice 12's and 10's (112, 212, 210, 410)

The NV line was a line of sealed boxes with no tweeters designed to, well, be 'new vintage'. Higher quality, more full range versions of classic 'rock' cabs from the past (412, 215, 610, etc.). This line was just discontinued, but Jim would probably bring that 610 back at some time if demand builds.

So, what's next. Jim is working on a number of things, and I'm pretty sure we will see some new line of cabs within the next few months

[KJung]

Originally Posted by Baird6869

Thanks For this Ken. Great info.

You are the Cliff Clavin of cabs!

I've definitely become a Bergantino fanatic over the years. I totally dig the quality, the tone, the designs, the execution and the owner Top of the line stuff, support, and design. Not that I like every cabinet he makes, but that is more tone goals, weight preference, etc. He always seems to have something in the line that is 'better than any other brand' for me.

[JI99]

so any tidbits of info about what new products might be coming?

Originally Posted by KJung

I've definitely become a Bergantino fanatic over the years. I totally dig the quality, the tone, the designs, the execution and the owner Top of the line stuff, support, and design. Not that I like every cabinet he makes, but that is more tone goals, weight preference, etc. He always seems to have something in the line that is 'better than any other brand' for me.

[KJung]

Originally Posted by JI99

so any tidbits of info about what new products might be coming?

No. Best to leave that to Jim and the retailers. Once it is clear what he is coming out with (he's always working on a variety of stuff), I'm sure some of the Berg fanatics will have some information to add to the conversation.

One of the other things that I love about Jim is he doesn't start flapping his gums about new products or showing stuff at NAMM without being virtually in production on the new stuff. And, he does a lot of testing, so no 'using the customer as a Beta tester or a pre-announcement marketing department'. I really like the way he does business.

[JI99]

i'd love to see him bring back a single 10, one or two of those is all i need, and his would probably blow away the meager competition.

Originally Posted by KJung

No. Best to leave that to Jim and the retailers. Once it is clear what he is coming out with (he's always working on a variety of stuff), I'm sure some of the Berg fanatics will have some information to add to the conversation.

One of the other things that I love about Jim is he doesn't start flapping his gums about new products or showing stuff at NAMM without being virtually in production on the new stuff. And, he does a lot of testing, so no 'using the customer as a Beta tester or a pre-announcement marketing department'. I really like the way he does business.

[Jim C]

Originally Posted by KJung

One of the other things that I love about Jim is he doesn't start flapping his gums about new products or showing stuff at NAMM without being virtually in production on the new stuff. And, he does a lot of testing, so no 'using the customer as a Beta tester or a pre-announcement marketing department'. I really like the way he does business.

+1; total pro operation
OMG, What if Fender sent hime a large check...

[One Drop]

I've never played a Bergantino cab I didn't like, they are so well executed. Even the cabs whose style is different than what I usually like are so great sounding it makes me want to experiment with them.

I own an NV610 and an NV215, and both are different flavours of bloody fantastic. The 215 is perfect for filling a smaller room with great solid tone, like you hear on good old recordings, and the 610 is equally nice if a bit more middy. Both hold up as they get pushed, and sound great at all SPL. The 610 sounds like the earliest fridges, with a very rich midrange and a lot of low end roll-off, great in a rock mix, and both sound variously superb with some OD and flat-out distortion. The 215 has just enough lows to create a cushiony bottom if wanted, and a fairly wide but still punchy tone that just fills a room without being flubby or muddy, unless you want the mud. The 6" driver extends the top very nicely, so it sings woithout any shrillness or 'tweeter tone'. Passive and natural sounding active basses just sound glorious through both of them.

Jim has golden ears and a deep understanding of what bassists need, and the cabs reflect this in the way they sound, their form factor, and their build quality. I have not had the slightest cab GAS in years now, though if I needed a smaller lighter solution and I didn't already own some Bag Ends that do a great job on smaller stages I'd be lusting after an HD212.

[Bassmanbob]

Wow! I think I'll go over those posts again to fully get it. Thanks guys!

[KJung]

Originally Posted by Bassmanbob

Wow! I think I'll go over those posts again to fully get it. Thanks guys!

To stick to the 12's you asked about:

HT112...small,mid present, not a lot of deep lows, modern top end

HT112ER.... Bigger, big low end, very hi fi top end, smooth relaxed mids

AE112... Lightweight neo, ver bright up top in the upper mids, decent low end. Bright grindy aggressive

HD112... Update of the Ht112ER. Big and punchy and deep like the HT12ER.but with a more relaxed, organic top end. Wonderful box

[Bassmanbob]

Thank you Ken for the Cliff Notes version. That is very helpful. Once again, thanks to all of you for the quick and informative replies.