Best 2x10 Standalone cab? Neo or no Neo?

[bassramos]

Hey TBer's what do you guys think are the best 2x10 Standalone cabs? Also, What do you think of Neodynium speakers? The guys at the Bass Club in Chicago think Neodynium sounds like crap... They werent very excited to talk anyway, but are they right? I have a Carvin BrxNeo 210, it sounds pretty good with the BX500 but what are your picks? Thanks!

[Giraffe]

The Euphonic Audio NL-210 is the best sounding 210 my ears have ever heard. It kills.

Everybody is entitled to their opinion, of course, but it sounds to me like maybe the opinions of the retail sales guys at Bass Club are not very useful. Neo bass speakers have done very well in the marketplace and on the gig. Neo guitar speakers have experienced one or more false starts! Lots of truly crappy models, no really well-liked models yet.

Go listen. To the cabs, not the opinions of the guys in the peanut gallery.

[bassramos]

Thanks for your input Giraffe

[Munjibunga]

Right now I have two excellent 210 cabinets: an Eden D-210XST (non-neo) and a Bergantino AE210 (neo). The Eden is for sale.

[VanillaThundah]

The Avatar neo 2x10 has done well for me paired with my BX500. It handles a good amount of wattage (1,000w peak) and is plenty loud if you ask me. Stood up against a drummer and two guitarists with no problem on that cab and head.

[billfitzmaurice]

Originally Posted by bassramos

The guys at the Bass Club in Chicago think Neodynium sounds like crap... They werent very excited to talk anyway, but are they right?!

They haven't the slightest notion of what they're talking about. Magnet material has little to nothing to do with tone, and the vast majority of state of the art drivers are neo, and have been for close to ten years.

[mmbongo]

Remind me to avoid Bass Club in Chicago at all costs.

[MaccaMan1964]

I have a MarkBass combo with 2- 10" neo drivers and it ROCKS! I get compliments all the time on my sound... Surprised the guys at Bass Club are so out of touch...

Try the MarkBass 2x10 cab and the Bergantino! Let your ears make the decision!

[R Baer]

I think my favorite 210 that I have tried is the Bergantino HS210. Non neo and a very nice sounding box!

[Doug Parent]

So many good ones out there. Still one of my favs is the discontinued Bergantino HT-210, ceramic , not neo.

Epifani 2-10' Neo's are very sweet sounding. The AE210 Berg Neo is excellent. Great value on the Avatar and GK Neo cabs as well.

[Bass Club Mark]

Not sure who you spoke with, but we ABSOLUTELY recommend Neo cabs here at Bass Club Chicago. We currently stock Bergantino, Aguilar, and SWR neo cabs, and would not do so unless we fully endorse these cabs. Neo's are great for crisp articulate tone, while still keeping faithful to a full frequency range. I particularly recommend Neo's to passive bass players, because they lend a nice sweetness and clarity that P's & J's sometimes lack. Call me anytime at our shop if you'd like to discuss this at more length, and I'm sorry if there was any misunderstanding. Mark

[tombowlus]

In all honesty, I am not a fan of most 2x10's for use as a stand alone. They are bigger than you'd need for the clearly "low-volume" gigs (I like a 1x12, typically, in this scenario), and not loud enough for pretty much everything else. The only possible exception (with which I have direct experience) is the Mesa/Boogie PH210 (8-ohm). That cab is very "big" sounding for a 2x10 - which it should be; it is the biggest 2x10 I own. It is also my current top dawg 2x10 based upon tone (though several other brands are nipping at its heels).

As to the "neo or no neo" topic, there are great sounding cabs and awful sounding in both camps. I would not use it as a deciding factor. Granted, if you are weight-sensitive, then the use of neodymium-based magnets and other weight-savings techniques may be of greater value to you, personally. But ideally, let tone/volume/price/quality be your guide.

In addition to the PH210, some of the specific 2x10's which I feel are among the best would include (in no particular order): Bergantino AE210 and HS210, EA NL-210, Glockenklang Duo, Wayne Jones (if you can bring enough juice to push them!), and TecAmp S210. Honorable mentions should go to the old Ernie Ball Music Man Audiophile HD210 (very good cab, but heavy as heck, and no adjustable tweeter) and the Acme Low-BII (or III). With the right amp, in the right setting, these cabs are very impressive. But they are not a universal panacea. I have not spent a lot of time with the 210 version, but the new Ampeg Pro Neo 410 is really great, and I'd expect the PN210 to be quite good, as well. If you want a more vintage tone, then the SVT-210AV is worth a look, as well.

Hope this helps, Tom.

[Jimmy Stump]

Originally Posted by bassramos

Hey TBer's what do you guys think are the best 2x10 Standalone cabs? Also, What do you think of Neodynium speakers? The guys at the Bass Club in Chicago think Neodynium sounds like crap... They werent very excited to talk anyway, but are they right? I have a Carvin BrxNeo 210, it sounds pretty good with the BX500 but what are your picks? Thanks!

I have a Bergantino AE210 as well. I compared this with a Markbass 210 as well and preferred the voicing of the Berg.

Neo is fine. If weight is a consideration, obviously, you should look at a neo cab (before they are all gone!).

[BigOldHarry]

Originally Posted by bassramos

Hey TBer's what do you guys think are the best 2x10 Standalone cabs? Also, What do you think of Neodynium speakers? The guys at the Bass Club in Chicago think Neodynium sounds like crap... They werent very excited to talk anyway, but are they right? I have a Carvin BrxNeo 210, it sounds pretty good with the BX500 but what are your picks? Thanks!

The two 2x10 cabs I know very well are the Epifani NYC 2x10 (not neo) and the Bergantino AE 2x10 (neo) that a buddy has.

They both sounds nice - I'm partial to my cabs, but the Bergs have sounded great when I've played them and heard them live at gigs.

The Berg AE 2x10 is CRAZY light. Like, strangely so. My Epifani NYC 2x10 is *heavy*. As in two hands heavy. But it sounds *so good*....

When I'm gigging a lot and schlepping, I wish I had those Bergs. When I'm set up and playing, I'm glad I have my old Epis.

Does that help?

[CElton]

My fave 210 is the Epi UL-310.

[Fuzzbass]

Originally Posted by R Baer

I think my favorite 210 that I have tried is the Bergantino HS210. Non neo and a very nice sounding box!

Ditto

[Fuzzbass]

Originally Posted by bassramos

Hey TBer's what do you guys think are the best 2x10 Standalone cabs? Also, What do you think of Neodynium speakers? The guys at the Bass Club in Chicago think Neodynium sounds like crap... They werent very excited to talk anyway, but are they right? I have a Carvin BrxNeo 210, it sounds pretty good with the BX500 but what are your picks? Thanks!

As Bill Fitzmaurice said, magnet material has no significant effect on tone (if any at all). So: if tone is your first priority, get the cab that sounds best to you, and don't worry about magnet material. If weight is more important than tone, then pick the cab with neodymium speakers that sounds best to you. If your Carvin BX500/BrxNeo 210 rig sounds good enough to you and gives you all the volume you need, then save your money and stick with it!

[Bassmec]

Originally Posted by tombowlus

In all honesty, I am not a fan of most 2x10's for use as a stand alone. They are bigger than you'd need for the clearly "low-volume" gigs (I like a 1x12, typically, in this scenario), and not loud enough for pretty much everything else. The only possible exception (with which I have direct experience) is the Mesa/Boogie PH210 (8-ohm). That cab is very "big" sounding for a 2x10 - which it should be; it is the biggest 2x10 I own. It is also my current top dawg 2x10 based upon tone (though several other brands are nipping at its heels).

As to the "neo or no neo" topic, there are great sounding cabs and awful sounding in both camps. I would not use it as a deciding factor. Granted, if you are weight-sensitive, then the use of neodymium-based magnets and other weight-savings techniques may be of greater value to you, personally. But ideally, let tone/volume/price/quality be your guide.

In addition to the PH210, some of the specific 2x10's which I feel are among the best would include (in no particular order): Bergantino AE210 and HS210, EA NL-210, Glockenklang Duo, Wayne Jones (if you can bring enough juice to push them!), and TecAmp S210. Honorable mentions should go to the old Ernie Ball Music Man Audiophile HD210 (very good cab, but heavy as heck, and no adjustable tweeter) and the Acme Low-BII (or III). With the right amp, in the right setting, these cabs are very impressive. But they are not a universal panacea. I have not spent a lot of time with the 210 version, but the new Ampeg Pro Neo 410 is really great, and I'd expect the PN210 to be quite good, as well. If you want a more vintage tone, then the SVT-210AV is worth a look, as well.

Hope this helps, Tom.

Quite so Tom! A 2x10 is only really suitable for bass guitar in ear monitoring, we have found here in our extensive testing with Extreme Noise Terror.
Helga our intrepid lab assistant seen here with the somewhat more cumbersome earlier 12" ceramic magnet designs:

Helga says the weight savings with the new neo 10" drivers make for real advances in ergonomics and comfort.
Who says we British engineers are not on the leading edge of current design philosophy.

[Laklandlover]

Originally Posted by VanillaThundah

The Avatar neo 2x10 has done well for me paired with my BX500. It handles a good amount of wattage (1,000w peak) and is plenty loud if you ask me. Stood up against a drummer and two guitarists with no problem on that cab and head.

+1 I run my SWR 750 thru it. It is a blast!

[michricker]

I recently traded a Berg AE410 for a newer EA NL210. Somewhat similiar in tone and feel to me to the Berg (62lbs), but the 37lb NL210 has won me over. Came with the best cover with a nice pocket and a nice kickstand feature to decouple with the floor.

For small gigs I either bring an Aggi DB112 or the NL-210. I also tried both cabs with the DB112 on the bottom and the NL-210 on top through both a LMIII, Ampeg V4B, and a DB750 with fantastic results. This has suited me fine for practice through medium club type gigs. For some larger outdoor gigs planned for this summer, I'm on the hunt for a big cab. I had a Berg NV610 that didn't do it for me - to middy for me, not full enough on the outdoor gigs (everyone from audience members to band actually like my old Markbass 210+410 rig better). I'm looking at a GS412 at the moment.

Some reports from TBERS on quality issues with EA cabs. For me this has not been the case, I have given almost all an Aggi DB750 can give to this little cab with no issues. I have e-mailed EA several times for general questions and got an almost immediate response that night. Seem like great guys.