Which Cab? Aguilar DB112 vs. bergantino HD112 vs. Mesa Boogie PH 112

[Livewire]

Hey, guys, I'm the new owner of a Mesa Boogie Walkabout with the silver face and input / passive inputs. I've been pairing it with an Avatar 210 Neo and feel like im lacking warmth, and depth in my tone and lower mids. I've been thinking of either a Mesa PH112, Bergantino HD112,or an an Aguilar DB112. I'm looking for a cab with a full, deep, versatile cab.


Which do you guys pefer?

[alexlocurto]

Mesa, for sure.

[vin*tone]

I used to run a W.A into 2 DB112s. Great sounding cabs but the Aguilar form factor is not good - particularly if you are running a single cab. Too short, with a massive footprint - very deep. Dunno what they were thinking there.

Berg HD112 will give you great warmth and depth. I have no experience with the Mesa.

[Fergie Fulton]

Don't get to wrapped up the tech/spec, of it sounds good to you then it sounds good. I now use DB112 and DB112NT because they sound great and look great to me.....that is to me. Now I tour a lot and so there have been more different sound engineers, from different countries around it...but they have all complemented the sound from the rig (TH500 Head).
Main reason for my use is I was a long term 10s user but my rigs were 2 x 4x10 cabs, but if I am honest what I use now is just as good but easier and lighter to maintain a good stage presence.

Sound is a highly personal thing, so go with what sounds good and work for you. (If I have a backline option or a house rig I will go with that every time, but maybe use the TH500 to run or pre-amp it, and when recording I use whatever is available or DI the board)

[Daniel Piper]

Crabby knows heaps about them Mesa ph112s. The HD112s tend to get mentioned (by some) in the same breath as many of the super 12s in many threads around here.

With that amp, it is gonna be hard to sound BAD. They are all high quality.

[DigitalMan]

I prefer the Mesa but have to admit a preexisting Mesa bias. I also like the fit and finish of the PH line. All good stuff.

[rmars]

I like the DB, nice mids and low mid but I don't think full and deep... at least not when compared to the HD112. Haven't played the PH112 but I have the PH212 and the HD212 was the better cab to my ears. Bergs tweeters are on another level from anything else I've tried.

[Alexander]

Berg HD FTW

[mournblade]

Mesa head + Mesa cab = Win

[kai_ski]

I love the db112's but if I was going to use a walkabout I'd look for the cab with the highest spl. To me I feel like the db112's take a little power to get going... definitely more than my gk 12s did.

[chaosMK]

I find the PH 112 has a great voicing for rock/metal. It's a badass cab. Very tight overall and detailed in the mids, and huge tone for such a small/lightweight cab.

I've tried the Berg and Aguilar and find them both to be less aggressive and a little rounder, and probably not as loud. The PH struggles to do good hip hop but both of those cabs can easily do that type of voice (but dont go nearly as aggressive).

[RCCollins]

Mesa+ Mesa =

[pickles]

Originally Posted by chaosMK

I find the PH 112 has a great voicing for rock/metal. It's a badass cab. Very tight overall and detailed in the mids, and huge tone for such a small/lightweight cab.

I've tried the Berg and Aguilar and find them both to be less aggressive and a little rounder, and probably not as loud. The PH struggles to do good hip hop but both of those cabs can easily do that type of voice (but dont go nearly as aggressive).

+1 i miss my mesa 12s

[Livewire]

Thanks for the input guys. Wow, the Aguilar DB112 is winning in the polls. But I've heard I should go with cabs with higher sensitivity if I want to get the best out of the walkabout, so I think at this point I'm leaning more towards the Berg 112HD.

I'm hoping I'll be able to snag up a used one at a nice price soon on here. I recently missed it on ebay

[Musicman20]

DB112. The HD, from demos I've heard, seems to have a much deeper bass extension, and less punchy low mids. With a lower powered amp, punchy mids are very helpful!

[Crabby]

I can tell you that a Walkabout head is not at its best with a single 8 ohm cab. It needs to run at 4 ohms or even 2 ohms to really wake up and deliver the goods. I would not sneeze at any Berg cab but have got to say, my PH112 cabs are a great match with the Walkabout head. They are a lot more open and modern sounding then the Scout cabs, they are reasonably efficient, can handle a ton of power and sound bigger then they look.

[SactoBass]

Berg is king in my book! (IMO of course).

[Daniel Piper]

Ahhh crabby - thats the pic i was waiting for

[SpinyNorman]

Originally Posted by Livewire

Hey, guys, I'm the new owner of a Mesa Boogie Walkabout with the silver face and input / passive inputs. I've been pairing it with an Avatar 210 Neo and feel like im lacking warmth, and depth in my tone and lower mids. I've been thinking of either a Mesa PH112, Bergantino HD112,or an an Aguilar DB112. I'm looking for a cab with a full, deep, versatile cab.

Which do you guys pefer?

I don't have experience with the Mesa, but I do currently own the DB112 and the HD112. I think I prefer the DB112. As others have noted, the HD112 does seem to go a bit lower (and higher), but to my ears the Aggie sounds warmer/smoother overall. It's not that the Berg is harsh, it's just that it's very "Hi-Fi". I primarily play a Fender P-bass, and I'm trying to get a "traditional" P-bass sound. I think the Berg is a more modern sounding cabinet.

That said, I also own a GK Neo 112, and it's a heck of a good cabinet for almost half the price. I've been running mini shootouts with my cabinets, and right now the GK and Aggie are kind of neck and neck.

I'm going to give the HD112 another few weeks, but I have a feeling it might be in the classified section soon.

[Livewire]

My main concern as others have noted, is that it takes a little bit more to get the DB112 going. Is the sensivitiy on the DB112 lower than the Berg or Mesa?