EA Wizzy 12 driver in a CXL-112 cabinet

[smperry]

Thanks to much guidance from John Dong at Euphonic Audio, I finally got around to replacing the stock CXL driver with a Wizzy driver. I'll post my impressions here, as I'm not sure if other people have done this. I have a stock CXL cab (as part of a iAmp 800 combo) so I'm able to do some comparison, as well as discuss using the speakers together. Both cabinets are 8 ohm.

So far, I'm liking what I'm hearing. The Wizzy driver sounds more "relaxed" on the top-end than the CXL. It's a bit darker; I think it may have less of the "low lows" but more "low mids". I've heard Wizzy 12 cabinets before and this one sounds bigger in the lows than a standard Wizzy; this was not a surprise as the CXL cabinet is larger (alas, heavier too). The CXL driver might be a bit more articulate and have a wider range, but I do like the smooth feeling of the Wizzy-equipped cab.

I have not played them at a decent volume yet (just finished the installation tonight and my kids are asleep), but I'm cautiously optimistic. Together, they sound great.

Again, I've not yet played loudly through this setup...in fact I've only played it at a fairly low volume for under an hour. This is very tentative...more soon.

[Jazzdogg]

Sounds interesting! Please keep us posted.

I have a Wizzy 12M, and like it a lot. Do you know if EA uses the same 12" driver in both Wizzy cabs?

[smperry]

I believe that the driver is the same in both Wizzy cabs (if anyone wants to correct me, please chime in). I've never heard a M-line, but they sound great on paper to me.

It'd be better if I had a Wizzy here to compare. On Sunday, I'm going to the GTG; if someone else brings a Wizzy 12 or 12M, I'll definitely try to do some comparison.

[smperry]

Messed around with the cabs some more this morning. The lows are definitely there on the Wizzy equipped cabinet. The Wizzy cab a bit softer overall, but it doesn't seem mismatched, more like a different sound profile. There is something in the upper midrange on my CXL that is not present in the Wizzy; this could account for the slight volume difference. When I stack them with the Wizzy one on top, I think I hear that one more since it's at ear level.

For my modern fretted, I probably like the CXL a bit more. On my piezo-equipped fretless, I prefer the Wizzy driver. Not surprisingly, both basses sound better with the stack than a single cab.

I didn't mention in my first post that the weight of the extension cab went down a great deal after I replaced the CXL driver with the Wizzy. I haven't weighed it yet, but it's an easy one-handed carry now. It's still early, but I think this is going to work quite well for me. I'd be surprised if the two cabinet setup is not loud enough for anything I'd do in the future (I'm planning on going in the alt-rock direction for at least one of my future bands...the last few years I've been playing in jam band-ish groups).

Maybe sometime I'll be able to pick up a light lower powered head to go with the Wizzy equipped cabinet; then I'll have a ton of flexibility. It won't be as tiny as a normal Wizzy but it will be light with great bass response.

[DaveMcLain]

I picked up one of these cabs via E-Bay. It's a CXL that's been retrofitted with a Whizzy 12 inch driver. The cabinet is in excellent shape and it came with the slip cover and everything for a very good price.

I wanted this cabinet so that I would have something smaller to take to practice and some small gigs. It sounds really good but yesterday evening I had the chance to play the CXL using my regular bass rig. Paired with an NL210(normal cab) this thing sounds huge, really great. By itself it's quite impressive sounding when driven with a lot of power. My amp(Crown Macrotech 1200) works well with the NL210 and I've never had any problems after 6 years of use but I'd be afraid that I might hurt the Whizzy speaker with this much power in a band situation.

[tombowlus]

Originally Posted by DaveMcLain

I picked up one of these cabs via E-Bay. It's a CXL that's been retrofitted with a Whizzy 12 inch driver. The cabinet is in excellent shape and it came with the slip cover and everything for a very good price.

I wanted this cabinet so that I would have something smaller to take to practice and some small gigs. It sounds really good but yesterday evening I had the chance to play the CXL using my regular bass rig. Paired with an NL210(normal cab) this thing sounds huge, really great. By itself it's quite impressive sounding when driven with a lot of power. My amp(Crown Macrotech 1200) works well with the NL210 and I've never had any problems after 6 years of use but I'd be afraid that I might hurt the Whizzy speaker with this much power in a band situation.

Is the Wizzy driver in your cab a 4-ohm or an 8-ohm model? If it's a 4-ohm (like most Wizzy's), then do keep in mind that you are sending it twice as much power as your (presumably 8-ohm) NL-210. Oh, and you are also presenting a 2.67-ohm load to your amp.

[stingraysvt]

Originally Posted by DaveMcLain

I picked up one of these cabs via E-Bay. It's a CXL that's been retrofitted with a Whizzy 12 inch driver. The cabinet is in excellent shape and it came with the slip cover and everything for a very good price.

I wanted this cabinet so that I would have something smaller to take to practice and some small gigs. It sounds really good but yesterday evening I had the chance to play the CXL using my regular bass rig. Paired with an NL210(normal cab) this thing sounds huge, really great. By itself it's quite impressive sounding when driven with a lot of power. My amp(Crown Macrotech 1200) works well with the NL210 and I've never had any problems after 6 years of use but I'd be afraid that I might hurt the Whizzy speaker with this much power in a band situation.

Was this the one you bought?

EA CAB on eBay

I was following this auction, and I talked myself out of bidding, and the dang thing went for 200 bucks!!! would have been worth trying for that!!