Heres a ? for you.

[AdamR]

I read on this site over and over you shouldnt mix speaker size. Then I read over and over on this site how great fearful cabs are. They all seem to be filled with 2 different sized speakers (15s and 6s)

So why does it work for this manufacture and no one else ?

[CL400Peavey]

Simple answer, cross overs. They were designed to work in a single cab together handling the same power. A 410 and a 115 are not designed to work together very well.

[christw]

You don't want to mix speakers that weren't already engineered to work with each other.

[will33]

Originally Posted by CL400Peavey

Simple answer, cross overs. They were designed to work in a single cab together handling the same power. A 410 and a 115 are not designed to work together very well.

This^

All the advise about not mixing speakers is when they're all operating in the same bandwidth, which is what the vast majority of bass cabs do.

[Marty Forrer]

What a load of bollocks! I run a GB 12" and an SWR 4x8" together and they are just fine.

[will33]

Originally Posted by Marty Forrer

What a load of bollocks! I run a GB 12" and an SWR 4x8" together and they are just fine.

Compared to what?

[Joe Louvar]

lol

[Toastfuzz]

I run an Ampeg 4x10 with an Acoustic 4x10. While it "runs fine" its far from optimal. If I could wave a magic wand and make this cheap Acoustic POS into another Ampeg HE, I'd do it.

[Joe Louvar]

Originally Posted by AdamR

I read on this site over and over you shouldnt mix speaker size.

Mixing cabinets like in this video?
Genz Benz Shuttle Max 12.0/Uber Bass 212 - YouTube

EDIT: near the end at about 8:20.

[ulynch]

Originally Posted by Marty Forrer

What a load of bollocks! I run a GB 12" and an SWR 4x8" together and they are just fine.

And they probably work just fine. But when folks here say you shouldn't mix speaker sizes, what they mean is that unless the cabs are specifically engineered for the purpose, they'll probably be sub-optimal at accurately reproducing the input signal, and tend to introduce other less than desirable sonic effects, while creating issues WRT power handling.

Then again, that might be just what you want.

[randysmojo]

There is some room for arguments here I'm sure. Victor Wooten runs a 410 and 115. Now the amp he is using has a balance control to balance between the two outputs, so he doesn't have to drive the 115 as hard as the 410 (plus that 115 is able to handle a lot more than most at 500watts), but that doesn't clear up the question about different sized speakers running in the same frequency range, because they outputs on his amp are both full range. I have always wondered about that because no matter the size of the speaker, the wavelength of 40hz is the same size wave whether it is reproduced by a 10" speaker or a 15" speaker, so if anyone has any insight on how they would be out of phase, that would be cool and might help anyone understand this issue better, myself included.

One guy told me if you are getting phase issues, you might have to move the cabinets forward or backward to get the wavelengths in line because once they leave the speakers, 40hz is 40hz basically. I have no clue as I don't have any kind of education in physics or what else might come into play here, but thought if someone can explain in better depth, that might cure a lot of the questions about this topic that come up often.

[skychief]

Originally Posted by Marty Forrer

What a load of bollocks! I run a GB 12" and an SWR 4x8" together and they are just fine.

Sometimes magic happens and the audio gods smile on us.

Most of the time, tho, when mixing different speaker sizes, (without a x-over) we get bizarro audio anomalies....cancellations at some freqs, and reinforcement at others.. Phasing issues...the list goes on.

Once tried mixing an Eden 210 with an SWR 210,

Sounded horrible. But by themselves, they are good sounding cabs.

[dmusic148]

Originally Posted by randysmojo

There is some room for arguments here I'm sure. Victor Wooten runs a 410 and 115.

Doesn't mean it's the right thing to do...as much as I love and respect Vic, he also endorses a certain very-expensive power cord......
Anyway, it's really about mixing different cabs, not speakers within a given cab.

[christw]

I have a feeling that Vic runs the PA on his shows and the rig isn't really carrying too much weight. A lot of guys run a 410 with a 115 with fine results. It's just that it doesn't always work out and isn't optimal from an engineering standpoint.

[AdamR]

I had a feeling I shouldnt have asked, LOL

[ian_s]

Originally Posted by christw

I have a feeling that Vic runs the PA on his shows and the rig isn't really carrying too much weight. A lot of guys run a 410 with a 115 with fine results. It's just that it doesn't always work out and isn't optimal from an engineering standpoint.

Vic doesn't run the PA, but Richard Battaglia does for Flecktones shows, and you have to admire a soundman that can balance banjo, synth drums, piano, harmonica, and Vic. That ain't your standard mix.

[Joe Louvar]

Originally Posted by AdamR

I had a feeling I shouldnt have asked, LOL

lol

[Philonius]

Originally Posted by AdamR

I had a feeling I shouldnt have asked, LOL

There's no harm in asking, only in being unwilling to listen when you happen not to agree with the answer. (Which just resulted in a multi-page train wreck about driver sizes.) There is a ton of good info on this subject and a whole lot more to be found using the ever-helpful search tool.

[randysmojo]

Originally Posted by dmusic148

Doesn't mean it's the right thing to do...as much as I love and respect Vic, he also endorses a certain very-expensive power cord......
Anyway, it's really about mixing different cabs, not speakers within a given cab.

Ya. I kinda thought about it that way too. Now the power cord though!!! That's for real!!!!

[JimmyM]

Originally Posted by AdamR

I had a feeling I shouldnt have asked, LOL

Better to know it and make informed decisions than to not know it and put together an unsatisfactory rig that you can't figure out why it's unsatisfactory. Sometimes they work, sometimes they don't. But it's unpredictable.