MB Walkabout: 15" combo vs. head with PH 115?

nosajwp · #1 03-15-2011, 06:51 PM

Which would you guys rather have and why?

lomo · #2 03-15-2011, 07:27 PM

My 02: PH series cabs sound pretty good, are very solidly built, but also very heavy. The WA 15 combo is a heavy dragabout but sounds great.....needs the bass trimmed back IME. If budget is limited and you are willing to haul, I'd opt for the 15 combo between those choices. IME/IMO the Avatar TB153 in 4 Ohm version is a vastly superior cab to the Mesa. I have owned both. Still have the TB153. Gorgeous match with my Walkabout. If you insist on Mesa cabs and have the dough, best bet is 12" 8 Ohm Combo (a special order) and a 12" 8 Ohm ext cab. The 4 Ohm Scout 15 can handle most of the Walkabout's watts, but the 12 will compress way before full output, so it is useless to get it in 4 Ohm version. I have A/B'ed them side by side. Many Mesa sales dudes are blissfully unaware of this and will tell you to get the 4 Ohm, even in the 12" to "get all your watts". They are clueless and want to sell you the standard configuration.

GeeBass · #3 03-15-2011, 07:54 PM

re: last post

The whole point of the 4ohm Scout12 combo is to have the headroom available that a 4ohm load to the amp would offer - not to apply the rated full 300 watts to the single 12" speaker.
The headroom offers a much tighter bass response. I have A/B'd the 4 & 8ohm Scout12 combos - and IME I can say that the 4ohm sounds bigger and the lows are tighter than the 8ohm combo. This, combined with the known ability to run the W/A @ 2ohms for extended periods with no downside - and produce nearly 550 watts in the process - makes me disagree completely with the previous poster.

Back to the original question.
My recommendation is to get the seperate Scout 15" ext cab and seperate head. The ext cab is much more manageable to lug and carry at 42lbs vs. 55lbs for the Scout 15 combo. I think the Scout 15" cab sounds superior to the PH 115 cab.

GeeBass · #4 03-15-2011, 07:55 PM

and oh yea .... get the 4ohm version of the Scout 15 ext cab

lomo · #5 03-16-2011, 05:08 AM

I agree with the 4 Ohm version of the 15 cab, but repectfully disagree with 4 Ohms on the 12. The engineering types may chime in, but the 12 can only usefully transduce about 150 watts (the only 12s that do better are the long x-max variants not offered by Mesa). BTW the 15 ext cab is 50 lbs and the combo 65 lbs. Also, there are many reports of Walkabouts running well at 2 Ohms, but it is NOT factory recommended and there are numerous reports of failures at 2 Ohms. Mine failed and had been run at 2.7 Ohms quite a bit. I cannot see intentionally spec'ing a cab config. from scratch that does not comply with Mesa's recommendations.

rekesbass · #6 03-16-2011, 06:29 AM

I just sold a scout 15 cab(4ohm ext. cab),not because I didn't like it but,because I wanted a little more..the scout served me well for many years. Its a very good stand alone cab and sounds way bigger than it is with its passive radiator design. the manageable weight and size are a plus too..I have owned many mesa cabs and the scout is a winner(they're all winners). Ideally,a combo w\8ohm ext. would be a killer rig but the one 4ohm 15 will serve you well.

nosajwp · #7 03-18-2011, 08:14 AM

Anyone else? I would also be interested in hearing how it would compare to the Walkabout head and a Powerhouse 2x10, or even a Diesel 1x15 or 2x10.

nosajwp · #8 03-25-2011, 08:58 AM

Anyone?

Krügmeister · #9 03-25-2011, 10:00 AM

... I replaced my 12" in my walkabout scout and radiator cab with 3012 HO and I do believe now both 12" take full 300 watts, and it sounds pretty darn good too.

**WoodyJ** · #10 03-25-2011, 01:04 PM

Well, this isn't exactly the comparison you were asking about but here goes:

I bought a new Walkabout Scout 12 combo a couple years ago. I loved it although a single 12 is...a single 12, albeit a really warm, punchy one in Scout form, with its passive radiator.

I never liked the vertically mounted head in the Scout cab, so I ordered the Walkabout headcase from Mesa. A great improvement as it is easier to access the rear of the head now and it did lighten up the cab. However, the headcase appears to have built to survive a nuclear explosion and it is no lightweight.

Last year I acquired a Powerhouse 15 cab and tried it out with the Walkabout. Freakin' WOW!!! What a nice, fat, round sound with way more definition than I expected from a single 15 with a tweeter. The cab is 8 ohms so the WA is only pushing 165 watts but I'll be damned if I can tell any difference in the perceived volume level at a given setting as compared to the Scout 12 cab.

As nice as the Scout 12 cab sounded (I've since sold it), The PH 15 blows it away in every respect...except weight. I've never tried a Scout 15 so I can't comment on how it compares to the Powerhouse.

nosajwp · #11 04-06-2011, 02:11 PM

Anyone else?

RickenBoogie · #12 04-06-2011, 05:50 PM

OK, I bought my Walkabout Scout 12 back in '06. Loved the portability, but never, never got on with the single 12" for anything other than solo practice. In the end, I sold the Scout 12, and have been using various other bigger cabs since, and for the last few years, a Genz Benz Uber 212. The pairing of Walkabout head and Uber 212 is a match made in bass tone heaven, as well as plenty loud to boot. As much as I love my Mesa bass gear, I wasn't a big fan of any of the Powerhouse cabs I owned, (410, 210, 115), but did love me some Deisel 215, 115, and 210. But, it's YOUR ears that matter here, and that means, you must try, and maybe try more than once before you find YOUR perfect match.