Mixing Sealed and Ported Cabs?

4StringsEnough · #1 01-09-2011, 02:02 AM

I have an Ibanez Promethean 1x10 combo to which I want to add a 2x10 extension cab giving me a vertical 3x10 stack. Annoyingly Ibanez don't offer a matching 2x10 so I'm looking at other brands who offer cabs with dimensions that will match closely with the Promethean combo.

In the lead at the moment is the Ampeg SVT210AV. However, this is a sealed cab while the Promethean combo is ported. How will these two sound together?

Someone's gonna say 'try them out' - I don't have the opportunity! Any alternatives to the Ampeg anyone wants to recommend would need to be close in size to the Promethean.

T-Bird · #2 01-09-2011, 04:07 AM

Hi.

Mixing any kinds of different cabs is always a hit and miss usually for reasons other than the porting (or the lack of it

).

Trying to match a combo speaker/enclosure with something else is even harder s there's no way of telling the sensitivity or any other important figure of a combo.

IME any cab will vastly improve the sound of a combo rig (as long as all the speakers are in phase), so the Ampeg will probably be as good as any other cab in the same price range.

Regards
Sam

billfitzmaurice · #3 01-09-2011, 07:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 4StringsEnough

In the lead at the moment is the Ampeg SVT210AV. However, this is a sealed cab while the Promethean combo is ported. How will these two sound together?

There's no way to predict it.

Quote:

Any alternatives to the Ampeg anyone wants to recommend would need to be close in size to the Promethean.

Size and driver configuration alone doesn't predict response. If it's going to sound the same it must be the same: same cab, same driver.

Quote:

Someone's gonna say 'try them out' - I don't have the opportunity!

Anything else is going to be a roll of the dice.

4StringsEnough · #4 01-09-2011, 08:41 AM

OK, so fundamentally, mixing sealed and ported cabs will not be any better or worse than mixing, for example, two ported cabs of different brands? You're taking your chances as to how well they'll match but, from what you seem to be saying, the ports (or lack thereof) should have little or no bearing on their compatibility or otherwise? Have I got that right?

billfitzmaurice · #5 01-09-2011, 08:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 4StringsEnough

OK, so fundamentally, mixing sealed and ported cabs will not be any better or worse than mixing, for example, two ported cabs of different brands?

It's no more predictable.