New Cab Day- AudioKinesis Thunderchild 112AF

steve_rolfeca · #1 11-07-2011, 04:41 PM

So, my long-awaited Thunderchild arrived today. It actually came in before noon, but it took me until now to tear myself away from checking it out.

The cab was nicely packaged, with no peanuts to mess up my living room:

I asked Duke to add a tilt-back foot to the bottom of the cab:

I also ordered the Acoustic-Friendly option, which involves an extra tweeter on the back panel. This makes it a little easier to hear the cab when standing off-axis, and can help the drummer to hear you:

Here's the cab, tilted, with my Genz Streamliner 900:

On the Speakinator 9000, my home-made speaker stand:

And finally, a shot of the stand:

Ric Vice · #2 11-07-2011, 04:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by steve_rolfeca

So, my long-awaited Thunderchild arrived today. It actually came in before noon, but it took me until now to tear myself away from checking it out.

Once you get rolling with this cabinet, and start playing out with it it's a tonal banquet, I've never owned a cabinet that you can hear through the mix of instruments on stage as well as I can with this one.

Quote:

Originally Posted by steve_rolfeca

I asked Duke to add a tilt-back foot to the bottom of the cab:

Quote:

Originally Posted by steve_rolfeca

I also ordered the Acoustic-Friendly option, which involves an extra tweeter on the back panel. This makes it a little easier to hear the cab when standing off-axis, and can help the drummer to hear you:

Very nice indeed, I'm sending mine back to Duke in two weeks to have the Acoustic Friendly conversion and the tilt back foot retrofitted onto my Thunderchild. I have to wait until I play a gig that I need it for then it's going out on the road all by itself and getting the upgrade in Idaho.

Ric

steve_rolfeca · #3 11-07-2011, 05:21 PM

First impressions were very positive. The sound is as close to a studio monitor, as I could imagine from a bass guitar cab. This is the only multi-driver bass cab I've tried, that has absolutely no weird artifacts in the mids and treble. I checked it out briefly with recorded music, and with a touch of treble rolloff, it would make a decent stereo speaker.

Power handling is absolutely stupid. The Thunderchild is a 4 ohm cab, so my Genz Streamliner slams it with all 900 watts. Playing fingerstyle with the my normal settings (bass rolled back slightly, mids boosted at 600Hz or 2.5Khz), the cab didn't start to show any signs of distress until the Peak light started to come on. Even then, I wasn't hearing any voice coil clatter, and I don't anticipate running it anywhere near that loud on the gig.

I would rate the TC112AF as medium-efficiency. I have to admit that it didn't reach pain levels at full blast. I would need more cab if I was trying to compete with a guitarist wielding a dimed Marshall stack. But for anything shy of a loud rock band without PA support, it should be more than enough. And for a single twelve, it's absolutely jaw-dropping.

With a stand and the tilt-back handle, I was able to get a wide range of tones without EQ. With the cab on the floor, it sounds deep, smooth and rich, with a slightly retiring top end. Tilting it back with the handle, lets you hear the top end better, and brightens the tone up nicely. Putting it up on the stand cost a bit of low end, but gave me a very present, articulate sound- perfect for monitoring myself on a loud stage. And with the big bottom end of the Streamliner, all it took was a mild bass boost to fatten things up again. I actually found myself using the tweeter rolloff switch when it was up on the stand.

Because of the smooth, transparent top end and prodigious power handling, the Thunderchild could be EQ'd to suit any of my gigs. There's more than enough headroom to allow hefty bass EQ, and I was able to dial up everything from pounding dub tones to a nice, cutting snarl.

I have a couple of gigs toward the end of this week, but based on several hours of playing at home, I think I've finally found my perfect one-cab solution.

steve_rolfeca · #4 11-07-2011, 06:39 PM

I'm sorry if I sound like a total fanboy, but this cab is just amazing. Duke's attention to detail is impressive- he modified the bottom handle to make it work better as a kick stand and still only charged $20. The ports are flared at the inside end, not just where you can see it. The finish and hardware are top notch...

But all of that pales once you power it up. I am positively giddy right now. I've been playing through it ever since mid-morning with nothing more than a short supper break, and a few minutes to pop those snapshots.

Ric Vice · #5 11-07-2011, 07:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by steve_rolfeca

I'm sorry if I sound like a total fanboy, but this cab is just amazing. Duke's attention to detail is impressive- he modified the bottom handle to make it work better as a kick stand and still only charged $20. The ports are flared at the inside end, not just where you can see it. The finish and hardware are top notch...

But all of that pales once you power it up. I am positively giddy right now. I've been playing through it ever since mid-morning with nothing more than a short supper break, and a few minutes to pop those snapshots.

Steve,
I'm certainly just as big a fanboy as you are. I would highly recommend that you get a cover for the TC 112. Mine just happened to come with one since I bought it from Ken Jung.
The Le Cover case he had made for it really protects the entire cabinet. I have this slight worry about some particulate getting inside the ports and messing with the cross over. Just my thoughts

dog1 · #6 11-07-2011, 07:29 PM

Impressive! I am envious, but not surprised. This man, Duke LeJeune, has impressed me in that past. His attention to detail is second to none.

KJung · #7 11-08-2011, 01:20 AM

Nice! Fabulous cab. Unique in the absolute sense of that word... nothing else like it on the market regarding size, even tone, volume capability, and real, usable low end that does not compress when pushed. Combine that with the fact that a typical 300-500 watt micro head pushes it wonderfully, and this is probably the best small, one cabinet solution that has been produced up to this point.

Musicman20 · #8 11-08-2011, 01:30 AM

These need UK distribution! They tick all the boxes for me.

Limeman · #9 11-08-2011, 01:01 PM

Is there any online info at AudioKinesis regarding this cab? I'd like to get more info (pricing, etc...).

Ric Vice · #10 11-08-2011, 01:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Limeman

Is there any online info at AudioKinesis regarding this cab? I'd like to get more info (pricing, etc...).

Limeman,
Duke's a one man operation, all you have to do is pm him through TB or into his email. He doesn't have a website for the bass cabinets. You can look up Audiokenisis and link to his Stereo shop in Preston, Idaho.

Ric

lookiel · #11 11-08-2011, 01:17 PM

Nothing really at Audiokinesis, couple of megathreads on TB and I stole this link from Duke's signature: http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=80644.0
Scroll down to the end of the first post for all the specs.
Mucho recommended, amazing cab!

steve_rolfeca · #12 11-09-2011, 06:04 AM

Had my first rehearsal with the Thunderchild last night. Fairly dense 7-piece band (2 keys, 2 vox, 2 electric guitars, drums and bass), in a small, crowded space. I normally have trouble hearing myself in this setting.

Once I got the EQ figured out on my Genz Benz SL900, I got a powerful, rounded tone that sat beautifully in the mix. Appearances really don't do this cab justice- there was no sense that I was using a micro-cab, or playing through a big-ass horn. It had tons of authority and presence, without being obnoxious. The band was pleased, and I was over the moon.

More deets here:
AudioKinesis 112 Part Three

dukeorock · #13 11-09-2011, 06:12 AM

I really want to hear one of those things! You listening, Chef?

KJung · #14 11-09-2011, 06:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dukeorock

I really want to hear one of those things! You listening, Chef?

As a data point, here is a clip of the rig that Steve is talking about (I'm sure my 70's style J results in a quite different tone from Steve's, but what the heck). While I prefer my more mid punchy F500 with this cab, the Streamliner sounds beautiful with it... wide, clean, smooth, fat, and a beautiful 'tubey' organic top end.

FYI!

Genz Benz Streamliner 900, Audiokinesis Thunderchild 112, Alleva-Coppolo LM - YouTube

steve_rolfeca · #15 11-12-2011, 09:43 AM

Great gig last night on a quiet stage (in-ears, e-drums, guitar amps not cranked).

Although the stage was quiet, the house was rockin'. About 175 enthusiastic people packed into a smallish venue, dancing and singing along. In such a small room, we were getting a lot of reflected sound from FOH. My in-ear mix was far from perfect, so it was great having the Thunderchild/TCAF combo as a stage monitor. I ran it elevated about 20" in order to tame the low end, and allow me to lower my level so as not to disturb the FOH. It didn't take much low end boost to compensate for the loss of coupling with the floor.

Lots of positive comments about my tone, and I could feel the low end punch from my rig, even though I was only turned up about halfway. The drummer appreciated the extra fill off the back of my cab, thanks to the Acoustic Friendly option. About my only concern, was that I'm still finding the sound a little TOO smooth at times. This has more to do with the Streamliner's rounded, old school voicing than anything else.

More deets in part three of the AudioKinesis 112 thread, as before.

Ric Vice · #16 11-12-2011, 10:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by steve_rolfeca

Great gig last night on a quiet stage (in-ears, e-drums, guitar amps not cranked).

About my only concern, was that I'm still finding the sound a little TOO smooth at times. This has more to do with the Streamliner's rounded, old school voicing than anything else.

More deets in part three of the AudioKinesis 112 thread, as before.

Of the two amplifiers I use for gigs and concerts, my older Walter Woods MI-400-8 would sound closer to the Streamliner than the Electro Acoustic Ultra since it's pre amp has shelving bass, midrange, and treble controls. The Woods doesn't have a mid shift control, but instead has two boost/center/cut switches adjacent the bass and treble controls. Walter's amps from that period are totally Class A/B with an analog power amp. I can see where the Streamliner would be very smooth since you can only fiddle with the middle at three frequency points.

Ric

Passinwind · #17 11-12-2011, 11:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by steve_rolfeca

. About my only concern, was that I'm still finding the sound a little TOO smooth at times. This has more to do with the Streamliner's rounded, old school voicing than anything else.

Very interesting...

At the New England GTG last weekend I tried an SL600 through a TC112AF, using an active piezo-only Stambaugh fretless. I had to either use the rolled-off horn position or a lot of 2.5K cut to get what I wanted. Just another data point. This was my first exposure to a Streamliner, and put it near the top of the list for micro amps that would work well for my purposes with the Thunderchild. But as always, different strokes!

steve_rolfeca · #18 11-12-2011, 11:24 AM

As always, my comments should be taken with a grain of salt. My quibbles with the SL/TCAF combo are minor, and I still prefer the Streamliner over anything else I've tried.

I will never know if something like a Walter Woods would be better, because I simply don't have the dough...

smeet · #19 11-12-2011, 11:26 AM

Is this cabinet similar to the fEARful 12/6/1? I'm sure there are different trade-offs as far as weight, efficiency and low end, can anybody enlighten me as to what they are?

Passinwind · #20 11-12-2011, 11:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by steve_rolfeca

As always, my comments should be taken with a grain of salt. My quibbles with the SL/TCAF combo are minor, and I still prefer the Streamliner over anything else I've tried.

I will never know if something like a Walter Woods would be better, because I simply don't have the dough...

Steve, have you tried simply tilting the cab a little? As RP said in the other thread, the tweeter's dispersion is pretty narrow in the vertical plane. I actually prefer that though, since it keeps the cab's highs out of my vocal mike. Also, take a stab at letting someone else play through your rig and hearing how it sounds in the room.