Peavey 215 cab question, yes bringing it up again

[Paperbakwriter]

Ive been going through the threads on here and still haven't found too much info on the peavey 215 cab I picked up for free (unloaded), except that a few people say it sucks compared to the deeper version (the one i picked up is the 14" version). It looks exactly like this, minus the speakers and with a grill. Worth putting speakers in? Ive seen mixed reviews thus far.

[gbarchus]

Throw in a couple used Black Widow speakers and you'll be competing with the best of them.

Gale

[Exploiter8]

YIKES! This is scary! I JUST ordered a pair of Eminence Kappalite 3015 speakers for my 215 cab that I've owned since I bought it new in the late 70's or early 80's. I LOVED my cab back in the day with my 130 watt Centurion head! I bought a GenzBenz NeoPak 3.5 which at 350 watts was more than the 200 watt rating of my 4 ohm Black Widow equipped cab. I got a pair of Madison Knight 15's which didn't quite work out, but from what I've gathered reading threads is the 3015 is the way to go. I'll let you know how things work out, hopefully by next weekend!

X8

[rpsands]

The Kappalite 3015 will do fine. I'd never, ever, ever pay the prices black widows run new, but the particular model with reasonable Xmax is not too bad when found used for cheap.

Beachaudio and Speakerhardware have the best prices in town on them.

[Exploiter8]

BeachAudio got my business...AGAIN! Your name popped up often in my 3015 search. Thanks for the vote of confidence!

X8

[Paperbakwriter]

My initial plan was to purchase some Eminence Delta 15lf's from Avatar speakers cause they have them for cheap and just wire it in series to make an 8ohm cab. Thoughts on this? Worth paying the extra money for the kappas? Side note im going to be matching this cab with my Avatar b212

[1n3]

Originally Posted by Paperbakwriter

My initial plan was to purchase some Eminence Delta 15lf's from Avatar speakers cause they have them for cheap and just wire it in series to make an 8ohm cab. Thoughts on this? Worth paying the extra money for the kappas?

Doubt it would suck, but I'm not sure it would be worth the money for the Kappalites. This cab has a 3/4" long port (baffle thickness). Probably tuned higher than optimal for the Kappalite. You could modify/replace the baffle for better tuning...

Side note im going to be matching this cab with my Avatar b212

...or you could modify/replace the baffle for 2 more 12s, to match your Avatar. Cab volume might be a better match for 12s anyway.

As usual, the best answer will require some measurement and calculation. And you want an 8ohm cab because you'll run both cabs in parallel? Minimum 4ohm load? If so, you'll need 4ohm or 16ohm speakers, which rules out the 3015.

[JDJen]

Yep....Black Widows, worth every penny.

[chiplexic]

Funny this cab comes up. I just saw one in excellent condition for $199 at a music shop near me.

They are pretty narrow. But since they're also wide and tall they should have a decent internal volume for 3015 use.The Eminence site has cab examples using this driver that are pretty small. So I'd say it will do nicely.

Look at this Eminence site page, look at the example that best matches your cab size. Then you probably want to use the tuning they use.
http://eminence.com/pdf/cab-kappalite-3015.pdf

[Plstrns]

Kappalites.

[Floyd Eye]

I have an 80s model Peavey 2x15 with Black Widows. Still going strong and sounding awesome. I gigged for years and years with a MarkIII and this cab. It was my first bass rig and I still have it and use it.

[Paperbakwriter]

"As usual, the best answer will require some measurement and calculation. And you want an 8ohm cab because you'll run both cabs in parallel? Minimum 4ohm load? If so, you'll need 4ohm or 16ohm speakers, which rules out the 3015."

Yeah I will need an 8ohm cab, the 3015 dont seem to come in 4ohm or 16 ohm. I could just make it a stand alone cab and throw the kappas in it making the 4ohm load, thought it would be fun to match it with my other cab though and make some noise pollution

[1n3]

Making some rough guesses (net volume = 2.5cf, port area =24.5si), I get a cabinet tuning ~74hz. Plugged in the Black Widow, the 3015, and the Delta15LF. All show a prominent response hump around 100hz; most exagerated for the Delta, least for the BW.

So, some used BWs would be my suggestion. The 3015s would better tolerate the unloading below 74hz. I wouldn't drop that kind of dough on such a sub-optimal box, but it's your money.

[rpsands]

With two 3015s you will not need another cabinet.

You'll want to extend the port length if the tuning is 74hz -- easy enough to do.

If the box is 2.5cf and the port area is 24.5 square inches per driver, you probably want about 6 1/2" deep ports for a 50hz tuning (which is how I would roll with the 3015).

[Paperbakwriter]

Im not savvy on the math stuff, I don't know much about the science behind cabinetry. Would this require me replacing the baffle with bigger ports for better sound? and if so, what size baffle and ports? six 1/2" deep ports for the 3015s would be the best go?

[Exploiter8]

3015's loaded! MUCH cleaner, more defined sounding, about what I remember the Black Widows sounding like. I haven't cranked them yet, but night and day difference over the Madison Knights that were in the cab. I had to remove the two wooden posts coming down from the top of the frame that the logo was attached to due to clearance problems. I had a metal oval logo that I mounted directly to the grill fabric, plus an "Eminence Inside" badge mounted on the bottom. The first pic shows one 3015 mounted and the back side of the other, and the Knights. I shaved maybe 5 pounds so the cab weighs 95 pounds according to a bathroom scale. You get a partial glimpse of the "Sonic Barrier 1" Acoustic Foam w/PSA" from Parts Express that I lined the inside of the cab with. It's a few weeks until our next jam, but I'm looking forward to trying it out.

X8

[Goodlawdy]

Originally Posted by rpsands

With two 3015s you will not need another cabinet.

You'll want to extend the port length if the tuning is 74hz -- easy enough to do.

If the box is 2.5cf and the port area is 24.5 square inches per driver, you probably want about 6 1/2" deep ports for a 50hz tuning (which is how I would roll with the 3015).

How many inches would you extend the ports if you were using Basslite C2515's in this box?

Thanks

[rpsands]

I would not put basslite C2515s in that box under any circumstances (myself). It wants a much bigger cab. You'll wind up with a +3db upper bass bump which will sound terrible unless you want that boomy crazy vintage sound.

Assuming no end correction, which I don't think those ports would require, I'd use about 9-12" vents, anywhere in there should be fine-ish (tuning from 38-45hz).

Again, nasty upper bass bump no matter what you do, so I would steer clear of the Basslite.

[Goodlawdy]

Ah rats, well that's what I've got in there. I wouldn't call it terrible, but it could definitely use some improvement. Turning the bass up on the amp doesn't seem to have much effect.... The guy I bought 'em from said they'd be perfect in there lol!
I see the recommended volume is 3-4.2 cu.ft. per the spec sheet.

I've seen some people mention that this would probably make a better 212 cab. Assuming the interior volume is 24.5si per side, which 12's do you like, KAPPALITE 3012, DELTALITE 2512, or BASSLITE S2012? Others??

[rpsands]

3012LFs would be best. Enough port area, perfect internal volume. Move the cutouts for the 12s left, and you should be able to fit a midrange driver in there (6nd410 is what I'd roll with, using the fEarful crossover).

Kappalite 3015's would be drop-in, though, with 6.5" ports or so, and work fine.