Replacement 15" for Powerhouse Cab

62 Vintage J · #1 11-04-2012, 01:18 PM

I need a 15" replacement spkr for a MESA 1x15 cabinet. I did a search for Eminence and EV, and have got myself even more confused reading old posts for the last 2 hours.

I am looking for a classic 70s vintage sound. Nice and round on the bottom. The power is from a MESA Walkabout 300w head. The cabinet is ported. 8 ohms please.

I see good comments on the Eminence Legend CB158, Pro 15A, the Delta 15S, and the Kappa 15A. What is the difference? Also, the EVM 15B and 15L are contenders. But again, I haven't found a thread that 'breaks it all down'. I have a credit card in my hand, but not sure which way to go?

Help!

BassmanPaul · #2 11-04-2012, 01:28 PM

Contact Mesa and ask what driver they used and whether they have a re-cone kit for the that driver.

Edit: The driver coming out should say what it is.

RobbieNuke · #3 11-04-2012, 01:42 PM

I believe MESA used Electro-Voice speakers when that cabinet originally came out. If you like the sound of your speaker, than a recone would be the best way to get the sound you are familiar with and Mesa should have such a kit available. If not, your recone tech should be able to get the next best thing, either suitable OEM brand kit or a generic kit.

On the other hand, any cast-frame 15" from Eminence would be fine, depending upon the power/impedance your amp is looking for. Don't get the neodymium magnets.

chaosMK · #4 11-04-2012, 01:49 PM

Replacements available from Mesa- http://mesa.stores.yahoo.net/15inbasp.html

If you are using a more old school 15 cab (pre-Powerhouse) a direct replacement might be a little harder to find.

62 Vintage J · #5 11-04-2012, 01:55 PM

I just picked up the cabinet, knowing that it didn't work. It only cost me 'change'. Point is, I haven't heard it. And the voice coil windings are 'open', so a 'cone job', won't help.

The cab is an early version PowerHouse, with the slide-off casters. I believe that MESA did use the EV, & I'm sure that they have a replacement, and that is the back-up plan. Just wondering if any models of Eminence speakers will give me a 'better' sound. And I realize that 'better' is very subjective.

Just trying to sort out all the options.

BassmanPaul · #6 11-04-2012, 02:04 PM

When a driver is re-coned everything but the magnet and frame is replaced including the voice coil. With the right kit you get, in essence, a brand new driver. If the driver is an EV the kits should certainly be available.

BassmanPaul · #7 11-04-2012, 02:07 PM

the divers themselves can be simply tested by placing the terminals of a 9V battery across their terminals. The cone should visibly move and produce a nice thump.

62 Vintage J · #8 11-04-2012, 02:32 PM

The battery test was the first thing I tried. No 'DC' scratching sound or voice coil deflection. I confirmed an 'open' winding with a VOM. Infinity.

BassmanPaul · #9 11-04-2012, 02:45 PM

Then you should look for a speaker guy in your area for a re-cone. What identification does the driver carry?

TussinBot. · #10 11-04-2012, 02:54 PM

What cabinet is it? Diesel? Roadready? Powerhouse? The standard for the diesel and as far as I know...roadready cabs, was the EVM 15L. People replaced the 15L with 15B in diesels and roadreadys to try to add more bass but it didnt do much in that box except strip some of the mids/highs. If its a powerhouse cab its probably not an EV, although early powerhouse 2x15s used it. Dunno about the 115. Post a picture of the cab if you can and people may be able to help determine what the best replacement is. Ive read of people putting 3015s in the diesel cabs with good results.

62 Vintage J · #11 11-04-2012, 03:27 PM

Here are the rear cabinet L Pad and Input Panels. More photos coming. Standby.

Sorry, had to post the '62.

TussinBot. · #12 11-04-2012, 03:37 PM

Will wait for more pics. I know some diesel cabs came with a tweeter, but its hard to tell just from the back panel (unless we looked up the serial number but I am too lazy)

62 Vintage J · #13 11-04-2012, 03:45 PM

These pix are a rush job. Hope they tell the tale. The cabinet does have a tweeter. Old style handles on the sides, and casters that slide out of the brackets. Dual ported.

62 Vintage J · #14 11-04-2012, 03:46 PM

The speaker.

62 Vintage J · #15 11-04-2012, 03:48 PM

Top view.

dhsierra1 · #16 11-04-2012, 04:01 PM

that looks for all the world like an EV to me. Honestly, go for a recone or buy another EVM-15L or -15B. Those have a very distinct tone that's different that a lot of the Emi drivers out there IME/IMO.

And a tweeter with a 15 is not the way to go, big hole in the mids and the dispersion there will stink.

You'd have to get the internal measurements of the cab then run WinISD with your candidate Emi drivers to see what'll work in there if you'd rather go the off-the-shelf new driver route.

TussinBot. · #17 11-04-2012, 04:07 PM

based on the porting it looks like an older powerhouse cab to me but I'm not certain. I assume it was an EV in there but I'd contact Mesa with the serial number and see what speaker they had in there. In their newest version of the powerhouse (and some of their older roadreadies) the PCN is laid out differently and they don't use an EV anymore.

Edit: Sorry Im a scrub. Didn't read the thread title apparently...You already knew it was a powerhouse. In the older versions Im pretty sure they used EVM 15L's. But there are a number of speakers that would fit in that box. Like I said earlier, people are putting 3015s in their diesels with good results. Will cut down on weight quite a bit, and have more power handling. If you want the stock speaker I'd contact mesa.

62 Vintage J · #18 11-04-2012, 04:37 PM

Thanks for all the comments!

Weight is not an issue, and neither is power handling. This cabinet will be mostly stationary, and 400 watts will be the max input, which is what the OEM driver (and MESA replacements) was/is set up to handle.

It looks like my only decision is 15L or 15B. Stock may be the 'purest' way to go.

And for my application, the tweeter is not necessary. Not sure what the point was in including it in the cabinet. Maybe MESA can tell me the crossover frequency. That may explain things.

winegamd · #19 11-04-2012, 04:58 PM

The faital 15PR400 would probably work, too. It also plays high enough that you would not get the hole n the upper mid freq response when using a tweeter.

TussinBot. · #20 11-04-2012, 05:12 PM

they never used the 15b as a stock speaker. It was used as a replacement by some people to increase the low end but doesn't make a noticeable difference (due to the box size), all it does is cut the high mids/highs. The EVM 15L is a good speaker from the experience ive had with it, but the 3015 and faital get great reviews around here. I can't comment on whether or not they are a good fit for that box, but if you run WinISD it'll tell you.