Schroeder 115L+

[basss]

Crap more GAS. You may have just ruined my marriage.

[Eublet]

Nice to hear things went well, Ken. I was thinking about you over the weekend when I was playing in Springfield. I would have killed for rig! The "backline" that I was promised consisted of a BDDI and a VOX floor monitor. I was on a raised wooden stage, while the rest of the place was concrete floors and ceilings, with brick walls. Sounds like the 15+ would have saved the day for me!

Back to your "not so good" comments... It seems as if you are saying that you noticed a tonal characteristic of this cab on the gig that you hadn't noticed previously. Is that true? It seems to me like it performed exactly like I would have anticipated. Since you've stated in the past that you aren't a fan of most of Jorg's cabinets, I guess it sounds doubly negative when you say it still has a lot of that "Schroeder" tone.

For me reading your review, if it buries the 8 ohm Berg, that's proof enough for me that it's a great cabinet. Like you said, it's also much smaller and lighter. I'm hoping it buries my NeoX 112, although I don't anticipate that it will have the low end extension of that cab, as it is voiced much more like your db112. But I'm seldom after that kind of low end extension when I take a small cab. I'm after volume, headroom, and a bit more cut, since I always have a PA to handle the rest. Otherwise I take a much larger cab.

[KJung]

Originally Posted by Eublet

Nice to hear things went well, Ken. I was thinking about you over the weekend when I was playing in Springfield. I would have killed for rig! The "backline" that I was promised consisted of a BDDI and a VOX floor monitor. I was on a raised wooden stage, while the rest of the place was concrete floors and ceilings, with brick walls. Sounds like the 15+ would have saved the day for me!

Back to your "not so good" comments... It seems as if you are saying that you noticed a tonal characteristic of this cab on the gig that you hadn't noticed previously. Is that true? It seems to me like it performed exactly like I would have anticipated. Since you've stated in the past that you aren't a fan of most of Jorg's cabinets, I guess it sounds doubly negative when you say it still has a lot of that "Schroeder" tone.

For me reading your review, if it buries the 8 ohm Berg, that's proof enough for me that it's a great cabinet. Like you said, it's also much smaller and lighter. I'm hoping it buries my NeoX 112, although I don't anticipate that it will have the low end extension of that cab, as it is voiced much more like your db112. But I'm seldom after that kind of low end extension when I take a small cab. I'm after volume, headroom, and a bit more cut, since I always have a PA to handle the rest. Otherwise I take a much larger cab.

No, it did perform just as I'd hoped. However, there is a very strong 'Schroeder' tone that many love and some dislike a lot. I just wanted to reinforce that this is not some sort of 'old school' 115 again, but rather a 'refinement' of the very mid punchy and tight voicing that all the small Schroeder cabs have. If you really dislike the 1212L, for example, you will also probably not dig the 115L. However, if you were impressed at the volume of the 1212L, basically dug the tone, but were bothered a bit by the 'peaks and valley's of that cab (I assume due to the baffle design and the driver per box volume ratio), then the 115L is a dream!

[Washishimi]

As far as overall volume, do you think there is a drastic difference between the 1212L and the 115L?

[KJung]

Originally Posted by Washishimi

As far as overall volume, do you think there is a drastic difference between the 1212L and the 115L?

I have not directly A/B'd. From memory, I would say the 1212L has the edge in volume, but not by a massive amount, and the more even voicing of the 115L makes up for that IMO.

That's a question that Jorg could answer for you very accurately, since he gigs his own cabs all the time.

[::::BASSIST::::]

Originally Posted by KJung

Hey guys. I finally got this cab out on a gig. As luck would have it, I played the same room I played a while back with my 8 ohm Bergantino HS210. The room is actually a little much for a small cab (it's a big banquet room on top of the beautiful Chase Hotel in St. Louis), but it's one of the worst load ins in town. So, that room is one of the few times I actually compromise my tone and bring a small rig on a small hand cart. I played both gigs with my Sadowsky RV5 and the LMII.

Well, first the good (actually great). This cab pretty much smoked my HS210. I think this is partially due to the LMII sounding much better run at 4ohms versus really pushed at 8, but also the voicing of the 115L worked particularly well with those other components. The cab got a much nicer upper mid growl, and the top end was not as compressed sounding when slapping as the HS210 at loud volumes (again, to be honest, too loud for either cab).

The 115L stayed tight and clean, and quite even. VERY, very impressive, given that it is about 2/3's the size and 20 pounds lighter than the HS210.

The 'maybe not so good' is that this cab, while quite even (MUCH more even than the 1212L I had) still has a LOT of that Schroeder tone in it. While it doesn't have the big low mid hump and upper mid hole of the 1210 and 1212 (to my ear), it does have that similar lower mid push and somewhat compressed sounding (tight would be the positive way to say it) low end. This is NOT inherently a bad thing at all, and I dig it (it's a total keeper). It has plenty of growl and articulation and punch, and matches up with the LMII beautifully. Even slapping at high volumes didn't make this cab flinch (although again, it won't put a 'low end pillow' under a band) This sort of voicing works VERY well to get maximum volume from a very small cab in a busy mix.

So, I give it high marks in general, and it is definitely my favorite Schro cab by a wide margin. If you need maximum volume from the smallest box possible, with a surprising amoung of upper bass/low mids from such a small box, it's quite amazing. It's a keeper!!!!!!

Jorg says its important to give his cabs a 2 month break-in period for them to achieve a fuller, more low-end, response.

Thats what he told me as I've been conversing with him about the details of my 1515L order.

Did you manage to give your 15L that break-in period? I am curious as to how you think it may have effected the tone.

[KJung]

Originally Posted by ::::BASSIST::::

Jorg says its important to give his cabs a 2 month break-in period for them to achieve a fuller, more low-end, response.

Thats what he told me as I've been conversing with him about the details of my 1515L order.

Did you manage to give your 15L that break-in period? I am curious as to how you think it may have effected the tone.

I have at least 12 hours on it. I am not one who usually hears any difference in cabs over the first 20 hours or so. However, with these Celestion neo's, I have actually heard a touch more low end developing over time. However, it's not night and day.

[jeremynyc]

Originally Posted by KJung

if you like that 'play close to the bridge articulation' and aren't interested in shaking the ashtrays in the back of the room, but still need it loud, this is a very cool box.

hmmm, I've been really interested in small and light cab (115 or 112). But, I'm not a fan of that 'play close to the bridge articulation'; I'm more into the traditional low mid cushion. Any recommendation for a small cab that is light and sounds more "vintage"?

[KJung]

Originally Posted by jeremynyc

hmmm, I've been really interested in small and light cab (115 or 112). But, I'm not a fan of that 'play close to the bridge articulation'; I'm more into the traditional low mid cushion. Any recommendation for a small cab that is light and sounds more "vintage"?

You might try the new 1215L... my guess is, it's bigger sounding down low. There is also a 1515L without a tweeter that would be more fat and 'vintage' sounding.

That being said, the 115L has PLENTY of low mids, just not a huge, fat, deep extended low end.

[Eublet]

Originally Posted by KJung

said, the 115L has PLENTY of low mids, just not a huge, fat, deep extended low end.

Which is why I ordered it, and I'll agree with what Ken said in this thread earlier that this can be a VERY desirable trait for a small cab. I often felt as if some of the smaller cabs I had chosen in the past, while sounding great at home, were WAY too deep sounding on the gig. If I use a small cab, it's likely a small room at medium volumes, and the low end doesn't need to be very big. I had a 210xst that sounded excessively bass heavy in those environments. I bought a 112xlt to compensate for that, and it sounded great when paired with the 210xst, but was much too throaty when used by itself. The NeoX 112 is a happy medium cabinet, but even then at times it could be a bit too thick sounding in the low-mids in some of the settings I used it in. (Note: The Neox 112 is KILLER in rooms that have great acoustics and you want a full, rich sound in a small cabinet) The gs112 was a bit too hollow in the center, and the db112 was a more like the Neox 112.

I think the 15+L will be killer if it has the cut of Jorg's other cabinets, with just a bit more even response as Ken has suggested. And to have that in a small 4 ohm cabinet that weighs around 29 lbs will be killer for me.

Just wanted to add my two cents and say that folks shouldn't be afraid of cabinets that are described as being "tight" or lacking deep low end. Many of the more popular cabinets historically fall in such a category.

[Eublet]

My 15+L arrives tomorrow!

But me and my family will be out of town until late Sunday night!

I'm going to have a neighbor watch for the cabinet so it doesn't sit outside all weekend, especially with the rain we've been having.

Anyway, I'll report in on this little guy next week! w00t!

[peterpalmieri]

Originally Posted by Eublet

My 15+L arrives tomorrow!

But me and my family will be out of town until late Sunday night!

I'm going to have a neighbor watch for the cabinet so it doesn't sit outside all weekend, especially with the rain we've been having.

Anyway, I'll report in on this little guy next week! w00t!

Where you guys buying these from I haven't found this model at any of the major retailers yet.

[Eublet]

Originally Posted by peterpalmieri

Where you guys buying these from I haven't found this model at any of the major retailers yet.

Call Jorg.

[Eublet]

Okay, I've had my 15+L for several days now. I haven't gigged it yet...that'll be this weekend. But, I can tell that this one is a winner. It's not low-end shy at all, meaning it doesn't choke on them. As Ken said, it has a tight bottom, not woofy, but it's very comfortable on the lower strings, even with my fiver. The tweeter is crystal clear but not harsh at all. And boy is it punchy! Just a wonderful sounding cabinet.

Paired up with the LMII, this cab sounds great. Pushing it with a Skjold 5 string, I cut back the high mids to 9 o'clock, rolled the VPF up to around 8 o'clock, and then boosted the low-mids on the Skjold at the very bottom (250 Hz I think). It was ultra modern yet still very warm. The 15+L takes EQ pretty well, and seems to be fairly even across the board minus the attenuated ultra-lows. The benefit of all this is that the Low B string is very punchy with lots of authority, not woofy or undefined.

If you want a small stand-alone cabinet that will take all the LMII has to offer, the 4 ohm 15+L is worth a look. Easily louder than my Neox 112, although it's not massively louder. It definitely has more wallop, I think mostly because of the 4 ohm power the LMII puts out over 8 ohms with the Neox. I love the Neox 112 however. It's a bit rounder in the low-mids, so it has more of a vintage sound to it than this cab does. Some may like that more.

Construction is top notch. Rhino coating is very solid. The grill placement is perfect. It's just a bit smaller than cab, so it's recessed inside the outer lip of the front. The edges however don't touch the shell, so there's nothing to cause rattles. Several large screws and rubber grommets hold the grill down, so again no rattles whatsoever. That big silver bullet tweeter looks very cool. Even at full blast it's not screechy or harsh, but clean and razor sharp.

It's really great for what I'm going after right now. It sounds more like my NeoX 212 than even the Neox 112 does. Punchy and upper-mid aggressive, with a more smooth low-mid character.

I'll report back after I get it out on a gig! I'm also going to use it at my church this weekend, which is a very familiar setting for me, and a great place for me to get a feel for a cabinet.

[::::BASSIST::::]

Excellent!





I want one.

[RS]

damn you all. This cab is enticing. I briefly owned a 1210, and while it was insanely loud, I found the voicing extreme. How much more "balanced" is this model vs the 115+L?

[basss]

Originally Posted by ::::BASSIST::::

Excellent!





I want one.

+1

[DrPieZon]

I'd love to hear a comparison between these two cabs! Anyone??

[craigb]

Originally Posted by RS

damn you all. This cab is enticing. I briefly owned a 1210, and while it was insanely loud, I found the voicing extreme. How much more "balanced" is this model vs the 115+L?

I don't know about how balanced it is but I tried both the 1210L and 1212L and really, really wanted to like them (great size/output/cost tradeoff) but found them not to my liking. IMO the voicing made all my basses sound the same and hid their character. I don't have that problem with the 15+L - my Rumblefish sounds like a Rumblefish, my G&L SB-2 sounds like an SB-2 and they don't sound the same. I'm very happy with mine and it's been plenty loud being driven with 250W so far - it handles a loud rehearsal (109db on the meter - way too loud but I've given up on trying to change people and just make sure I have good earplugs) effortlessly.

So IMO if you didn't like the voicing of the 1210/1212 the 15+L isn't the same and is worth another try.

[Eublet]

I would agree with craigb. The cabinet is very even sounding and seems to have enough hi-fi character to prevent it from overshadowing whatever you plug into it.