Should I get an EVM 15L or 15B?

SherpaKahn · #1 01-14-2007, 10:34 PM

I'd like to start by offering links to other threads on TB on this topic:

EVM-15*...200W vs 400W. some questions(Mesa related)

EVM-15L in a sealed cab

Anyway, now on to my question:

Should I have my EVM speaker reconed as a 15B or a 15L?

I am having the blown EVM 15B that came with my Sunn 2000s cabinet reconed, and I am unsure whether to get it reconed as a 15L or a 15B. The cabinet came with a working 15B and a completely blown but cosmetically perfect 15B, and my Musicman 115RH cabinet has a slightly worn out 15L in it.

Both the 2000s and the 115RH are direct radiators with horn-shaped ports, although the 2000s is a 2x15" and the MM is a 115.

Now I've been playing the MM cabinet for about two months now, and I really like the painfully loud and crisp treble it gets, but I'm not sure if I want to have two 15Ls and 1 15B in my rig. I like having access to that treble, but I don't want it to overwhelm my sound. I'd been playing the Sunn cab and the MM cab in parallel for the last few weeks (with the Sunn only using the one good 15B, and I got a decent amount of volume out of the rig, but not nearly as much as I imagined I would.

Two days ago I finally took the blown 15B out of the Sunn cab to drop it off with the reconer, and I decided to put the 15L in its place and leave the MM cab empty.

DAMN.

Hot damn!

Loud! So much louder! It's ridiculous how much louder the rig is. I guess it's from having both speakers in one enclosure, but the sensitivity of the cabinet definitely went up. I mean, the same volume I used to get at '7' I now get at '3' or '4'.

But what I'm very interested is also how the sound changed. It's no longer nearly as trebly as it used to be. I used to have my tube head set with all sorts of strange EQ options to cut treble, and now I can just set it flat and get a good, balanced roar. I really like this setup, but I'd like to be able to add the MM cabinet and have it sound better or the same, just louder. Which brings me to the question:

Which recone will improve the sound of this rig?

Would two 15Bs in the Sunn cab make it muddier? Would two 15Ls be too bright? If I put one of each in the Sunn cab, what effect would a B in the MM cab have? What about the L? I understand that I could try loading the MM with the B and seeing what it sound like, but I spent so much time just getting the drivers out and switching them around that I would really like to avoid doing that again.

Another worry of mine is the durability of the 15Ls; My current 15L, although probably quite old, folds if I push it past its xmax:

While I understand that it's not a good idea to do that, I only did it about two or three times, including the time I took the picture. I don't remember seeing the crinkles on it when I got it, so I can only assume that it happened in the last few months. Does anybody else have experience with 15Ls failing?

Anyway, that's all. Any opinions of using a 15L vs a 15B would be appreciated. Thanks,

-Stephen

jz0h4d · #2 01-15-2007, 06:37 AM

Ok first things first the speaker in your picture is coned as a 15b not 15l.

You can use either speaker for bass, but I would suggest that you use the 15B, it goes a little lower and has plenty of highs.

It is not a good ideal to mix both in the same cabinet, it results in comb filtering of certain frequencies.

SherpaKahn · #3 01-15-2007, 09:45 AM

I'm pretty much certain it's coned as a 15L, actually. The L is the one with the ribbed cone and lighter colored cone, whereas the B is the one with the smooth, slightly thicker, darker-colored cone.

Although I don't know all that much about comb filtering, these two drivers are incredibly similar to each other, so would comb filtering really be all that great an issue?

Oh, this picture shows the difference between a B and an L:

melvis1 · #4 02-20-2007, 07:22 PM

I'm interested in this as well if anyone has any further insight. I recently picked up a Mesa 2X15 loaded with 2 EV-15L speakers. Top speaker cone is torn and needs either replacement or recone. Might be able to get a new EV-15B at a good price, but not sure the effect it may have coupled with the 15L.

billfitzmaurice · #5 02-20-2007, 08:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by melvis1

I'm interested in this as well if anyone has any further insight. I recently picked up a Mesa 2X15 loaded with 2 EV-15L speakers. Top speaker cone is torn and needs either replacement or recone. Might be able to get a new EV-15B at a good price, but not sure the effect it may have coupled with the 15L.

For the price of a recone you can get a nice brand new Eminence Kappalite 3015 that will take twice the power and drop 15 pounds off the cab weight per driver.

tadawson · #6 02-20-2007, 10:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by billfitzmaurice

For the price of a recone you can get a nice brand new Eminence Kappalite 3015 that will take twice the power and drop 15 pounds off the cab weight per driver.

So the Kappalites go for about $60? 'Cuz that's what I have been paying for EVM recones . . . . and the Eminence still won't have the classic sound of the EVM. Myself, I vote recone. I don't know if the frames/motors are capable of taking the EVM ProLine cones, but if it will, then you might be able to recone to a 400 watt capability from the 200 . . . .

On the cab and overexcursion, I would suggest that you watch the bass EQ such that you don't cause them to exceed X-Max. I have a pair of 15B's that I have been using in TL606 cabs (basically, what Mesa used for the Diesel . . . ) as PA bottoms/subs, and they have been through hell and back, and have not failed or suffered any cone damage . . . . EVM's are, at least in my experience, one of the most durable drivers that I have ever used . . . .

- Tim

James Hart · #7 02-20-2007, 11:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tadawson

and the Eminence still won't have the classic sound of the EVM.

I had a 4x12 cab loaded with EVM-12L mated to a 1x18 PA sub....

HEAVEN!

Reefer · #8 02-21-2007, 05:53 AM

I've had both L and B EV 15's and I never cared for the sound of the B. Get the L!

billfitzmaurice · #9 02-21-2007, 07:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tadawson

So the Kappalites go for about $60? 'Cuz that's what I have been paying for EVM recones . . .

The going price is twice that, if you're getting them done for $60 you're either doing them yourself or your tech is working for peanuts.

Quote:

then you might be able to recone to a 400 watt capability from the 200 .

xmax will remain at 3.3mm, so no matter what the coil rating it will still fart out above 80 watts. At 5.9 mm xmax the 3015 can actually make use of its power rating.
Yes, the EVM has a nice high end on-axis, but extension without dispersion means the only ones who'll hear those highs are those directly in front of the cab.

tadawson · #10 02-21-2007, 09:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by billfitzmaurice

The going price is twice that, if you're getting them done for $60 you're either doing them yourself or your tech is working for peanuts.

xmax will remain at 3.3mm, so no matter what the coil rating it will still fart out above 80 watts. At 5.9 mm xmax the 3015 can actually make use of its power rating.
Yes, the EVM has a nice high end on-axis, but extension without dispersion means the only ones who'll hear those highs are those directly in front of the cab.

Well, that's about what I paid the last time, although it has been quite a few years - I don't blow much up . . . . . and prices do seem to keep going up, and I doubt that the Telex acquisition of EV has helped much either . . . .

- Tim

The 0x · #11 02-21-2007, 10:43 AM

I combine speakers in my one Sunn 200s cabinet, and I don't have problems. The speakers are in separate enclosures, so I think you should be fine. If you like the sound of the L, stick with it!

mobax · #12 02-21-2007, 10:50 AM

Having used both, I pick the L. The L will give you more mids and has more punch and will give you plenty of low end, especially if used in pairs. I've done several A/B tests with single L and B speakers in identical boxes and I always liked the L. I was introduced to the L as a bass driver by a drummer who has exceptional ears. Having said all that, the EVM does not handle a lot of power. I'm not a madman and I've fried more than one. I only use these speakers in my practice rigs now.

The 0x · #13 02-21-2007, 11:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mobax

Having used both, I pick the L. The L will give you more mids and has more punch and will give you plenty of low end, especially if used in pairs. I've done several A/B tests with single L and B speakers in identical boxes and I always liked the L. I was introduced to the L as a bass driver by a drummer who has exceptional ears. Having said all that, the EVM does not handle a lot of power. I'm not a madman and I've fried more than one. I only use these speakers in my practice rigs now.

The original poster is using a 160 watt tube head, so I think he should be fine.

OT: There's actually a "New Baltimore?"

I hope it's better than the one here!

mobax · #14 02-21-2007, 11:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by The 0x

OT: There's actually a "New Baltimore?"

I hope it's better than the one here!

I can tell you that it is definitely smaller.

KUNGfuSHERIFF · #15 02-21-2007, 02:34 PM

Actually, there are two "New Baltimores." It's the name of a town in New York's Greene County.
Back on topic, I've been a happy "B" user for the last year, so that model gets my vote.

Fealach · #16 02-21-2007, 03:42 PM

I've had both, and I'm not sure I could tell the difference once the band was playing.

Interestingly enough, one of the EVM 15B speakers I had came with the cheap fake tin heat shield thingy screwed onto the back. I took it off and the back of the speaker frame was marked EVM 15L.

In my experience, they both sound good until they blow.

James, I'm with you on the EVM12L as a bass speaker - I wouldn't want to run a 5 string through it, but for a little while I played a 400+ into a cab with 4 EVM12Ls, and it was wickedly crunchariffic.

James Hart · #17 02-21-2007, 03:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fealach

James, I'm with you on the EVM12L as a bass speaker - I wouldn't want to run a 5 string through it, but for a little while I played a 400+ into a cab with 4 EVM12Ls, and it was wickedly crunchariffic.

I was playing a Ric strung with Ultra Light Rotosounds.... .090 low E

I usually biamped it the sub... it got peoples attention!

Crockettnj · #18 02-21-2007, 04:36 PM

I dunno... plenty of low end? I had an evm 15L in a tl606 cab. I snagged it from use as our old PA sub, which, frankly, never really dished out great low end authority.

As a bass cab it was fine, but in regards to the "plenty of low end" comments above, i have to disagree. it was a nice old school sound, but it was more of a low-mid voice. I liked the cab well enough, but by comparison, my harkte115XL (old version) had noticably more low end authority. No comparison in fact. the EV had a cooler vintage vibe to it.

My point is that imo is isnt a real low end cab, certainly not a subwoofer, but it is fine for a bass cab if that's your sound.

mobax · #19 02-21-2007, 08:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by The 0x

The original poster is using a 160 watt tube head, so I think he should be fine.

For a while, I used a pair with a 1970's SVT head. It was a nice setup.

whacker · #20 02-22-2007, 01:05 PM

Slight thread swerve:

Fiddle-dee-dee on the EVMs: I've got a barely used SRO 15 in its box from the mid-'70s, and I've wondered for a few years how I could put it to use. I imagine it's not anywhere near as robust a speaker as anything you can get these days. But it is heavy! No boat anchor comments! I did used to have it mounted in my old Ampeg B-15N (my first amp), but that amp was already too heavy.