Sunn 215B vs. 215BH?

[Battlemode]

I've been wanting to get a Sunn 215 to match my Coliseum 300, and a couple have popped up. I'm trying to decide which to spring for. Has anyone here ever used either of these cabs before, and if you have, what are their relative strengths and weaknesses?

[nysbob]

The BH is a little deeper I think. I had one for a few years, back in the '70s - '80s. It will move a lot of air, a bit murky sounding (I had JBLs in mine and it was still murky) and , oh yeah, it's about the size of a honda civic.

[Battlemode]

That's kind of what I've gathered - big sound, but to get that big sound you have to have a big cab. I'm not sure if the murkiness will be an issue for me - I have a really bright tone with my head and my bass, so I'm hoping that the bright head/bass with the darker cab will balance nicely.

[craig.p]

Yeah, I'm another one who ran a 215BH in the '70s. The one with the angled baffle. I think it weighed over a hundred pounds. But of all the 2x15 cabs I've played through in 40+ years, it was my favorite. Engineering-wise it probably broke every rule in the book, but I found it to be a very dynamic-sounding cab, went pretty deep, and had this eerie ability to bring the sound of the cab's huge internal space out front. That last bit was probably because the cab wasn't lined with anything AND the porting was so aggressive; it added a sort of warm/"woody" character that actually wasn't objectionable. That cab actually sounded good with a Concert Bass, so that's saying something!

(I can see BFM and GB and Duke wincing as they read this. Sorry, guys.)

[Battlemode]

Do Concert Basses not have a good reputation around here? I love all of the Sunn stuff I've heard, but I've never heard a Concert Bass.

[ZiggyDude]

The BH sounds better - the B is something that you can actually pick up.

Here are some pics of the B. BH will be later.

Sunn 215B Restoration