What's the down side of Avatar bass cabinets?

[Lincoln]

On the fence on one and I need help finishing my decision by the end of the day...

I've read a lot of good reviews but they always seem to come with an undefined asterik..."they're great...for the buck" or "they're great..but not great".

So what are the cons...

[Exploiter8]

I have a 210 Neo cab. I swapped out the speakers to try a pair I had lying around. When I pulled the OEM speakers I was shocked to see wood screws holding the speakers instead of T-nuts and bolts.

X8

[neurotictim]

I dunno - I've had my B410 Neo for a while now, gigging/practicing with it pretty regularly, and I can't honestly say there's a downside.

If I HAD to say something less than positive about them, I think they don't really sound as good as some of the Berg cabs I've played, or the neo Ampegs, but if you gig like I do, in places where every little nuance of my playing doesn't matter, they're perfect. Light, sturdy, good sound, great power handling, and cheap.

If I were playing more... um... sophisticated gigs, weddings or upscale clubs, then maybe I'd want to get something a little more responsive to my playing, but the price of these cabs makes them VERY reasonable for the "average" gigging bassist, IMO.

[PBFACTOR]

i've had 2 2x10's for almost as long as avatar has been in business. one even has a square hole grill. the bottom one has the newer diamond shaped grill. i used to live in idaho. i still have them after all the other gear gets sold or traded. they we inexpensive compared to alot of gear, and they sound good.

if there is a down side, it would be resale value. other than that, i think they're great.



paul

[tony_clifton]

Originally Posted by Exploiter8

I have a 210 Neo cab. I swapped out the speakers to try a pair I had lying around. When I pulled the OEM speakers I was shocked to see wood screws holding the speakers instead of T-nuts and bolts.

X8

Why shocked? I'd be okay with it even if they were made of butter if they kept the speaker in place without rattle.

Might be just another of my controversial opinions but the downside is that it doesn't hold a fancy/trendy name tag like Aguilar or Bergantino. Speakers are from the same brands, they proably have heard about those scientific parameters too and once you have the skills it isn't too hard to make a cab. I don't doubt the difference - it probably is there, but I guess it's psychological.

[Brubass]

My SB112 is not as light as other cabs on the market. And, while I'm ok with the sound from the tweeter, others say they leave them turned off completely.

[Lincoln]

I'm looking for something that can reproduce the sound of my Shuttle 6.0 and hand all of it's power. My one Clement runs a Transparent Glockenklang an onboard preamp the other nothing more than a Fishman Piezo...so clean is the game....will the Avatar lack bottom end?

I've heard they are more midrangey...

[echoSE7EN]

Originally Posted by PBFACTOR

i've had 2 2x10's for almost as long as avatar has been in business. one even has a square hole grill. the bottom one has the newer diamond shaped grill. i used to live in idaho. i still have them after all the other gear gets sold or traded. they we inexpensive compared to alot of gear, and they sound good.

if there is a down side, it would be resale value. other than that, i think they're great.



paul

+1 on resale value. 5 or 6 years ago I tried selling two 2X12 cabs...no one (locally) had even heard of Avatar. I wound up taking them to the local GC for some head-scratching, and pitiful trade-in value. I really liked the concept of the Avatar cabs, but I found (and still find after checking the website), that the RMS specs simply don't satisfy the requirements of the heads I run.

I thought the Avatar customer service was top-notch at the time of purchase. They were solidly-built cabs. Not too heavy. Good bang for the buck, esp., if you're going to be tossing them in a pickup and gigging a lot.

[username1]

I havn't found a downside with my 410. They are using the same componens as the new swr golite cabs. Same deltalite speakers only with a bigger xmax for better bottom, same foster horn and birtch ply cab. They are just cheaper being factory direct so people assume they arent as good. Read the harmony central reviews on them, a couple of guys have the ampeg 410hlf that they compare them side by side and figure the avatar goes as deep but handles power better without breaking up. I havn't tried any 410 that i think sounds better IMO. The more expensive cabs cost the music store the same as you pay for the avatar but then they also have to add their profit on top of that almost doubling the price. If avatars were selling in music stores you would be paying the same high price.

[Lincoln]

Originally Posted by username1

I havn't found a downside with my 410. They are using the same componens as the new swr golite cabs. Same deltalite speakers only with a bigger xmax for better bottom, same foster horn and birtch ply cab. They are just cheaper being factory direct so people assume they arent as good. Read the harmony central reviews on them, a couple of guys have the ampeg 410hlf that they compare them side by side and figure the avatar goes as deep but handles power better without breaking up. I havn't tried any 410 that i think sounds better IMO. The more expensive cabs cost the music store the same as you pay for the avatar but then they also have to add their profit on top of that almost doubling the price. If avatars were selling in music stores you would be paying the same high price.

Okay...that makes sense...kind of like Carvin?

[Lincoln]

On a side note, let's say I wanted to replace the speakers with other 4ohm Neo speakers what would you recommend?

[DWBass]

Have had mine (B210, SB112) for about 8 years now. No downside! I fully expected to have used them and tossed them in a couple years but they're still going strong! They take a ton of power and don't compress at all like other name brand cabs! In fact, I've tried quite a few other cabs and still own just the Avatars! Go figure!

[Lincoln]

Do these cabs sound more warm, more clean or brittle? Do they reproduce the sound of the bass and the amp or do they just bring more volume for less $$$

[username1]

Originally Posted by Lincoln

On a side note, let's say I wanted to replace the speakers with other 4ohm Neo speakers what would you recommend?

I would recommend not changing the speakers. The eminece deltalites they use are in my opinion the best 10" speakers made. Also the longer xmax avatar specs gives them better bottom end compared to the stock deltalites.

[DWBass]

Originally Posted by Lincoln

Do these cabs sound more warm, more clean or brittle? Do they reproduce the sound of the bass and the amp or do they just bring more volume for less $$$

Personally, I don't think they color the sound at all. They just reproduce what goes into them. Like I said, they sound very open and uncompressed! They go as loud as you want (to a point of course).

[THORRR]

The downside of the B410 Neo is that once you buy one, you're gonna want ANOTHER ONE! and you'll be emotionally driven to the website in hopes of there being a scratch & dent sale on the cabs.

That's exactly what happened to me and when the second one arrived in it's bullet-proof packing box I found that the "flaw" that made it a "scratch & dent" candidate was a little blob of glue inside the port slot! And that saved me $65 off the already-ridiculously-low price.

No - there is no downside to these great cabs -
They're lightweight, super powerful, loud as can be, built sturdy using great materials, and Dave, the owner is tremendously service-oriented and a nice guy to boot.

You'll save money, sound great, and look good all without breaking your back. People usually freak when they hear my gear and want to know What IS that you're playing through?

Lots of fun and thundering, tone filled impact from these great cabs, even in outdoor venues. Makes you sound like your indoors - they're that solid.

GO FOR IT! You'll be glad you did.

: hiding:

[Brubass]

My SB112 (loaded with the 500W Delta) has a more warm native sound, especially with the tweeter dialed down. But, I can easily get a clean, punchy sound with the right pre-amp settings. I haven't found the cab to overly color the sound.

[Lincoln]

Originally Posted by THORRR

The downside of the B410 Neo is that once you buy one, you're gonna want ANOTHER ONE! and you'll be emotionally driven to the website in hopes of there being a scratch & dent sale on the cabs.

That's exactly what happened to me and when the second one arrived in it's bullet-proof packing box I found that the "flaw" that made it a "scratch & dent" candidate was a little blob of glue inside the port slot! And that saved me $65 off the already-ridiculously-low price.

No - there is no downside to these great cabs -
They're lightweight, super powerful, loud as can be, built sturdy using great materials, and Dave, the owner is tremendously service-oriented and a nice guy to boot.

You'll save money, sound great, and look good all without breaking your back. People usually freak when they hear my gear and want to know What IS that you're playing through?

Lots of fun and thundering, tone filled impact from these great cabs, even in outdoor venues. Makes you sound like your indoors - they're that solid.

GO FOR IT! You'll be glad you did.

: hiding:

hmmmmm........

If I get it. I'll literally be picking it up and driving it to the gig without pre testing it...should be an interesting and risky gig...

but there's something exciting about that prospect!

[Lincoln]

Originally Posted by Brubass

My SB112 (loaded with the 500W Delta) has a more warm native sound, especially with the tweeter dialed down. But, I can easily get a clean, punchy sound with the right pre-amp settings. I haven't found the cab to overly color the sound.

or discolor it, I'm presuming?

[Lincoln]

So picking one up used for $250 is a good idea, then?