Cabinet Choices for my DB...

[natbers78]

In a few months I will have a Walter Woods Amber Light...(finally, after years of trying to justify it!). So here's my quandary...I would like get my hands on a nice 12" cab that is 4 ohms so as to maximize the power the Woods has to offer (800w @ 4ohms, 450w @ 8). My top priority is to find a cab that will work well with the Woods and my DB (only occasional Fender gigs). This makes me want to lean towards the EA Wizzy (200w @ 4 ohms) or one of the Schroeder 12's (500w @ 4 or 8 ohms?). Because of the vast diversity and wide range of experience of the users on talkbass, I have always found this forum to be a great source for different opinions and views on a variety of subjects. So once again, I invite your responses and ideas! Thanks!

[robgrow]

While I don't know anything about the Schroeder cabs, I do have an EA Wizzy 112 that I like very much and use with a green pilot light Walter Woods amp (450 watts @ 4 ohms). That is plenty of power for the Wizzy, even for an occasional bass guitar gig. It's a nice compact and portable package that makes an amazing amount of sound.

[joel kelsey]

I hear epifani makes 12s that sound good. I have a UL 210 and I could not be happier. Well, I wish I had 2 110s but still sounds great. I know a lot of good players who swear by their 112.

[Freddels]

Just FYI, there's a Wizzy 12 fs on the EB side.

[natbers78]

Don't you think there would be a huge problem running 800w into the Wizzy? That's why I'm shying away from it. I have heard people say the Wizzy can handle more than it says though...

[bongomania]

Don't forget LDS (Low Down Sound). They make custom cabs to meet your exact tonal and power handling requirements, at reasonable prices. I love my LDS 3x8 3-way, it's super smooth and articulate, especially in the upper mids, perfect for jazz.

[Randy Ward]

I did a search for all small 4-ohm cabinets last summer. There are a few more now and I haven’t updated the list in a while. but this should get you started.


list of 4 ohm small cabinets for DB

[natbers78]

Thanks for all of your help! Feel free to let me know if anything else comes to mind.

[bolo]

Originally Posted by Nathan Bersée

Don't you think there would be a huge problem running 800w into the Wizzy? That's why I'm shying away from it. I have heard people say the Wizzy can handle more than it says though...

Nathan, I don't think this would be a problem, as long as you don't try to push the Wizzy or any other cabinet beyond what it is capable of. And I don't really mean tech specs here so much - I think you can probably tell with your ears when the sound quality is starting to deteriorate.

In general, when you encounter an amplified tone that starts to degrade as the volume level goes up, you might not know if the deterioration is coming from the amp or the speaker. In your example, the speaker would probably start to stress out and degrade first. But sometimes an amplified sound that starts to get a little ratty can be from not enough power.

There are lots and lots of posts on this topic, most of them over my head in terms of tech speak. But in general, I think most people would tend to agree that having plenty of clean headroom with your amp is a good thing.

Sure, in your example, you could probably smoke the Wizzy if you turn the amp way up. But if it helps any, here is a post that strips it down to the essentials pretty well (IMO), in a way that suits me.

[natbers78]

thanks, Steve. I will check out that thread...

[Chris Fitzgerald]

FWIW, I use a series III Focus to drive a VL108 (rated at something like 200w), and sometimes even a Falk Tiny-Mite 108 (rated 100w or so). It's all about the sound - I think you'll hear when something is starting to strain long before you blow anything.

[natbers78]

These are all great suggestions...I'm not really afraid of the Wizzy anymore and have started also considering a Glock. It'll be hard to test drive any of these up here Anchorage. Anybody know where I can find a grove of money trees? Also, at the risk of sounding like a moron, could somebody explain the concept of "headroom" to me? This is the first time I've put this much effort into finding a nice rig...so it's also a learning experience.

[fdeck]

Headroom is used in a number of different ways, but in a nutshell, it is how much power is available to you, compared to how much you actually use. For instance, if you have a 100-W amp, and are routinely operating at around 50 W, then you have 3 dB of headroom.

Where is headroom useful? Suppose you get a little bit exuberant during a song, and drop some bombs on low E or something like that. The more headroom you have, the less likely it is that such occurrances will cause noticeable distortion.

Headroom is often discussed in terms of having an amp whose output rating greatly exceeds the rating of the speaker. The idea is that an occasional short burst won't kill the speaker, but you avoid distortion. Of course at some point, the speaker itself becomes the originator of distortion, as you hit the excursion limit. At another point, your speaker becomes the originator of smoke and sadness.

There is another technical definition of headroom, having to do with the ability of an amplifier to produce short bursts at an amplitude above what you would guess from the power rating. All amps have this to some extent because of short-term energy storage in the power supply. Ironically, an amp with a more beefy supply has less headroom.

[fdeck]

I should add, there is a belief that an insane amount of headroom results in better sound, even if you never use it. That's not the case. You don't hear headroom. What you hear is your amp not distorting. If it is not distorting, having more headroom won't make it sound different.

[Greg Clinkingbeard]

There is also a school of thought among some audiophiles that a more powerful amplifier may not necessarily sound better than a lower powered one of similar design and maker. More output devices, etc. color the signal. I don't know how this might apply to bass amplifiers,, but my feeling is to not buy or carry 500 watts if 100 will do.

[ninnlangel]

Try an Acme Low B1. You'll be amazed at how good it sounds with enough power. Get it in 8Ohm, that way you can add another one if you need for bigger gigs.

[natbers78]

Thank you all so much for you input (insert corny amp joke here ) Hopefully I'll be able to try some of these cabs.

[fdeck]

Originally Posted by clink

There is also a school of thought among some audiophiles that a more powerful amplifier may not necessarily sound better than a lower powered one of similar design and maker. More output devices, etc. color the signal. I don't know how this might apply to bass amplifiers,, but my feeling is to not buy or carry 500 watts if 100 will do.

Unlikely, because the power amp circuits used by bassists, especially DB players, tend to be of the sort where it is easy for the designer to push all audible coloration to a level way below the audible threshold. If that is achieved, then two such amps are pretty much guaranteed to sound the same if tested at the same volume level.