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Just in case you forgot.....15's RULE

Do 15's RULE for bigger Gigs?

  • Total voters
    281
  • Poll closed .
Lowactnsatsfctn

Lowactnsatsfctn

Guest
Sep 29, 2011
895
143
Happy Vally, OR
#1
When you get down to the Basics, 15's RULE

1.) They push more air than smaller versions of the same model.
and
2.) They are cost effective when you consider a small up charge from a 10" or 12" driver. While it takes 2 of the smaller drivers for the same results. (2-12) is more cone space, but twice the cost
 
#3
Lowactnsatsfctn said:
When you get down to the Basics, 15's RULE

1.) They push more air than smaller versions of the same model.
and
2.) They are cost effective when you consider a small up charge from a 10" or 12" driver. While it takes 2 of the smaller drivers for the same results. (2-12) is more cone space, but twice the cost
Click to expand...

Last I checked, an Eminence Kappalite 3015LF cost a few dollars LESS than a 3012LF...just one more good reason :)
 
#5
Good 15s are good, but there are some really horrible 15s out there. If a 15 is cheap it often ends up much more muddy than another size (in my experience this is the case anyway). But my point of view may be skewed a bit by the fact that the amp I use primarily (school supplied, wouldn't touch it if I could avoid it) is a Behringer Ultrabass BXL3000.
 
#8
Not to beat a dead horse, but speaker size doesn't have much if anything to do with the way they sound...cabinet design, crossovers...well, lots of stuff but I have cabs loaded with 12's that sound EXACTLY the same as the ones loaded with 15's...the 15's just go louder, as a rule
 
#9
There's a lot more to the sound / tone / depth or whatever you're looking for than just the size of the drivers. Recently I was using a GK 115 Combo, but found that when I added a borrowed SWR 2x10 I got a much smoother / deeper bass response. Head to head, the SWR was better for what I wanted.
Mindful of the smaller gigs we're playing these days I'm using a Hartke 112 Hydrive. It's fine but if I push it too hard it does become a bit raspy and the low end suffers a little bit.
 
#10
I have always been a fan of 15's.. One day I will be running another showman 1x15 (for big stages) to have an amazing room filling big tone that only two 15's can give.

One thing I have noticed with 10's vs 15's is that the low end on a good 15's sound much more natural and open compared to a 10..
 
#12
15s Rule!!! :D

EDIT: Someone once asked -
If speaker size does not affect tone, why do they exist?

Because some larger speakers move more air, handle more power, have better venting and etc. For example - just because an 8” woofer may be able to cover the same freq.‘s as a 15” woofer doesn’t mean it can do it at the same volume level (SPL) as a good 15" woofer - that’s the reason why there are no high power sub woofers the size of a dime.

This is what Eminence engineers say ~

Generally speaking, the number one contributor to a transducer&#8217;s power rating is its ability to release thermal energy. This is affected by several design choices, but most notably voice coil size, magnet size, venting, and the adhesives used in voice coil construction. Larger coil and magnet sizes provide more area for heat to dissipate, while venting allows thermal energy to escape and cooler air to enter the motor structure. Equally important is the ability of the voice coil to handle thermal energy. Eminence is renowned for its use of proprietary adhesives and components that maximize the voice coil&#8217;s ability to handle extreme temperatures. Mechanical factors must also be considered when determining power handling. A transducer might be able to handle 1,000W from a thermal perspective, but would fail long before that level was reached from a mechanical issue such as the coil hitting the back plate, the coil coming out of the gap, the cone buckling from too much outward movement, or the spider bottoming on the top plate. The most common cause of such a failure would be asking the speaker to produce more low frequencies than it could mechanically produce at the rated power. Be sure to consider the suggested usable frequency range and the Xlim parameter in conjunction with the power rating to avoid such failures. <snip>
http://www.eminence.com/support/understanding-loudspeaker-data/
----------------------------------------

Generally - speaker size also matters when it comes to moving air (SPL) - cone area.

How to calculate cone area.
Cone area = pi x (r x r)
pi = 3.14 r = radius of sub

# 8&#8221; 10&#8221; 12&#8221; 15&#8221; 18&#8221;
-----------------------------------------------------
1 50 78 113 176 254
2 100 157 226 353 508
3 150 235 339 530 763
4 201 314 452 706 1017
5 251 392 565 883 1272
6 301 471 678 1060 1526
7 351 549 791 1236 1781
8 402 628 904 1413 2035
NOTE: All numbers rounded down to the nearest inch.

Drivers, enclosures, power, etc all are factors - and speaker size does matter when it comes to moving air (SPL), etc and shouldn&#8217;t be downplayed. And remember the cab is built around the driver and not the other way around.
 
#16
They also have poorer dispersion than a smaller speaker. Just sayin. IMO marrying yourself to a specific speaker size is just silly, find a cabinet that you like and go with that, regardless of what size speakers it has in it.

That said, I currently use two 115's.
 
#17
A 15" by itself....nada. Never heard one that had a nice tight punchy sound with lows that are not muddy. I like to be able to actually hear the notes. Not just feel them!

I switched over to 10"s back in 1988 (my first was a Trace Elliot 4x10) and have not looked back!

Now a 15" cabinet coupled with a 4x10 (even a 2x12), that is a whole other story. You can get some killer sounds from that!
 
#18
I'm probably the black sheep here, but I stopped using cabs, for the most part, at gigs anymore. I have a 2x10 on stage, but usually just some volume for a mic.

I don't see the point of big and bulky cabs on stage that throw stupid volume. That's what P.A.'s are for, and my in-ears give me more than enough bass. Just look at Dream Theater and Rush....
 
#20
Zoa said:
They also have poorer dispersion than a smaller speaker. Just sayin. IMO marrying yourself to a specific speaker size is just silly, find a cabinet that you like and go with that, regardless of what size speakers it has in it.

That said, I currently use two 115's.
Click to expand...

True - good post, and I agree - however when the 15 crushes the 10 we hear how little dispersion actually really matters in the real world. ;)
 

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