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Double Bass Big E 4x5

Eric Hochberg

Eric Hochberg

Jul 7, 2004
6,343
2,457
Chicago
www.erichochberg.com
#1
I played a gig on Monday at the Green Mill with the Judy Roberts Quartet and used my EA Doubler and one of Mike Arnopol's new Big E Cabs. This one has four 5" speakers and 6 rear firing tweeters!

The cab weighs about 30 lbs., is ply construction and is a pretty small guy, but I don't have the measurements. In a nutshell, the cabinet sounds great. The front end thump of the note is really accentuated creating a very powerful sound and sensation. The other cool thing about this cab is that notes in thumb position jump out in a way I haven't heard before. I'm used to the higher notes of the bass weakening, and they don't with this cab. If anything, they seem to gain energy. Consequently, you don't need to play hard to have definition and be heard. The sound is also very natural without the electronic character I'm used to in DB amplification.

I've played many gigs in this room with many different amps/speakers and this is one of the best experiences I've had. The Crazy88 being another. I think the Big E is in a class by itself, though.

I will use it again tonight at the Jazz Showcase and report back.

For technical details, you'll have to ask Mike.
 
#3
That was exactly my impression of the PJB Super Flightcase (which has 6 5" speakers). The upper register stays as strong as the rest, and sings in a way that I haven't experienced with anything else. When you say it has 6 tweeters on the back...how big are they, and how are they arrayed? Was it designed to sit in front of the player or behind, or either? It sounds interesting either way.
 
#4
The bigger Big E's (and we have one that uses our own custom 6 1/2"s) all use integral horns and compression drivers.
With the 4 x 5 cab (which is voiced more for DB but still sounds good on EB) we wanted to keep the cabinet depth as shallow as possible (it's still about 12 "). So we didn't want to use the horns because we needed too much depth for them to function best. So we are using 6 small hifi domes firing back into the vortex (which comes out the side ports). So the highs are a bit mellower than our other cabs but sound great with upright. Firing them into the vortex gives more of the crazy dispersion that the Big E's do so well.
 
#5
Mike Arnopol said:
The bigger Big E's (and we have one that uses our own custom 6 1/2"s) all use integral horns and compression drivers.
With the 4 x 5 cab (which is voiced more for DB but still sounds good on EB) we wanted to keep the cabinet depth as shallow as possible (it's still about 12 "). So we didn't want to use the horns because we needed too much depth for them to function best. So we are using 6 small hifi domes firing back into the vortex (which comes out the side ports). So the highs are a bit mellower than our other cabs but sound great with upright. Firing them into the vortex gives more of the crazy dispersion that the Big E's do so well.
Click to expand...


Mike could you provide pictures? Can this come with a pole mount? Have you ever thought of putting a power amp in any of your speaker designs? I'm currently using the Headway Pre-amp and it is so small and handy. Anyway, just spitballin here.

T
 
#6
Treyzer said:
Mike could you provide pictures? Can this come with a pole mount? Have you ever thought of putting a power amp in any of your speaker designs? I'm currently using the Headway Pre-amp and it is so small and handy. Anyway, just spitballin here.

T
Click to expand...

yes, yes, and yes

I'll get pictures when I get it back

pole mount--no problem



funny you should mention built in amps---I'm working with a top digital amp designer. His amps have better bass than any digital one I've played.He's big in the audiophile market but the military is buying them so I know that they're durable. I have one of his 150/150 watt hifi amps here.One side goes louder and deeper than the little amp I'm using that claims 330 into 8 ohms.


Also working on a full small amp with a preamp. Maybe like 800 to 1000 into 4 ohms and less than 4#. It really has been a goal to have a lightweight high power plate amp in the speakers.
 
#7
Thanks Mike,

I'm very interested in where this is going. I know you'll keep us these developments. The amp ratings are a little weird. I'm not sure they mean much anymore. There was a time that if you had a 800 or 1000 watt amp, it was a monster; really big & heavy but also very loud. Now seems like there are lots of amps rated at a certain wattage but they don't seem to deliver. I'm sure you have ideas about this.
 
#8
Treyzer said:
Thanks Mike,

I'm very interested in where this is going. I know you'll keep us these developments. The amp ratings are a little weird. I'm not sure they mean much anymore. There was a time that if you had a 800 or 1000 watt amp, it was a monster; really big & heavy but also very loud. Now seems like there are lots of amps rated at a certain wattage but they don't seem to deliver. I'm sure you have ideas about this.
Click to expand...
The weak point as my amp guy says is in the digital power supply. Which is why his 150 watt amp beats my 330 watt one. What I was worried about was that the low end would be great but too stiff and dry in the mids and highs. Not the case. Killin' low end but warmer almost "tubey" mids and highs.

I'm just a moron but I'm good at hanging around really smart people!
 
#9
All I can say is, after tonight, I am sold on this cabinet. I was able to place it about 4 feet behind me due to the large stage, whereas the other night I was right in front of it. The sound was clear, punchy, and "my bass only louder". The drummer commented that it didn't sound like I was using an amp at all, yet he could hear me perfectly well. I was cranking it pretty good, too. I placed the amp vertically tonight which helped me hear the highs better than in the lower, horizontal position.

Now, the first time I tried a Thunderchild 12 was at this venue, and I was knocked out by that speaker at the time. It would be nice to a/b them on a gig. But, the Big E is so natural sounding, this, or possibly one of the other Big E speaker configurations, will be my next cab (unless something more amazing happens to come along) :bassist:.
 
#10
Mike Arnopol said:
So we are using 6 small hifi domes firing back into the vortex (which comes out the side ports). So the highs are a bit mellower than our other cabs but sound great with upright. Firing them into the vortex gives more of the crazy dispersion that the Big E's do so well.
Click to expand...

Could you explain what you mean by "firing them into the vortex"? Down here in KY, that means something that would be impolite to mention in mixed company. :D
 
#11
Eric Hochberg said:
All I can say is, after tonight, I am sold on this cabinet. I was able to place it about 4 feet behind me due to the large stage, whereas the other night I was right in front of it. The sound was clear, punchy, and "my bass only louder". The drummer commented that it didn't sound like I was using an amp at all, yet he could hear me perfectly well. I was cranking it pretty good, too. I placed the amp vertically tonight which helped me hear the highs better than in the lower, horizontal position.

Now, the first time I tried a Thunderchild 12 was at this venue, and I was knocked out by that speaker at the time. It would be nice to a/b them on a gig. But, the Big E is so natural sounding, this, or possibly one of the other Big E speaker configurations, will be my next cab (unless something more amazing happens to come along) :bassist:.
Click to expand...

An A/B with the Thunderchild would be a welcome addition.;)
 
#13
Chris Fitzgerald said:
Could you explain what you mean by "firing them into the vortex"? Down here in KY, that means something that would be impolite to mention in mixed company. :D
Click to expand...

Due to non-disclosure I can't comment on the specifics of what's happening behind the speakers. When the patent "ducks" are all in a row we can talk more about specifics. The tweeters fire back into the vortex to combine with the back wave of the speaker.. If you go to the Big E loudspeaker Facebook page there are some pics of the 4 x 6 1/2" raw cab. That cab has front firing horn loaded tweets.

My experience with the Big E with upright is similar. It may sound dumb but it feels like the Big E is kindof an extension of the instrument. I don't know about you guys, but I play a lot of upright gigs where I know that my volume level is as high as it should be but I just can't feel the pulse so I inadvertantly play harder. For me, everything is about the envelope of the note. That's the business end of playing bass for me. At my house Eric commented to me that the front end of the note had more of a noticeable "hump".And I can add that as well as the notes starting correctly the decay is just as important. That's the back end of the envelope. With the others that I build there is much more of the notes "running together". Which means that they aren't decaying properly. With the Big E there is MUCH more of a "separation of the notes". Which means that my right hand doesn't hurt at the end of a gig!

To have the drummer comment that it sounds just like the bass only louder says it all.
 
#14
pictures of the final prototype---this is what the production cabs will look like with the custom grill. You can see some gray gasket material around the speaker---it won't be on the production ones.

21 1/2 x 14 x 10 1/2"

about 27#

As I had said in the EB side, since there is so much visible cabinet front and innards I'm getting an HVLP sprayer to get a nice smooth and durable finish. The outside will be Duratex.

This cab is voiced more for upright---the tweets give a nice high end but it is a bit warmer and shall we say mellower---than the other cabs with the horn tweets. And the highs have the nice Big E spread.

It will have Penn Elcom plastic Chevron corners all around.
 

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#15
Any comments on when this will become available and for how much? Looks interesting and some ventures into rock and roll this summer have lead me to want a louder rig than my current one that's still oriented towards the double bass. However, I'm still yet to put together the money.
 
#16
The 4 x 5 cabs are available now (with a 4 week lead time)
I don't think that the forum is a good place to discuss pricing et al---pm's would be better---just shoot me a message.
 
#19
Mike Arnopol said:
pictures of the final prototype---this is what the production cabs will look like with the custom grill. You can see some gray gasket material around the speaker---it won't be on the production ones.

21 1/2 x 14 x 10 1/2"

about 27#

As I had said in the EB side, since there is so much visible cabinet front and innards I'm getting an HVLP sprayer to get a nice smooth and durable finish. The outside will be Duratex.

This cab is voiced more for upright---the tweets give a nice high end but it is a bit warmer and shall we say mellower---than the other cabs with the horn tweets. And the highs have the nice Big E spread.

It will have Penn Elcom plastic Chevron corners all around.
Click to expand...

How does it compare with the Crazy 88?
 

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