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Ampeg SVT 50 Isovent-Why not?

insomniac2295

insomniac2295

Dec 12, 2007
2,515
28
Minneapolis, MN
#1
There's an Ampeg SVT 50 Isovent cab at my local MusicGoRound for $400 and I think I might jump on it. The only thing I'm concerned about is possibly not having enough volume with it. I play in a 3 piece rock/metal band and I'm wondering if 600 watt rms handling + the 2x15's and 2x10s will be enough to keep up and be heard.

I like a deep, smooth bass sound with a slight bump in the lower midrange. Right now, I have an Avatar B410 Neo w/ a Peavey Max 700 that doesn't have enough low end to satisfy me(I think it might be because it has 1st gen. neo drivers without the extended x-max).

Would someone please help me make my decesion?
 
#2
I don't have any experience with that specific cab, but wattage isn't the be all end-all when it comes to being loud. Sensitivity is, as is driver area. 215 + 210 will need a lot less wattage to be as loud as a 410.

I'd try it out and go for it if it sounded nice. You really can't go wrong with 215 most of the time.

PS: Is there a passive crossover in the cab ?
 
#3
insomniac2295 said:
Right now, I have an Avatar B410 Neo w/ a Peavey Max 700 that doesn't have enough low end to satisfy me(I think it might be because it has 1st gen. neo drivers without the extended x-max).
Click to expand...

No, xmax doesn't influence bass response. It's the limit of excursion before the driver farts out and later is damaged. An analogy: The top speed of your car doesn't affect its acceleration from 0-60.

The cab design has a huge influence on tone.
 
#6
Rick Auricchio said:
No, xmax doesn't influence bass response. It's the limit of excursion before the driver farts out and later is damaged. An analogy: The top speed of your car doesn't affect its acceleration from 0-60.

The cab design has a huge influence on tone.
Click to expand...

Sorry, I was under the impression that the larger the x-max, the more bass a speaker would be able to reproduce. My bad.
 
#8
I had one of those many years ago, any they are pretty cool. Definitely not the loudest cab around, or the deepest, but you can get a great sound from it. Keep in mind that the 15's aren't front firing at all. They are kind of facing each other (clamshell) in the bottom of the cab. Definitely try it out before you pick it up......and don't pick it up by yourself...it is a heavy beast!
 
#9
Washishimi said:
I had one of those many years ago, any they are pretty cool. Definitely not the loudest cab around, or the deepest, but you can get a great sound from it. Keep in mind that the 15's aren't front firing at all. They are kind of facing each other (clamshell) in the bottom of the cab. Definitely try it out before you pick it up......and don't pick it up by yourself...it is a heavy beast!
Click to expand...

I'm trying to get an idea of how loud this thing is. What kind of headroom did you have with it? In terms of volume, which other Ampeg cab would you compare it to(if you've played others of course)?
 
#10
When used with a 400+ (200-300 watts tubes) it's quite loud. I've also used it with a ~145 watt tube amp and found it to be quite loud. Doesn't seem as loud as my ancient 4X15, but that doesn't have the low end the Ampeg does. I like these cabs and have owned 2. Small enough package to haul around, but it is about as heavy as an F150. The tweeters tend to blow, but I don't much care for tweeters anyway. Plenty of highs from the 10s. The only other Ampeg cab I've owned was a '69 or so 8X10 which sounded better but didn't have much for low end, and had a low wattage rating so I was afraid to push it too hard.
 
#11
Mine had HUGE low end and was more than loud enough...I eventually started bi-amping it and used a power amp with about 350w/ch, but prior to that I powered it with an SVT-3 Pro...I cant really compare it much as I have never owned any other Ampeg gear....but it sure did thump and sounded great
 
#13
I had the Isovent 50 Pro cabinet with the 2x15s in a clamshell design and the 2 Celestion 10s. I used to play a 70s SVT thru it. I made the world's dumbest trade and traded an Ampeg V9 (9x10s) cabinet for it because the V9 was smaller and I was tired of turning the V9 sideways to drag it thru a door.

The first thing I found out from the Ampeg reps is that if you plan on getting loud you cannot use ultra low with it as the 15s cant handle it. Also, if you play on a loud stage like I did the 15s have a tendence to fart out at high volumes. However it sounds great at low volumes.

The best thing I ever did to the cabinet was removed the 2 15s and sold them and replaced them with a 500 watt 15" Peavey that faced the bottom. But then I tired of the cabinet and sold it and invested in 2 Hartke 410XL cabinets.

If you plan on playing on a large stage with the Isovent being your only cabinet you're ****ed. Dont do it. I still regret getting rid of the 9x10 cabinet.
 

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