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Double Bass 15" cabs

LarryR

LarryR

Feb 2, 2003
1,844
59
Los Angeles
#1
I've gone through 12's, 10's & 8's. I'm hip to Phil's 6.5's.
Believe-it-or-not, I got a great sound on a big stage with a Sadowsky 4x10 (bergantino built), but, no way in h-ll will I shlep it to a casual.

I know it's gauche, but, who's using 15's?
Any Bag End S15x-D users? Anyone wanna sell their Berg HT115?
 
#2
LarryR said:
I've gone through 12's, 10's & 8's. I'm hip to Phil's 6.5's.
Believe-it-or-not, I got a great sound on a big stage with a Sadowsky 4x10 (bergantino built), but, no way in h-ll will I shlep it to a casual.

I know it's gauche, but, who's using 15's?
Any Bag End S15x-D users? Anyone wanna sell their Berg HT115?
Click to expand...

I rented one of these for some outta town gigs and I liked it much more than Eden's 10"s.

Link Removed

Not all that heavy w/good sensitivity.
Comes in 4 or 8 ohm versions.
 
#3
LarryR said:
I know it's gauche, but, who's using 15's?
Any Bag End S15x-D users?
Click to expand...

I have one of these, but with an EV speaker and have never cared for it with DB. I suspect it may have something to do with the rear port. I have a larger 15 cab (and built by TBer Mike Arnopol) that I've used for 25 years, similar to an older Bag End cab, with a front port and it sounds very nice for DB when I need some volume.
 
#5
LarryR said:
I've gone through 12's, 10's & 8's. I'm hip to Phil's 6.5's.
Believe-it-or-not, I got a great sound on a big stage with a Sadowsky 4x10 (bergantino built), but, no way in h-ll will I shlep it to a casual.

I know it's gauche, but, who's using 15's?
Any Bag End S15x-D users? Anyone wanna sell their Berg HT115?
Click to expand...
A good friend, who is one of the best jazz players I know, uses a small cab with a 15, and he loves it. I own a Bag End S-15 cab with an EVM-15B, but I seldom use it, mostly because I have other gear that's lighter, easier to transport and sounds great.
 
#6
Gents,
There's a reason I brought up the 4x10 box.
I know, I know.....Four 10's??? I'm talking about reality of being on a stage, and having the feeling that not only do you like your sound, but, you don't have to adjust your playing, little to no fiddling with your amp, the band can hear and feel you, as well as the audience. I got that with a hi-fi 4x10. I now have 2 MLines, 12's. Nice rig.
65+ lbs of speaker. But, a 12 isn't a 15. I could give up the search and be happy with my rig, no problem. But, if there's a clean, clear 15 out there, approx 40-50lbs, I'd try it. I did try a Bag End loaded S15D. I agree, I didn't dig it for URB, though real nice with slab. Eden? Maybe...

Robgrow, any idea what your friend uses?
 
#7
robgrow said:
A good friend, who is one of the best jazz players I know, uses a small cab with a 15, and he loves it.
Click to expand...

There are at least a couple top players here in Chicago that use small 15 cabs, one has an Arnopol cab that's smaller than mine, not much larger than the speaker itself, and another uses a Flite cab. They both sound good.

I'm usually on a 10" or 12" unless I need extra volume, which is rare.
 
#8
A lot is due to the speaker itself. In my experience the lighter,cheaper 15" speakers had more of the type of sound and response that I liked, but with lower power handling. I hate the EV speakers, for instance. They are deigned for high power handling and to be bullet-proof. They are designed with a large motor (magnet ) and very tight surround. The tight surround helps control the excursion of the speaker, but means that the speaker has very high damping. ( expressed as QTS in technical terms) These speakers sound very dry to me without much "bloom" to the notes.Too little damping and the speaker sounds loose and with too little impact. The main priority of pro sound speaker manufacturers is that their speakers are durable and won't blow up, But the drag is that you use a 15" cab for the added dynamic range, but with a sonic price if you use the highest power handling drivers. I use EA cabs now for their combination of sound -to-weight. I love the cabs that I've built, but they are ungodly heavy. I would research and find drivers with a balance of quality of sound to control and power handling. I really like some of the drivers of a Brazilian company called Beyma.
 
#9
Mike Arnopol said:
I hate the EV speakers, for instance. They are deigned for high power handling and to be bullet-proof.
Click to expand...

And that's why I like 'em, I don't have to deal with blowouts, at least not that often!

I love the cabs that I've built, but they are ungodly heavy.
Click to expand...

Yeah, it's kind of heavy, but out of the car and onto a cart, the wheels do the work. I still use it for slab on most of my dance gigs. It's indestructable. One of the best buys I ever made, thanks, Mike!
 
#11
I agree with Mike Arnopol's observations about woofer Qts; box size for a given woofer also usually has a comfortable "middle ground" range. One minor note - Beyma is from Spain. The large Brazilian manufacturer is Selenium. I regularly use Beyma compression drivers in products I build for a different audio market, and have used one of their neo woofers in a custom guitar/bass guitar speaker.

Mike, do you know of any bass cab manufacturers using Beyma drivers? Just curious.
 
#12
Sorry, I forgot. I knew that Beyma was Spanish. No, I don't know any commercial guys that use them. The "G" series are very good for bass guitar and double bass. I've used nearly EVERY driver known to man. I have old blown Altec , Gauss and RCF drivers laying around. I also like the British ATC and Volt drivers. They're not Neo's. I actually haven't found a Neo that I like with the exception of the EA's that are in transmission lines. For me, NEO's don"t have enough control. The transmission line seem to have a very nice symbiotic relationship with the neo's. The cabinets that I built have adjustable ports, which I thought was a cool idea. I would tune the ports very low ( 30hz ) in not-so-big boxes. Because of this you have to EQ the low end up a bit, but the impact and speaker control are better. Maybe I'm just and old fart who doesn't want to lift heavy stuff, but I love the EA gear. They just sent me the prototype of the new Doubler amp and I'm knocked out. I love my Micro 300, but this sounds MUCH better. Maybe it's the extra headroom.
 
#13
Mike, thanks for replying.

There's a Michael Arnopol who played with Patricia Barber.... any relation?

Very, very interesting that you low-tune like that. I've done it in other applications because I like the way it sounds - quick and tight sort of like a good sealed box, but with more extension, and you have a much wider choice of woofers than with a sealed box. I agree that adjustable ports is a cool idea, and do it in most of my home audio speakers.
 
#15
Wow. Well now, how do I not sound like an overexcited schoolboy here?... hmmm.... okay, I think your playing is magical and you've been helping me sell home audio speakers for years. And my wife thinks you're awesome.

It is an honor to meet you.

There, I hope that wasn't too over the top.

I gather from your posts above that you either do, or did, manufacture cabinets tailored for double bass. Couldn't find anything about your cabinets on the internet - is there a web page or something you could point me towards?

Thanks.

Duke
 

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