1x15 cab for soft and mellow music?

Standard answer is that speaker size does not (necessarily) dictate tone. You need to test some cabs. But what you are describing sounds like you need flat wound strings, which is the best thing for low end thump.

 

fEARful 15 sub;
straight wired, without the low-pass filter;

 

Also get a sponge!

 

fEARfuls are good if you are handy working with wood. Perhaps their 12/6?

 

One thing I don't believe you mentioned is what type of volume do you need.?
If you don't need much volume then you could consider some of the more economic Guitar Center cabs. If you like what you hear and you don't need a lot of volume then....
Do you see yourself using a horn or tweeter in a cab?
I've found neodymium speakers tend to be a little more gritty as opposed to iron or ceramic magnet speakers. And also horns/tweeters can add grit in some cabs.

 

my Eden D115 is a master of this tone....mellow , warm , handles E thru G string notes with ease and clarity....and with a name like Eden you're already 1/2 way there, spiritually

it is older and discontinued , but around look for one

( it rocks out too, without breaking a sweat)

 

IME it's always easier to make a punchy cab sound smoother than the opposite, so you might want to leave yourself some room on the top. Personally I seem to have gravitated towards 12's and compact 2x10's for my flats. Though I've had plenty of 15's in the past. All personal preference as to what you like, though.

 

The 15sub issupposed to work in tandem with a 15/6 cab, so it is designed with a low-pass filter to attenuate higher frequencies. However I built mine without the filter, and just use my amp to control everything. I have a separate 8" driver that usually takes everything above 300-800 Hz, but sometimes I just turn it off and solo the 15. It sounds to me like what you want. If I set the 15sub with a 30-500Hz bandpass, it sounds really good by itself.

 

I have zero knowledge, info or experience with any of the AI stuff, so I can't really say much that's going be based on anything. But I will say that I am a fan of amp heads and cabs from the same family. My guess is that they use one to help design/develop the other and that probably counts for something. Not to mention if there are eve any issues/questions it's all in the family.

 

For what you are looking for (low volume, mellow) the Markbass 115JB should be near the top of your list. You might also consider the Fender Rumble 115 cab (you can turn off the horn). Produces a full, mellow tone from a light, portable cab. A custom, 3 cf sealed cab loaded with a Beta 15a would also do well.

 

Mesa Boogie Subway 1X15 is a great sounding light weight cab. I love mine by itself or paired with the Subway 2X10.

 

Check out the barefaced 10" range. These are exactly what you describe.
They are ridiculous in terms of size, weight and volume.

And another good shot would be Aguilar's DB series cabs. 112, 212 or 115.

 

The only reason I can think of for you needing to "move some air" would be if you are playing larger venues. For smaller gigs ( less than 100 people) I use a single EA Wizzy 10. For larger gigs I use a single EA Wizzy 12. They are light and sound great. Lots of long excursion speakers can get low and loud without needing to be too big.

 

the cab specs will give you a better idea than the actually speaker cone size ...

if a cab has a tweeter , make sure it has an attenuator of some type ... volume , or on/off switch ...

i prefer a Front port ... versus a rear port that needs to bounce off of something before you'll here it ...

i would also want something that is efficient , for a low volume setting ... something that doesn't require being pushed hard to get the low freqs ..