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2 1x15's or 1 6x10?

This rig sounds great AND fits in the trunk of my wife's Camry.
 

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I have had both setups. To me it's been simply 10 give tighter and punchier response. 15 boom more. I think the power and cleaness of tone is based alot on the amp you use and how it's set up. Tastes change. I started 15", switched to lots of 10”. Migrating back to 15”. This is over the last 25 years for perspective.
Yeah, that sounds like exactly what I'm doing, 15s to 10s and back to 15s ... for good :woot::D
 
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I've had great luck pairing this cab with Ampeg 212AVs. 1 (elevated) for normal/bar gigs. 2 for bigger bars or outdoors. Yes, it has 12s.

I've also played it with a Bergantino NV610. Very old school classic sound.

Edit, I've also played it with a Bergantino NV115. Sounded great, round, and full, but wish I had 2 of that cab.
 
I'm expecting a drop in volume, based on our last gig a little less volume would be a plus.
You do realize that your amp has a master volume knob you can always turn down if you find you're too loud right? And your bass should have a volume knob too.

Just because you wouldn't be as loud as you currently are doesn't mean the rest of the group will turn down to match. In my experience you always want to bring more than you think you need because eventually...you'll need it.
 
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You do realize that both your amp has a master volume knob you can always turn down if you find you're too loud right? And your bass should have a volume knob too.

Just because you wouldn't be as loud as you currently are doesn't mean the rest of the group will turn down to match. In my experience you always want to bring more than you think you need because eventually...you'll need it.

Yeah, the volume knobs work great until you have no more room to go down and still retain your tone and the sound guy is still saying the bass is too hot. I have the headroom for outdoor shows or bigger venues and ive used this amp in those situations successfully. However for smaller venues I wouldn't mind less speaker space. If that doesn' work I'll be looking at a smaller amp for those situations but as I love the tone from my ampeg is rather try this first. Just for kicks this is my old set up, fender tb. 1200 through my 6x10 on top of a 2x15. Talk about headroom. That being said the sound system that was supposed to be there took off after the band before us so we had to play with zero PA support aside from one mic for the singer.
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I wonder what's up with the current TB trend of hate for 15's. I suspect FUD (Fear, Uncertainty and Doubt). Perhaps penis envy. Bro. Stumbo, have you ever noticed how all the cone area calculations are based on diameter, ignoring the fact that speaker cones are cone shaped? Well, area of a circle is much easier to calculate that area of a cone :D

The problem with that logic is that a speaker is only a cone when it's stationary. When it moves it's a circle moving back and forth. It's a cylinder actually. That cylinder of speaker diameter times excursion is called the displacement or Vd.
 
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The problem with that logic is that a speaker is only a cone when it's stationary. When it moves it's a circle moving back and forth. It's a cylinder actually. That cylinder of speaker diameter times excursion is called the displacement or Vd.
Understood. However, the TSPs fail to explain how TB as a whole is quick to point out (a guessed) area of a cone based on the nominal hole cutout diameter specified by the speaker manufacturer :thumbsup:
 
2x15's will putout like 4x10's so you would need another 15 to have the same speaker area.

Actually 2x15s when you factor in that a 15 already has a bit more area than 2x10s, plus the fact that on average, a 15 will usually have a higher xmax (the other factor in overall displacement) than a comparable 10, are really closer to 5-6 10s. On top of that, 15s typically have a somewhat lower Fs (resonant frequency), which means they can be tuned lower. Notice I said comparable drivers. The "size means nothing" people will try to deny physics, but it DOES have various typical effects. These can be LARGELY (not entirely) engineered out, but that costs $$$ and time and ingenuity. And the system gets costlier and more complex as you try to go with smaller and smaller drivers to get the same performance. If you disagree, please go find me a commercially available 5" MI/PA driver with an Fs in the 40s or 50s with 300w of power handling for less than $150. I don't think you would be back from that expedition any time soon. But you can find 15s like that all day long easily. Because they're easier to engineer because you're not fighting physics. And they can still play up to 4-6kHz, which is plenty for bass for a lot of people. You would need NINE of those 5s to get the same displacement (assuming the same xmax).

Anyway, that Fender 6x10 should be fairly nice, I've used the 8x10 version a little. But 2 nice 15s could be great too. There's really no "right" answer, you really just have to try out some 15s and see if you like them as much or more as your 6x10. If you can buy a pair of promising 15s before selling your 6x10 so you can try them out for a while, that would be idea. I don't think I've ever even seen a picture of one of those 6x10s, so I doubt they're very easy to find. If that's been working for you, you have to find something that improves on that in a significant way before it's worth making a change.

But with a 100w head, if you're cranking to get some of that tube tone, but getting too loud, maybe what you need is just more of a downsize, like a 4x10 or even a 2x12.
 
If the question is which sounds better, I generally favor Nx10s over 15s. 10s are more responsive due to their size. 15s are 'billowy' and smooth. 10s also have wider dispersion, which helps get a more consistent sound across the room. Fewer speakers equate to less phase cancellation (minimal phase cancellation at this stage is best IMO). Drivers in closer proximity equates to less phase cancellation in mids and low frequencies. 15s often have extended lows, but 10s can kick out a lot of bass in a well designed cab (if you need/want that).

I don't need a ton of volume from my bass rigs (recording only). I typically use a 4x10 HLF and 1x15 for practicing and recording. Of the two, I use the 4x10 the most. The 1x15 is handy for smoother, more laid back tones. The 4x10 responds faster and has the character I prefer.

Therefore, I'd grab the 6x10 (of the two options you have presented).
 
Why not try the best of both worlds... 1 x 15" and 4 x 10" -
Personally, i prefer 15's as I feel like you get a better low-end phat bass tone! But a combination would give you versatility.
Plus you could turn up to a gig with either a 15 or 4 x 10...
 
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I've played with both types of setups. The bottom line is that multiple 10" speakers will move more air than a single 15. This is the sound that you create. Multiple tens will give you a broader frequency response as well. I use a combination of the two. When I'm playing outdoors and really need deep presence I use my Ampeg SVT !5E topped with an Ampeg SVT 410 HE. I'm using an SVT 3Pro head. When I'm playing indoors I go down to just the 410HE cabinet. Produces great bass and the horn gives me the upper register. Single 15's by themselves tend to be muddy sounding by themselves. The 410HE cabinet is very easy to haul around too! For practice I use an Ampeg MicroVR.
 
One person's warm is another person's muddy and, how a cab sounds on stage can be totally different from how it is perceived 20-30 feet away in the mix. To my ears, 10's are rougher in the lower mids than 15's. This roughness can help them cut in the mix better and I think 10's are a better choice in a dense mix (svt-8x10s). In a simpler mix like a trio however, 15's have a smoother warmer lower mid that (imho) sound better in a sparser mix (B15).
 
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OP. As you can see, there are strong opinions favoring 10's and 15's. This is due to personal preferences, current playing situation and limited experiences that made a lasting impression. Keep in mind that after you have worked with (played through) many 10's, 12's and 15's, that there is no identifiable tone characteristic consistently attributable to any given size speaker. Even dispersion differences do not consistently exist - nearly all of them are designed for controlled breakup mode operation in the upper mids and highs. Very likely, your most efficient path to success is to discuss your needs with a couple knowledgable custom cab makers and choose the solution that you most feel good about and is within your budget.
 
1. Speaker area does not tell the full story, you need to add the speaker xmax to the calculation.
2. I played through SWR 410 workingpro cabs and they would flap out. The Goliath series would not so there is a very practical difference between 10" cabs.
3. Gigging my Trace Elliot 2x15 made me realize that room acoustics have a lot of influence on your sound with 15's... At the mic stand in front of my stack I could often not hear my bass at all, elsewhere on stage I could so I ditched that cab. No more 15's or larger for me! I do not have these problems with 10's or 12's.
4. 12" cabs have been rapidly gaining popularity for a reason. They sound tight like 10", are less prone to flap out and mostly they translate the midrange frequencies better so you are more audible in the mix without having to be overly loud.

Ergo: avoid 15" and have a look at lightweight 2x12 cabs. Mine does a whopping max 134db measured at 1m distance, across the frequency spectrum. This should be more then enough for most stages.

Wait, you're going to make accurate statements about displacement being part of the equation and not all 10s being equal...

... and then immediately follow that up with inaccurate blanket statements based on driver size?
 
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Why not try the best of both worlds... 1 x 15" and 4 x 10" -
Personally, i prefer 15's as I feel like you get a better low-end phat bass tone! But a combination would give you versatility.
Plus you could turn up to a gig with either a 15 or 4 x 10...
Ummmm
Nup. 15s don't all sound the same nor do they necessarily sound lower. ..deeper than a cab with 10s.