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2x10" or 1x15"?

J

jbourke

Oct 30, 2007
15
0
Wellington, New Zealand
#1
Hi all,

I have been studying hard on a cheap, small combo for the last 18 months and now that I have upgraded my bass ('78 Ibanez jazz bass) I would like to upgrade the amp side as well. I was offered a 2x10" or a 1x15" cabinet (both without amp) and I would like to make the right choice. I will be using it for home playing for a while still but maybe the right funk/jazz band is around the corner :-) Since electronics is a hobby too I am thinking of building an amp myself, not sure if this is a good idea and/or if it will influence the choice in cabinet. From the outside the 2x10" is more portable and it used to have a mid range or tweeter but that has left for unknown reasons.

Your input is highly appreciated!

John
 
#3
I prefer a single 15" speaker in combos over two 10"s generally. My last amp was a 2x10" combo, and it always felt rather weak despite its 400W power rating. The 100W trace elliott combo I used before that (my dad's) seemed to provide much more bottom and it never let me down volume-wise. It had a single 15" speaker.
 
#6
How about both? Get your amp and take one or both to a gig, whatever fits the venue.
Funk bands can get pretty loud, especially with horns and such.

Just make sure the ohms match and whatever amp you're looking at can handle both cabs safely.
 
#7
I'm in the 10's camp as well. I like a very clean, hi-fi sound, not necessarily the ultra-modern mid-heavy tones you get with a MarkBass set flat, but well-balanced. 10s give a lot of punch, as in you thumb that bass and you can feel it hit you. 15s take their sweet time; the coil and cone are heavier so they respond more slowly, and that means less punch, more rumble. For the same reason, a 15 starts to suffer in the upper-mids.

Now, having said that, I also play a fiver, and if you want 10s to do the whole low-end thing, you need more of them. I play through 4 10s at the moment.

If you have the money, I'd see if you can have both. 2 10s and a 15 are a very popular combo; a little of both worlds.
 
#10
Liko said:
I'm in the 10's camp as well. I like a very clean, hi-fi sound, not necessarily the ultra-modern mid-heavy tones you get with a MarkBass set flat, but well-balanced. 10s give a lot of punch, as in you thumb that bass and you can feel it hit you. 15s take their sweet time; the coil and cone are heavier so they respond more slowly, and that means less punch, more rumble. For the same reason, a 15 starts to suffer in the upper-mids.
Click to expand...
No they don't respond slower. All speakers respond at the same speed. Rumble is more a function of the cab than the speaker. However, you are right that larger speakers don't distribute upper mids like smaller ones. But it has nothing to do with response time...it's because of beaming, where upper freqs are more directional in larger drivers.
 
#11
I think the 2x10 would be a more versatile cab than the 15. As previously stated you'll get more top end out clarity out of the cab than you would the 1x15. Also IMO/IME with 2x10's and 1x15s the 10s produce a more well rounded/balanced sound than the 15's do. What brand are these cabs you have offered to you?
 
#12
I'd say you made the right choice, if you can only have one cab for now. 2x10 is a higher fidelity unit. But 10's are less efficient down low, so they eat power. On the other hand they will usually handle a lot more power than a 1x15, so...trade off. Just make sure you've got plenty of power, at least 200 watts, to drive it.
 
#15
cassanova said:
I think the 2x10 would be a more versatile cab than the 15. As previously stated you'll get more top end out clarity out of the cab than you would the 1x15. Also IMO/IME with 2x10's and 1x15s the 10s produce a more well rounded/balanced sound than the 15's do. What brand are these cabs you have offered to you?
Click to expand...


Both are Peaveys, I am only sure of the 2x10 model: TVX 210

Cheers,

John
 

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