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2x15 cab

edcars

edcars

Mar 7, 2008
360
394
houston tx
#1
hi guys,

just wanna get some info about 2x15 cabs. will they be good for a stand alone cabs? coz i think i read somewhere here that the 2x15 gets muddy compared to 4x10s.

im looking at an swr big bertha right now.

does anybody here have a rig thats an amp and a 2x15 only?

i tried to run a search and couldnt find any.

thanks
 
#2
I did for a while - I had a Peavey Mark IV with a Peavey 2x15 with Black Widows...

I had no problem being heard, but it wasn't the sound I was looking for...plus the fact that the cab had to be made out of concrete (I swear it was like 400 pounds...).

I'll just say I'm happy I don't have it anymore and leave it at that.
 
#7
I played through a 2X15 Acoustic bottom for almost 20 years. The first time I tried a 4X10 (mid-80's) I was amazed at how much clearer it is, at least on stage. I've never considered going back.
To be fair, a 1X15 is a handy stand-alone box for some purposes.
 
#10
I have a *gasp* Crate 2x15, got it in the paper for 150.00 15 years ago. I still use it gigging to this very day.
Clear tone, heafty lows and NOT heavy at all compared to other makers.

The Real Deal:

You need to play through that SWR or any other cab you are considering before you decide, don't you think. :eyebrow:
 
#13
Play a pair of 1x15's myself - Homebrew cabs.

To explain.....
I've compared them - to an Ampeg 8x10 fridge, a pair of 4x10's, 4x10 + 1x15, 4x10 + 2x12 and others. These cabs were all a mix of lab systems, Trace elliot, crate and ampeg.
For this mega test - I tried using three different amps - and ampeg svt2pro, an orange or120 and a Holden Wasp 200w slave (sansamp input).

I play a hotrod\modded Yamaha bass (musicman clone)

These were all tested at gig volume - with the tone settings on the bass set flat.

I found the 8x10 just didn't have that boom/pants flapping brutality that the 15's have in abundance. What a shame.
Before I get flamed for suggesting an ampeg fridge lacks bass, bear this in mind - it does. I tried 3 different amps, and the 8x10 just couldn't get a low B (or C for that matter) anywhere near the 15's.
The ported 4x10's from Trace were marginally better.....

At the end of all this - I still play my pair of 15's.
My homebrew cabs have more than enough bite/bark using such hot pickups as I do - so I never struggle to get the high end. To be honest - I turn the treble a bit down, and slightly boost the mids. Bass flat.

I guess it all depends on you.
Go try it out at GIG VOLUME. If you can't do that - don't buy it. Just my 2 cents. smo
 
#14
I played a Peavey 2x15 with Black Widows paired with a Mark VIII (and also a GK800RB) for years. I loved the sound of it, and only stopped using it after a car accident...and the revelation that no one else in my band at the time was strong enough to help me get it up and down stairs. ;)

I can't say my 2x15 ever sounded "muddy" to me - definitely a different animal than any of my 4x10's to be sure.

I would love to go back to 15's someday...and if I ever do I've got my eye on the 1x15 offered by DR Bass. :)
 
#16
edcars said:
hi guys,

just wanna get some info about 2x15 cabs. will they be good for a stand alone cabs? coz i think i read somewhere here that the 2x15 gets muddy compared to 4x10s.

im looking at an swr big bertha right now.

does anybody here have a rig thats an amp and a 2x15 only?

i tried to run a search and couldnt find any.

thanks
Click to expand...

I play through a Hartke vx215 cab powered by an SWR Workingpro 400. The muddy comparision I think is something that is left over from a few years ago as most cabinets now have much better frequency response.
 
#17
IMO the mud theory pertains more to older cabs. Newer, better designs have helped with this. I had an Epi UL115 that was great, but 15s are heavy and large and IMO are not necessary for good tone. I must admit I'd love to try the new Schroeder 215, though :-)
 
#18
Used to play through a 215 Crate box and a Peavey MegaBass head. It was actually pretty well-balanced...not boomy, with nearly adequate highs. If it had a horn, I'd have kept it. One thing I like about 10's and 12's is the immediacy of the sound. The 215 cab sounded "lazy" or "slow" to my ear after I went to an Ampeg 410HE. I ditched that one later as well, and am all-Schroeder now.
 

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