2x15 or 6x10?

[mackinawpeaches]

I'm using a 575W (at 4 ohms) solid state/tube-pre hybrid head. For the past year or so I have been using it with an 800W 4 ohm 6x10 cabinet. Recently I acquired a 300W 8 ohm 1x15 cab and I must say I enjoy the tone more so than my 6x10. Maybe it's the larger driver, maybe it's the ported cab on the 1x15, maybe it's all in my head. All I know is I love it.

I am considering adding another 1x15 cab (for a total of 2) and ditching the 6x10 all together. Is this a wise move for a band that plays medium sized venues (200+)? Which setup will give me more headroom?

 

[ThisBass]

Which setup will give me more headroom?

The setup with more efficiency will give you more headroom.
But headroom is a very clear space between very short time signal peaks and max rms amp power.
Are you sure you'll get it?

 

[lowfreq33]

Short story is you'll get a little more volume out of the 610, you'll get better horizontal dispersion from the 2 15's. With PA support I wouldn't hesitate to gig a 215 setup. My rig is a 212, and it gets plenty loud.

 

[musicman666]

I have an Ampeg 610 hlf, 810e and 2 gk neo 15's..I too dig the sound of the 15's stacked better than the others. The 810e is definitely the loudest but I would say the 2 gk 15's are comparable to the output of the 610 ( comparable being the key word ). My GK'S are more mid focused as opposed to the 610 which seems a little mid scooped. The 610 hlf and Gk neo 15's are both ported so there is an enhanced low fr. response as opposed to the 810e ( not ported ) which has 'tighter lows'. If you can..get another 15 before you make a decision to ditch your 610..........Good luck!

 

[ThisBass]

If you can..get another 15 before you make a decision to ditch your 610..........Good luck!

+1

 

[LarryO]

I have a 610now. I have used 2 1x15s before. I liked the 15s better.

 

[musicman666]

^ Me too.

 

[Korladis]

I use 15" cab or a 2x15 for pretty much all my gigs. Play what you like, like what you play.

 

[Old Fart]

With all due respect to the 10" speaker craze that has apparently captured the world in recent years/decades, I suspect that a lot of bass players would be impressed by 2x15 cabs if they gave them a try. I just recently passed on a 610 in favor of a 215 because to my ear, the 215 sounds WAY better. Very different speakers, different manufacturers, etc. Apples and oranges, of course. I know there are some amazing cabs out there with 10" speakers. But seriously, if you guys heard these two cabs blindfolded, you'd SWEAR the 215 was the 610. Much more detail, crisper, more sparkle. Also no tweeter or horn. Just two good 15" speakers. Go figure.....

 

[musicman666]

I gotta agree with ya OLD Fart. I have played 10's exclusively for years until recently. I am really digging the tone of 15's now!!

 

[ThisBass]

if you guys heard these two cabs blindfolded, you'd SWEAR the 215 was the 610. Much more detail, crisper, more sparkle. Also no tweeter or horn. Just two good 15" speakers. Go figure.....

Conclusion:
probably a 1x18 cab is the big deal

 

[Lowactnsatsfctn]

I gotta agree with ya OLD Fart.

This made me laugh

I love 15's. Id say on average, a 215 is much lighter than a 610 and even a bit lighter than a comparable
410 in some cases.
The height matters also. If you're a tall guy, (I'm about 6'5) the taller cabs seem easier to move and its nice to have your amp up closer to you.
Weight the pros and cons. Dispersion matters, but with a PA, its not a big deal. Tone, portability and volume play in as well, But until you get a chance to A/B them, I wouldn't get rid of either

 

[mcm]

2 by 15 all the way

 

[elshunko]

Not to throw a wrench in things but if you're going that big, have you considered 4/12 or 2/12?

 

[FretlessMainly]

Theoretically, you'd have more headroom with the 6x10 since the 2 15's would (or, more correctly, could) both be running near their rating (assuming they are both rated at 300W). But this all depends on your style of play as well.

For what it's worth, the 6x10 has a considerably larger speaker area: 471 sq in for the 6x10 to 353 sq in for the 2x15s, so you'll move about 30% more air with the 6x10. But how you move it depends on the cabinet configuration, speaker size, etc.

So, the bottom line is that if you like it, you should do it. Another nice thing about the two 1x15s is that in a small gig setting, you can just lug 1x15 around. FYI, I now prefer 2x12, having been a 4x10 guy for ~10 years.

 

[gregwatts2008]

In my early years, I used a 2x15 cab. As I searched out my tone over the years, I came to the conclusion that a 6x10 cab is much more articulate than the 15s. There are so many variables that go into a "better" sound. I push my 6x10 SWR with a GK 2001 RB and the basses I use are all active. This works for me.

 

[Tim1]

Bergantino NV215. Two fifteens and a six inch drver, sealed cab. Finest cab I have ever owned, bar none.

 

[tinman 1967]

Just so happens that I just came home from picking up my second OBC 115 from UPS. I finished hooking it up to a Shuttlemax 12.0. Im running both amps, 8 OHMs per cabinet for a total of 750 watts.
I have not been able to give her a thorough shake down yet as my son is sick with the flu, and my wife is sleeping.

I did play for a few minutes at very low volume. I cant believe the fullness of these cabinets together...
My vote goes for the 2 115 set up. Like was said before, you only need 1 at small venues, but both together makes me a pretty darned happy bass player!

 

[Russell L]

2 x 115 is the cat's pajammas for me. I can take one, or two, depending. And lightweight. Sounds as good as anything I've played through, including an 810, IMO.

 

[Tuned]

The OBC115 uses a 400W version of the Eminence Legend CB158, 98dB sensitivity, usually another 1dB efficiency from a vented cabinet for 99dB for one cabinet, 102dB sensitivity for two.

The SWR GoLight 4x10 has 105dB sensitivity with the same 800W total power handling, meaning it's 3dB or 41% louder than two OBC115's, and weighs 10lbs less than _one_ OBC115.

No way I'm lugging 132lbs of bass cab when 56lbs outdrives it and sounds just fine to me. Who here really likes their 2x15 tone THAT much better?