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8" speakers?

T

Text_Edifice

Nov 28, 2005
22
0
#1
I have recently graduated from using a 1 x 15" cab to a 4 x 10" and am considering obtaining a 4 x 8" cab to make my (admittedly pretty simple) rig a little more portable.

I'm running a 100w tube head at 8 ohms and am after a funk / soul / R&B type sound.

Can anyone comment on the suitability of 8"s for this type of music, what sort pros and cons are offered by 8"s over 10"s and any advice / warnings as I shop around.

Cheers.

Text_Edifice
 
#2
iuse 2 eminence beta 8's with a fostex tweeter, its wired 4 ohm, and i pump 350 watts into it.

it sounds killer and is plenty loud. i plan on adding another 2x8 wiht 2 more beta's in her, but without the tweeter, for like a mini stack, i think it would be awesome!


any q's, pm me

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#6
Thanks for the replies! Can anyone hazard an attempt at describing the 'sound' of 8"s as opposed to 10"s?

I realise this depends a lot on the specific cab being used but am interested in what you think the sonic benefits of 8"s.

Cheers.

Text_Edifice
 
#7
from my experience, you don't lose lows when u get smaller, but u lose "thump" and that "knock you on ur ass" feeling.

however, for your style. it soundss like you would be better off with more of an articulate and punchy sound. you basically get a punchier, cleaner, faster moving sound. with plenty of mids and strong bass, just not "booming"

me, im not a fan of "booming" anyway.

and for small-medium gigs, the more articulate the tone the better.

my 2 10s are as large as i'll get. i may add a 38 or something as my second cab later.
 
#8
I saw TOOL on the las big tour they did a few years back, I had VIP tickets and was surprised to see that Justin's entire stage rig (from what i could see, and I was no further than 20 feet away) consisted of cab's loaded with 8's......and they sounded amazing. So, I guess it depends on personal preference, If your ears tell you you like it, use it.
 
#9
With eights your high mids will be more prominent but you will sacrifice bottom and percussion. In my opinion I think 12's are the perfect bass speaker. I'll take a 4x12 bass cab over a 4x10 or 1x15 any day! With 12's you get everything. :bassist:
 
#11
Thanks for the responses.

Portability is a big issue at the moment so a 4 x 12" cab isn't really feasible until I have my own roadie...

That said if I don't find a set of 8"s that I like I may go back to using a 15" for a 'portable' rig.

I kinda like 'physical' thump that a good 15" can put out but I'm not really a high volume player so the knock you on your ass feeling isn't really something I aspire too.

When using my 15" I tended to roll off the lows from around 60hz but found a slight boost around 120Hz provided a nice 'physicality' to my sound - ie. I could 'feel' the low notes (but not in the same way as you can feel a sub, more a resonance? difficult to describe sound in words so let's just saw I liked what a 120Hz boost and a 60Hz rolloff did for my 15")

I guess what I'm wondering is if a 4 x 8" will get that same 'physicality' (sorry about the terminology) or if it's unrealistic to expect that from the speaker size.

Obviously I'll use my own ears but if there's particular sonic characteristics that aren't going to be present due to the speaker size it'd be good to know as it's unfair to be looking for something that's not there.

Cheers.
 
#12
The Ashdown 4x8 is nice. Don at LDS build some very nice 8 cabs. I had a 5x8 of his I liked a lot.
Sgt Pepper, it has not been my experience that you must sacrifice some low end response or slammin percussive tone with 8's. My swr Henry 8x8 is *killer.* The box is tuned to 35hz, and it feels like it. While it's only rated at 480 watts, I regularly throw 1600 at it with no worries.

chef
 

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