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810 louder than 215 cabinet?

Been playing an older mesa boogie cabinet with 2 ev15l's. Just got an svt2 and it not quite loud enough.

Just wondering if an 810 cabinet would work better with that head. I'm cutting back the bass some, turning up the mids a good bit and the treble a little bit.

I know adding another cab would be easiest but keeping it at one cab works best for hauling gear.

I think there are too many factors to just suggest that any 8x10 is going to be louder than a 2x15. I honestly believe it has less to do with the number or size of speakers, and more to do with the speaker's efficiency, the box they're in, and the room you're playing in.

A very efficient 2x15 could give an 8x10 a run for it's money... especially a newer ampeg 8x10 - I don't find them to be very 'loud', but they do sound pretty even volume-wise from bass to treble frequencies if that's what you're after.

When you say the 2x15 isn't loud enough- do you mean to say that your low E is thunderous, but no one can hear anything else you play?
 
810 louder than 215 cabinet?

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In most cases yes.

But not a huge difference.

Sunn used to make a 4x15 cabinet that would blow away an 8x10 cab.
 
Just did some basic math based on specs from Eminence.

Legend B810 in an 8x10 7.2 cf sealed cab - 100 watts = 124 db, 800 watts = 133 db.
f3 is 77hz, f6 is 65 hz.

Kappalite 3015 in a 2x15 5.6 cf ported cab - 100 watts = 123 db, 800 watts = 132 db. f3 is 65 hz, f6 is 51 hz.

Calculated using 10x power = 10db gain. 2x driver = 3db gain.

May not be perfect, but close enough for government work.

8 Legend B810s cost $600 and weigh 56.7 pounds. 2 Kappalite 3015s cost $600 and weigh 15.8 pounds.
 
I was faced with a similar dilemma. I love my old Boogie 215, and it still kills in the clubs, I have no problem taking it out still. But even while the EV15L's sound killer, they are limited on the low end. And it was becoming more obvious as I was playing alot more outdoor gigs than before.
The 2nd issue I was having was reliability. My old Boogie cabs were so old, one of the cabs- all the baffle boards were loosening...it was falling apart! (and it blew a 15L) I've restored it now, but facing the music, it was time for something new.

Went for the newer Boogie PH 810. Yes it is louder, higher SPL's, and is much more capable of throwing deeper lowend frequencies the old cabs couldn't think of doing.
Big trade off though...is the weight! The 215 I can lift into my truck myself all night long. The 810 I have to wait for help most of the time.
 
B-string said:
My trouble with the 412 is playing quiet, the master is barely on (G-K Fusion 550, dropping the input volume also).............:cool:

Thanks for the info. I just got a Fusion 550 to go with my Avatar B212. It is plenty loud but I might just get the GK 412 for those REALLY loud gigs
 
the trade-off being that the passive internal crossover sucks up some power.
It does? No, seriously, I'm asking because I don't know ;) Can you explain the process? Does it suck up a lot of power or just a few watts? A few watts I can handle. More than 100 and we'll have to talk, me and the crossover.

:bassist:
 
to OP

All things being equal, an 810 will be a bit louder than your 215.

BUt all things are not equal, and the biggest difference you will hear will be in the tone. a 215 will always sound different to an 810 and depending on your tastes and style of music, one will work better for you than the other (slight volume differences aside)

so essentially you won't just be getting your 215 sound you currently have plus a bit more volume by going to an 810... it will be a different sound all together

IMO/E
 
equal surface area of the cones does not imply they will be the same loudness. the efficiency does. if you have a 2x10 that is 95 db efficiency, and a 1x15 that is 101 db, the cone area wont matter, the 15 will be louder.
 
It does? No, seriously, I'm asking because I don't know ;) Can you explain the process? Does it suck up a lot of power or just a few watts? A few watts I can handle. More than 100 and we'll have to talk, me and the crossover.

:bassist:

i have read that about hifi speakers too. mostly in the woofer xover. poor quality inductor coils. even worse are the ferrite core inductors. air core inductors are the best. i have bought inductors for 8 inch woofers that weighed a few pounds with 14 ga wire,it covers your whole palm. but yet the inductors in some bass cabs that handle 500 watts look like a spool of thread with 18-20 ga wire. very lossy :(
 
It does? No, seriously, I'm asking because I don't know ;) Can you explain the process? Does it suck up a lot of power or just a few watts? A few watts I can handle. More than 100 and we'll have to talk, me and the crossover.

:bassist:

A few watts. It is a simple resistor/capacitor circuit. In a home stereo speaker system, that has multiple drivers and different shelving and crossover frequencies, THEN you get into some power hungry crossovers.
 
In most cases, 8x10 cabs will be louder in the mids, but not always, compared to 2x15 cabs.


Not to hijack the thread, but I have a GK Neo 2x12 and I'm thinking hard about what cab to compliment it with. I'd like to get a second one just like it, but maybe I'd need the volume of a 4x10. And if I got one of those, would I put it under the 2x12 or on top of it? It makes my head spin...
Get another GK Neo 2x12 and stack 'em vertically. That's the best you could do. Definitely, do not mix a 2x12 and 4x10.
 
Thanks dudes. No problem with other queztions gettin asked.

With the svt6 pro i could just run more power into cabinet. The svt2 though is only 300 watts so...

The ev15l are the right driver for the cabinet. There is plenty of low end response. Missing some upper mids i think. Will probably give an svt810 a shot. One for sale locally that might be good. Perhaps the 810 will just work better with the tube amp.
 
In most cases, 8x10 cabs will be louder in mids, but not always, compared to 2x15 cabs.



Get another GK Neo 2x12 and stack 'em vertically. That's the best you could. Definitely, do not mix a 2x12 and 4x10.

That seems to be the common wisdom. But at least I'll be able to try one out before I commit myself. In the end I'll probably pony up for another Neo 212.
 
A well designed passive xover might eat up a couple percent in terms of power which at the power levels we use (even you Jimmy:D) means nothing. A crappy one can lose a lot more but you're more likely to hear it as crappier tone and not just a little drop in output.
 
well i got the local 810
had to drive out to a small town, found some good beers that nobody over there drinks up i guess and also ate some pretty good barbecue...

the cabinet is an early 80's (mti ?), it has two handles in it instead of a towel bar on the back, big thick plywood and missing lots of tolex. paid 320, what sucks is the dude replaced the drivers around '05-06 according to him.
i pulled a driver and it has the ones jimmyM don't like...the 10324A and cone number was 415041
won't really know what i really think of it 'til we practice or play a show again.
 
I had a 1976 Ampeg 8x10 and a 2x15 with Eminence Betas. The 2x15 was considerably louder than the 8x10. Why? The speakers were more efficient. There's factors to consider other than surface area of the cones. Look at the specs on both cabs and factor that into your decision.

Lugging tons of gear sucks, but I can tell you that running an 8x10 AND a 2x15 absolutely SLAYS :)