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8x10 VS 2x15 CAB

8x10 or 2x15 cab?

  • Total voters
    190
#61
Datsgor said:
O

Oops, I calculated an 8x8 .....oh well. My apologies for the bonehead math.
Click to expand...

It hardly matters; the actual displacement differs so much from driver to driver and on the amount of surround (which is a considerable reduction in radius for 8" speakers) and on how the speakers react close to Xmax and the porting and... it's fun to do the math though isn't it? I mean, assuming the actual radiating surface loses 1" of radius for 10s but 1.5" radius for 15s, you actually have 12" and 6" speakers respectively for 226.08 vs 226.08" (OMG exactly the same I did not expect that) of total surface area, so the actual handling of Xmax and box loading makes most of the difference, as well as the amount of internal speaker volume lost to speaker magnets and hardware.

Whoa, they're the same.

I personally prefer (old school) 15s over (old school) multi-10 cabs because of the (usually) reduced high frequency response and correspondingly increased weird resonances around the cutoff frequency. In other words, the fun of old school 15" bass speakers is that they sound kind of honky and bad in a fun way (Mesa, certain Peavey drivers, etc). If they sound honky and bad in a bad way, I prefer 10s.
 
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#63
I have both. An Aguilar db810 and I have two rumble 1x15s that both sounds great, the Aguilar is immensely louder, but also I’m currently selling it, just don’t have any need for how loud it is and I’d rather keep the 115s for being easy to move, I have a winding staircase to take them down. I had a custom built 2x15 with a long throw tweeter that sounded incredible. With that being said I prefer my acoustic 371 over anything. Not too heavy, lowest lows you can imagine produces sufficient highs with the brite switch on and it’s by far the loudest single speaker cabinet I’ve ever heard. That folded horn 118 inch design is amazing, really don’t know why that isn’t still a staple in cab design.
 
#64
I used to run a cab with two EV 15Ls. 800 watts capacity. Simply crushing tone and unbelievably loud. I then ended up with an SVT. Huge sound, smoother than the 215, and of course very very very loud. I then used nothing but a 410 Goliath for years.

Time marches on.

I have a 410 and 2 115 SWR Golights, which I can run singly or in a stack. All three are full range, and they sound great as a stack (the 15 puts some mids in that the 410 doesn’t have). I also can run two 115 cabs. I frankly like the tone of the 410/115 best. Nothing but great tone from both cabinets, very loud, and perhaps most important these days, very light.

I don’t usually bring more than 1 cab, the 410 can handle most gigs by itself, but it’s nice to have the option.

Don’t let the “no mixed cabs” crew put you off at least trying it. They’re ignoring decades of use of stage, studio and PA gear that mixes different size speakers, and it has never killed anyone. Or even sounded bad.

And to answer the OPs question: 810. Without a second thought.
 
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#66
I've had a few cabs with 15's in them from a few different manufacturers, but I've never really liked them compared to cabs with 10s or 12s.

As far as I'm concerned, the cabinet voicing makes up the difference compared to different drivers. The deepest sounding cab I've ever used a lot was an Ampeg HLF heritage with four tens. It just had a huge bottom. I like the punchy sound of the Ampeg 810, and that's what I think of when I hear or see the words 810. Of course I would pick these over a 215 cab unheard and as a general assumption.

Right now my "most used" speaker cab set up are Gallien Krueger neos. I run a sealed 410 on the bottom, and a ported 212 cab on top. I actually prefer this to either the two 410s or 212 cabs. The 410 adds a nice midrange punch, where the 212 cab has a unique voicing I love, which is a little deeper and not as tight. They are just enough different they compliment each other in a good way. I do run a little dirt on the top cab and leave the 410 clean, working off different sides of a power amp. I can dial in the right amount of each cab and it's a great sound. Of course many will tell you it's not as good as matching cabs, but I like it.

This weekend I will actually be using my 810 cab for a bigger outdoor event, so it's always good to have choices. Both the 810 and 215 cabs are great choices, and with a talented manufacturer, either can and will sound amazing.
 
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#68
I'd take a Sunn 2000s 2x15 over any Ampeg 8x10 I've ever played, but I'd never generalize as to unspecified 2x15 to 8x10. I have played some absolutely terrible 2x15s, same with any other speaker/size combo. I will say, I have generally preferred any 15" cab to any 10" cab, but there is no unifying characteristic behind either. And maybe take my opinion with a grain of salt, since I also like guitar 4x12s for bass.
 
#69
Chris 'Wighat' Jordan said:
I used to have strong opinions about this, but now I know I can get a good sound and enjoy playing through either given a quality product. The classic 810 is a sealed cabinet without a lot of low bass, but a 215 would (most likely) be ported and (most likely) have significantly more low-low. Obviously there are exceptions.
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Chris makes one of the more important points in the thread; 810 cabs are more often sealed, than ported & 215 cabs (and 115 cabs) are more often ported than sealed.

Sealed 810s have that magic overtone / harmonic thing going on which makes 40 Hz seem to be louder than the actual frequency response of the cab at 40 Hz.

A ported 215 will likely have a better actual measured frequency response at 40 Hz than a sealed 810, but the human ear takes the harmonics of the 810 into account and may favor the 810.

It's really an interesting comparison in both specification talk & real world application. I've always preferred the ported cab sound so I voted 215, but I've had both. To me, the 810 was a letdown. I think I expected too much just because it had 8 drivers I thought it should move the world. It just didn't do as well as I anticipated.
 
#70
I had 2 Pro Isovents so I had 4x15 and 410.. I chose 2 15 over 810.. but I'd love 2 4x15 and 2 810's or if I want a small gig 2 1x15 and a 2x10 mic'd. 15's have more high and low mid 10's have more highs and lows I use distortion. and 4 bands eq Hpf lpf limiter. compressor. a 2nd harmonic generator.. I've learned to separate your cabs out.. if you it's really important to have multiple types of cabs.. a rack rider had a time phase syncing ability for speakers.. most are too lazy to do that though.
 
#71
ANY combination of Wayne Jones will BLOW away ANY of the aforementioned options.

Wayne-Jones-AUDIO-MelbGuitarShow4.jpg


Just sayin'... :woot:
 
#72
Figure out what sound you want.
Figure out what size/weight of gear you want to haul.
Figure out your budget.
Get as close to optimal in all three at once.

If you want a deep, rumbly, low-end cab, buy a ported cab.
If you want a tighter, punchier sound, buy a sealed cab.

If you want a cab that is easy to haul, has wheels, and is tall so you can hear it, buy an 810.
If you want a cab that is lighter overall, but probably doesn't have convenient wheels, and doesn't stand as tall, buy a 215.

Remember that sealed 810s and ported 215s exist. Don't judge sound by driver count/size.

Edit: I voted 810 because I honestly 100% believe they're easier to haul. Wheels, handles, slide rails, all in one piece. My fender weighs 97 pounds.
 
#76
Would depend on your style, tonal preferences, tolerance for moving heavy cabs, budget...

All things being even, I’d vote for the 8x10. I owned a Mesa/Boogie 2x15 cab for years and it served me well, but I discovered that I preferred the multiple 10” speaker sound for its faster response (at least to my ears) over the 15” speakers. I traded that Mesa in towards an SWR Megoliath 8x10 that I loved but never really got to crank, and eventually after the SWR was traded away I got myself an Ampeg Heritage SVT & marching 810e...which was THE old-school tone I had been searching for.

This all being said, I’m now a HUGE fan of 12” speakers (particularly Bergantino and I was honored to become a Bergantino artist!), so it may be worth opening up your scope of consideration to and 2x12” or 4x12” cabs you may find. I personally feel like they sort of “split the difference” between a 15” speaker’s deep rumble and a 10” speaker’s quick response.

Again, YMMV, IMO and all that jazz.
 
#77
The world of bass cabs has changed.

Instead of 215, 2 x 115 cabs
Instead of 810, 2 x 410 cabs
Instead of 115 x 410, 115 and 210 for balancing power
Instead of 115 and 210, 210 x 210 for powerful but modular system.

There is a newer category that's really catching on: 2 x 112 cabs. Modular and much more powerful than in the past.
 
#79
alaskaleftybass said:
The world of bass cabs has changed.

Instead of 215, 2 x 115 cabs
Instead of 810, 2 x 410 cabs
Instead of 115 x 410, 115 and 210 for balancing power
Instead of 115 and 210, 210 x 210 for powerful but modular system.

There is a newer category that's really catching on: 2 x 112 cabs. Modular and much more powerful than in the past.
Click to expand...

Yes, I'd definitely go for 2 1x15s or two 4x10s. The total weight may be more, but it's easier to get two cabs into a car, and pack them efficiently, and you can choose to leave half the rig at home. Personally I'd go for 2 1x15s are there are more lightweight 1x15s. For example, mine 1x15 is 30lbs. I should probably get a second 1x15 at some point, but I would have to toss the chair out of music room and sit on the cab - there's not much space left. And then I don't know where the chair would go.
 
#80
Skullheadrac said:
Alright, from my understanding the most common preference is a 4x10 cab with a 1x15 to accompany it. What if you could only choose between an 8x10 and a 2x15? No horns with either.
Which would it be and why?
Click to expand...
A
Skullheadrac said:
Alright, from my understanding the most common preference is a 4x10 cab with a 1x15 to accompany it. What if you could only choose between an 8x10 and a 2x15? No horns with either.
Which would it be and why?
Click to expand...
Dont forget about the 610, that is the perfect cab!
 
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