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Acme Low B2 Series II 4 ohms question

#5
Bassman8416 said:
Hey folks,
I am about to pull the trigger on one these used for $375 shipped. My thinking was to use it with my Eden WT550B for rehearsals and small gigs....like coffee houses etc...any thoughts?
I am getting a Fearful 215 for the big gigs with a Genz Benz ShuttleMax 9.2.
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It will work great, but I think you will find yourself wanting to bring the 215 even for the small gigs. :D
 
#7
Bassman8416 said:
Man, I couldn't have asked for a better guy to answer this...thank you Ken, your knowledge is greatly appreciated brother. Thank you Mr Packerguy as well.
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Just be careful. The Acme cabs are unique. They sound better the more power you put into them (within reason), and will sound great right up until you crease the cones or blow a driver. Just be careful and don't ask that cab to do more than it can. It is a deep 210 (very deep and full). It is NOT a loud 210. Used correctly, it can work beautifully for a jazz trio thing or whatever... even, fat, deep, smooth, accurate.
 
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#8
KJung said:
Just be careful. The Acme cabs are unique. They sound better the more power you put into them (within reason), and will sound great right up until you crease the cones or blow a driver. Just be careful and don't ask that cab to do more than it can. It is a deep 210 (very deep and full). It is NOT a loud 210. Used correctly, it can work beautifully for a jazz trio thing or whatever... even, fat, deep, smooth, accurate.
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Good advice IMO. I always recommend that when driving any cabinet hard and possibly well beyond it's practical output that a bit of caution is used. You may not hear any indication that damage is happening before it's too late. This applies to all brands.
 
#9
I played one of the B2s with a WT300 back when the Acmes first came out (and when I started playing a 5-string). Tonally, it's a great combination, and the Acme has a big, open, room-filling low end like almost nothing else. As others have said, it's really not a loud cabinet, but in the right settings it should do just fine.
 
#10
agedhorse said:
Good advice IMO. I always recommend that when driving any cabinet hard and possibly well beyond it's practical output that a bit of caution is used. You may not hear any indication that damage is happening before it's too late. This applies to all brands.
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+1 in general. For a number of reasons, you can get into more trouble with the Acme's than most other cabs. They are a bit disappointing with the 250 watts or so of 'thermal cab rating' power. Even Andy recommends about 50% more power than the driver ratings. These cabs can sound quite anemic without significant power, given the ridiculously low tuning (I believe they are -3db at around 37hz), but you can get into a bit more trouble (IMO and IME) than with other cabs, since these cabs don't seem to give you the 'warning signs' of some others (power compression, and in extreme cases, farting out).

Anyway, to the OP, as long as you don't push them hard, they are a unique cab that can work great in some low volume situations!
 
#11
Adding to the above and borrowing from Clint Eastwood:

"A man's gotta know his cabinets' limitations"

I've run the ones here hard at times but ALWAYS with a dbx 166xL set to be nearly inaudible. They are looking at one channel of a QSC 2402 per 4 ohm cabinet and Andy said "Be very careful" so I am. Last time I had "bass" this potent at the low end was an Acoustic 301 cabinet(18" Cerwin Vega W box).
 
#13
It's a great cab and a decent price. Keep your eyes peeled for a second unit. Run each off a power amp channel and you'll be good to go. I have two 8 ohm B-2's (one w/o mid or HF drivers) and can either go stereo / dual mono or daisy-chain w/ bridged amp output.

Riis
 
#14
I owned one for several years. Great design, quality and sound.
Adjustable highs & mids on the back.
Neutral sound, inefficient on SPL but the greatest
lows for my 5 string basses.
Nice cab, you won't regret it. Makes a great PA cab also.
Not the best cab for edgy rock sound.
 
#15
Bassman8416 said:
I am getting a Fearful 215 for the big gigs with a Genz Benz ShuttleMax 9.2.
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If you're getting a large fEARful, why not also get a fEARful 12/6 (with the Alpha mid driver)?
Compared to the Acme: It has almost as much low end, a fuller more pleasant midrange (to my ears/taste), is 15 lbs lighter, is much less akward to carry, and is only a bit larger than the B-2. And you don't need to worry about blowing the driver unless you put stupid power to it.

I put my 4 ohm B-2 on Craigslist immediately after the first gig with a 12/6.

I'm currently using a pair of 12/6s with a Shuttlemax 9.2.
 
#16
Zooberwerx said:
It's a great cab and a decent price. Keep your eyes peeled for a second unit. Run each off a power amp channel and you'll be good to go. I have two 8 ohm B-2's (one w/o mid or HF drivers) and can either go stereo / dual mono or daisy-chain w/ bridged amp output.

Riis
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I ran across an 8 ohm Acme Low B 210 today locally and was wondering if a Markbass LMII pushing about 300W at 8 ohms would be able to get decent volume or would a G-K Neo 2x12 (also 8 ohms) be a much better route, as far as cutting through with a three piece, mostly smaller room Honky Tonk band. Any advice?

I have other cabs to pair up with for bigger venues.
 
#18
I have a B1 and B2, which I drive with an AI Focus 2R (800W @ 4 ohms). Mostly I play upright (really LOUD upright), sometimes 4 or 5-string bg. If you want your rig to sound natural and not assume the function of tone control, you will probably be happy with an Acme B2. Obviously the tradeoff for extended LF response is efficiency and some have suggested that a B2 will suffice for low-volume gigs. I have found that the B2 is capable of going quite loud in a room that’s not too large, and can keep pace with drummers that hit hard. In larger rooms, well shucks, it’s only a 2X10 system to begin with. In my neck-o-the-sticks, most rooms that are too big for the B2 have decent PA systems so I bring the B1 and give the house a D.I. out. Some venues I leave the rig at home and just bring a D.I. In any case, I’ve not been let down or disappointed by the Acmes.
 
#19
Blueinred said:
I ran across an 8 ohm Acme Low B 210 today locally and was wondering if a Markbass LMII pushing about 300W at 8 ohms would be able to get decent volume or would a G-K Neo 2x12 (also 8 ohms) be a much better route, as far as cutting through with a three piece, mostly smaller room Honky Tonk band. Any advice?

I have other cabs to pair up with for bigger venues.
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As much as I'm an Acme fan, I lean more towards the GK Neo in this instance in terms of sheer volume. You're a little shy in the power dept (300 watts) to fully complement the B2 IME.

Riis
 

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