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Double Bass AI & Crazy8?

Dave Irwin

Dave Irwin

May 11, 2002
817
9
59
Alexandria, Ohio
www.afterhours.com
#1
I'm looking for new experiments cab wise, and was thinking about a 2nd crazy8 when the venue is a little large for 1.
My fav cabs for sound have been the AI's but I have had a problem with overdriving them to get to a volume that punches thru. So I'm thinking... (always dangerous) What about a Contra Crazy8 combo?
Getting warm fuzzys from the Contra's lows and the punchy mids from the Crazy8?

When even more is needed, I could go with my Clarus, Ten2EX, and the Crazy if needed.

I basically want to go with the least weight/haul possible without any compromise in tone - ofcourse :)
Smallest gig Crazy8 9lbs or Contra depending on how lazy I feel
Medium size Contra <20lbs + Crazy8
Oh my god I need a stack Clarus/Ten2Ex/Crazy8 or look out! Ten2Ex/MAS25

What yall think?
 
#2
I dunno. I've used either a Crazy 8 or Acme B1 with AI heads but it's been awhile since I tried an AI combo. IIRC, the B1 sounds similar to the AI combo but I know it sounds much bigger, fatter and punchier than the 8. The 8 is a great speaker for what it is, a ridiculously lightweight cabinet that sounds good. It's perfect when schlep factor wins. I do like the 8 atop a B1 so it might work.
 
#3
Thanks, never tried a B-1. I did do some testing and ran into something unexpected. I don't have a Contra to test with but I do have a Clarus and a Ten2Ex So I started trying combinations and whenever I added either the Crazy or the MAS25, I seem to lose lows.
It would make sense that I perceive this cause the mids from the smaller speakers took over, but it even happened when combining the MAS and the Crazy8! Each cab separately carried more lows but together, less.
I know clips won't present the whole picture, as the lows of the AI are felt as much as heard, but I made some anyway.
Any idea on why this would be happening?
Impedance shouldn't be an issue as no combination got down to 2 ohms.

If this is more than perception, it kind of kills the idea..
 

Attachments

#8
james condino said:
After trying out around 20 different cabinets and head combinations last year, I sold all of the rest and kept an AI head and ACME B1!
Click to expand...

Yep. I've been using mine at the shop with my iPod to play tunes. Nothing better to motivate me to plane another fingerboard than some good music played through a faithful system! The B1 is a fantastic sounding box. I hope you can find another one. I'm never selling either of mine.
 
#9
At 31 lbs, the B-1 is a little porky for me. I'm looking to have a scalable solution so I can go as little as 10lbs to 30 for the loudest venues.
I've got a Contra on the way so I'll have the option of the Crazy8 alone to the Contra to the Contra + MAS25 or even the Ten2EX.
Probably end up using the Crazy for rehersals, the MAS25 on the smallest gigs.
And yes, I know I have a problem.
 
#13
Dave Irwin said:
So it looks like I may have a polarity problem between the Crazy8 and other cabs I'd like to match with. Is it tricky or unwise to have the polarity reversed on a composite crazy8?

Thx
Dave
Click to expand...

Piece of cake. Just remove the grill, unscrew the driver and remove it. Spring loaded terminals. Maybe my screwup. Be VERY careful removing the driver. The speaker gasket can kindof act like an adheisve sometimes. If you have to pry it a bit, don't pry against the composite--it'll dent.. Sometimes I'll put a flat screwdriver in the speaker basket hole to pry it up a bit.

BTW---the 25 was designed to compete directly with the Crazy 8 as far as volume capabilities. I've found this to be the case---I've compared both side-by-side. Keep in mind---positioning of the 25 really acts like a bass control. In a room where you need more bottom, put it horizontally on the floor and angle it up. The MAS speakers respond very different in the low end with different positions---horizontal on the floor, vertical on the floor or raised.
 
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#16
Mike Arnopol said:
Piece of cake. Just remove the grill, unscrew the driver and remove it. Spring loaded terminals. Maybe my screwup. Be VERY careful removing the driver. The speaker gasket can kindof act like an adheisve sometimes. If you have to pry it a bit, don't pry against the composite--it'll dent.. Sometimes I'll put a flat screwdriver in the speaker basket hole to pry it up a bit.

BTW---the 25 was designed to compete directly with the Crazy 8 as far as volume capabilities. I've found this to be the case---I've compared both side-by-side. Keep in mind---positioning of the 25 really acts like a bass control. In a room where you need more bottom, put it horizontally on the floor and angle it up. The MAS speakers respond very different in the low end with different positions---horizontal on the floor, vertical on the floor or raised.
Click to expand...
thx Mike. will give it a try and update asap
 

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