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ampeg 1510 pairing

JWP

JWP

Aug 19, 2012
148
0
#1
Thoughts on stacking a portaflex 115he on top of an ampeg svt 1510 powered by a pf500. I prefer playing through the 115 but there are times the single cab is just not enough. I was going to buy another 115 (maybe the 115lf) but i have the 1510 sitting at home gathering dust. I messed around with pairing the cabs and they sounded fine but not sure if it is good for the cab in the long run. If it is a decent match...would it be better to cable from the 115 to the 1510 or to use
both outputs from the pf 500. Apolgize if these are dumb questions....just trying to sort this out...
 
#2
The 1510 is a 4 ohm cab, the PF115he 8 ohms. Even if it was a good idea, which it isn't, it will not work in a PF500 as it has a minimum impedance of 4 ohms, and a 4 and 8 ohm cab will equal 2.67 ohms.
 
#3
Thanks for the quick reply Jimmy. Looks like it is time to order that second 115! I do remember a thread in this forum with someone doing a pretty nice mod on a 1510... Might mess around with that a bit.
 
#5
I'd sell the 1510. Surely the 10" driver has some lows cut from it in the crossover (a "quasi-3-way" configuration) which has never made any sense to me. Many 2x15 PA cabinets are the same, one of the 15s has less lows because otherwise the cones would run out of excursion. It's a BS tactic to seem more powerful, but really it just makes the mid frequencies that are easy to produce easier without making the harder lows any better.

Selling the 1510 should afford you a second 8-ohm 1x15. I'm of the opinion that a 4x10 beats 2 15's, but since you're already invested...
 
#6
Thanks for the advice all. And it is intersting to read the strong pro/anti 410 cab opinions on TB. Personally I am not opposed to the 410s. It is just at my age...I like the portability of the pf115 and for the most part...a single 115 is enough. Just every now and then...and extra 115 would be useful.
 
#7
410's have their place. They are a great way to get a powerful cab in a not-huge package, and good ones do sound quite good. But I prefer two 210's in a vertical stack, and I doubt I'd ever buy another 410.
 
#9
Tuned said:
I'm of the opinion that a 4x10 beats 2 15's, but since you're already invested...
Click to expand...

It not a hard and fast rule, it boils down to "It depends". There are a lot of factors that play in to how loud a cab can get (Max SPL), how loud a cab is with a given amount of power (Sensitivity), and how low a cab can go (displacement/cab design and tuning). Are there 410's that have a higher max SPL than some 215's? Yes, but the opposite is also true. Are there 410's that go lower than some 215's? Yes, but once again the opposite is also true. Are there 410's that are more sensitive than some 215's? Yes... but you get the picture.
 
#10
Tuned said:
Many 2x15 PA cabinets are the same, one of the 15s has less lows because otherwise the cones would run out of excursion. It's a BS tactic to seem more powerful, but really it just makes the mid frequencies that are easy to produce easier without making the harder lows any better.
Click to expand...
That is not correct. Actually the opposite is true. Often only the upper of the two fifteens cover the full range up in the mids and "meet" the frequency response of the horn. The lower fifteen is crossed over a couple of octaves lower, reinforcing the low mids and bass region.
This configuration will provide less "interference" and higher intelligibility as the higher, more directional frequncies are only transmitted from one source, not two.
The reinforcement point of the lows is also useful due to the drop in sensitivity in the lower frequencies for a typical PA enclosure. Google "baffle step" for further data.
 

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