Ampeg - Are You Listening?

[leemelone]

Jealous? We'll let you be pivot boy if you want!

Thanks but wrong team!

 

[The Regulator]

Do

Try the Mesa Traditional 610.

Looking for something that sounds similar to the SVT 810E without the size and weight, will this do?

 

[40Hz]

I thought it was called for. And darn funny.

Guess it's one of those YMMV situations.

 

[40Hz]

Just out of curiosity, what exactly is so wrong with a ported enclosure, if I may be so bold? Anyone?...Anyone?

 

[RoadRanger]

Just out of curiosity, what exactly is so wrong with a ported enclosure, if I may be so bold? Anyone?...Anyone?

Some are ported above the the resonant frequency of the speakers (fs) to give a "bump" to the lower fundamentals and reduce the size of the cabinet (AKA mud generators). A cab properly ported at fs should be flat in the low end. A sealed enclosure rolls off smoothly below about 60 Hz (and is smaller than a ported cab would be).

 

[JimmyM]

Some are ported above the the resonant frequency of the speakers (fs) to give a "bump" to the lower fundamentals and reduce the size of the cabinet (AKA mud generators). A cab properly ported at fs should be flat in the low end.

Some people think that. Others don't.

A sealed enclosure rolls off smoothly below about 60 Hz (and is smaller than a ported cab would be).

Not necessarily. Some sealed cabs are quite large, and some ported cabs are quite small.

 

[RoadRanger]

Some sealed cabs are quite large

None that I know of - I'm talking about high power bass cabs in particular and "per speaker", the 'fridge is pretty small per speaker. Non-ported cabs require a smallish volume to control the movement of the cones at the lower frequencies to prevent "farting". Smallish ported cabs tend to be "bumpy" in their response. All in general, YMMV, void where prohibited, etc .

 

[40Hz]

Hmm...I was just wondering. Because I tend to favor 12s and/or 15s fir my main stack - with maybe only a single pair of 10s (mine are ported btw) on those odd occasions when I feel they're needed. But I don't think I've ever used a 12 or 15 cab that wasn't ported in some manner. So I guess I can assume they were all properly designed? Because they sounded really good to my ears.

I'm also thinking of things like the Greenboy and fEARful cabs which are pretty much all ported (AFAIK) - and those had smooth bass to last for days - and tone to die for.

 

[10cc]

Just out of curiosity, what exactly is so wrong with a ported enclosure, if I may be so bold? Anyone?...Anyone?

They tend to be slower

 

[Chris 'Wighat' Jordan]

Because I have a SVT CL that puts out 300 watts into 4 ohms. If I run it with a single 8 ohm cabinet it reduces the power and or volume greatly and it's probably not a great idea to run the amp at that load long term.

What I was getting at is, why not 2 ohms? Get an empty 410 (you could even block off a ported one) and put some 8 ohm drivers in there. Lots to choose from. There may even be some 16 ohm drivers to choose from. Unfortunately you cannot wire four 32 ohm drivers for a 4 ohm cabinet load.

 

[peterpalmieri]

The simplest solution was stating in the beginning 2x 210av

 

[JimmyM]

The simplest solution was stating in the beginning 2x 210av

I love mine, but they're not as robust and they're a little down in the lows compared to the 810e. I've found boosting bass a tad helps a lot, but I really do think the better solution is the 212av.

 

[73jbass]

Do


Looking for something that sounds similar to the SVT 810E without the size and weight, will this do?

It sounds better than the SVT. I replaced a Heritage 810 with the Mesa ,and I'm glad I did.The low end is similar, but upper mid clarity is so much better than the Ampeg. And it's American made for about the same price.

 

[The Regulator]

It sounds better than the SVT. I replaced a Heritage 810 with the Mesa ,and I'm glad I did.The low end is similar, but upper mid clarity is so much better than the Ampeg. And it's American made for about the same price.

Thanks for the info, I'm looking for a big cab right now like a 610 or 412 that's not too big or heavy like the Fender Neo 610 or the GK Neo 412.
I was planning on pulling the trigger on one of those soon, but now I'm going to have to look into the Mesa.

 

[40Hz]

They tend to be slower

Ah! The "transient attack" thing...

That's true. But I'm not one for slap. (Dislike it really, but that's me.) So that's less an issue for the way I play and the types of music I prefer. I actually like a rounder and less in-your-face bass sound that the larger diameters give you. But my tastes are admittedly old fashioned. And I cut my teeth on an Ampeg B-15N which I still have and use. To me that will always be THE bass sound.

I guess some people tend to prefer the music and sound they grew up. Or at least I do.

 

[Korladis]

I don't know how anyone could ask for anything more than what my Ampeg SVT Heritage 410 can give in the low end. This Cab is fantastic and gives me everything tonally I could ask. Always get compliments for my sound wherever I play. I have it paired with my Ampeg SVT 3-Pro head and its tonal heaven.

OP was asking for low mids, not lows. The 810E has tons of low mid, but not as much low low, whereas the 410HLF has tons of lows, but is less prominent in the low mids. They're very different sounding cabs, really.

Why cant they make a switch on the cabinet that runs through some form of circuitry that enables you to switch between different ohm settings. Then we could set it however we need to based on our setups. Is this even possible? If so I guess that would mean they wouldn't sell as many cabinets. If it is possible how would one go about making a switch box that goes in between the head and cabinet that would all out you switch ohm settings? Seems with today technology it could be possible.

They could, but in this case it wouldn't work. Both the 410HE and the 810E are wired with 32 ohm drivers, all in parallel. Both are already as low in impedance as they could be. With a series/parallel switch like that, you could make the 810E 16 ohms and the 410HE 32 ohms. Neither option is particularly useful.

Since you have Ampeg's "ear" maybe you can push for that extra 8 ohm tap? Need a 2.66 ohm one too - three stacked 1x12's, Woo !

I would assume that a 2.66 ohm load is close enough to 2 ohms to work.

 

[beans-on-toast]

Every time I see the thread title I think of Pink Floyd's Is there Anybody Out There?

Pink Floyd Is there anybody out there - YouTube

 

[Alexander]

I'm really not sure why people don't want to believe in what the 212AV can do. It's one of those cabinets that just "works".

Whether I'm using one or two cabinets, I run my SVT 212 AVs with the tweeters off. Yes, it has ports. But it really does have similar tonal qualities to the 810 to my ears. It's clear to me that they designed this cabinet to get a certain sound, not to meet a specific specification. It is odd to me that two twelve inch drivers in a ported cabinet sound a lot like a mini fridge, but they do. And to me the resulting sound is what matters.

What I like most about the 212AV is that I can scale it up. When I add a second one it REALLY sounds a lot like a Fridge. In smaller rooms one cabinet gives me "that sound", just a little less of it. For a large room or an outdoor gig I can add the second cabinet for a great no excuses sound.

I too wanted that Ampeg 810ish tone in a smaller box and avoided the 410he because it was 8ohm. The day I heard about the 212AV, I jumped in my car and picked one up. I didn't care that it was ported. I didn't care if it had 12s in it. I didn't care if it had a tweeter (which I leave off anyway). To my ears, it gave me "that sound in a smaller box". Added a second one later and sweet baby Jesus what a rig that is with a big old tube head sitting on top. Warm Ampeg tone with a solid, controllable low end. May not make sense on paper, but try one and let your ears decide.

Oh yeah, they're cool as heck and pretty lightweight too - 66lbs compared to the 91lbs of the 410he. Lightest (non-neo) 212 I've tried...

 

[the dude]

A sealed triple chambered 610 without a horn is what I want from Ampeg.

Agreed.