Ampeg BSE 4x10 HLF Issues...

This is going to be a long post so hang on. I use an SVT-4 Pro as my gigging amp. When I need big sound I use my Ampeg 8x10....heavy! So for smaller gigs I thought a 4x10 might do the job. I picked up a used BSE4x10HLF cheap and it sounded okay until you run some power to it. I was getting speaker farts at low notes on the E string especially a fretted A or B. So I bought four new Eminence Legend 4ohm 200W RMS speakers and installed them. They are supposed to work in ported or sealed cabs. It works a little better but I still get the flapping or farting noise. I then blocked the ports on the cab and that seemed to help some but it still occurs....so I am wondering if a 4x10 is the right way to go? I am running maybe 4-5-6 hundred watts at playing volume. I have played with the settings, used active/passive basses and it seems to help going passive. I have no such issues using the 8x10 at very loud volumes, but it is a hassle for a small venue and it scares some club owners!
I was looking at Hartke 4x10 1,000 watt rms cab, along with other brands. I was trying to keep the weight down. I really like Ampeg stuff but the only cab they have that is rated above 800w is the Neo cab for big $$. I wonder if it would handle the juice? Anyone have experience or advice on a solution?

 

Thanks for the replies. I just want to be sure I don't buy another 4x10 and wind up with the same issue. I am looking at a Gallien-Krueger Neo 410 4x10" 800-Watt Bass Cabinet w/Horn 8-ohm.... The other thing is if I could limit the low freqs to say 50Hz and above it might be okay. Still experimenting before spending $$$

 

Well, outdoor the 8x10 works well. Did I say anywhere that I needed 800 watts in a 4x10? When I get the volume up around midway the problem starts....5-6 I guess. We play Classic Rock....not sure what works for others.

 

So I have an update....I did a lot of research on porting bass cabs and fond some very good info on the Eminence site and also some calculators online. Plugging in the speaker info from Eminence I was able to determine that the existing ports are way off!! Ampeg you would think would know how to port a cab. So what I would up doing was to re-port the cab based on the above information. According to the port calculator the existing ports would need to be 24" in length to tune a cab to 35Hz which is the speaker rating! I had already made blocking from PB to turn it into a sealed cab so I cut the tubes into them. I did six ports using PVC pipe of 1 1/2" diameter each one 7.5" long and wow!! No more farts while playing the notes that caused massive speaker/fart excursion prior. The tone is good and tight so now to a rehearsal on Thursday to give it a work out. So far I am pleased with the results and not having to toss this cab! If it goes well at rehearsal I will post some pics of the porting.

 

Just for your info it did this with the factory Eminence speakers....that is why I replaced them with 2oow rms Eminence speakers.

 

In my initial post I said I replaced them with 200w rms Eminence drivers wired in parallel/series for a total of 800w rms capacity. Still a 4ohm cab. looking for headroom....not to run at 800w......turns out it is all about tuning the cab to the drivers.

 

As you said tuning is everything!

 

Okay....dude.