Hard to believe the PF115 and PF210 are not ported - to my ears anyway.
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Ampeg Portaflex PF-115HE vs. PF-210HE
- Thread starter terribilino
- Start date
Just wondering If anyone's using these with other heads rather than Ampegs. I'm only asking because when I plugged my Fender 100t into the pf115 expecting to be further astounded by this little wonder, was disappointed to find it sounded woofy, overloaded and lacking in. clarity. I then plugged the 100T into my Fender neo 410 at the same settings and once again it became smooth and started to ooze with goodness. Seems odd because I had the head set in 25 watt mode with bass, middle and treble set @ 666 and gain and volume between 7-8. I was quite astonished that the pf115 didn't seem to handle the output of the 100t, even though pretty cranked on the pre amp, the power stage was only in 25 watt mode. I also found this unusual because when I was cranking my pf350 through the pf115 it once again sounded spot on. I was hoping to use the 100T with pf 115 as an option for different styles and rooms thinking there would be no issue mixing and matching. Anyway, just thought I'd give it a mention.
For sure. I was really thrilled with mine when I first got it, but lately I've been leaning more towards "regular" or more typical sounding sealed cabs. SVT 410he is the bees knees. And I recently nabbed a new SVT 212av - which is ported - but sounds tight and defined all over. So go figure! Ported cabs seem to have the sitgma of having a blurry low end, with not as much tight punch in the mids and high end. I guess you can never really assume anything.
You've got alot of types of gig coverage with that cab lineup for sure! When I want to go with a more typical sealed sound, I use my 2 SVT210AVs. They also sound great with the PF350.
On occasion I'll run my Aggie Tonehammer 500 with the PF 210. Works great, IMO. I will say however, I think that the PF amps and TH amps have a lot of tonal similarities. I can get a very "tubey like" sound out of the TH. I do prefer the TH with the 210AV cabs though.
I just got my new PF500 + PF210 and love it for the 3pc I'm ready to start playing out with. Question is, if I add another 210 or even a 115, will that noticeably add volume? I'd like to try to back off the power a little as I've noticed in practice I'm hitting the red zone but I haven't actually overloaded her yet. Not sure how the addition of a 2nd cabinet combined w/ the change in resistance will work in the real world. I know it'll look great but will I be any further ahead "sound" wise?
Oh yes. You get a significant boost in wattage as well as air movement.
OK then---I ordered a 2nd 2x10 yesterday. Thanks to all for the input. Cheers !!
Been rockin both cabs with pf800 for a year now and no complaints at all! A
Far from flimsy. I gig my PF210 flip top frequently and have never had a worry. I did have to replace the foam seal around the top opening of the cab after about two years of use (not a big deal), but those latches are solid.I bought a PF500 today (get it wednesday) I had a good look at a PF210 cab in the shop, are the catches substantial enough for everyday use, they looked a bit flimsy to me, I did think they looked nice and compact though.
I had the PF500 and the 115 and loved it. I also wanted (not needed, but wanted, it was plenty loud) another cab, tried another 115 with it and a 210, and to my ears it sounded better with the 210 on top of the 115. So that's what I ended up with, and for over 2 years now have had no regrets.
Regarding the latches. I have noticed a bit of play creeping into mine after about 3 years of use. I'm pretty sure this is because having limited boot space I transport my cabs on their side, so I have to lift them and swing them in, obviously I support as much as possible to minimise the load on the handle but there will still be a side load on the latches. Not overly concerned, when they get too bad I don't see any major issue to change them either for originals (if available) or maybe source some stronger after market versions
Got another noob question: Got my shiny new 2nd cabinet, so now have a pair of PF210HE's, to go with my PF500.
Hooking them up, what's the way to get max power ratings?
Looks like I can run a 1/4 speaker cable from head to cab #1, then run a Neutrik cable out to cab #2?
If I understand ohms, daisy-chaining cab#1 to cab#2 would present the head w/ a 4 ohm load, which would limit the 500W rated output to 350.
So would running cable-to-cab twice using the two outputs result in an 8 ohm load?
Thanks !
Hooking them up, what's the way to get max power ratings?
Looks like I can run a 1/4 speaker cable from head to cab #1, then run a Neutrik cable out to cab #2?
If I understand ohms, daisy-chaining cab#1 to cab#2 would present the head w/ a 4 ohm load, which would limit the 500W rated output to 350.
So would running cable-to-cab twice using the two outputs result in an 8 ohm load?
Thanks !
When you use both cabs, it doesn't matter if you run each speaker out from the PF500 into each cab separately, or if you daisy chain from one cab to the other. You will have a 4 ohm load either way, and you will be running your head at 500w. Only if you use one cab will you drop the wattage to 350. One cab is an 8 ohm load, and the higher the load, the less power it will put out.
Thanks JimmyM! Glad to hear that, especially considering a 3ft Neutrik Speakon would apparently cost at least $40... crazy!!!
Good Lord I'm in the wrong business!
Two Neutrik brand (the only kind that should be used) ends are $8 shipped for a pair. Add $2 worth of speaker cable and you saved $30. Speakons are much better than 1/4" because they are heavier duty, they are locking, they handle more current, and they don't short out when you plug/unplug them.
Amazon.com: Neutrik NL2FX 2-Pole speakON Cable Connector: Musical Instruments
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Digging up an old thread... I'm wondering whether either of these two cabinets (in particular the pf115he) will have a tendency to be boomy when paired with a pf-50t in a 10' x 15' room. This room where I normally practice is fairly cluttered but has a ceramic tile floor. In fact, the whole house is wall-to-wall tile, which is typical for South Florida. I currently play through a GK 10" combo, which checks all the boxes but leaves me rather cold. I'm GASing for some tube warmth!
The PF210he goes a lot lower than the 210he, so you can expect that it could lead to boominess with two. However, it might be just the thing you're looking for. I used to have two of them, and it's a warm and somewhat controlled kind of low end but it can be a bit strong if you're not into that low end response.
I presume you mean that the 115he goes lower. I saw a comment on another thread that it has a tight low-end response, which is basically what you're saying. And that sounds good – at least in theory. I'd like a cabinet with an equally punchy low- and mid-response – not too boomy and not too mid-forward. There is a Guitar Center an hour north and south of me; I should see if either location has one or both of these cabinets on the floor. But it's difficult for me to carve out enough time for such a trip lately. And the only way to know for sure whether either cabinet would sound good in my space... is to try them out in my space.
On paper the two cabinets don't look that different. I've seen a lot of comments in different threads about how similar the two HE's are, but also a number of comments about how the 115 has a bigger bottom end and/or the 210 is tuned higher. A 112 might be a nice compromise – but then perhaps the 112av, as the 112hlf rolls off much sooner than the 210he (again, on paper). I assume that the Portaflex cabinets are a better match for the pf-50t, but I really like the way the AVs sound in the AmpegTV demo of the 112av and 212av played through the V-4B and haven't heard any demos that show off the 112hlf nearly that well. And I especially like the demo by Musikmachen.de playing both the 112av and 212av through a V-4B. That sound! Only the 112 was mic'd, (I digress) but is it really possible to run an 8 ohm and 4 ohm cabinets simultaneously through a V-4B?
As a relatively low-powered 110, the GK MB110 is perfectly fine for practice; it gets the job done. But I find the overall sound to be mid-forward almost to a fault. 7UP comes to mind: Crisp and clean – no caffeine
Switching to flats helped somewhat. But I recently came to the conclusion that in order to get the sound I'm after... well, as they say: You can't get there from here, you've got start from somewhere else.
It is tight but it still goes pretty low. Don’t ask me how they got a sealed cab to go that low but they did.I presume you mean that the 115he goes lower. I saw a comment on another thread that it has a tight low-end response, which is basically what you're saying. And that sounds good – at least in theory. I'd like a cabinet with an equally punchy low- and mid-response – not too boomy and not too mid-forward. There is a Guitar Center an hour north and south of me; I should see if either location has one or both of these cabinets on the floor. But it's difficult for me to carve out enough time for such a trip lately. And the only way to know for sure whether either cabinet would sound good in my space... is to try them out in my space.
On paper the two cabinets don't look that different. I've seen a lot of comments in different threads about how similar the two HE's are, but also a number of comments about how the 115 has a bigger bottom end and/or the 210 is tuned higher. A 112 might be a nice compromise – but then perhaps the 112av, as the 112hlf rolls off much sooner than the 210he (again, on paper). I assume that the Portaflex cabinets are a better match for the pf-50t, but I really like the way the AVs sound in the AmpegTV demo of the 112av and 212av played through the V-4B and haven't heard any demos that show off the 112hlf nearly that well. And I especially like the demo by Musikmachen.de playing both the 112av and 212av through a V-4B. That sound! Only the 112 was mic'd, (I digress) but is it really possible to run an 8 ohm and 4 ohm cabinets simultaneously through a V-4B?
As a relatively low-powered 110, the GK MB110 is perfectly fine for practice; it gets the job done. But I find the overall sound to be mid-forward almost to a fault. 7UP comes to mind: Crisp and clean – no caffeine
