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Anybody ever done a 3x15" setup?

N

nodestiny

May 11, 2009
75
0
#1
Hello! Long time reader, first time poster...

Im looking to build a custom cab for my newly aquired Mesa Boogie BigBlock 750 head. Currently I have a "Redline" 410 by carvin. I really want more... everything. Volume, low end, overall tone, etc. I want to build my own since I have all the tools and years of car audio and home theater experience.

This amp puts out max power at 2 ohm... but I really don't want to build for a towering monster of 4 15"s (at 8 ohm each, probably the 3015LFs). 3 would suit well, and offer a 2.66 ohm load (which would be close enough for me! Probably ~600+ watts still as amp is rated 750 @ 2, 550 @ 4.

Also, 3 15"s have more cone area than 4 12"s and almost the same as 8 10"s, so it seems logical for the money to go with 3 large drivers than spending the same or more on a bunch of smaller drivers.

Anywho, just wondering if anybody has done a setup similar to this. What is recommended for a mid and tweet? How about crossover, any suggetsions on that? (12db/oct most likely im sure).

Thanx for any advice, suggestions, etc.
 
#2
A pair of 3015LFs with a quality midrange will have a higher max spl through the bass range than almost any 8x10 (unless it was gigantic and used all deltalite 2510s or something nuts like that...and even then I would be dubious).

Your normal 8x10 will have around 100-150cc of displacement per speaker for a total of 1200cc (high end) -- a pair of 3015lfs will have around 1500cc of displacement.
 
#4
The old Kustom tuck n roll cabs had a 3x15 model, but they are few and far between. I knew a guy back in the day who had one, really big, boomy sound with stock CTS speakers.
 
#5
Back in 1967 my buddy built a vertical 4 x 15 Fender style cab that he had to stand on a stool to reach the top of. Technology back then was not what it is today, but it sounded OK, Just too damn big to haul. 3 15s will give you 45 total inches of cone, thus more than 4 10s, but I think the cabinet porting would have more to say about how it sounds than the radiating area. I do like 15s -- used 2 x 15s for most of my career, but now I'm a 112 convert.
 
#6
mccartneyman said:
3 15s will give you 45 total inches of cone
Click to expand...
Moot. What counts is displacement. Back in the '60s a JBL D130 had only 67cc of displacement, so you needed three or four of them. When the E140 with 320cc displacement came along you could do alright with only two. With today's Eminence 3015LF coming in at 846cc there's no need for more than one, along with a six or eight or two to handle the mids.
 
#7
To give some perspective on that 846cc, a 6x10 with all Deltalite 2510s (horrendously expensive! -- 4x the cost of a single 3015LF) would run you 882cc of displacement.

Also, a 6x10 with that many deltalites would have to be absolutely huge.

A more realistic high quality neo 6x10 with Basslite S2010s would sit at 840cc of displacement.

That's one Kappalite 3015LF with more displacement than a super expensive "900w" 6x10. :)
 
#8
I did three 15" in an open 42" inch tall cabinet in 1969... Of course it was a wierd impedence and I was driving it with a BASSMAN. It worked OK but not great. Looked nice, but that's not the same as super performance. BOB
 
#12
So I take it you aren't interested in treble or high mids? lol

I know high quality 15's will have a decent, broad range of sound, but I'd think smaller speakers would be punchier. 12's seem to offer better balance in general and a lot of the 12's I've seen will go pretty low as well. Obviously this boils down to w/e works for you because it's YOUR rig, I was just wondering why all 15's =/
 
#15
Danelectro had an amplifier line in the late 1960's called Coral that used a three fifteen inch speaker column for bass.The cabinet was actually 8 ohms.It used some Jensen Special design speakers that had a lot of sticky acoustic suspension along the edge.The amp head didn't sound great(solid state.Brittle & metallic sounding) but the cabinet sounded great especially when paired with a Fender Dual Showman head.

Danelectro also made a Silvertone version of this three 15 cabinet for the Sears department store chain.That came with a 100 watt solid state head.That cabinet didn't sound as good as the Coral.They used standard Jensen special design 15's.
I actually owned both of these whacky rigs.
 
#17
b_carville said:
Danelectro had an amplifier line in the late 1960's called Coral that used a three fifteen inch speaker column for bass.The cabinet was actually 8 ohms.It used some Jensen Special design speakers that had a lot of sticky acoustic suspension along the edge.The amp head didn't sound great(solid state.Brittle & metallic sounding) but the cabinet sounded great especially when paired with a Fender Dual Showman head.

Danelectro also made a Silvertone version of this three 15 cabinet for the Sears department store chain.That came with a 100 watt solid state head.That cabinet didn't sound as good as the Coral.They used standard Jensen special design 15's.
I actually owned both of these whacky rigs.
Click to expand...
WOW!! Another Coral owner! I was beginning to think I was the only one left in captivity!

My first bass amp in '69 was a Coral with a sealed 6x12" cab loaded with Jensens. Sounded great (best I can remember).
I don't recall Sears offering a 3x15" cab tho'....
Sorry for the derail....
 
#19
wow this forum moves fast!

rpsands - I think for the simplicity and future expansion, 2 of those 15"s might be the way to go. One thing to note is my math on displacement was done only on surface area and did not include xmax as that is much more variable from driver to driver. I have a single 3015LF on the way to try to beef up my 4 10 cab (though I have yet to be satisfied with a 410 + 115 setup in the past), but will replace the 410 with something else in the future... to be determined after playing with the 3015LF first.

gneiss_bass - The upside to the modular form is its easier to move several small chunks... but the way I look at it, it takes more wood and more weight overall to build 3 separate enclosures rather than 1 large one. Also, tilt the cab with corner casters and off you go... to me, it would be fine, though I do see your logic.

Mr_Sore_Fingerz - I am VERY interested in mids and highs ;) As I requested in my original post, "What is recommended for a mid and tweet?"

Anywho, ill play with the one and see what it does for me. Then Ill try a two 15" setup and see where that goes. Thanx for the advice guys.

Anybody have plans for a 2 15" setup already with a mid/tweet and Xover design?
 
#20
Once you get into the land of high-force 15" woofers with displacement like the 3015LF provides, you are not shedding much wood weight by going 215 - unless you wish to stint on bracing and proper porting that won't chuff even when driven to full excursion. And you should not do that - then you waste the ground-razing, ear-splitting potential these drivers possess.

To offset any gain in wood weight, it's easy with a 115 to do lightweight, unitized bracing and use 1/2" (12mm) plywood. A pair will ultimately prove more useful over many years as it also presents modularity for smaller gigs and jams (one fEarful 15/6 can go about as loud as a 810 cab and with more booty to boot, if you have the wattage!), keeping one at home while the other is at the rehearsal space, etc.
 

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