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Anyone rockin an 18?

B

BassOnTheSide

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Nov 14, 2011
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#1
Saw a couple old threads on the topic of 18's, but nothing recent. Is anyone out there using an 18" driver in their bass rig? I've done a bit of modeling, and a high quality 18" seems to have a lot of advantages (on paper) over say a 15 or a pair of 12's, but I'm curious about real world experiences. So, aside from the known dispersion limitations, I'm curious about the qualitative (sound/tone) differences anyone has experienced.

I'm not looking for responses from people with subjective opinions based on what they've read; I'm looking for responses from people that are either using 18's, or considered 18's and opted against them for some good technical reason or empirical result. Thanks.
 
#3
I will confess that I played around with my PA subs (Carvin) and luckily these had a switchable crossover so I set them to full range. I really was taken back by the upper frequencies that were present, the upper rolloff was well in my taste (3000-3500-ish range is my guess). I felt they had a noticeable "heft" to the high strings that i liked too. The only thing I didnt like was there were some notes that had an over-pronounced mid-rangy honk that was wonky that I have never got from any other cabs so that whim was short lived. That's all i got, sorry.........:)
 
#4
I loved the Big Ben. Mine had a Bag End 18" in her. Great stand alone cab. Also had a BagEnd designed 18 on an old bi-amp set up.

Old pics

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#11
I used to gig a Peavey PV118 cab that had a single 4 ohm 18" Black Widow in it (rated 250w ?). A completely different cab than the present PV118 sub cab. I liked it well enough. Most 18" speakers are designed for sub duty these days and don't go high enough for bass IMO.

OTOH the newer 15" drivers can go as low or lower than those old 18's - I have a pair of RevSound RS115's now.
 
#12
Yeah I have a couple Faital 15FH500's (awesome) and the 18" driver I have is the Faital 18FH500. It's not the fact that it can go lower that I like, it's that the output in the 40-50hz range is higher, and the sensitivity is good (99).
 
#13
I haven't ever played though an 18, but when I set out to build some cabinets 35 years ago I traded across the JBL line with maximum SPL per watt and low distortion being the most important values. After looking at sensitivity, power dissipation capability and excursion limits, I concluded that two 15's were more economical than one 18. This was consistent with, and explained, what I was seeing in large PA systems at that time. These days you can get sufficient loudness from just about any format, so you can favor any value you want - even "looks" - and make it work.
 
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#15
BassOnTheSide said:
Saw a couple old threads on the topic of 18's, but nothing recent. Is anyone out there using an 18" driver in their bass rig? I've done a bit of modeling, and a high quality 18" seems to have a lot of advantages (on paper) over say a 15 or a pair of 12's, but I'm curious about real world experiences. So, aside from the known dispersion limitations, I'm curious about the qualitative (sound/tone) differences anyone has experienced.

I'm not looking for responses from people with subjective opinions based on what they've read; I'm looking for responses from people that are either using 18's, or considered 18's and opted against them for some good technical reason or empirical result. Thanks.
Click to expand...
They have a huge disadvantage - lack of higher frequencies.
 
#19
I owned the Peavey 1810 for a short time and it was a beast for stage. Bi-ampable or full range, it had an 18" and 2x10's. I've always been partial to 18's since I first heard them, I'd like to get one of Duke's 18" AudioKinesis bass cabs.

@DukeLeJeune makes some killer 18" cabs and upgrades and experiments with many different formulas. He recently sold one to a member here on TB and the member is very happy with the cab. You said you would be using the 18" for a sub but don't dismiss the idea of getting a full range 18" like Duke's. Here's a page where one of Dukes customers talks about how much he loves his TC118:

AudioKinesis Cabs Part VI...
 

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