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Anyone using 8" Speakers?

#2
Playing? Yes. Gigging? No. But I used to gig a Henry 8x8 all the time. Huge low end. Would even run it with a 300 watt Shuttle and be asked to turn down (for what?). ;)

A 4x8 setup could work if your volume needs weren't as big or if you had FOH support.

Obligatory:
72032D8C-D54A-4688-9689-89D731F07E0C.jpg
 
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#3
Neon Blues said:
Anyone gigging 2x8's or 4x8's?

Any volume issues?
Click to expand...

It totally depends on the drivers that are used.

Years ago a build a 4x8 with Eminence Alpha 8a's, nice mids 'n lows but it couldn't go very loud(limited xmax).
One and a half year ago I build a 1x8 with an Oberton 8mb201 in a horn-reflex cabinet, if the drummer isn't to loud it can keep up pretty good (low volume jazz/funk with a 4-string is not problem). If I would build a 4x8 with this driver it would get as loud as most 410's and even louder then el cheapo 410's.
 
#7
Neon Blues said:
I recently purchased some Fender 2x8 Cabinets, they sound great but I haven't had to push them too far. Anyone gigging 2x8's or 4x8's?

Any volume issues? Tonal differences as compared to 410's? Thoughts? Regards.
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Volume issues? Depends on how loud you want/need. Depends on which 8s you use. If you use Faital Pro 8PR200s, you'll be louder than probably just about any commercial offering using the same number of 10" drivers.

Faital Pro 8PR200 Speakers - Faital Pro 8PR200 mid-bass, bass
guitar speaker and subwoofer 8" speaker that has a lightweight neodymium magnet
- Faital Pro 8PR200 400 watt 8" efficiency of 95dB SPL woofer for all high
power mid-bass applications. Fa

Tone? Again, all depends on which drivers. Different 8s sound different. Different 10s sound different. Sorry, but pretty sill question, actually.
 
#8
I have an Ampeg SVT48HE, which is a 4x8+tweet closed cab. Its a really sweet sounding cab. (Although I replaced all the drivers as the stock Polycone/rubber surround original drivers were only 200W. I blew one cranking my carvin, so I actually just replaced them all with MCM Chinese 8"s that were rated higher. Now it plays LOUD, can handle 300W program, and is great single cab for low to moderate volume gigs.) Be aware, 8"s on their own cannot generate super low frequencies, and that has been the complaint of many small driver naysayers. SWR Henry cabs used huge front ports for the lower frequencies, but a 2x8 or 4x8 generally need a 2nd cab to go below 45Khz. Ideally, 8's are great as top end/full range of a BiAmp rig. That way you can run them in the sweet spot, and leave the heavy lifting of woof below 45K to a 2nd cab. Just don't expect room shattering lows from 8's.

Another great cab that has 8's is the Ampeg PR1528HE. Its got a down angled 15" + (2) 8's+horn, and is, again, BiAmp-able. But that 15 takes care of the woof, and you have a single cab that provides (2) 8's of clear punchy signal.

In regard to 4x10 vs (?)x8's...different animals altogether. 10's can create lower frequencies than 8's and if your running a full range signal (read: not biAmp, single cab, single head) many times 10's are more effective. Depends are your gigging requirements, weight of cab tolerance, and your ears. Personally, I love that SVT48HE..its a great practice cab, great for lower volume gigs where I don't care about having super low frequencies, and is 63lbs, with 4 casters. easy enough to move myself. And I like the sound of it WAY better than any 10" cans Ive ever owned/heard. IMHO.

Go 8's!!
 
#9
iualum said:
VIf you use Faital Pro 8PR200s, you'll be louder than probably just about any commercial offering using the same number of 10" drivers.
Click to expand...

That's an incredible potent little driver, I use the Oberton 8mb210 instead, it's half the price and will shove almost as much air(voice-coil overhang is the same). I know from my experience that even extreme cone-excursion don't make this thing fart :)
I use it in my horn-reflex cab Piccolo8, cab build for piccolo bass | TalkBass.com
 
#10
I gigged out with my EA VL-208's for years. That is still one of my all-time favorite cabs. My SWR Baby Blue II is still my reference combo, as well. I've played lots of different cabs with 8" drivers, and they have sounded fairly different from one another. As others have pointed out, it depends a lot of which driver you use, but also things like enclosure design, crossover, related components, etc. But certainly, there is no reason to steer clear of a cab with 8" drivers.
 
#16
Wow.....ok. I'm wrong. Got that opinion from a cab manufacturer, and tended to agree. He stated 5" or 8" drivers simply do not have the physical capability to create frequencies the 10's , 12's or larger drivers can. Your all referencing multi driver cab manufacturers that use 8's , or Phil jones that exclusively uses 5's. I've owned Phil jones cabs and have evidenced their lack of frequency response below 100k. Used them in an outdoor gig and the sound virtually disappeared after moving 10+ feet away, running 800w euphonic. I will accept I may be wrong, but my experience speaks otherwise, and I LOVE 8's. There's 6 in my rig, but I don't rely on them for frequencies below 100k, because I guess, my folded cab 15 is more pronounced in that range. iMHO....no malice here. And hey, maybe I'm just wrong....
 
#20
the " outdoor" (LOL) was a 30 foot wide by 12 foot deep stage truck. No walls, no covering. Basically firing the cab into open air in front of a crowd of 1000 or so. The reason I found the cabinet ineffective in that environment, was as stated. It was as If I had no rig once farther away than a few feet. The sound literally disappeared. I was running an iAmp 800 at 4 Ohms, and it was CRANKED. (sidenote; on indoor gigs, i noticed, no matter how many watts I pushed thru that PJ cab it NEVER broke up amazing how clean it stayed even when it was pushed to its limits. was a great monitor. despite lack of woofieness.) As far as trying another cab, I only had the one, so that wasn't an option.

Also, I really never intended to spark an argument, or create a debate. Just wanted to share my experiences.
 

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