AudioKinesis Cabs Part VI...

[tombowlus]

Based on what I've read here, I'm thinking that the Powerhouse vibe is closer to the 1203 than is the Scout vibe. But how close? That I do not know.

+1 absolutely.

 

[dmrogers]

FWIW, the PH112's are going to be more similar to the 1203's than the GS112's. The GS112 is a famously mid-scooped cab, and the 1203's are anything but. The PH112 is definitely between the two of them.

Absolutely! The 1203 and GS112 are like night and day. Imagine the adjustment one has to make when going from a GS112 to the 1203.

I do find it much easier to dial in a great stage tone with the 1203 as opposed to the GS cab. Most of the time, the Monique EQ is straight up (minor adjustments). Play with Sensitivity a little. With the GS cabs, I always found myself really bumping the mids. A LOT!

 

[GregC]

FWIW, the PH112's are going to be more similar to the 1203's than the GS112's. The GS112 is a famously mid-scooped cab, and the 1203's are anything but. The PH112 is definitely between the two of them.

Absolutely! The 1203 and GS112 are like night and day. Imagine the adjustment one has to make when going from a GS112 to the 1203.

I do find it much easier to dial in a great stage tone with the 1203 as opposed to the GS cab. Most of the time, the Monique EQ is straight up (minor adjustments). Play with Sensitivity a little. With the GS cabs, I always found myself really bumping the mids. A LOT!

Gents: Any way to characterize the mid-forwardness of the 1203s? Emphasis on upper mids, lower mids, or...?

 

[dmrogers]

Gents: Any way to characterize the mid-forwardness of the 1203s? Emphasis on upper mids, lower mids, or...?

I don't know how specific I can get. To me, it seems like a fairly wide range as far as the mid character. I think it has a lot to do with the 3" driver. I also think the clarity of the cabs make a big difference in the presence of the tone. If I had to specify a range, I would say low-mid through upper-mid.

The transition from lows to mids to highs is smooth as well. I think that makes it hard for me to specify exactly which mid range is prominent I don't really hear a "bump" It just has a pleasing mid forward voicing that is very musical.

For instance, although the GS112 cabs are great cabs, you can easily hear the mid-shy nature of them. Big, prominent lows, decent highs, and a sunken mid section. Like I said earlier, no matter which head I use with the GS cabs, the mids are really cranked!

See, the 1203 cabs are huge sounding compared to their size. They are very clear even when I am pushing them with Monique with the Sensitivity bumped up.

With the 1203, so much emphasis is place on being a mid forward cab, I think the overall balanced tone is overlooked. It has plenty of lows and highs. However, the lows never get flubby. And the highs aren't like a tweeter high. This cab does not have a sterile, brittle sound.

When using the Tone Hammer, even though it is voiced somewhat "old school" the cabs still exhibit a clarity and presence that is very pleasing.

And all of that is said without consideration of the mid and high switch. Change one or both of them and you have a different tone!

I play a Precision 95% of the time, so I dig that mid character. Even when I'm playing my Jazz, I mostly use the front pickup only.

I don't know how much this long winded post helps. I honestly don't mean to sound like an Audio Kinesis fanboy, but these cabs are totally pleasing to me. I haven't even thought about another set of cabs since owning them. "If" I ever purchase another set of cabs (which is entirely possible) the 1203s aren't going anywhere!

I hope this helps.

 

[nutdog]

What he said.

 

[tombowlus]

I don't know how specific I can get. To me, it seems like a fairly wide range as far as the mid character. I think it has a lot to do with the 3" driver. I also think the clarity of the cabs make a big difference in the presence of the tone. If I had to specify a range, I would say low-mid through upper-mid.

+1 That matches what I hear as well.

 

[GregC]

I don't know how specific I can get. To me, it seems like a fairly wide range as far as the mid character. I think it has a lot to do with the 3" driver. I also think the clarity of the cabs make a big difference in the presence of the tone. If I had to specify a range, I would say low-mid through upper-mid.

The transition from lows to mids to highs is smooth as well. I think that makes it hard for me to specify exactly which mid range is prominent I don't really hear a "bump" It just has a pleasing mid forward voicing that is very musical.

For instance, although the GS112 cabs are great cabs, you can easily hear the mid-shy nature of them. Big, prominent lows, decent highs, and a sunken mid section. Like I said earlier, no matter which head I use with the GS cabs, the mids are really cranked!

See, the 1203 cabs are huge sounding compared to their size. They are very clear even when I am pushing them with Monique with the Sensitivity bumped up.

With the 1203, so much emphasis is place on being a mid forward cab, I think the overall balanced tone is overlooked. It has plenty of lows and highs. However, the lows never get flubby. And the highs aren't like a tweeter high. This cab does not have a sterile, brittle sound.

When using the Tone Hammer, even though it is voiced somewhat "old school" the cabs still exhibit a clarity and presence that is very pleasing.

And all of that is said without consideration of the mid and high switch. Change one or both of them and you have a different tone!

I play a Precision 95% of the time, so I dig that mid character. Even when I'm playing my Jazz, I mostly use the front pickup only.

I don't know how much this long winded post helps. I honestly don't mean to sound like an Audio Kinesis fanboy, but these cabs are totally pleasing to me. I haven't even thought about another set of cabs since owning them. "If" I ever purchase another set of cabs (which is entirely possible) the 1203s aren't going anywhere!

I hope this helps.

Thanks! This is exceedingly helpful.

 

[GregC]

+1 That matches what I hear as well.

Have you used yours with any tube amps, Tom?

 

[tombowlus]

Have you used yours with any tube amps, Tom?

Not the 1203's, but I have used the 1855 with tube heads, and it was very, very nice.

 

[Mystic Michael]

I did not have the PH112's at the same time as the 1203's, so I have not done a direct comparison, but I do have a PH212 and I also still have a pair of prototype Subway 1x12's in my hands, so I can try and compare those cabs to the 1203's. It won't be directly on point, but I should be able to extrapolate a bit.

While I haven't played/heard a PH212, I have to believe that the voicing is going to be very, very similar to a pair of PH112s. Wouldn't you think?

MM

 

[Mystic Michael]

The transition from lows to mids to highs is smooth as well. I think that makes it hard for me to specify exactly which mid range is prominent I don't really hear a "bump" It just has a pleasing mid forward voicing that is very musical.

With the 1203, so much emphasis is place on being a mid forward cab, I think the overall balanced tone is overlooked. It has plenty of lows and highs. However, the lows never get flubby. And the highs aren't like a tweeter high. This cab does not have a sterile, brittle sound.

Based on my admittedly limited experience thus far, I have to say that, for me, the smoothness and balance of Duke's cabs are probably their most attractive features, at least from a sonic standpoint. The difference between the Audiokinesis smoothness & balance, relative to the uneven "peaks & valleys" of most mass-production cabs, is a little like the difference between a bass with consistent, predictable and even response all over the neck, relative to a bass with dead spots and hot spots.

The smooth, balanced response of high-quality cabs allows you to EQ purely for timbre & tone, rather than EQ'ing to get around problem frequency bands, just as a bass with consistent resonance and response all over the board allows you to choose playing positions purely on the basis of musical criteria, rather than selecting certain positions in order to avoid problem areas of the board.

MM

 

[dmrogers]

Based on my admittedly limited experience thus far, I have to say that, for me, the smoothness and balance of Duke's cabs are probably their most attractive features, at least from a sonic standpoint. The difference between the Audiokinesis smoothness & balance, relative to the uneven "peaks & valleys" of most mass-production cabs, is a little like the difference between a bass with consistent, predictable and even response all over the neck, relative to a bass with dead spots and hot spots.

The smooth, balanced response of high-quality cabs allows you to EQ purely for timbre & tone, rather than EQ'ing to get around problem frequency bands, just as a bass with consistent resonance and response all over the board allows you to choose playing positions purely on the basis of musical criteria, rather than selecting certain positions in order to avoid problem areas of the board.
MM

I couldn't agree more. You see, and quickly learn to appreciate, small things such as what Mystic Michael explained in the quote above. His statement is very true.

 

[Aroneng]

Not the 1203's, but I have used the 1855 with tube heads, and it was very, very nice.

How does the 1855 compare to the 1203? What's your opinion of it being a single cab for larger venues?

 

[tombowlus]

While I haven't played/heard a PH212, I have to believe that the voicing is going to be very, very similar to a pair of PH112s. Wouldn't you think?

MM

I'll give it one very, but not two.

 

[tombowlus]

How does the 1855 compare to the 1203? What's your opinion of it being a single cab for larger venues?

They are very distinct from one another. I posted some notes about this comparison earlier. Let me see if I can find them.

 

[dmrogers]

They are very distinct from one another. I posted some notes about this comparison earlier. Let me see if I can find them.

Tom, I believe these are the notes you are referring to:

Comparing the 1855 to the double 1203 stack, the 1855 has tighter, slightly bigger, almost growly lows. Very nice, and very addicting! The 2x1203 stack is a bit more warm/round down low, with more bloom. This can also be very nice in the right situation, and some folks will certainly prefer this kind of low end presentation.

Moving on to the midrange, this is where the meat of the story lies, and it'll take some time to suss out the details. At first, the 1855 sounded more lean in the mids, but I think this is just the lower to middle mids. It is definitely more articulate and more present the upper mids. The more I played around, the more I felt like the 1855 had more peaks and valleys in the mids and the 1203's were more consistent and balanced. One big caveat is that this initial round of testing was all done from a seated position a few feet in front of the cabs. I am guessing that as I move around, the perceived mids (and the relative balance through the mids) may vary quite a bit.

The "high end" (which might technically be the upper mids, not sure on this one) between the two was probably their most similar feature. The 1855 is a tad more pure and clean, and the 1203's seemed to have more harmonic content through the highs. Both setups leave you wondering why you'd ever need a horn.

Now, things got interesting when I switched from my MTD 535 (a two-pickup, active bass) to my Carvin PB5 (a passive P-bass). The 1855 became much more burpy/growly and has a lot more upper mids. The 1203s were much more round and smooth by comparison. This was not a subtle transition, and I view this as a credit to the cabs' (both the 1855 and the 1203's) abilities to reflect the character of the signal being fed to them. In fact, the 1855 may be the best-performing cab that I have ever tried in this regard. First impressions can be misleading, mind you, but out of the gate, I was floored by its ability to just entirely transform its sound when switching instruments. The only potential downside to this is that if a player hears this cab at a GTG or demos one at home, unless he/she tries a variety of basses (and I'm guessing, amps) with the cab, they may not really get to know its capabilities.

Comparing the 1544 to the 1855 or the two 1203's, the 1544 just sounds boxy and thin. With the right head (something big and meaty), this cab can sound great – especially when you throw some overdrive at it. But when I compare it to your other cabs, I definitely prefer the 1855 and 1203.

When I was trying to make my decision on new cabs (which I eventually chose 1203s) I compiled a ton of info from you, Duke, nostatic, steubig and others. This info was very informative and really helped me narrow my eventual purchase!

 

[tombowlus]

Thanks for finding that for me!

 

[Aroneng]

Thank you!

 

[DukeLeJeune]

Sorry I haven't been around lately. Been swamped with home audio stuff, but now I'm taking a few weeks to get caught up on my bass cab orders. Thank you guys so much for your patience!

It really feels good to focus back on bass cabs now... feels like coming home.

Just put down a deposit for a TC115 AF!

Now the hard part...

Spanky's cab will probably be one-of-a-kind, kind of a bridge between worlds if you will...

It will be made from the last set of Widebody TC115 boards that I have, but it will be the first TC115 to use the new 4-ohm 15" woofer that was designed for the Hathor 15xx cab.

I also notice the website only has 115 in 8 Ohms. Do they not offer a 4 OHM 115 anymore? I know they used to because I briefly owned one 3 years ago.

I kept ten of the original 4-ohm 15" custom Kappalite-class woofers as spares in case of warranty claims, and still have nine left. So even though they're not advertised as available, I can do cabs with that original 4-ohm 15... OR, soon as I finish the crossover on Spanky's cab, we can use the new 4-ohm 15. The new one has a lot more upper-mid bumpage, which will be switch-out-able, so it will be the more versatile of the two; the original pretty much just does smooth.

So...... what's going on in Audio Kinesis land lately?

Anything new coming down the line?

My GAS will reignite if/when the new Hathor 15xx comes out.

I'm going to go ahead and spill the beans on the Hathor 15xx.

First of all, my sincere thanks to those of you who have been in on The Great Secret and haven't breathed a word.

It's a 1553. Five-inch forward-firing midrange, and three-inch rear-firing midrange, each in its own little open-format mid chamber. The 5-incher does the heavy lifting, and the little 3-incher just helps the cab behave closer to the theoretical ideal that I hear in my head. It is necessary? Nah. But I think it sounds a bit better, and it weighs almost nothing.

Think of it this way: You know how an open-back guitar cab sounds harmonically richer than a closed-back guitar cab? Well, this is like taking a step in that direction. We don't want the stage volume to get too loud, so the rear-facing mid is not as loud as the front-facing one. One nice benefit is, your band mates will probably enjoy the gig a bit more, I know I would.

Now so far all I've done is listen to a cobbled-together Frankenstein prototype; haven't actually gotten a gig-ready cab into my beta-tester's hands yet so there is the possibility of some refinement before it goes totally live, but these things will be happening in the next few weeks. I still have a bit of tweaking left to do on my end, but I'm fairly confident at this stage.

I appreciate you guys being patient with me, I know this cab is long overdue, but we're in the home stretch.

Duke

 

[Selta]

Oh, I see how it is Duke... go off, win all those fancy pants awards for home audio, *then* come back to us lowly bass players.

Sheeze, this guy. I tell ya....



Glad to have you back! Still absolutely loving my TC118... almost thinking of picking up a 2nd one for more of the same awesomeness.