AudioKinesis Cabs Part VI...

[kittywithabanjo]

I am working my way through the thread sheesh you guys talk alot

 

[John D Harris]

I am wotaking my way through the thread sheesh you guys talk alot

Don't forget 'Part I thru Part V'...

 

[Mystic Michael]

I am wotaking my way through the thread sheesh you guys talk alot

"Wotaking"? Uh, is that some kind of exotic Canuck term?

MM

 

[nutdog]

Several iterations of the thunderchildren but in general they are more clean and neutral than the hathors. The hathors use a mid instead of a horn and don't go as high or low (but plenty high and low) and are a bit smaller/lighter. Both cabs have port plugs/switches that change their characteristics.

Pristine production of bass/amp sound or for dual use as PA/home audio-TC. More traditional sounding bass cab with paper cone breakup in the high mid/treble-Hathor. Both hit way harder than their size.

I've said about all the positive things I can about the 1203 but I'll say it again... I love this cab.

 

[kittywithabanjo]

I am all thumbs here

 

[kittywithabanjo]

So one of each may be the winner.

 

[John D Harris]

The voicing switches & the port plugs make both series of cabs very versatile.
Aside from that, basically here's your choices:
ThunderChild - a clean slate that will faithfully reproduce what you feed it (with authority);
Hathor - punches well above its weight class & cuts through any busy mix with a slightly edgy attitude (but still eminently musical)!

 

[anderbass]

It's probably been said ad nauseum but how hard is it for Mesa to just double the power section on the walkabout?

I've always wondered if it's because a big part of the walkabouts magic comes from being able to overdrive its mosfet power section at lower volume levels.
Kinda like the same thing as playing bass through a 50 or 100-watt tube powered amp instead of a 300-watt...

 

[nutdog]

So one of each may be the winner.

On talkbass this is known as 'The Bowlus Doctrine'.

 

[Marial]

 

[Passinwind]

It's probably been said ad nauseum but how hard is it for Mesa to just double the power section on the walkabout?

It's probably just about as easy as doing that on a B-15. Link Removed

 

[tombowlus]

On talkbass this is known as 'The Bowlus Doctrine'.

My name is Tom Bowlus, and I endorse this message.

 

[DukeLeJeune]

So the Birdhaus 46 is going into actual production, eh? I never considered that such a small cab could have any utility for me...until very recently. But I've got this idea for a fretless bass + percussion duo to improvise grooves in low-volume venues, such as some of the downscale bistros and small bars around here, for which a Birdhaus could be ideal.

Got a selling price in mind, Duke? And are you allowed to reveal it, without violating TalkBass terms of service? (I know, I know, I haven't paid off my Hathors yet. Thanks for being patient with me. I'm working on it!)

Just curious...

MM

Sorry for the slow reply, was under the weather pretty bad for about a week or so.

I haven't figured out pricing yet. I'll need to build one to get a good feel for how long it takes, and I'll shoot you a PM or e-mail when I get to that point.

Yeah I think the Birdhaus 46 would work pretty well for anything improv where you guys really need to be able to hear one another well.

I would also like to find a 115 cab that is organic sounding without any additional drivers for hi Freq.. One that extends deep yet stays tight , doesn't get mushy and has low mid punch yet is smooth up to 4 or 5k that doesn't been too much.. Would be good to be able to handle power and . Some of teh newer gigs im heading out on require a rock tone but it needs to be clean and loud. Is it possible to do that and have it perform at least as good as a 410 in VOL?

On paper I've designed a tweeterless 115 that uses my custom 15" Kappalite (with 4/8 ohm switch and smoothy/growly switch), but its top end is more like 2.5 kHz (-4 dB, and that's just because of a local peak in that region; otherwise it's rolling off pretty fast north of 2 kHz). However from a little over 1 kHz to a little under 2 kHz it's up by about 5 dB average, so it has a nice growly in the upper mids - just not an extended top end.

While it's not hard to find 15" woofers that go quite a bit higher "on paper", in practice they're beaming pretty badly north of 2 kHz or so. If you want top end and dispersion in a 115 cab, it's pretty much gotta be a two-way.

I've been told that the Hathor 1505 is competitive with a 410 in volume level, and I don't think a midless "115 Tot" version would be muddy.

 

[alaskaleftybass]

I've been told that the Hathor 1505 is competitive with a 410 in volume level,

Dang! I'm just getting my second H1203 and now I gotta start sneaking money from the wife for the H1505! LOL

Hey @DukeLeJeune is there a chance we could get a sneak peek of the H1505?

 

[DukeLeJeune]

I dont know.... . I have no idea how that stuff works.. But i am willing to learn... This thread has LOTS of great info.... With friendly people willing to help.. Love it... Those listed specs say a 3015 is good to about 4k....
I may be reading it all wrong..

Yes the stock Kappalite 3015 (non-LF) does go up to about 4 kHz. And I do have one or two response-shaping tricks up my sleeve that would imo set it apart from a Greenboy Bassic.

So the Thundertot 115 could go in one of two directions (and no, I don't want to offer both!):

1. Smoothy/growly mids, 4/8 ohms, but barely 2.5k top end; OR

2. Smoothy/not much growly, 8 ohms only, and good 4k top end aside from the beaming.

 

[DukeLeJeune]

Dang! I'm just getting my H1203 and now I gotta start sneaking money from the wife for the H1505! LOL

Hey @DukeLeJeune is there a chance we could get a sneak peek of the H1505?

Dimensions 25" tall x 18" wide x 14" deep, weight 38 pounds.

 

[alaskaleftybass]

Dimensions 25" tall x 18" wide x 14" deep, weight 38 pounds.

Wow. Cool cool cool. I think I read a couple guys saying they loved this one for its power handling and volume. This looks like a one stop solution! Thanks Duke.

 

[svtb15]

#2 sounds more user friendly to me. The Ohms switch is not important to me unless the cab can handle GOBS of power ...I think many people are using lightweights now with 700 to 1000 watts at 4 Ωs.

But i can see someone wanting a 4 ohm can so they could use their SVT head. Then i dont see many guys / girls using a 80 pound SVT head with a smaller cab. Ive done it a few times.. Not so much these days...
They use the smaller cab because its lighter,, So they use higher powered lightweight heads. ..


I know that you're right about a tot 15 being a big too dark for me.. 1505 is nice though..
Im about done with tire kicking now.. LOL
I never worry too much about beaming .. Its probably the lesser of two evils "FOR MY Taste 'than the comb filtering that happens with 810s.
80% of my gigs can do with 115. I use my 3015 style Genz cab.. Its a little PEAKY at times.. I damped the cab a little more and its smoother to my ears.
The other 15% need more that 115 and less than 2.. 5% need two to three 115s..
I like 15s... to me they have a better centered tone than a 210.
Just my opinion..

Yes the stock Kappalite 3015 (non-LF) does go up to about 4 kHz. And I do have one or two response-shaping tricks up my sleeve that would imo set it apart from a Greenboy Bassic.

So the Thundertot 115 could go in one of two directions (and no, I don't want to offer both!):

1. Smoothy/growly mids, 4/8 ohms, but barely 2.5k top end; OR

2. Smoothy/not much growly, 8 ohms only, and good 4k top end aside from the beaming.

 

[svtb15]

WOW.. Ill bet it sounds GREAT if you made it.. You're the man! My friend in NY has a TC115,, It is very nice.. he got rid of all his other stuff.. and he is a gear hound
Are there specs too?
I often wonder how this would compare in overall VOl to a typical 410 like a Hartke or older SWR 410 type.. Or one of those Bergantino AE410.. Mind you I HATE 410s and 810s because of the comb filtering i notice. But I have a good feel for how loud they go..
Im not in a VOL war in any situation.. BUT i started to gig with this TX Guitar hero guy.. And he plays Loud. We were on a show 3 weeks ago and i had an 810 svt with svt4.. I thought that i was too loud. he told me to turn up. Whoa! Yeah, i know , that's what monitors are for, but he likes to have the stage pumping. That's about the only gig that i need to worry about. Ive played madison square garden with one 410 as my rig. worked fine.. But it was a different type f music all together .
Im not expecting 810 VOL form a 115 at all.. But if it was close to an ampeg 410 or SWR or something , ,I can understand that and .. I'd bet two of the 1505 would be killer

Dimensions 25" tall x 18" wide x 14" deep, weight 38 pounds.

 

[DukeLeJeune]

#2 sounds more user friendly to me.

Thanks! I can give you more top end than the 3015 normally has, but it'll still be beamy. And instead of a full-on "smoothy/growly" switch, it would probably be more like a mildly "oldschool/modern" switch.

But i can see someone wanting a 4 ohm can so they could use their SVT head.

I'll have something for the SVT guys soon as I get a chance to build it!

I often wonder how [the Hathor 1505] would compare in overall VOl to a typical 410...

My beta tester, Shrigg, said that the 1505 compared favorably to a 410 that was rated at 101 dB, but I'm not sure whether that particular 410 was "typical".