With many thanks to Darren (shrigg) and Duke, I recently had an opportunity to check out the 1505, and I wanted to share my thoughts and observations.
First off, I spent some time just with the 1505, and since I love my MB800 with the TC112AF and TC115AF, I started off with the MB800 into the 1505 (using my F Bass Studio 5).
With the GK MB800 (which is a GREAT fit with the TC cabs), I felt that there was too much fret/finger noise with the top switch in the up position, but after playing around with both switch positions, I ended up favoring the up position, but rolled off some highs on my basses' tone controls. I have not tried a P-bass with overdrive/grit yet, but I can't see where I would ever use the bottom switch in the up position. It has a lot of grind, even in the down position, and I can't imagine not punching through in the down position (especially with a P-bass and some grit/grind dialed in). In the top position, I'd be worried about "too much of a good thing," to be honest. It seems to loose not only low end fullness, but also some warmth in the up position.
Switching to my Demeter VTBP-M-800D, this seemed to be a better match for the 1505 (without messing with tone controls too much) than the MB800. It was much more smooth up high, and had plenty of growl and attack from top to bottom (again, I am talking about bottom switch down, top switch up).
Compared to the TC115AF, there is lots to love about both cabs. The TC is more full and deep down low, and more smooth throughout. The 1505 has accentuated articulation and a bit of growl throughout its range. The TC is much more rewarding on a low B (even with the bottom switch down). The TC can be dialed in to sound closer to the 1505, but the 1505 can't really get into TC territory. There will be a lot of players who love the plug-and-play friendly tone of the 1505 - especially 4-string players.
BTW, I did these comparisons while switching back and forth between the MB800, Demeter, and a Markbass F500 (which confirmed that the TC115 is way better on a low B, but the 1505 does kick major butt between E and G strings).
Compared to the 1855 (both switches on the 1855 down, and bottom down, top up on the 1505), the 1855 kind of sounds like a 1505 with a bigger low B. And oh, what a glorious low B from the 1855! The 1855 has a bit more thickness in the mids, too, but overall, there are lots of similarities between these two cabs. The 1505 is a more pretty up high, though (I really like the upper mids to high end on the 1505!). Overall output seems fairly similar between these two cabs.
Compared to a single 1203, the little cab actually feels more full/round on a low B, but the 1505 might be putting out some deeper frequencies (it just doesn't sound as full doing so). The two cabs are relatively similar in the high end, with the 1203 being a tad more smooth and the 1505 being a tad more articulate. The 1505 seems to have a bit more going on in the middle to upper mids, while the 1203 seems a little more balanced in the mids, with good lows to low mids (and slightly warmer tone, overall).
Adding a second 1203, the overall output seemed to be fairly similar between the 2x1203 stack and the 1505, but the 1203’s remained more balanced, especially down to the low B. The 1505 is just lights-out fantastic with a 4-string bass, but I feel like the low B doesn’t sound/feel connected to the other four strings. The low B is surprisingly “sharp,” or “growly/barky” (at least, with solid state amps). It stays clear, and the deeper notes might even be there, but it does not have a full, warm, round low end on the low B. The low E performance is great, though.
I had been mostly using my F Bass Studio 5 in both active and passive modes, at first, but I have tried several other basses, as well. Darren suggested that I try a P-bass with flats with the 1505 in the top-down, bottom-up setting, but alas, all of my P-basses have roundwounds on them (not a big flatwound fan, personally). However, I do have a semi-acoustic Gretsch with flats, and it was interesting. The various switch positions did not seem to change the tone very much, as this bass already has somewhat truncated lows and highs. It did seem slightly more punchy in the top-down, bottom-up position, so I could see where some guys would like that. For my personal preferences, though, I would never change from top-up and bottom-down.
Moving on to an all-tube head, things got even better. All of the Hathors play well with tube amps, but the 1505 especially so. The lows were tighter than the 1855 with tube power. It handled overdrive really well, and stays nice and focused. Even with a smoother-sounding tube head, the 1505 stays nice and clear.
All in all, I really like the 1505, and if I didn’t play 5-string bass, I’d be totally satisfied. In fact, I'd be thrilled! As it stands, though, the 1855 handles a low B better, and the two 1203’s feel more natural with a 5-string bass, as well. You know, I have to say that this whole experience has left me even more in love with that 1855! What a cab! Heck, what a group of cabs! Man, Duke builds some of the best bass cabs this planet has ever seen!
Here are some pictures of the various cabs in question.
