drooling . . .
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AudioKinesis Cabs Part VI...
- Thread starter Thor
- Start date
drooling . . .
Always enjoy visiting this AudioKinesis oasis on TB. It's where I learned about Duke's great cabinets, customer service, and good humor. Anyway, while I read unending TB threads about which cabinets to choose, and how to power and/or EQ them, I have been absolutely thrilled with my single 8-ohm Hathor 12, powered by my class-D amp set "flat." I turn the amp volume up or down and get the tone I want. Tonal variations come from pickup blend on my bass. So simple. So great. It fits the mix. Even drummers hear and like it. Thanks, Duke!
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You and me both. When circumstances re: finance permit, I'm getting a Changeling 112T.
What I'm not sure of is whether I should keep my ver.1 TC112. I've got the capability to run down to 2 Ohms, but I've been wondering how likely am I to ever really face a gig that the single Changeling 112 won't tackle.
Would it be feasible to do a Hathor 1203T (i.e. a Changeling 112T without the rear driver and bits, or a Hathor 1203 in a TC sized box)? I assume this would go even deeper than a standard 1203, but also that there is some limit to how much works well with that driver and the voicing of the Hathor.
- Nov 24, 2008
- 4,343
- 7,163
- Disclosures
- Owner & designer, AudioKinesis; Auth. mfg, Big E (Home Audio only)
Yup! Piece of cake.
In exchange for the larger size and increased weight (not sure how much), we'd be about -1 dB at the 62 Hz first overtone of low-B instead of -3 dB.
Thanks Duke!The Changeling 112 is basically a Hathor 1203 with a second, rear-firing 3" mid in its own little open-format chamber. Here are a couple of pictures:
If you look closely, you'll see three switches. The middle switch is labeled "0" and "-7" (you can't see the latter from this angle). Its purpose is to shelve down the rear-firing mid by about 7 dB, for situations where stage volume is an issue. Normally the rear-firing mid is about 3 dB down relative to the front-firing mid over most of the spectrum, so maybe I should have labeled them "-3" and "-10".
Anyway, the idea is related to open-back guitar cabs. You know how a good open-back guitar cab sounds richer and more enveloping than a closed-back cab? Well, the Changeling format leans heavily in that direction, but without the drawbacks of an open-back guitar cab: muddy low end, and sometimes too much stage volume (we have that -7 dB switch).
Something else I had in mind was, making it easier for your fellow musicians to hear what you're doing. For some genres (like "conversational" jazz), and for jam sessions, that can be beneficial.
Since we lose a little bit of internal volume, I went with three small ports instead of the one big port that you had in your Hathor 1203 cabs. With all three ports open, we actually have a little bit more low end than with the one big port, because the tuning frequency is a bit higher. And with one small port plugged, the tuning frequency is virtually identical to the single-port 1203. In fact current-build 1203s now have the three small ports. This raised the weight by about one pound, due to the additional bracing needed, so now the Hathor 1203 is a 26-pound cab.
I think the Changeling format is my future, and plan to do a bunch of different Changeling cabs, including a "112T", which uses a Taller box than the regular version, same footprint, giving us a bit more low end.
You should totally put some wheels on the sides of that cab!
lol. i remember that movie.
the trailer had some hilarious moments (best "oh my god" in the history of that hoary phrase).
the trailer had some hilarious moments (best "oh my god" in the history of that hoary phrase).
the DukeQueue! i think that's gonna' stick.
Hello everyone,
I just got this nice composite TC-115 on TB classifieds and damn... I like it
It's a 4 Ohm version with a horn on/off switch.
Is there any manual / info on how to use the port plug system? Any pointers?
Thanks.
I just got this nice composite TC-115 on TB classifieds and damn... I like it
It's a 4 Ohm version with a horn on/off switch.
Is there any manual / info on how to use the port plug system? Any pointers?
Thanks.
Only pointers I'd give you is use your ears and tastes and make your own decisions.
Not much help, I know, but really, I can't think of any other way to do it.
Not much help, I know, but really, I can't think of any other way to do it.
Port to taste, especially in boomy or semi-boomy rooms:: more plugged ports yields less boom = tighter sounding low frequencies.
If you plug two ports use catercorner ports as that allows for a chimney effect for air getting in to cool the voice coils in case you need to drive the cab hard (also more even back pressure from side to side means less likelyhood of the movement of the voice coil getting wonky).
If you plug two ports use catercorner ports as that allows for a chimney effect for air getting in to cool the voice coils in case you need to drive the cab hard (also more even back pressure from side to side means less likelyhood of the movement of the voice coil getting wonky).
opinions will vary widely. i have no experience with TCs, but with Hathors sealed sounds vintage. fltwounds & a P bass + ports plugged sounds exactly like bob babbit. i really tripped out first time i tried it. open ports = more contemporary rock & funk sound. there are so many variables, though. jimmym is right...
When you unplug a port, remove the entire plug, both the orange plastic and its rubber gasket. If you leave the rubber ring in, you're altering the properties of the port.
And as others said, if you're plugging two, make them a diagonal two.
Cheers!
Thanks for the tips! Really appreciate it.
I never had a cab with a horn. When/why do you guys switch it off if you do?
(Was noodling in the basement earlier and got a complaint from the 2nd (!) floor neighbor. Never happened before and it's weird, my previous setup was Genz Benz Shuttle 6.2 -> 1x15 + 2x10 and I thought that was loud. But this baby is something else.)
I never had a cab with a horn. When/why do you guys switch it off if you do?
(Was noodling in the basement earlier and got a complaint from the 2nd (!) floor neighbor. Never happened before and it's weird, my previous setup was Genz Benz Shuttle 6.2 -> 1x15 + 2x10 and I thought that was loud. But this baby is something else.)
In addition to what's already been said about plugging ports -- and though it might seem obvious -- when plugging the port, have the orange plastic center part pretty loose (backed out a fair bit) in its rubber ring. Insert snugly into the port, then tighten down to get a nice tight fit. I did not do this the first time I gigged my Hathor 1203 and the plug popped out when things got loud (didn't realize it 'til later). Since I figured it out, it's been fine.
I find that sometimes plugged works better, sometimes unplugged -- depends on the situation (room, mix) and what I'm going for. Experimentation is key -- pay attention to how you like the sound and feel with a band and that will guide you to what's right for you.
I find that sometimes plugged works better, sometimes unplugged -- depends on the situation (room, mix) and what I'm going for. Experimentation is key -- pay attention to how you like the sound and feel with a band and that will guide you to what's right for you.
- Nov 24, 2008
- 4,343
- 7,163
- Disclosures
- Owner & designer, AudioKinesis; Auth. mfg, Big E (Home Audio only)
So is that pronounced "do que" or "due que"??
I think the word for Nostatic's cab is overdue... like that never happens...
Hello everyone,
I just got this nice composite TC-115 on TB classifieds and damn... I like it
It's a 4 Ohm version with a horn on/off switch.
Is there any manual / info on how to use the port plug system? Any pointers?
Thanks.
Isky, welcome!
My thanks to JimmyM and lo-freq and slagheap and 4StringTheorist and MarkA for your excellent responses! Thanks for filling in for me!
The switch on that cab rolls off the top end of the horn north of about 3.5 kHz, rather than turning it all the way off. So you might engage it to reduce string noise, or if you plan to use a lot of distortion, or if you're going for a more "old school" vibe.
The Thunderchild 115 is voiced "smooth and even", in part because back then I did not know how to voice a cab to "sound good on electric bass". Fortunately "smooth and even" works, and for some bass players it works very well. You'll probably find that the cab takes EQ well, and is pretty good at letting you hear changes that you make elsewhere in the chain. Imo the horn in that cab is not your "average" bass cab horn.
Mike Arnopol made that ultralight fiberglass/foam sandwich enclosure, he probably made a couple dozen or so. That makes your cab is a rare beast, with a pretty good power-to-weight ratio.
A bit of trivia: An award-winning studio designer designed a pretty fancy studio for a rock star and specified a pair of Thunderchild 115's for the tracking monitors. Unfortunately the contractor in charge of building the studio decided to play it safe and went with JBLs, which I'm sure work quite well, but I was THIS CLOSE to having my cabs in the studio of someone I first saw in concert in 1977 when I was in high school.
