AudioKinesis Cabs Part VI...

[Om Flyer]

This is an awesome thread. I've learned a lot but was hoping someone could weigh in on my exact situation.

I'm starting to explore high end cabs and just found these. I currently use a GK MB210 which is enough 90% of the times I play but want something that can cover everything (and that sounds, well, better).

I am in a big ol' bar band (mostly covers and blues rock) with 2 guitars, keys, drums, harmonica, and 3 vocals. But I also want to do heavier duo or trio work (think Royal Blood or DFA or Black keys). I mostly play a G&L JB in the band but also have a Stingray HH, a fretless P bass (for mellow), and a fretless G&L Kiloton (for really not mellow).

Do you guys think one Hathor 1203 or TC 112 would cover me (at least until I can buy 2!). I know "loud enough" are bad words here but would it be at least equal to my GK MB210 (with better sound)? I am hoping to get a Mesa Subway 800+ or possibly a Berg Forte.

Or should I just go for a 15?

Any advice on Hathor vs TC given my band/tastes?

I'm also considering Greenboy f112 or f115 and the Mesa Subway Cabs.

And if I could play them all to see what I like, I would, but that's not realistic.

Thanks!

IMO, one H1203 may fall short in that environment, unless you rely on PA/Subs to help out.

I struggled with the same decision...
If you plan to purchase only one cab, I would go H1505.
Very versatile single cab, great tone and great value.

I ended up with 2 H1203's for the output and the modular options of 2 cabs.
I often have one home and leave the other at the rehearsal space.

Not all mine but for a brief moment, I had a wall of AK to demo!
All were outstanding but I'm very happy with 2 H1203's and Duke is a gem to work with!

 

[strost]

I had the 1st gen mb210. Good, lightweight, inexpensive, gigable combo but the weak points for me were midrange clarity/definition, a little boominess and the tweeter that sounded like a radioactive hissing cat. I'd say one hathor and subway can cover anything it did without those attributes. You could try the hathor as an extension speaker with the mb to get by on the 10%.

Yeah, I only have the tweeter on when I am using it to play along with songs (so I can hear cymbals) otherwise it's crap. And yes to the boominess. That's what I notice at high volume, the sound loses its focus. It's loud enough to muddy up everything but too dispersed.

IMO, one H1203 will fall short in that environment, unless you rely on PA/Subs to help out.

I struggled with the same decision...
If you plan to purchase only one cab, I would go H1505.
Very versatile single cab, great tone and great value.

I ended up with 2 H1203's for the output and the modular options of 2 cabs.
I often have one home and leave the other at the rehearsal space.

Not all mine but for a brief moment, I had a wall of AK to demo!
All were outstanding but I'm very happy with 2 H1203's and Duke is a gem to work with!

View attachment 2788503

The Hathor 1505 is what I was thinking of if I only got one cab. Then I thought of the 212 cuz it's only $200 more, then I though of 2 1203s because that's only $200 more than the 212 (and I could do what you do). And this is why my kids can't go to college (kidding).

And thanks for the pic. I guess I didn't realize the 1505 was so much bigger than the 1203s.

 

[steubig]

that almost looks like an 18 to me.

 

[Om Flyer]

that almost looks like an 18 to me.

H1505 but perspective is deceiving.

 

[Om Flyer]

I'm sure the H212 kills, just started to get a little heavy for me. Going from memory the 1505 is only ~12lbs heavier than 1203.

 

[3rdcurve]

Anyone try the tall changeling yet?

 

[whirledpeas]

Anyone try the tall changeling yet?

That's the one I'm itching to try out!

 

[nostatic]

Anyone try the tall changeling yet?

Should have one next week

 

[3rdcurve]

I think a pair of the Changling talls would be killer. Only issue I see would be the amp on top covering the mid chamber ports. Nostatic has one on order and had a d800+, I suppose he will find out for us.


Edit: Ha, you posted as I was typing!

 

[nostatic]

My plan is to pair the Changeling with the H1203 for louder gigs. I'm curious (as is Steubig) about the taller cab alone and low end performance. While I sold the D800+, I still have my D800 and now a Forte so I have some different voices to work with. I also had an MAS109 so have some memory of that as well.

 

[nutdog]

warts, acne scars and other imperfections

I don't usually dig industrial noise bands, but Radioactive Hissing Cat has cool cover art and I have a crush on their cellist, so I'm a fan.

She's come a long way since I first saw her with Warts, Acne Scars and Other Imperfections.

Yeah, I only have the tweeter on when I am using it to play along with songs (so I can hear cymbals) otherwise it's crap. And yes to the boominess. That's what I notice at high volume, the sound loses its focus. It's loud enough to muddy up everything but too dispersed.




The Hathor 1505 is what I was thinking of if I only got one cab. Then I thought of the 212 cuz it's only $200 more, then I though of 2 1203s because that's only $200 more than the 212 (and I could do what you do). And this is why my kids can't go to college (kidding).

And thanks for the pic. I guess I didn't realize the 1505 was so much bigger than the 1203s.

I play with an oldies group and a couple of cover bands that do all sorts of stuff. One 1203 covers anything in the 50-200 people room size. Above that is usually whole band in PA. I haven't touched the second cab since the obnoxious original trio fell apart. The pair held it's own with a hard hitting drummer and twin reverb at ear damaging levels.

Some of the early mb210s had no batting or bracing. They later added some bracing. Beefing up the bracing and a layer of batting inside helps with the midrange and boominess. We were comparing cabs and had it, a greenboy crazy88, an svt210av and a berg hd210 side by side. The berg was a monster in weight and sound but the mb sounded pretty good. An interesting pairing was putting the av on the mb as an extension cab. Brought some midrange character to the mb and some bottom to the av. Sounded great.

The 1203 has similar vibe to the av but more robust and richer. Sounds good and tight even when you push it. The fearless cabs are great, too, but one f112 is not quite enough for the loud stuff. By the time you buy 2 that's a chunk of change. A pair of 1203's is similar cost. Won't get quite a loud or low but one is easier to carry and they have the tight, organic sound I like.

 

[engedi1]

She's come a long way since I first saw her with Warts, Acne Scars and Other Imperfections.



I play with an oldies group and a couple of cover bands that do all sorts of stuff. One 1203 covers anything in the 50-200 people room size. Above that is usually whole band in PA. I haven't touched the second cab since the obnoxious original trio fell apart. The pair held it's own with a hard hitting drummer and twin reverb at ear damaging levels.


A pair of 1203's is similar cost. Won't get quite a loud or low but one is easier to carry and they have the tight, organic sound I like.

I use a 1203 and TC112 stack with a quilter bb800 and this rig puts out so much volume its NUTS. I am sure for most rooms I could just take one of the cabs, but I simply love the tone of having both.

 

[steubig]

My plan is to pair the Changeling with the H1203 for louder gigs. I'm curious (as is Steubig) about the taller cab alone and low end performance. While I sold the D800+, I still have my D800 and now a Forte so I have some different voices to work with. I also had an MAS109 so have some memory of that as well.

yep. i expect we'll have a cabapallooza: h1203, tc112v1, changeling tall plus the forte, the mesa d800, a puma 500 and an ashdown retroglide 800. and some basses.

 

[EasyMudd]

I'm not sure how to place my amp (GK mb800 fusion) on top of my Changeling 12 without blocking "on top of the cab" front & rear midrange driver openings. So far I keep the amp pushed back so front top openings are not blocked.
Question 1): Am I missing much by blocking the back midrange openings on top of the cab? Band members love the new bass cab.
Question 2): Does anyone put their amp on a DJ laptop stand, a wine rack, dish drainer or large brick top of your Hathor or Changeling 12 cabs to allow sound out from those midrange openings?
I figure by using one the above objects it would allow front/back mid-range drivers energy to escape without being blocked by your amp.
Looking for ideas/comments to my deep (maybe OCD) thoughts on the topic.

 

[Killed_by_Death]

OK, I'm befuddled here, not 100% sure what these switches all do.
The impedance switch is obvious, in the middle, but I'm not sure which of the other two turns on the back-firing "acoustic friendly" driver.

I think the top one is the switch for the xOver frequency.

 

[nostatic]

yep. i expect we'll have a cabapallooza: h1203, tc112v1, changeling tall plus the forte, the mesa d800, a puma 500 and an ashdown retroglide 800. and some basses.

Can't do next weekend, but maybe weeknight or following weekend.

 

[DukeLeJeune]

OK, I'm befuddled here, not 100% sure what these switches all do.
The impedance switch is obvious, in the middle, but I'm not sure which of the other two turns on the back-firing "acoustic friendly" driver.

View attachment 2788863

I think the top one is the switch for the xOver frequency.

The top switch gently rolls off the top end of both tweeters north of about 3.5 kHz. The bottom switch smooths out a bit of upper-mid bumpage (centered on about 1.8 kHz) at the top end of the woofer. The bottom switch doesn't make a very audible difference, but down is a bit "smoother" and up has just a hint of "grindy". So UP is LOUDER in all cases.

If you want see what it sounds like with the rear-firing tweeter turned off, just slap a piece of tape over the throat of the horn. I don't do a rear tweeter on/off switch because thus far. to the best of my knowledge, nobody has found "on" to be detrimental. The worst critique I have heard is that the rear tweeter gets buried in the mix on a loud gig.

Feel free to e-mail me if you'd like, audiokinesis at yahoo dot com.

Thanks for trying one of my cabs!!

 

[DukeLeJeune]

If you are a 4 string guy, don't forget the Hathor 1505 - killer cab.

On paper, it looks like Hathors 1505 and 1533 (and the forthcoming Changeling 115) don't seem to have a very good low-B, as they are rated at -4 dB at 62 Hz (based on computer modeling). However most people who have tried one of these cabs side-by-side with the Hathor 1203 come away with the impression that the 15o5/1533 has a bit bigger low end. Eyeballing the modeled curves I don't really see evidence for that, but that's the way I hear it too.

So I think the 1505/1533 has an "acceptable" low-B, but not an especially powerful one. Greenboy's fEARful and Fearless 115 cabs have a very strong low-B so I wanted to do something different, taking the box size/bass extension/efficiency tradeoff in a different direction.

 

[nostatic]

While it may seem counter-intuitive, I'm increasingly of the mind that I don't really want a cab that extends as low as possible. With basses, having a "huge B-string" is a false goal (IME/etc). Pretty easy to get a huge/fat/bloated B-string. Getting it integrated with the rest of the bass, and then reproducing it in a musical way that doesn't fight the kick is the trick.

That, and if I can't carry it, I won't gig it. Life is too short (literally) for heavy cabs anymore...

 

[engedi1]

While it may seem counter-intuitive, I'm increasingly of the mind that I don't really want a cab that extends as low as possible. With basses, having a "huge B-string" is a false goal (IME/etc). Pretty easy to get a huge/fat/bloated B-string. Getting it integrated with the rest of the bass, and then reproducing it in a musical way that doesn't fight the kick is the trick.

That, and if I can't carry it, I won't gig it. Life is too short (literally) for heavy cabs anymore...

Yes. Good point. And if your b string sounds huge and fat to you on stage, it is probably a pile of mush to people in the audience.