AudioKinesis Cabs Part VI...

[nutdog]

They have a sealed cab vibe. The only sealed cabs I've had were the svt210av and nv215. The 1203 is more robust and detailed than the 210. Nothing really compares the the nv215 but it's more cab than I ever need. It's got a great low end but if you're looking for super deep wide lows the fearful series may be more your thing. With the 1203 pair next to the F212 the difference is evident. But I'm never adding bass, usually cutting it or plugging the port occasionally to help tame it.

Played the fair Tuesday and took both cabs. Turned on the subway with gain and master both slightly above noon and everyone including the sound man immediately shot me the 'it's too loud' look. It was. I'm still surprised at what a pair of these can do.

 

[McFarlin]

Agreed ^

Years ago I had a Bagend 15 stack. It had great tone, lots of punch and spl, and was grindy midrange cannon. It was lacking in the lows for my taste though.

Question for you 1203 owners -

With the 3012lf shoehorned into such a diminutive cab, does it give a more responsive and quick feel? The bags were small boxes (18” cube for a 15), and felt very quick like a sealed cab.

Something that immediately stood-out to me was the quick feel with the 1203. I imagine some of that depends on low-end tuning (the location and curve of the roll-off), and the dominant mid-frequency area.

The best I can do is make comparisons. For speedy noodling and funk-ish staccato playing (a lot of ghost notes, triplets and all that), it seems like I can nail it with more ease than my other current/previous cabs. Part of this might be due to (what I hear as) stronger low-mid emphasis and tamer high-mids when compared side-by-side with a Baer ML112. (This is all bedroom playing.) Where the Baer might be punishingly articulate (again, solo, not in a band mix), the Hathor seems more forgiving.

From memory, not direct comparison, I feel like the 1203 might have a bit in comon with a Genz. NEOX-112T, but definitely more articulate. In other ways it reminds me of my former Wizzy 12, but it seems to handle more lows as it gets louder.

I'm usually skeptical of this type of statement, but the Hathor combines what I like best about the Berg. NV115 and Baer ML112. It represents a definite middle-ground between those two. (A lot of that opinion is due to those being my most recent acquisitions prior to the Hathor.)
Edit: The smaller 1203, as one might expect, doesn't seem to get as loud-and-low. But it wins for output:size/weight.

I think the mid. chamber porting makes a difference on a tight stage. That's a big win for me.

 

[3rdcurve]

Agreed ^

Something that quickly stood-out to me was the quick feel with the 1203. I imagine some of that depends on low-end tuning (the location and curve of the roll-off), and the dominant mid-frequency area.

The best I can do is make comparisons. For speedy noodling and funk-ish staccato playing (a lot of ghost notes, triplets and all that), it seems like I can nail it with more ease than my other current/previous cabs. Part of this might be due to (what I hear as) stronger low-mid emphasis and tamer high-mids when compared side-by-side with a Baer ML112. (This is all bedroom playing.) Where the Baer might be punishingly articulate (again, solo, not in a band mix), the Hathor seems more forgiving.

From memory, not direct comparison, I feel like the 1203 might have a bit in comon with a Genz. NEOX--112T, but definitely more articulate. In other ways it reminds me of my former Wizzy 12, but it seems to handle more lows as it gets louder.

I'm usually skeptical of this type of statement, but the Hathor combines what I like best about the Berg. NV115 and Baer ML112. It represents a definite middle-ground between those two. (A lot of that opinion is due to those being my most recent acquisitions prior to the Hathor.)

I think the mid. chamber porting makes a difference on a tight stage. That's a big win for me.

Thanks for that comparison! I had the ML 112 for short period and found it too mid forward and lean in the lows for my taste. I am drawn to the 212.

Duke - will you be offering the Changling feature with the 212?

 

[mexicanyella]

How do I add myself to the AK user map?

 

[steubig]

How do I add myself to the AK user map?

pound of flesh

 

[mexicanyella]

Maybe the internal circuitry of the AK cabs incoporates an hour meter function, and after a certain number of playing hours a user crosses the "righteous" threshold and his/her GPS coordinates are uploaded to some central AK user map database.

 

[steubig]

Maybe the internal circuitry of the AK cabs incoporates an hour meter function, and after a certain number of playing hours a user crosses the "righteous" threshold and his/her GPS coordinates are uploaded to some central AK user map database.

i like that. it's sort of a cross between gladwell's 10,000 hours and becoming an ascended master.

let it be so.

 

[nutdog]

Good idea.

AudioKinesis Users

Click "Additions" at the top Left, and click "Add Marker - Simple". I suggest something like this for your markers:
View attachment 2520366

Edit to add: if this becomes an actual "thing" that people user and get a lot of markers on, I'll offer up to @DukeLeJeune any assistance he may need on getting a similar setup on his website as an "official" account. Otherwise, consider this unofficial etc. etc.

.

 

[smperry]

.

I'll add myself once my second cab comes.

 

[mexicanyella]

Thanks! I added a marker with a little help from Nutdog, and will go back later tonight and put some details in. I appreciate the help.

 

[mngnt]

Maybe the internal circuitry of the AK cabs incoporates an hour meter function, and after a certain number of playing hours a user crosses the "righteous" threshold and his/her GPS coordinates are uploaded to some central AK user map database.

I hope it's just play time and not skillful playing... or I'm digging myself a hole

 

[DukeLeJeune]

With the 3012lf shoehorned into such a diminutive cab, does it give a more responsive and quick feel? The bags were small boxes (18” cube for a 15), and felt very quick like a sealed cab.

The current three-small-port version of the Hathor 1203, and its Changeling 112 counterpart, are probably the better candidates for that "sealed cab vibe" than the earlier single-big-port 1203 because you can plug one or two of the small ports.

Duke - will you be offering the Changling feature with the 212?

Yes. The crossover's been designed but I haven't actually built one yet.

 

[DukeLeJeune]

What.. what?! A Birdhaus with 15s? I obviously missed something.

The Birdhaus 415 uses the sadly-discontinued Eminence Basslite 2515. Four ohms, screaming peak at 1.6 kHz, which totally sucks for everything except electric bass. Then it sounds nice and growly.

The Basslite 2515 needs a pretty big box to do a decent low-B, and four of them would need a really big box. I was hoping the Birdhaus 415 would still have an "acceptable" low-B, but imo that didn't happen.

But it's a really loud, really wide-dispersion, really growly-if-you-want-it big cab. It has as switch to tame that 1.6 kHz peak if you want a smoother tone.

The Birdhaus 415 also has a "cheater circuit" to eek a bit more top end out of those big cones. Briefly what happens is, all around the cab you have four cones' worth of output in the lows, but only two cones' worth of mids and highs out front. Then off to either side you only have one cone's worth of mids and highs (which is more than you get from other big cabs). There is imo a worthwhile improvement in all directions from goosing the upper mids and highs (such as they are) via the cheater circuit. You might even get some upper mids out of the rear-facing ports (actually they're just cut-outs).

The Basslite 2515 was the inspiration for the custom 4-ohm Kappalite-based 15" woofer that I use in my 115 cabs.

 

[Joebone]

Definitely taller sounding.

Reminds me of the two guys peeing off of a bridge, commenting on the temperature and depth of the water below.

 

[Joebone]

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...

Gotta say that the HPF dial on the Mesa 800+ and an f115 are a match made in heaven. But the size and form factor of that cab is not working so well for me, and the C1203T is ringing a lot of bells for this stairway-burdened camper..

 

[Kirk Bryant]

That 415 Birdhaus looks Cherry man!

 

[Snaxster]

Reminds me of the two guys peeing off of a bridge, commenting on the temperature and depth of the water below.

 

[John D Harris]

The Birdhaus 415 uses the sadly-discontinued Eminence Basslite 2515. Four ohms, screaming peak at 1.6 kHz, which totally sucks for everything except electric bass. Then it sounds nice and growly.

The Basslite 2515 needs a pretty big box to do a decent low-B, and four of them would need a really big box. I was hoping the Birdhaus 415 would still have an "acceptable" low-B, but imo that didn't happen.

But it's a really loud, really wide-dispersion, really growly-if-you-want-it big cab. It has as switch to tame that 1.6 kHz peak if you want a smoother tone.

The Birdhaus 415 also has a "cheater circuit" to eek a bit more top end out of those big cones. Briefly what happens is, all around the cab you have four cones' worth of output in the lows, but only two cones' worth of mids and highs out front. Then off to either side you only have one cone's worth of mids and highs (which is more than you get from other big cabs). There is imo a worthwhile improvement in all directions from goosing the upper mids and highs (such as they are) via the cheater circuit. You might even get some upper mids out of the rear-facing ports (actually they're just cut-outs).

The Basslite 2515 was the inspiration for the custom 4-ohm Kappalite-based 15" woofer that I use in my 115 cabs.

Do you think 4 of one of the Faital 12PR3nn drivers would work in a reasonable size cab similar to the Birdhaus 415 & still hit the 62Hz range hard enough?

 

[slagheap]

The current three-small-port version of the Hathor 1203, and its Changeling 112 counterpart, are probably the better candidates for that "sealed cab vibe" than the earlier single-big-port 1203 because you can plug one or two of the small ports.



Yes. The crossover's been designed but I haven't actually built one yet.

there's a lot to be said for simplicity, or minimalism, whatever we wanna' call it. i love my two single-port jobs. i don't think i'd swap 'em.

 

[Snaxster]

there's a lot to be said for simplicity, or minimalism, whatever we wanna' call it. i love my two single-port jobs. i don't think i'd swap 'em.

Funny you mention it. Today I was playing my single port Hathor 1203 and marveling at how warm, sweet, tastefully articulate, and focused it sounded; and I thought how glad I was to have it and how I wouldn't ever willingly give it up. It was a nice moment.

Though I fully support Duke's unending pursuit of new and higher excellence in his cabinet designs, also I acknowledge that any of his older designs may be classics. Just like guitars, amps, cars, etc.

I value my single port Hathor 1203 in much same the way that I do my 1969 Fender Precision Bass.