AudioKinesis Cabs Part VI...

[Lowendtech]

I guess it's all relative. I tend to think of Ampegs and Tonehammers as being on the warm end of the amp spectrum.

Totally agree. My go to reference for warm and clean is based the mid 90’s Eden heads and my Jule Monique 700 which is as warm as I need it. Neither of the BB8 or the D800+ are quite there, but there’s good things to be found with them. I’ve not had the chance to own either of your references, although I’ve played through a few Ampegs. I just wish I could carry one.

 

[PDGood]

Totally agree. My go to reference for warm and clean is based the mid 90’s Eden heads and my Jule Monique 700 which is as warm as I need it. Neither of the BB8 or the D800+ are quite there, but there’s good things to be found with them. I’ve not had the chance to own either of your references, although I’ve played through a few Ampegs. I just wish I could carry one.

I shoulda said "...warm end of the solid state amp spectrum." No question tubes can get there. I had a Fender 400 PS at one time. That thing was a beast to move!

My biggest rig ever (in much younger days) included that amp played through two folded horn cabs with 18" speakers and a Bassman with two 15's sitting on top of each folded horn. This is why I am so grateful for Duke's cabs!!! Now I run an LMlll through a TC115 for most gigs. The big rig is the D800+ through a TC115 and TC112.
Approximate weight savings.....ummm....not sure. A few hundred pounds maybe?

 

[slagheap]

as a ( former ) long time " big iron " user, the charm in Duke's cabs lies in the size & weight-to-punch ratio. i'll never forget taking my H1203s out the boxes and perching them on my lap. doubt i will ever avail myself of the models with extra chambers, rear firing drivers, etc. i wanna keep things small & simple as possible. i hope to grab an H1506 if such a thing materializes, hell yeah, but that's my tote limit.

 

[John D Harris]

I would counter this a bit. I have both of these amps. The D800+ can be as “vintage” sounding as you want. More so than I would call it “modern” but you can certainly get there as well. It spans the middle ground with a very wide margin. It can be clean but depending on technique and input signal, can get quite well into tube emulation (warm) territory. It doesn’t have the tabletop flatness of the BB8 with all its knobs at noon but it has other tricks up its sleeves that the BB8 doesn’t. And of course, doesn’t have that nice dual stage limiter as the BB8, but the BB8 doesn’t have an HPF. \(**)/
They’re both different flavours of very good. I usually grab the one that suits my mood when I’m loading up. I never feel like I made a mistake either way.

IIRC, the Bass Block 800 has a fixed HPF @ 30 Hz.

 

[Bassist30]

Question for all of you who buy and use premium bass cabs with shiny new speakers.

My 2nd AK cab will arrive soon (can't wait!), and I usually take a couple of hours to "break in" a new cab, playing FM radio of any style first at lower volume then up quite a bit. Maybe 3 or 4 hours.

Does anybody else do something similar? Anybody break in your speakers? Waste of time?
And in keeping with the recent language dialog, in Finnish it's lämmetä (to warm up).

I guess using a radio but I usually play my bass through it for a few hours before a gig or do that until you gig with it. I think that would be enough. What cabinet did you get? Good luck with it.

 

[Ken Lloyd]

It's the H1203T. And it sounds fab.
Two ports open. My stingray and 55-02 sound great.

 

[Lowendtech]

IIRC, the Bass Block 800 has a fixed HPF @30hz.

True. I left out the “adjustable” part.

 

[Al Kraft]

A quick word of thanks to all who shared experiences and advice regarding the different cover manufacturers for AK cabs. I went with the Studio Slips brand for my Changeling 112T and am 100% pleased with their product.

Susan and Cole gave me the kind of personal service Duke gives all of us who buy his cabs. The quality and fit of the cover could not have been better if they had measured and tailored it with my cab right in front of them. While I'm sure the other top contenders would have produced a great product, Studio Slips hasn't left me with any regrets about my choice.

It's rare these days to find folks who it is simply a pleasure doing business with...in this case, I'm a happy camper with both the cab and cover manufacturers!

 

[slagheap]

right you are. i chose them 'cause they're in my area, and glad i did. not inexpensive, but excellent covers.

 

[Passinwind]

right you are. i chose them 'cause they're in my area, and glad i did. not inexpensive, but excellent covers.

Yep, I had them do a clamshell bag for one of my DIY amps a couple of years ago and the fit is just flawless.

 

[SirSparkz]

Hey all, I heard folks were wondering about the fate of the Audiokinesis 4x15 cab. I’m the proud new owner of it, and man does it have some punch. So far it’s my favorite cab to date. Smooth, buttery bass at a very reasonable weight and very manageable footprint. Pretty killer looking with my Ampeg Portaflex sitting on top, too! She’s found a good home and I doubt it’ll go anywhere anytime soon!

 

[Ken Lloyd]

.....advice regarding the different cover manufacturers for AK cabs. I went with the Studio Slips brand for my Changeling 112T and am 100% pleased with their product.

Susan and Cole gave me the kind of personal service Duke gives all of us who buy his cabs. The quality and fit of the cover could not have been better if they had measured and tailored it with my cab right in front of them. While I'm sure the other top contenders would have produced a great product, Studio Slips hasn't left me with any regrets about my choice.

It's rare these days to find folks who it is simply a pleasure doing business with...in this case, I'm a happy camper with both the cab and cover manufacturers!

Thanks for sharing your positive experience. Nice to know they are out there.

Just a minor add to the cover dialog. I bought Tuki for my Changeling and LeCover for my new H1203T, both online from the covers offered.

Both are padded about equally well and fit just right. The seams on LeCover standout maybe 3/8" and on the Tuki they're sewn in. No biggie either way. LeCover was a tad cheaper. Both companies delivered within two weeks.

Tonight! First time out with my 1203T with Mesa D800. Oh Lookout!

 

[slagheap]

yah, my understanding is all three - lecover, tuki, studioslips - are different flavors of goodness. hard to go wrong.

 

[4StringTheorist]

Tonight! First time out with my 1203T with Mesa D800. Oh Lookout!

Please do report back! Acquiring a D800 is in my cards for the future.. to give me a 2 ohm capable head for a second Audiokinesis cab!

 

[Ken Lloyd]

The new part tonight is the cab. I'm thrilled with the D800 and the EQ options. Have used with single 8 ohm cabs...Changeling 112, Greenboy F112, both in parallel (OMG!) also a bigass 18 our guitar player owns (which was disappointing and surely not because of the amp). So far the D800 sounds fabulous with the Tall Hathor at home, blasting when I'm the only one around.

I use the DI features quite a bit, and the sound guys have been fine with the options.

 

[DukeLeJeune]

View attachment 3104250 Hey all, I heard folks were wondering about the fate of the Audiokinesis 4x15 cab. I’m the proud new owner of it, and man does it have some punch. So far it’s my favorite cab to date. Smooth, buttery bass at a very reasonable weight and very manageable footprint. Pretty killer looking with my Ampeg Portaflex sitting on top, too! She’s found a good home and I doubt it’ll go anywhere anytime soon!

Thanks for posting! What do your band-mates think of the baked-in wide dispersion, from the side-firing woofers? I'm a little concerned that it might not always be desirable.

 

[SirSparkz]

Thanks for posting! What do your band-mates think of the baked-in wide dispersion, from the side-firing woofers? I'm a little concerned that it might not always be desirable.

I’m playing with them on Monday and will report back! I know my drummer will dig it because he said last practice that he can barely hear my front facing 4x10 sometimes. I think that’s all about to change...

 

[SirSparkz]

I'm a little concerned that it might not always be desirable.

When is bass not desirable?!

 

[DukeLeJeune]

When is bass not desirable?!

The lows will be omnidirectional anyways, so basically the side-firing orientation just adds some mids and highs off to the sides to go with the lows that will already be there.

I know my drummer will dig it because he said last practice that he can barely hear my front facing 4x10 sometimes.

I'm hoping that the rest of the band will also like being able to hear the groove that you lay down, so I hope it's a win for everyone. But if not, please let me know.

 

[Al Kraft]

Please do report back! Acquiring a D800 is in my cards for the future.. to give me a 2 ohm capable head for a second Audiokinesis cab!

In case you had even the slightest doubt, a C112T and D-800 are incredible together...I'd imagine a Hathor 1203T is equally as impressive given the similarities.