Passinwind
I know nothing.
- Dec 3, 2003
- 23,075
- 46,028
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- Designer/Toaster Tech @ Passinwind Electronics
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AudioKinesis Cabs Part VI...
- Thread starter Thor
- Start date
SERUOULSY!!!!?????? 22lbs is too heavy for an upright bassist for a long haul!!! When did 22lbs become too heavy for any red blooded American man to carry? That's just absurd. Maybe your beta tester needs a gym membership more than a new "heavy" bass cab.
You get lighter than 22 lbs and you're talking balsa wood or anti-gravity technology!
Physics is hard to fight when going that low-down.
- Nov 24, 2008
- 4,343
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- Owner & designer, AudioKinesis; Auth. mfg, Big E (Home Audio only)
Well there's competition that comes in below 20 pounds, some of it well below 20 pounds. Upright bass players have their hands full with wheeling their bass, and if it's a very long walk to the gig, and/or one is neither young nor robust, the pounds add up. I can understand that. Still haven't found the magic formula lightweight upright bass cab, but the Birdhaus may find a niche as a general-purpose acoustic gig cab.
You fight physics with your wallet, and it's a war of attrition. The bottom octave (20-40 Hz) is the most expensive real estate in audio, not only in initial outlay of dollars and cents for the cab, but also in terms of box size and amplifier power, which translate into hidden costs. I don't expect to build more than one or two such cabs a year, but imo it's a mountain that needs to be climbed.
I think the Birdhaus is doing some things acoustically, that the lower-weight cabs you're speaking of won't be doing (if it's the ones I'm thinking of - I won't mention names...).
Sometimes you have to pick an area in which you can win & let the rest be a compromise (as to other properties) or I guess you could re-think you're entire approach.
All speaker systems are a compromise.
It seems like we're having to make fewer compromises as the technology & ingenuity advance, but they're still with us.
Congratulations!
We are going to need a report on how that rig works for you when you can -- should be awesome!
- Nov 24, 2008
- 4,343
- 7,163
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- Owner & designer, AudioKinesis; Auth. mfg, Big E (Home Audio only)
Thank you!
Yes, the twin side-firing woofers in the Birdhaus do give it a very open sound, or very wide dispersion, pretty much the same thing. The initial idea was a jamcab, one for light (possibly acoustic) jamming with your friends, wherein your "audience" is mainly the guys to either side of you. I actually looked at (modeled) a lot of different possible configurations, most of which had some glitch that bothered me. This configuration looked promising enough that I thought, man I gotta at least try it and see how it sounds. I kinda feel like it's cheating for me to do a cab that has no filtering of any kind, which is sort of "what I do" to add value to what would otherwise be just speakers in a box. So the Birdhaus is indeed just "speakers in a box", but hopefully it's at least an interesting box.
Just sent the deposit for a TC212. I am STOKED, as the kids say. This rig is going to be brilliant, especially with an OBP-2 in my Squarmoth fretless Jazz. I'm also trying a set of Smith Slick Rounds on the Pentabuzz to bring back a little of the zing that was lost with going with full-on flats. I think it's going to absolutely kill.
There's always somethin' cookin' in Duke's kitchen, so here I am to see what's coming out of the oven. Any updates you wish to share, Duke? I'm looking forward to a pair of TC112-8 v2 cabs coming my way. They have home stereo connectors, and I might just hook them up to my stereo before I play bass through them!
- Nov 24, 2008
- 4,343
- 7,163
- Disclosures
- Owner & designer, AudioKinesis; Auth. mfg, Big E (Home Audio only)
Hi Bob, yeah I hadn't really stopped and thought about it, but at any given time I do have several projects at various stages of development.
One such current project is a studio cab... which is a nice change of pace, because I don't have to worry about the power-to-weight ratio (which is an area I want my gigging cabs to be competitive in). I can focus more on just how it sounds. There's a particular woofer I like that falls far short of Kappalite-class uberwooferness, but it sounds really good to me, and I now think the place for it is in a dedicated studio cab. I prototyped an early version a year or so ago and liked what I heard but figured it would never sell because the SPL/pound and SPL/$ ratios were not good. So the design went on the shelf and the box got cannibalized for something else, but then recently I came across a thread where someone was looking for a dedicated studio-only cab, and I remembered that oversized underpowered prototype that dangit just sounded good. So that design is getting revised with the studio in mind. If it's successful, I'll post more details.
I've also been working on some cool stuff over in the home audio world. I've got two interesting lines of development going on over there... one involves the Manipulated Vortex Waveguide (MVW) technology developed by Big E, and the other involves a significant refinement of more conventional technology called the Late Ceiling Splash (LCS) developed by James Romeyn. My ego is bruised that my best original efforts in home audio loudspeaker design are now outdated, but I'm very happy to be working with these inventors on developing applications of their technology.
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I received my H1203s and can't say enough about this little cab that has the heart of a lion! I love the smooth switch! What a great little cab!
Here is a picture of the cab paired with the Demeter M800D.
Here is a picture of the cab paired with the Demeter M800D.
- Nov 24, 2008
- 4,343
- 7,163
- Disclosures
- Owner & designer, AudioKinesis; Auth. mfg, Big E (Home Audio only)
Thank you Mark! I'm honored that my little Hathor 1203 has earned a place in your lineup. I'm pinning high hopes on that little cab, and so far so good!
Mark was one of the first people to hear the Hathor 1203, even before it was officially "on the market", and I'm very glad to hear he finds the smoother switch to be a worthwhile addition. Thus far all of the Hathor 1203 cabs I've done except for one have the smoother switch, and I expect that one to come back and have it retrofitted. So I'm considering the smoother switch included to be the "default" version, and then if someone wants to save a few bucks and 1.8 pounds, I'll omit it.
In case anyone is wondering why I've previously only admitted to 1 pound additional weight from adding the smoother switch, let me explain: I normally round up my claimed weight to the next highest pound. The smoother-less original version weighed 23 pounds, so I claimed 24. The version with the smoother switch weighs 24.8 pounds, so I claim 25.
That should make a very solid, do-justabout-anything pairing. Another cab manufacturer has been telling me how much he likes that Demeter amp's power and versatility.
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I swear I've seen the number 1203 come up constantly in everyday life the last couple months. Look at the clock: it's 12:03. Look at the back of a truck: it's truck 1203. Doing a calculation: answer 1,203. Look at a receipt: $12.03. This happens with 212 a lot, too. I'm clearly torn. 
Duke, you probably didn't even realize it, but you're getting a ton of free marketing from the world.
Duke, you probably didn't even realize it, but you're getting a ton of free marketing from the world.
- Nov 24, 2008
- 4,343
- 7,163
- Disclosures
- Owner & designer, AudioKinesis; Auth. mfg, Big E (Home Audio only)
I swear I've seen the number 1203 come up constantly in everyday life the last couple months. Look at the clock: it's 12:03. Look at the back of a truck: it's truck 1203. Doing a calculation: answer 1,203. Look at a receipt: $12.03. This happens with 212 a lot, too. I'm clearly torn.
Duke, you probably didn't even realize it, but you're getting a ton of free marketing from the world.
I wish all that product placement marketing was free. Do you have any idea how much it costs me to have 12:03 come up on every clock in the world twice a day??
