AudioKinesis Cabs Part VI...

[tombowlus]

Not sure, but I think nostatic's ML112/1203 comparison stated the 1203 had more low mid presence.

IME/IMHO, there is no concern whatsoever about the 1203 not having enough low mid presence. That might not be where it peaks on the frequency response curve, but there's not a big valley there, either. It sounds very full and even through the mids, to my ear.

 

[nostatic]

IME/IMHO, there is no concern whatsoever about the 1203 not having enough low mid presence. That might not be where it peaks on the frequency response curve, but there's not a big valley there, either. It sounds very full and even through the mids, to my ear.

+2

 

[IntrepidCellist]

This is one disadvantage to having all these models-- it's tough to differentiate them when making a purchasing decision!

That said, I would like to try a 1203 at some point to see how it handles overdrive.

 

[nostatic]

the view last night

Plenty of booty happening. I really need to A/B the H1203 pair vs this setup. I think I'm still more in the H1203 sonic universe. The TC112 certainly fills out the lows, but I'm missing some of my desired snarl and punch with the D and G string. That isn't due to the TC112 being scooped but rather me being used to a lot more content in the upper mids.

Was an interesting night. Almost an entirely new set and a different lineup. I was trying to cop guitar parts on the 5-string while the bass line was looping on some songs. That is a pita - too much thinking involved. Actually easier to double on keys. Recording is out in the house. No bass in FOH - just vocals and keys.

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[pkstone]

the view last night

Plenty of booty happening. I really need to A/B the H1203 pair vs this setup. I think I'm still more in the H1203 sonic universe. The TC112 certainly fills out the lows, but I'm missing some of my desired snarl and punch with the D and G string. That isn't due to the TC112 being scooped but rather me being used to a lot more content in the upper mids.

Was an interesting night. Almost an entirely new set and a different lineup. I was trying to cop guitar parts on the 5-string while the bass line was looping on some songs. That is a pita - too much thinking involved. Actually easier to double on keys. Recording is out in the house. No bass in FOH - just vocals and keys.

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I'm a little confused (as I always am by the multitude of tone shaping options we have as modern electric bassists). What keeps you from simply boosting the upper mids with your amp? Surely the Children will reproduce that emphasis faithfully?

 

[nostatic]

I'm a little confused (as I always am by the multitude of tone shaping options we have as modern electric bassists). What keeps you from simply boosting the upper mids with your amp? Surely the Children will reproduce that emphasis faithfully?

Doesn't sound the same. Might be lost in the mix to some extent, but my preference is always to have a cabinet that sounds close to what I want with my amp flat - that way I can use eq to deal with a room or as an effect (which I admittedly rarely do). Part of it is psychological, but the 3" paper cone sounds different than the horn. I don't necessarily want "faithful" reproduction - I want the cabinet to add some character.

 

[pkstone]

Doesn't sound the same. Might be lost in the mix to some extent, but my preference is always to have a cabinet that sounds close to what I want with my amp flat - that way I can use eq to deal with a room or as an effect (which I admittedly rarely do). Part of it is psychological, but the 3" paper cone sounds different than the horn. I don't necessarily want "faithful" reproduction - I want the cabinet to add some character.

OK, I think I understand. You're missing the *coloration* the Hathor provides in the upper mids.

From string and pickup choice, on-guitar tone controls, effects, amps, and then finally, cabinets, I can get paralyzed by the permutations. I guess it's why I chose a TC112; I needed to eliminate a few variables in the chain!

Great playing, by the way.

 

[tombowlus]

Doesn't sound the same. Might be lost in the mix to some extent, but my preference is always to have a cabinet that sounds close to what I want with my amp flat - that way I can use eq to deal with a room or as an effect (which I admittedly rarely do). Part of it is psychological, but the 3" paper cone sounds different than the horn. I don't necessarily want "faithful" reproduction - I want the cabinet to add some character.

While having a great EQ at your disposal is a nice thing, I always try to use the least amount of EQ necessary. While EQ can do good things, it almost always does "bad things" at the same time. I almost always prefer the results I get from matching up instrument/amp/cab to get my desired tone with minimal EQ, as opposed to getting there with a rig that requires more significant EQ tweaking.

That is all IME/IMHO, of course, and YMMV.

 

[Marial]

This is exactly why I cannot wait for my Demeter to show up. Minimal-ist EQ, but always musical/useful EQ. It, and my TC212, should be mind blowing.

 

[maisbass]

I'm actually on the fence about the last couple of posts. I'm fortunate enough to always play with pa support, so in a perfect world, I would like to think the tone I'm hearing on stage is what is being reproduced at FOH. But Even though I like the flat response of the TC112, I do enjoy coloration of speakers as well.

With that being said, and being an audio engineer, I know even if you are using a speaker with a flat response such as the TC112 v1, and you are feeding signal to FOH, doesn't necessarily guarantee that what you hear is being reproduced out front. It really is a catch 22.

I guess in the end we all have to be happy with what we hear on stage, and hope that FOH does our tone justice!

If not, just crank it up!! Easy to do with these powerhouse micro heads these days.

 

[Marial]

I never worry about FOH as it's completely in the soundman's hands. One of the reasons I went with the Jensen transformer in my Demeter head is so that my feed to FOH is the same, at least at that point, as what goes to the cab. Beyond that, it's not something I think about.

 

[maisbass]

However I do agree that too much eq'ing is detrimental to your tone. I like to leave my eq as flat as possible, with perhaps a little sprinkle of salt and pepper if needed.

 

[maisbass]

I never worry about FOH as it's completely in the soundman's hands. One of the reasons I went with the Jensen transformer in my Demeter head is so that my feed to FOH is the same, at least at that point, as what goes to the cab. Beyond that, it's not something I think about.

You're a better man than me!

Yeah it's my OCD. 46 yrs old and I still haven't got over it! Maybe I'll grow up some day! Lol!!

 

[Mark Sacchetti]

Happy 4th!





Sent from my iPhone

 

[DirtPoorRobins]

Hey Todd can you compare the CN 112 to the Hathor 1203. I love the low mid grunt and grind of my cn212 but hate the harsh highs, I like the smooth clean highs of my tc112 but wish it had the low mid grunt and grind of the cn212.

 

[nostatic]

One of the reasons I liked (and still do like) the Baers was the sound of the 6" paper cone driver relative to the tweeters in typical 2-ways. The CN112 is a great cab, but tweeters can get harsh depending on what/how you play. Just the nature of the beast. Marcus uses that to his advantage - with me it just sounded...um...not like Marcus

The other reason I liked the Baer was the present upper mids whereas the Berg is a bit more relaxed there. The H1203 is kind of the best of both worlds. It is a bit more relaxed than the Baer in the upper mids, and is sweeter in the highs than any tweeter cab that I've owned/played. Plus the tweeter loaded cabs tend to have a bit of a hole somewhere in the mids/upper mids. No way around it - just can't cover the whole spectrum really well with that combination. Lots of guys dig the profile though, so more power to them.

I have been messing around more with the H1203 and TC112-8 at home. You can tell they are in the same family, but while the TC112-8 is the more refined member, the H1203 is more the rebel. Truth be told the combination of them is pretty intoxicating. The TC112-8 still doesn't have quite the upper mid presence that I typically like. The H1203 certainly does. The H1203 also has nice low mid punch, but not overbearing (which I'm really sensitive to). What the TC112-8 brings to the table is just more girth and a bit lower extension. It fills out the room. Today I'm going to go back and forth between the H1203 pair and the combined stack. I can say that I am totally happy with a single H1203 for a lot of my gigs. As in zero issue - though I did have to tighten up the grill cover screws yesterday. The horror!

 

[LeonD]

For a single cab gig, would you ever consider just the TC112-8? Or is it lacking too much compared to the H1203?

 

[nostatic]

Good question. On initial listening, my gut reaction is, "no." It totally can cover a gig, and can carry a bigger room than the H1203, but the sonic profile of the H1203 is what I prefer. That said, part of it is driven by doing A/B. If I just fire up the TC112-8 and play through it, I don't feel like I'm missing much. It still is a bit polite, but it also depends on the gig. If I'm in a fairly open ensemble or want to provide low support, the TC112 would be a great choice. If however I want to throw out a bit more attitude, then the H1203 has that more baked in.

Going to also run my keys through them for grins. I have to clean the bathrooms first. My wife gets home after a week long artist residency up in Portland and having her walk into a clean house helps her tolerate my endless gear pursuits I also need to go for a ride, especially since the pool is closed today. These rare days off confuse me...

 

[dmrogers]

One of the reasons I liked (and still do like) the Baers was the sound of the 6" paper cone driver relative to the tweeters in typical 2-ways. The CN112 is a great cab, but tweeters can get harsh depending on what/how you play. Just the nature of the beast. Marcus uses that to his advantage - with me it just sounded...um...not like Marcus

The other reason I liked the Baer was the present upper mids whereas the Berg is a bit more relaxed there. The H1203 is kind of the best of both worlds. It is a bit more relaxed than the Baer in the upper mids, and is sweeter in the highs than any tweeter cab that I've owned/played. Plus the tweeter loaded cabs tend to have a bit of a hole somewhere in the mids/upper mids. No way around it - just can't cover the whole spectrum really well with that combination. Lots of guys dig the profile though, so more power to them.

I have been messing around more with the H1203 and TC112-8 at home. You can tell they are in the same family, but while the TC112-8 is the more refined member, the H1203 is more the rebel. Truth be told the combination of them is pretty intoxicating. The TC112-8 still doesn't have quite the upper mid presence that I typically like. The H1203 certainly does. The H1203 also has nice low mid punch, but not overbearing (which I'm really sensitive to). What the TC112-8 brings to the table is just more girth and a bit lower extension. It fills out the room. Today I'm going to go back and forth between the H1203 pair and the combined stack. I can say that I am totally happy with a single H1203 for a lot of my gigs. As in zero issue - though I did have to tighten up the grill cover screws yesterday. The horror!

Todd,
The more I hear your observations on the H1203, the more excited I get about getting mine and trying them out. It really sounds like just what I am looking for! The mid presence is going to be fun to work with. Currently I have to increase the mids (most of the time) to get the right tone. It's not a terrible problem to have, just looking for a little more........

 

[nostatic]

Well, my caveat is that everyone has different ears, gear, and technique so ymmv. If you want super deep lows you're not going to get it but it is plenty thick in the low mids with the first and second harmonic. I really don't like to have a cab giving me ultra-low end because I want to play nice with the kick. The nice thing is that the 3" takes mid eq quite well so you really don't need to push it there. Mostly my back is really liking the form factor. I've spent the last two weeks trying to rehab (12 of 13 days in the pool) so not stressing it when I'm hauling gear is a big plus right now.