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AudioKinesis Cabs Part VI...

#1,361
Coolhandjjl said:
Not ever hearing an 18", it is hard to place it in the line-up. Sometime I feel even my 15 may be too much. Perhaps it is soley due to all the buzz about 12's and especially dual 12's these days. Guess I gotta get out and hit some trade shows. Or start my own here so I don't have to leave town.:cool:
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Well, even if you had heard an 18" equipped bass cab before, it still wouldn't prepare you for the Hathor 1855. That cab sound like no other cab I have heard. It's quite amazing, and should be measured by its own merits and not by what other 18" cabs have done in the past.
 
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#1,362
tombowlus said:
Well, even if you had heard an 18" equipped bass cab before, it still wouldn't prepare you for the Hathor 1855. That cab sound like no other cab I have heard. It's quite amazing, and should be measured by its own merits and not by what other 18" cabs have done in the past.
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I agree. It's a new world, and I'm probably better served by tossing any preconcieved notions about everything right out the window.
 
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#1,364
thudfromafar said:
Any got a pic of this monster?
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I believe the one on the right is the 1855.

gi.mpl?u=2112&f=Hathors_1203_and_1855.jpg
 
#1,375
The quotes below were way back several pages ago, around page 40 or so.
These posts, at least in my mind, explained the cabs I was considering at the time.
Anyway, I saved them to read up on the H1203 when I was considering ordering a pair. I started off considering a pair of Berg CN112s, Then the Baer ML112s, and finally the H1203 from Duke.

Maybe this will help.

tombowlus said:
Comparing the 1855 to the double 1203 stack, the 1855 has tighter, slightly bigger, almost growly lows. Very nice, and very addicting! The 2x1203 stack is a bit more warm/round down low, with more bloom. This can also be very nice in the right situation, and some folks will certainly prefer this kind of low end presentation.

Moving on to the midrange, this is where the meat of the story lies, and it’ll take some time to suss out the details. At first, the 1855 sounded more lean in the mids, but I think this is just the lower to middle mids. It is definitely more articulate and more present the upper mids. The more I played around, the more I felt like the 1855 had more peaks and valleys in the mids and the 1203’s were more consistent and balanced. One big caveat is that this initial round of testing was all done from a seated position a few feet in front of the cabs. I am guessing that as I move around, the perceived mids (and the relative balance through the mids) may vary quite a bit.

The high end (which might technically be the upper mids not sure on this one) between the two was probably their most similar feature. The 1855 is a tad more pure and clean, and the 1203 seemed to have more harmonic content through the highs. Both setups leave you wondering why you'd ever need a horn.

Now, things got interesting when I switched from my MTD 535 (a two-pickup, active bass) to my Carvin PB5 (a passive P-bass). The 1855 became much more burpy/growly and has a lot more upper mids. The 1203s were much more round and smooth by comparison. This was not a subtle transition, and I view this as a credit to the cabs’ (both the 1855 and the 1203’s) abilities to reflect the character of the signal being fed to them. In fact, the 1855 may be the best-performing cab that I have ever tried in this regard. First impressions can be misleading, mind you, but out of the gate, I was floored by its ability to just entirely transform its sound when switching instruments. The only potential downside to this is that if a player hears this cab at a GTG or demos one at home, unless he/she tries a variety of basses (and I’m guessing, amps) with the cab, they may not really get to know its capabilities.

Comparing the 1544 to the 1855 or the two 1203’s, the 1544 just sounds boxy and thin. With the right head (something big and meaty), this cab can sound great – especially when you throw some overdrive at it. But when I compare it to your other cabs, I definitely prefer the 1855 and 1203.
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nostatic said:
Sonically the cabs are voiced from aggressive mids (Baer on the left) to smooth (TC112-4 on the right). The 1203 sits in the middle, literally and sonically. You can hear the genetic connection between the 1203 and TC112, and the roll-off and smoothing switches on the 1203 can get it closer to the TC112 feel. As I tend to favor a fairly mid-forward and articulate tone (as evidenced by me playing the Baer for a couple years), I preferred the 1203 wide open, but the switches provided some nice color changes. I wasn't crazy about the sound with the port plugged though - was more open and spoke better (to me) with the port open.

I think the ML112 extended a bit lower than the 1203, but the Hathor had more meat in the low-mids. I am really sensitive to wooly low mids and have gotten rid of cabs that leaned that way. The 1203 gets it just right though. Nice heft to the notes but I never felt like there was any wool or lack or articulation. The 1203 isn't as aggressive as the ML112 in the mids and that can be a good or bad thing depending on what you're looking for. To me the slap tone with the 1203 was better than the ML112. Steuart preferred some of the chordal stuff with my Monarch 5 (E-C) on the Baer as it was really crisp/clear in the mids.

The TC112 is a much more "polite" cab. Steuart calls it "musical." ;). It goes lower than the 1203, has a bit thicker low-mids than either the 1203 or the ML112, and is very even and smooth through the mids. The 1203 has a bit more bite up high, and the Baer has a lot more edge in the upper mids. One interesting moment was when I cranked the gain on the GK MB Fusion and got it to overdrive. The 1203 sounded spectacular with that tone. I switched to the TC112 and didn't dig it nearly as much.

So my take is that the cab is pretty much exactly as Duke designed and described it. I have 4 gigs over the next few days in 4 different venues (1 outdoor) and I'm going to just take a single 1203 and see how it fairs. My hunch is that it will carry all of them. Right now the 1203 is totally looking like a keeper. Perfect size and weight (REALLY portable). The tone is in-between the Baer and TC112, so Goldilocks would dig it. One other factor is that the 1203 takes EQ really well. I was able to dial in a tone that is pretty close to the Baer by adding some mids either at the bass or the amp. Much harder to EQ the mids out of the ML112 - that cab sounds the way it sounds, and is much more towards the Geddy Lee tone camp. Now my question for larger gigs is 1203 + ML112, 1203 x2, or 1203 + TC112-8.
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The Thunderchild v2 series (generally "hi fi"/studio-like cabs, PA-style compression driver + horn for the top end), the v2 denoting the switch to a horn that has wider dispersion in the vertical plane than the originals:

Thunderchild 112v2, 4 ohms: Dimensions 22" tall x 14" wide x 14" deep; 30 pounds; 95 dB; 500 watts; -2 dB at 62 Hz with normal tuning; pluggable ports give two ported and one sealed option; top end switchable between 3.5 kHz and 17 kHz (-3 dB points). Woofer is custom 4-ohm Kappalite 3012LF variant.

Thunderchild 112v2, 8 ohms: Dimensions 22" tall x 14" wide x 14" deep; 30 pounds; 94 dB; 500 watts; -1 dB at 62 Hz with normal tuning; pluggable ports give two ported and one sealed option; top end switchable between 3.5 kHz and 18 kHz (-3 dB points). Another switch toggles between smooth mids and a bit of grind in the mids. Woofer is stock Kappalite 3012LF.

Thunderchild 115v2, 8 ohms: Dimensions 25" tall x 17" wide x 14.5" deep; 36 pounds; 98 dB; 500 watts; -4 dB at 62 Hz with normal tuning; pluggable ports give two ported and one sealed option; top end switchable between 3.5 kHz and 18 kHz (-3 dB points). Another switch toggles betwen smooth mids and a bit of grind in the mids. Woofer is stock Kappalite 3015(non-LF).

Thunderchild 212v2: 4 ohms; dimensions 34.5" tall x 14.5" wide x 14.5" deep; 47 pounds; 97 dB; 900 watts; -1 dB at 62 Hz with normal tuning; pluggable ports give two ported and one sealed option; top end switchable between 3.5 kHz and 18 kHz (-3 dB points). Another switch toggles betwen smooth mids and a bit of grind in the mids. Woofers are stock Kappalite 3012LF.

Thunderchild 118 (new, also with a wider-in-the-vertical horn): 8 ohms; dimensions 30" tall x 20" wide x 14.5" deep; estimated 47-50 pounds [EDIT 2-16-2014: New estimate = 44 pounds]; 97 dB; 600 watts; -1 dB at 62 Hz with normal tuning; pluggable ports give two ported and one sealed option; top end switchable between 3.5 kHz and 18 kHz (-3 dB points). Woofer is stock Faital 18FH500.

The "Acoustic Friendly" option: Reduced-level rear-firing tweeter that adds a bit of top-end energy to the reverberant field and therefore comes a little bit closer to mimicing an actual acoustic instrument, and also lets anyone behind the cab (drummer perhaps) hear the overtones a bit better. More useful for upright bass than for electric bass. Adds about 1.5 pounds to the cab.

The Hathor series (cone midrange drivers for the top end, in a mid-chamber that is partially open on the top & back):

Hathor 1203 (new): 8 ohms; dimensions 18" tall x 14" wide x 14" deep; estimated 28 pounds [EDIT 2-16-2014: Weight = 24 pounds]; 94 dB; 500 watts; -3 dB at 62 Hz; pluggable single port; top end switchable between 3.5 kHz and 12 kHz (-3 dB points). Another switch toggles betwen smooth mids and a bit of grind in the mids. Woofer is stock Kappalite 3012LF, mid is 3" Faital.

Hathor 1544: 4 or 8 ohms; dimensions 25" tall x 18" wide x 14" deep; 34 pounds; 98 dB; 400 watts; -4 dB at 62 Hz; top end switchable between 3.5 kHz and 10 kHz (-3 dB points). Woofer is Faital 15PR400, either 4 or 8 ohm version, mids are 4" Faital. Kappalite 3015(non-LF) will also be available soon.

Hathor 1805 [EDIT 2-16-2014: ABANDONED!! The single 5" mid failed to "keep up" with the high-output 18]

Hathor 1855 (new): 4 or 8 ohms; dimensions dimensions 30" tall x 20" wide x 14.5" deep; estimated 55-60 pounds [Edit 2-16-2014: Weight = 50 pounds]; 95 dB; 1200 watts; -4 dB at 46 Hz (the first overtone of low F#); pluggable ports offer two ported and one sealed option; top end -3 dB at 6 kHz. No switches. Woofer is Faital 18HP1060, either 4 or 8 ohm version, mids are 5" Faital.
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#1,380
Really nice! Off topic, but can you talk a little more about your Matt Garrison? An MG sig is the only ultra hi-end bass I've ever been interested in. String spacing and neck feel are particularly important. I love love LOVE the slim taper Warmoth Jazz neck, what is the neck like on the MG? Never having dealt with Fodera, how much custom neck shaping do they do?
 

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