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AudioKinesis Cabs Part VI...
- Thread starter Thor
- Start date
I couldn't stand it, I had to run home and plug 'em up.
Quick observation:
I play finger style (no slap) so keep that in mind.
Build quality: Top notch. I was actually surprised at how tight and well finished these cabs are. No offense Duke, I knew you had a reputation for quality, but these things are SOLID.
Volume: They are loud! I could easily do my normal gig with one (but 2 is more fun). I can't think of a gig in the past several years where a pair of these cabs would have any trouble carrying them.
Tone: Way different from my GS112s. Much more mids (which is what I was trying to achieve). Tighter Lows. Takes EQ very well. The 3" driver does a great job. I love the mid presence of these cabs.
I tried the following: 1 cab + Monique. 2 cabs + Monique. 1cab + TH500, 2 cabs + TH500. Vertical stack, Horizontal stack. Ports open, Ports plugged.
With Monique, I couldn't get a bad tone out of it. But that is the consistent experience I've had with Monique. However, with the mid presence and tight bass, I feel that the EQ appears to make more difference. You can readily hear the EQ changes better through the 1203s.
With the Tone Hammer 500, very different EQ settings. I don't have to use extreme EQ settings to get my tone. The Hathor's take bass EQ boost much better than the GS cabs. A great, light package.
The vertical stack sounds great. However, the horizontal stack was just fine. Based on the horizontal stack in my music room, I wouldn't have any hesitation gigging with that configuration (This could change on a stage).
Ports: Again, I was pleasantly surprised at how musical the cabs were with the ports plugged. Based on some peoples remarks about sealed cabs, I thought I wouldn't like them plugged. Nice option!
Only about 50 minutes of playing, so I still have a lot of work to do. I try to be objective when I get new gear. It's exciting to get new stuff, but gear is a tool. I try to skip the honeymoon and focus on a long term relationship.
It's gonna take a while for me to get used to these cabs, but that's with any gear I purchase. I have to re-adjust myself to the nuances of the new stuff.
Got a busy weekend planned, hope to get more time to spend with it later.
Oh, and I agree with morebassbaby's assessment of the cab.
Quick observation:
I play finger style (no slap) so keep that in mind.
Build quality: Top notch. I was actually surprised at how tight and well finished these cabs are. No offense Duke, I knew you had a reputation for quality, but these things are SOLID.
Volume: They are loud! I could easily do my normal gig with one (but 2 is more fun). I can't think of a gig in the past several years where a pair of these cabs would have any trouble carrying them.
Tone: Way different from my GS112s. Much more mids (which is what I was trying to achieve). Tighter Lows. Takes EQ very well. The 3" driver does a great job. I love the mid presence of these cabs.
I tried the following: 1 cab + Monique. 2 cabs + Monique. 1cab + TH500, 2 cabs + TH500. Vertical stack, Horizontal stack. Ports open, Ports plugged.
With Monique, I couldn't get a bad tone out of it. But that is the consistent experience I've had with Monique. However, with the mid presence and tight bass, I feel that the EQ appears to make more difference. You can readily hear the EQ changes better through the 1203s.
With the Tone Hammer 500, very different EQ settings. I don't have to use extreme EQ settings to get my tone. The Hathor's take bass EQ boost much better than the GS cabs. A great, light package.
The vertical stack sounds great. However, the horizontal stack was just fine. Based on the horizontal stack in my music room, I wouldn't have any hesitation gigging with that configuration (This could change on a stage).
Ports: Again, I was pleasantly surprised at how musical the cabs were with the ports plugged. Based on some peoples remarks about sealed cabs, I thought I wouldn't like them plugged. Nice option!
Only about 50 minutes of playing, so I still have a lot of work to do. I try to be objective when I get new gear. It's exciting to get new stuff, but gear is a tool. I try to skip the honeymoon and focus on a long term relationship.
It's gonna take a while for me to get used to these cabs, but that's with any gear I purchase. I have to re-adjust myself to the nuances of the new stuff.
Got a busy weekend planned, hope to get more time to spend with it later.
Oh, and I agree with morebassbaby's assessment of the cab.
HA! Luckily that crib is just there for when my sister's kids are in town...and they are not in town, so I was free to blast it!So, you were trying to wake the baby up?
Passinwind
I know nothing.
- Dec 3, 2003
- 23,075
- 46,028
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- Designer/Toaster Tech @ Passinwind Electronics
Probably this one, and maybe a few of my observations just before and after that: http://www.talkbass.com/threads/audiokinesis-cabs-part-vi.988858/page-34#post-15719187
- Nov 24, 2008
- 4,343
- 7,163
- Disclosures
- Owner & designer, AudioKinesis; Auth. mfg, Big E (Home Audio only)
Thank you both very much!
I think your descriptions are right on. I would expect the Baer to cut better and go a bit louder and deeper, that's a very well-designed and executed cab and very high bang-for-the-buck. I'm working a bit different angle, emphasizing portability a bit more, hopefully without compromising too much in other areas. The Hathor 1203's voicing isn't necessarily the voicing everyone is looking, but may be more generally suited for electric bass than the more "studio-esque" voicing of the Thunderchild series.
The build solidity was mentioned... thanks! I use fairly aggressive bracing, as I'm starting out with rather soft, half-inch Poplar plywood to keep the weight down.
Okay, "very solid but tight low end" is one of those areas where Mike Arnopol's cabs outperform mine. The Manipulated Vortex Waveguide enclosure doesn't rely on a resonant system like a vented box does, so the low-end output from the cab stops quicker when the signal stops. The result is a very solid and articulate low end. Not that my cabs suck in this area, but his are better. Dangit.
I got everything taken care of for the bike (bicycle) ride tomorrow (30 mile charity ride) so I had a little more time to play with the cabs.
I tried it with one of my Thunderfunks, the 550B. Good match. The EQ on the Thunderfunk is magic and just a little tweaking on the EQ and the Timbre gave me a good, solid tone. Really smooth. With my GS cabs, I had to use pretty extreme EQ, pulling down the lows and bumping the mids and highs. Very different results with the Hathors.
I spent most of the available time with the Monique. This time I focused on "The Switches". I really like these options. Although at first they seem subtle, these switches make a substantial difference. I played along with a few mp3's and had the top switch up and the bottom switch down on both cabs. Very good tone. I've got to try the switch configurations with the TH500.
I'm hoping over the weekend to play the cabs enough to get them broken in. I still have got a lot to learn about the cabs, trying different settings etc...
The whole time I'm playing around with these cabs, I'm thinking, "under 25 pounds"! I'm still blown away with the small physical size.
Duke has built a winner with this cab!
I tried it with one of my Thunderfunks, the 550B. Good match. The EQ on the Thunderfunk is magic and just a little tweaking on the EQ and the Timbre gave me a good, solid tone. Really smooth. With my GS cabs, I had to use pretty extreme EQ, pulling down the lows and bumping the mids and highs. Very different results with the Hathors.
I spent most of the available time with the Monique. This time I focused on "The Switches". I really like these options. Although at first they seem subtle, these switches make a substantial difference. I played along with a few mp3's and had the top switch up and the bottom switch down on both cabs. Very good tone. I've got to try the switch configurations with the TH500.
I'm hoping over the weekend to play the cabs enough to get them broken in. I still have got a lot to learn about the cabs, trying different settings etc...
The whole time I'm playing around with these cabs, I'm thinking, "under 25 pounds"! I'm still blown away with the small physical size.
Duke has built a winner with this cab!
- Apr 3, 2003
- 35,516
- 19,951
- Disclosures
- Editor-in-Chief, Bass Gear Magazine
Bit of warning for y'all regarding the 1203's... the honeymoon never wears off! The the 1203 continues to blow me away! 
- Nov 24, 2008
- 4,343
- 7,163
- Disclosures
- Owner & designer, AudioKinesis; Auth. mfg, Big E (Home Audio only)
Just barely under 25 pounds (like 24.7 or so), but yes!
Thank you very much, Tom.Bit of warning for y'all regarding the 1203's... the honeymoon never wears off! The the 1203 continues to blow me away!
Well one thing I should have mentioned is, they can be used on their sides, improving the horizontal dispersion at the expense of some vertical dispersion... of course you can just get a second one and stack them on their sides, so that the top one is up closer to ear level!
Ruben's friend Eric has the first one, but I haven't heard back from him yet. He would be your best bet for a well-qualified evaluation.
Some specifics: 4 or 8 ohms; 98 dB; 500 watts ballpark (the woofer is a Faital 15PR400, rated at 400 watts, but safe to use with a "500 watt" amp); -3 dB at 70 Hz (and -5 dB at 62 Hz), so it's low-B will be weak (hence the "E" designation); 22" tall x 17" wide x 13.5" deep; 30 pounds. I'm kinda happy with that 30 pound weight.
There is only one switch, to roll off the top end; adding a "midrange" switch really didn't result in much change in the voicing, and added unnecessary weight and expense.
I had to omit the inner flares on the ports because the inside of the box is very busy and they just wouldn't fit, so instead the inner end of the port tube is cut at a 45 degree angle to facilitate airflow. I positioned the ports (and oriented the 45 degree inner ends) to pretty much optimize for chimney-effect cooling:
One thing you don't see, there's a window-pane brace on the inside of the cabinet at the mid-height of the woofer (in addition to a similar brace between woofer and mids). The reason for this extra brace is, I plan to use the same enclosure with a kilowatt-class long-excursion woofer in a low-F#-capable variant, and in that application it will be subjected to some pretty high internal pressures (small internal volume, large-displacement cone, very powerful motor).
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Thanks to all those trying to help me; I guess I dreamed of a review of the TC118 that hasn't happened yet -- weird!
Yeah, the MAS-210 Flex Mod is definitely on my radar screen, but I'd still like to have one (or two or three) of your cabs -- like a TC212 or a pair of H1203 for really tight stages (seem to be a lot around DFW) & a pair of TC112 for home audio. For festival type gigs use all 4x12 (run off my power amp). Practices & smaller venues just take a 1x12.
The main problem is I haven't won the lottery yet... ;-)
Hey lo-freq, I gave a quick review of the tc118 in this thread very recently, plus there's a review in a link cited above. Feel free to ask questions. I'm still in the honeymoon phase and loving it!
I recently did a head to head with the tc118 and tc212. They were more similar than I expected and, despite my initial comments a week or so ago, the 212 seems to go about as low to my ears (though I don't take more than 2 port plugs off the tc118 to tame the low end (I usually keep them all in), so keep that in mind; with the 212, I usually have 1 or 2 plugs in to tame the low end). The 212 is a tad punchier/crisper. The tc118 is thicker/bassier but still very clear (not sure if that's just the horn or the horn plus the super rear-firing tweeter). The tc118 is definitely for low end lovers who want their bass to support and be the bottom, not sure you'd want this cab for hi-fi slappy stuff or soloing. I'm sure both cabs can be EQ'd to be even more similar but I didn't have time to try that.
Thanks Duke!
I recently did a head to head with the tc118 and tc212. They were more similar than I expected and, despite my initial comments a week or so ago, the 212 seems to go about as low to my ears (though I don't take more than 2 port plugs off the tc118 to tame the low end (I usually keep them all in), so keep that in mind; with the 212, I usually have 1 or 2 plugs in to tame the low end). The 212 is a tad punchier/crisper. The tc118 is thicker/bassier but still very clear (not sure if that's just the horn or the horn plus the super rear-firing tweeter). The tc118 is definitely for low end lovers who want their bass to support and be the bottom, not sure you'd want this cab for hi-fi slappy stuff or soloing. I'm sure both cabs can be EQ'd to be even more similar but I didn't have time to try that.
Thanks Duke!
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One way around this is pairing an H1203 on top of a TC112-8. That extends and widens the lows without being overbearing, and you get some of the bite from the 3", and a bit of the horn high as well.
I'm finding that I finally got it "right" with my current 3-cab setup. One H1203 stays in my car all the time and covers small rooms and most of the jazz gigs. If I want more volume with more edge and bite, I add a second H1203. If I want more volume with more low end support I add the TC112-8 instead. And if I want a more "hi-fi" sound I can just take the TC112-8. Win-win-win.
I've got experience with both and I think that your comparison is spot on. I prefer the 212 because of the focus of the low end. Never thin or dry. Big and full but focused. To me the 118 is a bit fuller and warmer in the lows, but for my playing on live gigs the focus of the 212 is the ticket. I'd love to hear a shootout with the Fearless 212 and Barefaced 212's. It's actually the size of the Fearless 210.
I betcha that the I'd really dig the Hathor 1855. It's got a monster woofer that handles 1000 watts (really). And I LOVE those Faital paper cone mids. (or I wouldn't be using them in most of my cabs!)
I betcha that the I'd really dig the Hathor 1855. It's got a monster woofer that handles 1000 watts (really). And I LOVE those Faital paper cone mids. (or I wouldn't be using them in most of my cabs!)
My two minor criticisms of the ML112 were size and that it could get a bit "thin/dry" in the low end. Part of that is my technique - I tend to play more like a finger style guitarist so I don't pluck particularly "fat". I briefly had the TC212 but for me it was a bit too much of a good thing in the lows but I'm really sensitive to the amount of low/low-mid push that I get on stage. I must have been traumatized by overactive bass eq at a young age and now I over compensate
Regarding the ML112, maybe it's those front corner ports rather than one large port like the Greenboy cabs? BFM also has some new plans with those corner ports on the baffel, and his bass cabs are not known for huge low end either, he's more of a mid-focused guy.
. As long as it's not too small so it chuffs, I've found little difference in front, back single, or multiple. I thought that rear ports for playing live was a bad idea---playing through Thunderchildren cleared up my misconception.
For all of y'all that are into ported cabinets!
For all of y'all that are into ported cabinets!
My two minor criticisms of the ML112 were size and that it could get a bit "thin/dry" in the low end. Part of that is my technique - I tend to play more like a finger style guitarist so I don't pluck particularly "fat". I briefly had the TC212 but for me it was a bit too much of a good thing in the lows but I'm really sensitive to the amount of low/low-mid push that I get on stage. I must have been traumatized by overactive bass eq at a young age and now I over compensate
Why don't you just quit playing bass and concentrate on the ukulele!!!
Just kidding. I've found that using one of Duke's port plugs does just what you're talking about.
Man. I've gotta stop propping up his cabs.
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Not to say I told you so...but I told you so
Yes you did, and for that, I thank you! Answered all of my questions when I was deciding which cab to buy. You were right!
