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AudioKinesis Cabs Part VI...
- Thread starter Thor
- Start date
- Nov 24, 2008
- 4,343
- 7,163
- Disclosures
- Owner & designer, AudioKinesis; Auth. mfg, Big E (Home Audio only)
The Faital 15PR400 in your cab doesn't have a very big low end in that smallish enclosure; in fact, that's the woofer I'm using in the slightly-more-compact Hathor 1533-E, the "E" designating that it's optimized for low-E rather than really delivering a solid low-B.
That being said, you might try shortening the ports. They're modular ports, consisting of an outer flare, and inner flare, and a coupling ring, with tape wrapping the junction. The inner flare on the upper port is carved a bit so that it doesn't bump the side handle.
Shortening the ports is safe to do because the cab starts out tuned rather low, like 43 Hz or so. Shorten one port and you're tuned to 46 Hz; shorten both ports and you're at 50 Hz, which is the tuning I use in my Thunderchild cabs. The higher tuning frequencies should give you a bit bigger bottom end.
I think each port is held in place by eight screws, and four of those screw-holes were hand-drilled so they're not perfectly symmetrical. Which means you need to put a bit of tape on each port before you take it out so that you can identify which port is which, and label the correct orientation of the holes. I would put a bit of blue tape just below the top screw hole in the upper port, and two bits of blue tape bracketing the top screw hole in the lower port.
So you remove one of the ports (doesn't matter which ) and then remove the tape so that you can remove the inner flare. Leave the outer flare taped in place because it adds about 1/2" of length. Then put that port back in and listen to the cab. It's okay that now you have two different length ports. Up to you whether you want to go ahead and shorten the second port, or go back to the way it was, or whatever.
There is a possibility that I taped some of the wires to one or both of the ports. I can't remember. If that's the case, you'll have to remove the woofer so that you can untape the wires. You may have to reach through one of the ports and push on the back of the woofer frame to un-stick it; sometimes they tend to stick to the cab after being clamped in place for so long. Just be careful not to push the little threaded hurricane nuts out of the wood as you turn the screws (and I recommend using a manual screwdriver so that you can feel what's going on). Use firm downward pressure to get the screw started backing out, but then lighten up and use only enough downward pressure to engage the slot. I use a flat-blade screwdriver for the high torque part, and then switch to a Phillips for the low torque/higher speed part. And when re-installing the screws, don't force it or you'll spin the hurricane nut; if one screw just doesn't like those threads then try another.
Also, feel free to call me at any point in the process, 208-852-2610.
And that is why I'm a very happy and proud Audiokinesis customer.
I can't recall whether the following question has already been addressed. If so, would somebody kindly direct me to the answer?
How does the tone of the Hathor 1203 with the midrange "smoother" switch engaged compare with the tone of the Thunderchild 112 with the "growly" switch engaged? I understand that the TC has the edge in low end extension, so I'm really asking mostly about the comparative texture and timbre of the midrange frequencies.
How close do the tones of the two cabs get to one another? And is there any overlap at all?
Anyone?
MM
How does the tone of the Hathor 1203 with the midrange "smoother" switch engaged compare with the tone of the Thunderchild 112 with the "growly" switch engaged? I understand that the TC has the edge in low end extension, so I'm really asking mostly about the comparative texture and timbre of the midrange frequencies.
How close do the tones of the two cabs get to one another? And is there any overlap at all?
Anyone?
MM
Not a clue, I have no experience with the Hathor.
I can, however, confirm that the TC212 is a beast. I finally had a chance to see what it's like in a live setting over the weekend and it's simply stellar. As I wrote in the Demeter VTBP thread, James and Duke have absolutely knocked it out of the park with these pieces. In combination it's the most responsive rig I've ever played through and the tone was fantastic. I had to significantly back off my attack in one of the songs, more so than with any other amp/cab I've used. It was deep, authoritative, and smooth, but got aggressive when I dug in. The latter attribute I chalk up to the amp accurately reproducing the growl from the bass, not any kind of overdrive or coloration from the amp or cab. It simply put out what I was putting in. That's my definition of perfection.
For reference, I left all ports plugged (hollow boomy stage) and had the switches in 'hi fi' position, top up, bottom down. I was playing my Squarmoth fretless with Sadowsky flats. It has SD Antiquity II pups and an Aguilar OBP-2 pre.
I can, however, confirm that the TC212 is a beast. I finally had a chance to see what it's like in a live setting over the weekend and it's simply stellar. As I wrote in the Demeter VTBP thread, James and Duke have absolutely knocked it out of the park with these pieces. In combination it's the most responsive rig I've ever played through and the tone was fantastic. I had to significantly back off my attack in one of the songs, more so than with any other amp/cab I've used. It was deep, authoritative, and smooth, but got aggressive when I dug in. The latter attribute I chalk up to the amp accurately reproducing the growl from the bass, not any kind of overdrive or coloration from the amp or cab. It simply put out what I was putting in. That's my definition of perfection.
For reference, I left all ports plugged (hollow boomy stage) and had the switches in 'hi fi' position, top up, bottom down. I was playing my Squarmoth fretless with Sadowsky flats. It has SD Antiquity II pups and an Aguilar OBP-2 pre.
I don't have any experience with the TC112. I will agree with Marial concerning attack. When playing through the 1203, it puts out what you give it. My current rig is making me reconsider my playing style.
Here is a quote by nostatic, when he first got the 1203. I think he now owns both a pair of 1203 cabs and a TC112. The following was when he and Steuart were comparing the three cabs mentioned in the quote:
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.
I just put in an order for a 4 ohm Hathor 1855. Given this things massive power handling and 4 ohm impedance, this should be the only cab I ever need.
While not exactly a micro cab, this thing's size and portability look impressive. I'm currently using a pair of Genz Benz NeoX 112T cabs. The Hathor has a slightly smaller footprint, is only 10" taller the than a single 1x12, and only weighs 14 lbs more. This should be a hell of a lot easier to move around than the pair, and I'll get something crazy like 2x the power handling of my current 2x112 stack. It should be small enough that dragging it to rehearsals won't be annoying, either.
It also seems to be voiced closer to what I prefer a bass cab to sound like compared to the "other" modern super-high performance cabs out there.
Now the waiting begins... Based on the guesstimated lead time, merry Christmas to me!
While not exactly a micro cab, this thing's size and portability look impressive. I'm currently using a pair of Genz Benz NeoX 112T cabs. The Hathor has a slightly smaller footprint, is only 10" taller the than a single 1x12, and only weighs 14 lbs more. This should be a hell of a lot easier to move around than the pair, and I'll get something crazy like 2x the power handling of my current 2x112 stack. It should be small enough that dragging it to rehearsals won't be annoying, either.
It also seems to be voiced closer to what I prefer a bass cab to sound like compared to the "other" modern super-high performance cabs out there.
Now the waiting begins... Based on the guesstimated lead time, merry Christmas to me!
Wow. When you put the specs in perspective like that, they are indeed impressive. From Tom Bowlus' description of the voicing of the 1855, it sounds like it would be right up my (and a lot of people's) alley. I like to hear the sound growl down low.
quick question:
does anyone remember the weight on the hathor 12?
a friend asked me and i can't remember. (under 25?)
does anyone remember the weight on the hathor 12?
a friend asked me and i can't remember. (under 25?)
