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Avatar 3 way 15/6/tweet
- Thread starter sleepytime
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Markbass LMII.
Definitely a low end issue - i play reggae & really crank the lows/cut the mids. The UL2 (4 ohms) seems to 'almost' do it, but it's close to breaking up, and at that levels, it doesn't sound all that great.
I'm pretty sure that the cab I'm using is not the right cab for what I'm playing. the tb153 seems more like that cab, but in terms of effeciency, I cannot tell if it's going to be louder, softer or the same as the UL2.
If it's less loud, then I will definitely need 2 8 ohm cabs. If it's a bit loude/efficient than the epi, then one 4 ohm should do it.
Scooping lows is a killer for being heard, and boosting lows sucks power. If your 410 is a 4 Ohm, then you will need 2 153s, BUT your LM2 will not be enough to push them both enough IMO-you'll want more juice (like 900 watts.....or more).
On the other hand if your 410 is 8 Ohms, get a 4 Ohm 153 and you'll be louder than you are now.....I have no way to be sure if it'll be enough.
BTW TBer burningskies is a treasure trove of knowledge and experience regarding reggae rigs. He plays a Dingwall through fEarful 15/6 and 15 sub....pm him if you like.
And off topic-I lived in Vancouver off commercial Dr in the 90s and my bro lives in Vic-cool locale in spades!!!!
On the other hand if your 410 is 8 Ohms, get a 4 Ohm 153 and you'll be louder than you are now.....I have no way to be sure if it'll be enough.
BTW TBer burningskies is a treasure trove of knowledge and experience regarding reggae rigs. He plays a Dingwall through fEarful 15/6 and 15 sub....pm him if you like.
And off topic-I lived in Vancouver off commercial Dr in the 90s and my bro lives in Vic-cool locale in spades!!!!
BurningSkies
CRAZY BALDHEAD
- Feb 20, 2005
- 27,956
- 20,348
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- Endorsing artist: Dingwall Guitars
I concur. I've been using a LMII and 2 fEarfuls, and for reggae, it's stretching. Not as much as it was when I was using 'regular' cabs, since i can leave the lows flat and attenuate the mids/highs, but I still run the amp to it's max levels. What I DO find is a major problem is that the LMII has limiting on the power stage and when you get too low, you lose any depth to your tone.
With a TB153, you should find that you can leave your lows flat, or close to flat and you should be able to get louder than you would have with whatever other cab setup you've been using.
Next step is a setup that I can run about 1kw per cab...I'm going to try to run the LMII as a preamp, but plan on going to a Demeter eventually for the loud/low/warm/clean thing.
I often use my F1 as a preamp only, into a bridged QSC 1202, giving me a 1200 watt F1. Hell, it weighs less than my old Ashly SC 40 !
I knew you wouldn't be far
That's where the 4 Ohm TB153 can save even more cash: a pair of these boxes with a Shuttlemax 12 with 600 watts into each cab may be the ultimate in power, price and convenience.
SMax 12s can now be had brand new on the bay for 899.
I run two Acme low B-2 4 ohms that way, and think it would sound great through 2 4 ohm avatar tb15's
As much as I love the LMII, that is not the right head for the 410UL (nor the 15/6 cabs IMO). Your issue is not the cab (which can THUNDER down low), but the combination of the head and cab mix and match (both are a bit polite in the upper bass, as are the 15/6 builds IMO and IME), and your tone goals.
That cab can EASILY take much more power (it has both the mechanical and thermal ability to handle the BIG wump). I would HIGHLY recommend trying the 410UL with a head with more low end ooomph. If you can switch a Mesa M6 or M9.... done
tocs100
Utah Bass of Doom, Metal DJ @ leafpileradio.com
Yep, I don't play reggae but instead in a heavy-rock-trio. And while in some clubs I can get away with 300watts (Club Vegas, Brewski's, Kamikazes, In the Venue), in others (The Fifth, The Dawg Pound, Liquid Joe's, practice warehouse) I need my full 1400watts (from a SoundTech power amp) and my 2 Carvin 15"s in tiny budget cabs can't keep up.
IOW, I could see myself with two TB153's on bigger stages very easily.
So if 500 watts is fine but doesn't give you big bottom, how many watts is best for this as a stand-alone cab?
500 is great and it WILL give you big bottom with the 153, but more may be better as long as you listen to the cab and don't do any extreme eqing.
I see. So right around 500 watts would be just fine, and that way I wouldn't have to tiptoe around, trying not to blow the cab.
After quite a long time of searching for a new rig, I think this cab plus a nice small powerful solid state head (plus some pedal or mixer or something for my two inputs) will end my search...until my next onset of GAS, but we won't talk about that. It may not be the lightest out there, but it's not expensive, and it all reviews so far seems to confirm that it delivers!
In spades, big time, faaaar beyond its' price IME. And just for the record, I am not a big fan of any other Avatar cabs.
Interesting. I have gotten mixed reviews on other Avatar cabs, so I wasn't looking seriously into them until I discovered this thread (by accident!). The other latest option I was looking at was the Gallien Krueger MB210/212/115 cabs. I love how lightweight those are, but it doesn't seem they'd even compare to the TB153.
500 watts is perfect for this cab (I think the thermal rating on that 15 is around that wattage).
The confusion and 'power hungry' posts IMO on the wattage requirements of these 15/6 cabs stems from the fact that the cabs built with the stock 'off the shelf' 3015LF drivers are all 8ohms. So, the typical 500 watt micro amp will only put out about 60% of its power. They sound find with that amount of power, but will not perform up to their impressive capabilities.
With the OEM 4ohm version that Avatar is using, any decent micro with that typical 400-600 watt rating should drive the cab to pretty much full performance.
It's not that these cabs 'need' more power, but rather that, like other high quality cabs with good driver mechanical specs, they can actually USE more power.
A 4ohm version of this cab with one of the nice micro's out there from Markbass, Genz, GK, whatever should be killer, especially for those wanting a big, round, full low end.
Also the crossover network and mid driver can greatly increase the overall power handling of the cab. Don't be afraid to bring big power, just use it sensibly.
Yeah, that's true. I'm sure I'm going to be blown away by this setup, as I'm used to 250 watts of Hartke!
Nice 15/6, Masonsjax!
Nice 15/6, Masonsjax!
Mine arrived on Friday and I have had fun playing around with it. I get nearly the same tone with the EQ flat that I used to get with a bass boost and another bump around 125hz, but the tone with the TB153 is much fuller and clearer with more present mids than what I had before (Eden D-AH).
I got the 8ohm cabinet because my amp is a bit of an oddball. Its an Eden WT-500, with dual mono 250w power sections. running 8 ohms into one side gives me 125w which is great for playing in the basement and not waking the baby. Then I can bridge the power sections and get 500w into 8ohms (bridgeable at 8ohms only) for when I need to be heard on stage.
I got the 8ohm cabinet because my amp is a bit of an oddball. Its an Eden WT-500, with dual mono 250w power sections. running 8 ohms into one side gives me 125w which is great for playing in the basement and not waking the baby. Then I can bridge the power sections and get 500w into 8ohms (bridgeable at 8ohms only) for when I need to be heard on stage.
+1 Until very recently with the introduction of very high power into 8ohms but still relatively lightweight monoblock heads (like the Genz 9 stuff), the best way to power a 15/6 stock 8ohm version without carrying around a lead sled was with the 'bridge to full power at 8ohm' dual mono amps like the older Edens, the TecAmp Puma1000, etc.
That is rapidly changing now, with more and more smaller amps putting out that 450-500 watts into 8ohms.
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