OK folks, here are some pics and a review of my new Avatar B410 Neo cab. Can I get a number please?
I started my search for a new 410 cab with the expensive models, and then decided between the Epiphani, SWR GoLight and the Avatar. I came on the idea of the Avatar late in my search, and I was a bit skeptical, but I am very happy I went in that direction. My go to cab to date was my Genz Benz Neo 212, and in the past I have owned an Eden XLT 410, an Eden D410 and a few others from my early years. I currently play about 75 gigs a year, but have done many more in years past.
My experience with Avatar was fantastic. Dave is a friendly guy who seems a straight shooter. I had an issue with the size of the box fitting flush on my rack after reading the dimensions online and taking a tape measure to it. I expressed this concern when ordering and Dave sent along some rubber feat for me that worked out perfectly, free of charge. I had the cab in my house within 1 week of placing my order. These cabs are cheaper because they are built to order and sold factory direct. The owner of the company (Dave) takes all orders, and I easily paid via paypal. I never thought much about appearance, I was ready to go swr black fuzzy without an issue, but after seeing all of the options available from Avatar it was actually fun sweating the details. I ended up with a 4ohm, 410 cab with eminence deltalight neos, burgundy tolex (looks like leather), oxblood with gold strip grill cloth and black piping. I also ordered a slip cover at the very reasonable price of 29.99. I believe my total, including shipping was just under $800.00, but the same sound can be had without the frills for less than $650.00 delivered, $550.00 if you get the ceramic drivers instead of the neos. That really is a steal.
The sound:
I was able to A/B the cab through my regular stage rig with my Genz Benz neo 212, also a great cab.
The Avatar really delivered exactly what I expected of it. I was looking for more definition in the upper midrange. The GB is magic as far as its output vs size vs weight, but for me its just a little too "woofy" in that 100hz area. I have read some talk about a dip about 1k, but I really did not experience this to any noticeable degree. My Eden 410XLT defiantly had more punch in that 40 to 60 hz range, but for my money, low end that I can't control doesn't help me much on a loud stage. I have PA support to handle that task, so I prefer definition over sub lows. I do play a five string and it has 1 bartolini musicman style soap bar in it with a high end preamp. Talk about low end ... and this cab handles it fine. My 4 string Pedulla with the modern bart preamp really opened up on the top end of the mids, which is what I was hoping for. The port on the box is small, and the low end throw is appropriate to the size of the port. The box feels very solid, and the workmanship is flawless on mine. The tweeter seems like any to me sound wise, I have a love/hate relationship with those, but the crossover point seems appropriate, and I don't hear a hole at all. Had mine set at about 9 o'clock, and for me, it needs to be on. Maybe it is their new design, a two way sort of passive crossover that makes it work well. I run an Alembic F1-X through a bridged Crown K1. The cab is quick/responsive. Maybe not quite as efficient as my Eden, nothing that concerned me. I have headroom for days, and run the power amp at about 60%. If you need to feel your pants legs shake, this may not be a wise choice for you. Vertical 12's would do a better job. But considering what my Eden box weighed, and how good this box sounds I am very happy I saved the money I would have spent on the Epifani. I was willing to do it, but after hearing this with a rig I am intimately familiar with I realize already it's splitting hairs for loud live use with quality 410 neo boxes, and I just didn't need a $500.00 hair cut.
If anyone has any questions about it, I will try to give my input. First gig on this baby is Friday. I will post an update.
