Bag end question

Coax is coaxial.
In this case the Coaxial driver is mounted on one of the Speakers.
It servers as a high frequency driver, just like a tweeter.
You can notice it, because Bag End coaxials have a red Dome in the speaker.

 

I use a D10BX-D which is the 2-10" 4ohm version with the coaxial driver and associated crossover. I would suggest having a high frequency driver somewhere in you system. Bag End's coax is a very smooth and well intergrated sounding driver which has a claimed response out to 20kHz. This extended response means the highs will have a more airy personality to them. Don't forget resale value.

These cabinets are both rated at 800 watts/8 ohms and after seeing your profile you may want to rethink this choice of cabinet. While I'm sure this cabinet will work with your current head, it will absolutly sing with a high current stereo amp bridged to provide a steady diet at 8 ohms.

 

I've had quite q bit of experience with the Bag End line recently as I was trying out different equipment in search of a new bass rig...not to mention the fact that I live right by their headquarters. Concerning your question, there are several obvious differences (metioned above) and some not so obvious. First, the cab with the coaxial driver is going to add some weight to the cab...this may or may not be an issue. The D10BX weighs 70 lbs. For comparison, although it is not the comperable D10B-D, the D10e(2X10 w/out coax) comes in at 44 lbs. The other major factor to consider it that there is NO tweeter level control on the speaker. The best way to describe the high end on the cab is if you cranked the tweeter level control to max on any other brand of cab (SWR, Eden, etc.) and left it like that all the time. There is a constant "white noise" hiss from the coax with the amp just running idle. On my SWR, I have my tweeter set at 12:00 and I can't hear even the slightest hiss, but if I turn the level to max, I can recreate the slight hiss that I hear in the coax Bag End. If you NEED a lot of treble presence, this probably isn't a bid deal since it is totally inaudable when you start playing, unless you're playing at extremely high volume levels, which is when it can be detected again. Compared to a cab that did NOT have the coax, I didn't notice a lack of presence, clarity, or high end detail, but I'm also not a slapper, popper, etc. In my opinoin, all coax Bag Ends are one tweeter level control away from being an outstanding overall cab, but the guys at Bag End don't seem interested in putting that little dial on the back. Hope this helps!

 

I have a differing opinion than cruise4 other than we both share a love of Bag Ends. I say go for the coax. If it bothers you then eq it out. I find the coax to be great. On my Eden's I've always turned the tweeter off because I've always found them to be a bit on the brittle side and a bit disjointed, IMHO.

With all due respect to JPJ, I've never found that the coax has a hiss. My music room doesn't have any neon lights but the clubs where I've played it's not been an issue because of the normal din of noise normally associated with that environment. Again, this is IMHO.

I've said it before but Bag End is an incredible company. They really stand behind their product. This is not my opinion but from actual experience.

I'm getting ready to buy a 4x10 cab and it would be a Bag End but I'm just smitten buy the Aguilar GS410's low end. I'm sure that the Bag End is much more accurate. I think that it's LA Bass Exchange that stated that the Bag End's sound is between the Eden and the Euphonic Audio cabs. I think that this is an accurate assessment.

 

I use an SWR SM-900 with the following Bad End cabs, depending heavily on the venue (size, indoor/outdoor, etc..)

2 Bag End S15-D cabs
1 Bag End S18-D cab

Generally, I will use either the 2 single 15" cabs together or the 1 18" by itself. It the venue is really big, or if it's outside, I'll use everything. The beauty about the SM-900 is the stacked master volume knob, you can run the 15's on one side of the amp and the 18 on the other. Each side has it's own volume control, so it's easy to blend the 2 together. The 18 is basically there to fill in the low end in the bigger places, the 15's really define the sound.

I tried the Bad End stuff with the built-in high-end driver and didn't particularly care for it. But, I really don't care for high-end drivers in bass cabs period.

 

While "Jerry J" respectfully disagreed with me as to the sconic effects of Bag Engs coaxial drivers, I will respectfully agree with him in his comments about the people at the company. I made a visit to the shop a few weeks ago to try out the line and they were all great. It is a very small operation, but the guys were all very friendly and went out of their way to help me out, not in just making small talk and in talking about their products, but in helping me understand the pros and cons of different cabs, speaker combinations, and setups. If this is important to you, you might want to give serious consideration to this fact, as it will be very easy for you to get help and troubleshoot any future problems should they arise. Also, don't forget to focus on what YOU need from a speaker. If you notice my profile, I'm now using a SWR IOD to get a late '60's pushed/distorted tube amp sound. This might not be what you hear in your head. If so, the coax might be what you need for your particular application. Now I'm done!

 

I have 3 BE cabs: a D10Dx (coax 2-10), D10D (same but no coax) and a S15x (1-15 coax). I use any one or two quite often with a SWR Baby Blue head which is only rated at 150w (a 8 ohms), but will drive loads down to 2 ohms without fear. Since all the BE's I own are 4 ohm cabs...I get great tone, acceptable volume, and ample headroom.
Bag End stuff, IMO, is the best out there. Great sound thru and thru.....
Max

 

oh, BTW, the D10D (2 10 no coax) is a great cab without the high end driver. Even with this cab.
The freq response and dynamic range is incredible.
The highs, while perhaps not as airy, certainly still shine and sparkle.
Max

 

As I understand it, BE makes only an 8 ohm version now. Yes, I have had this for seven or eight years now, and bought it from them at NAMM..so who knows it might be a limited edition?
I have also noticed that the box on my 15 is a bit smaller than the current models. In fact, when I use only the 15, my 4 space rack is bigger than my speaker cab!
Max

 

no that this helps, but I love my bag end. its got a crazy optional port that totally changes the sound of the cab. Goes from super bassy with the port open (only opened it when I got my two tens) and with it closed, punchy and some what articulate. Amazing tone for a 15.