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Bag End S15D

Beardsley

Beardsley

Sep 5, 2016
54
23
#1
So I've been doing quite a bit of research on the Bag End S15D. They seem to get mostly praise here on TB. I'm about 92% sure I'm going to pull the trigger on 2 of them for a nice stack. That being said I have some questions.

First, I've seen power ratings from 200w to 300w on these cabs, can anyone confirm the actual rating?

Second, I'm currently using a Peavey Headliner 1000 (which is basically used for it's EQ, as I run through a Sansamp paradriver V2) and I get the feeling this will be way too much power, especially if I have a gig where I only need one cabinet. What are your thoughts on this power situation and if it ends up being too much power then I guess I'll be in the market for a new amp head, probably 600w-800w?
 
#2
others may disagree, but I'm a fan of using larger amps than cabs are rated for. WITH COMMON SENSE of course. Its easy to overpower the cabs and damage drivers if you have unreasonable expectations, but I find at almost any given volume level I prefer the performance of larger amps, with their greater dynamic range and usable headroom.

All that said, the S15D's are awesome cabs. pretty steep cutoff of low lows, and no tweeter, so its a lot of midrange texture, but in the best possible way. theyre not anemic or dull up top, but compared to other cabs, they have less lows and highs, which i see as a good thing, and partly how they were designed to fill a niche in the cab world.
 
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#7
#13
Beardsley said:
I've seen quite a few people mention the S15x-d and that does seem like a solid option, but at a $300 price increase, it's just too much for me to spend
Click to expand...

Check the used prices. They usually are approximately $100 more than an S15-D but really expand the sound of the stack.

Beardsley said:
There what I was thinking.ill have to contact Bag End to see how much for a replacement speaker.
Click to expand...

A Bag End Replacement speaker will cost as much as an entire used cabinet. And if you replace the speaker with another brand, you will not have the Bag End sound. They use proprietary speakers.
 
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#14
Keep your eyes peeled on used sites. They're not super common, but I've found both the regular 15 and the X-D models at stupid low prices before. Patience, though not much fun, can really pay off.

As far as wattage, I've found they can take quite a bit more than they're rated at. I've done a few gigs recently with a single X-D powered by my GK MBF-800. You DO need to listen to what the cabs telling you though.
 
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#15
J.Wolf said:
others may disagree, but I'm a fan of using larger amps than cabs are rated for. WITH COMMON SENSE of course.
Click to expand...

I think there's more to the risk than common sense, but I agree and would rather size a bass amp to never operate at more than 60% of its max power. Its still not apparent to me if there is a risk of using an undersized amp and bass speaker damage, but is a risk with some other speakers.
 
#16
J.Wolf said:
others may disagree, but I'm a fan of using larger amps than cabs are rated for. WITH COMMON SENSE of course. Its easy to overpower the cabs and damage drivers if you have unreasonable expectations, but I find at almost any given volume level I prefer the performance of larger amps, with their greater dynamic range and usable headroom.

All that said, the S15D's are awesome cabs. pretty steep cutoff of low lows, and no tweeter, so its a lot of midrange texture, but in the best possible way. theyre not anemic or dull up top, but compared to other cabs, they have less lows and highs, which i see as a good thing, and partly how they were designed to fill a niche in the cab world.
Click to expand...

This is why I never liked them.
 
#19
Beardsley said:
So I've been doing quite a bit of research on the Bag End S15D. They seem to get mostly praise here on TB. I'm about 92% sure I'm going to pull the trigger on 2 of them for a nice stack. That being said I have some questions.

First, I've seen power ratings from 200w to 300w on these cabs, can anyone confirm the actual rating?

Second, I'm currently using a Peavey Headliner 1000 (which is basically used for it's EQ, as I run through a Sansamp paradriver V2) and I get the feeling this will be way too much power, especially if I have a gig where I only need one cabinet. What are your thoughts on this power situation and if it ends up being too much power then I guess I'll be in the market for a new amp head, probably 600w-800w?
Click to expand...

I use a S15 and S12 stack. The S12 was reloaded with Eminence 3012L Kappalite. Powered with GK MB500 and the setup is punchy and loud. If you have any questions about power handling just call Bag End, they are super friendly and helpful.
BTW my S15 is from 1981 and has been to hundreds of gigs, still uses the original Bag End driver which I believe is spec'd by Bag End produced by Eminence.
IMG_1725.JPG
 
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