bag end stacking question + dr. bass

[cheshirepig]

Hey fellow bag end enthusiasts,
Given that the s15-b (bigger enclosure for better lows) is 8 ohm and 103 dB sensitivity, will it sound balanced when used with the bag end 2x10 (which is 4 ohm but 100 dB sensitivity)?
some threads say sensitivity doesn't matter, some say it does. what do you think?
also, has anyone tried putting a dr. bass 210 on top of a bag end 15?
thanks a lot

 

[bongomania]

I'd like to see a thread that says sensitivity doesn't matter. Link?

 

[cheshirepig]

i'll look for it, but what they were saying is that at 1k hertz, which sensitivity is measured at, doesn't end up correlating well to the frequencies we are more interested in.

 

[cheshirepig]

here we go:
http://www.talkbass.com/forum/showthread.php?t=249387
as you can see, it was still up for debate.

 

[Stumbo]

Not only do you have different sensitivities but also different ohms. If it was me, I'd use a 2 channel amp and balance the individuals cabs that way.

 

[cheshirepig]

i would do that, but i dont have one. I have an eden wt405. i like it a lot, and it can run at 2 ohms, but biamping isn't an option. i have read though that the 3 dB increase in sensitivity for the 210 is exactly right to offset the impedance difference (if the sensitivity at 1k hz can be trusted)

 

[bongomania]

Ah OK, I see where you were coming from with the sensitivity point. It's not at all that sensitivity doesn't matter, it's just that the usual rating numbers we see are less relevant than we'd like. Sensitivity matters very much, but the numerical representation of it can mislead.

As noted in that thread, a published difference of 3 dB rated sensitivity is not enough difference to be usable as a reference. If one cab was rated at like 92 dB and another at 105 dB, then even if those numbers were not technically accurate in our frequency range, at least you'd have a good idea of what kind of difference to expect.

Given all of that, I'd say you stand a better chance of predicting different performance based on the ohm load rather than the sensitivity. Since one cab is 4 ohms and the other 8, the 4 ohm cab will receive about twice as much power as the 8 ohm one. The number and/or size of drivers in each cab could make that arrangement work out--like e.g. if the 4 ohm cab was a 4x10 and the 8 ohm was a 2x10 of the same general design, then the power difference would be no foul, and possibly useful. But since you're talking about a 2x10 and a 1x15, of different designs, I don't think in general it would be a good idea to have such a difference of power going to each of them.

YMMV etc.