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Barefaced ONE10 - can it compete with a good 1x12?

#21
Tim1 said:
Your comment on the Subway 12 is intriguing and I have heard it before. Without wishing to sidetrack this thread, how do you find it compares tonally to the Barefaced and AudioKinesis?
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This is comparing the Barefaced Super Midget, which is the closest to the Mesa in price and design (12" with tweeter). The Mesa has more going on in the low mids and is a little deeper sounding (remember, it's bigger). The Mesa is a little more versatile due to the tweeter level control. The Barefaced tweeter control is a crossover, not a level control. Overall the Mesa sounds bigger. The beauty of the Super Midget is the tiny size and light weight. It's much smaller than the Mesa and weighs about 7 pounds less. The Barefaced takes EQ very well though so you can dial in about anything you want, but the Mesa still has the better tweeter.

My AudioKinesis is the Changeling 112t which has front and rear firing mid drivers instead of tweeters. Overall the AudioKinesis is my favorite sounding 12" cab. My favorite cab overall is the Mesa Subway 15 because of the clarity and articulation, especially in the mids. The AK is voiced more like the Subway 115. Deep, clear, articulate. No need for a tweeter, those paper cone mids are incredible. The AK goes deeper than any of the other 12" cabs, but the tradeoff is volume. It's not as efficient as the others so it needs more power. My opinion is also that the AK is the best design for a 12"..tall and skinny with a recessed handle on top. Pick it up and go.
 
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#22
I own a One10 and used to have an Epifani UL112. I wouldn't imagine that the One10 equals a top-tier cab with a high-performance 12" like those you've listed, but in my experience it compares well for volume against the Epifani. Anecdotally (eg on the Barefaced club here), I hear that it compares well with commercial (eg Ampeg etc) 210s or 112s - perhaps not exceeding the volume of those but getting close. I imagine that it helps that the Barefaced 10s are not voiced for massive sub-bass, which would eat up efficiency.
 
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#23
mmbongo said:
My AudioKinesis is the Changeling 112t which has front and rear firing mid drivers instead of tweeters. Overall the AudioKinesis is my favorite sounding 12" cab. My favorite cab overall is the Mesa Subway 15 because of the clarity and articulation, especially in the mids. The AK is voiced more like the Subway 115. Deep, clear, articulate. No need for a tweeter, those paper cone mids are incredible. The AK goes deeper than any of the other 12" cabs, but the tradeoff is volume. It's not as efficient as the others so it needs more power. My opinion is also that the AK is the best design for a 12"..tall and skinny with a recessed handle on top. Pick it up and go.
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+1...I could not agree more as someone who owns and uses these cabs regualrly. Additionally (as mmbongo mentioned in an earlier post) the Mesa SW112 would be right up there behind the AK Changeling 112T for single 112 cab overall performance. If you were only focusing/optimizing on one or two aspects either cab could be the first place choice IMO.

I also also agree that it's essential to recognize that every cab design involves trades. Depending on your tone/voicing goals, volume needs and the amplifier power you have available, most any cab can be "your first place choice". This is where specs are helpful in guiding you to what you might want to audition, but it's ultimately your ears (and possibly your back and /or transportation limitations) that are most useful in getting you to the best option for meeting your needs.
 
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#25
In my experience, One10 keeps up with an enthusiastic drummer and two guitar players during rehearsal but I need to push it hard (using my Tecamp Puma 900 which delivers 600 watts into the 8 Ohm load), have it at ear-level and even then and - at least to my taste - it doesn't deliver sufficient lows in the way a single 12" would.

But hey, it's a single ten and no marketeer can beat physics. I never take mine onstage unless we're doing a coffee-house or instore 'unplugged'-style gig. In those scenarios it really, really shines. Bottom line: it is obnoxiously loud for a single ten but every modern-design efficient single 12 will whoop its ass any day of the week.
 
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#26
I had 2 Barefaced One10's. I replaced them with 1 Markbass 112HR. I had a number of occasions when even both One10's did not have enough "push" in a moderate sized pub gig with a 800w head. On other gigs one was enough. I suppose it demonstrates the difference between volume and the legendary "heft".
 
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#28
Al Kraft said:
...I also also agree that it's essential to recognize that every cab design involves trades. . .
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Yes, and for the One10 it looks like the goal was to make a cab as small and light as possible and still sound very good. Like I said, I prefer my Berg 112 but it is more than twice the size and about 65% heavier and significantly more expensive. Overall I think Barefaced made a very good cab with the goal of making it as small and light as possible. Will it replace a 810? No, but there are many applications where it works fine. If you are going up or down stairs to a rehearsal or jam or a lengthy carry to a smallish gig or one you have FOH you really appreciate it. I'll take mine to Church this Sunday where we have FOH. IMHO you need different cabs for different gigs and everyone could get some use out of a One10.
 
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#29
IME a BF 110 will not compete with a top quality 112 if both are pushed near max, BUT for someone using a 112 and not pushing it anywhere near it's max volume potential (a considerable number of players, I suspect), the 110 would be just fine.
 
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#30
One10 sounds great, but not likely to do the job. With Barefaced the Super Midget would be my first step, but even that is going to bump up against limits if your band is loud enough or the room is big enough (assuming no house sound). The Super Compact is really where I’d look in your situation if volume is a concern.

I’ve owned all three of those cabs.
 
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#31
monsterthompson said:
One10 sounds great, but not likely to do the job. With Barefaced the Super Midget would be my first step, but even that is going to bump up against limits if your band is loud enough or the room is big enough (assuming no house sound). The Super Compact is really where I’d look in your situation if volume is a concern.

I’ve owned all three of those cabs.
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I would love to get the super compact but won't be able to fit it in my luggage. So i guess i will buy a speaker on it's own and build my own cabinet or get an old used one and upgrade it.
 
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#32
Ralferator said:
I would love to get the super compact but won't be able to fit it in my luggage. So i guess i will buy a speaker on it's own and build my own cabinet or get an old used one and upgrade it.
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If building your own is an option, definitely look at the greenboy designs. Maybe you can buy the speaker cheaper in Germany and fit it in your luggage, then build it in Brazil.
 
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#33
monsterthompson said:
If building your own is an option, definitely look at the greenboy designs. Maybe you can buy the speaker cheaper in Germany and fit it in your luggage, then build it in Brazil.
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I just kind of accidentially bought 2 Eminence Basslite S2012 on Ebay. Accidentially because i didn't think i would get them for that price. So now i guess i chose my speakers and am going to build a cabinet for them or use a used one.
 
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#35
HertzWhenIPlay said:
the geometric properties of the speaker enclosure are critical in how a speaker performs. The size, design type, and construction of the speaker box are going to determine a LOT.
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As far as i know (i built some speakers before) it's mainly about the right volume, the right tuning and with the tuning the right diameter and lengh of the bass reflex port. I want to build bass reflex and not too big, so 60 - 70 liters (internal volume) would be good.
 
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#37
chupacerveza said:
Prazer @Ralferator ! A minha noiva é do Rio, de onde você é? Since you seem to be wanting to take advantage of "shopping local" while in Germany, I thought you might like to review the thread on TalkBass about European and German bass amplifier companies: Popular made in Europe bass amps?
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Prazer. Minha esposa vem de curitiba e eu originalmente de stuttgart, mas morei muito tempo em hamburgo. But i had to use a translator to help - i am just starting to learn portuguese.
I am sorry but i can't really contribute because i don't know much about bass amps from europe or germany sadly.
 
#38
Ralferator said:
As far as i know (i built some speakers before) it's mainly about the right volume, the right tuning and with the tuning the right diameter and lengh of the bass reflex port. I want to build bass reflex and not too big, so 60 - 70 liters (internal volume) would be good.
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Correct. However, I was referring to enclosure types with bass - reflex being but one option. I play with Bill Fitzmaurice 12" jack cabs which are based on a horn design which is typically more efficient than sealed or bass-reflex cabinets. I've built cabs for myself since I was 14 and I am now 41. Best of luck.
 
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