Berg 4x12 or Mesa 2x15 PH

It comes down to which you prefer, a 215, or a 412. Both are quality cabs. Either would pair well with an M9.

 

FWIW, the M6 I has sounded great with the NV412 (as well as the other NV's). The sealed design compliments the explosive low end that the M6/M9 are capable of. I tried the M9 through the PH412 at the Mesa Hollywood store, and it sounded very good though I wasn't able to crank it - why not look at the Mesa 412, or the PH1200?

 

Just my experience only...but I've had TWO of the Mesa 15" speakers blow on me. Once with a separate power amp rig, and once with a 400+. Both were determined by Mesa to be manufacturer's defect. One was in a 1x15 Powerhouse cabinet, and when that blew, I got a 2x15 Powerhouse and when one of those blew...I sold all my Mesa cabs.

I've owned a Berg NV610 (with by of the above setups) and never blew any of the speakers.

I'd opt for the NV412. Sweet, sweet cabinet. Love the sealed/no tweeter configuration of the NV series.

 

By the same token, I've got a 15yr old Mesa Deisel 215, still with the original speakers, and have never had an ounce of trouble with them.

 

Diesel =/= Powerhouse.

I had a Diesel 6x10 and it was one heckuva cabinet. Something changed with the transition from Diesel to Powerhouse.

 

I've got a M-Pulse 360 (similar voicing to the m6/m9), and I own both Mesa and Berg cabs. In general, I prefer the M-Pulse with the Berg (mine is a HS410) for all around versatility in tones, playing styles, and different basses. But my band was working on a Ozzy/Sabbath tribute a few months ago (before we lost our singer), and the Mesa head with the powerhouse 1000 was very sweet. It was more aggressive, I'd say more rock.

As everyone stated, both great quality cabs, but different. Also, keep in mind one thing that makes me gig my powerhouse less and less, the weigh.

 

My Mesa cab weighs a ton, but I love the tone. Check out the Powerhouse 1200 if you can, 1x15 and 4x10 in the same cab with a tweater. That cab absolutely kills.

 

I haven't tried the PH215, but compared to my Diesel 215EV, the NV412 has a bit more going on in the heart of the midrange, and the 215EV has a bit more going on in the upper mids, but the ultimate low end and high end extension is fairly similar between the two.

Tom.

 

Why are you directly comparing the Berg 412 to the Mesa 215?

Mesa makes a 412, and Berg, until just recently, made a 215.

 

I'd go with the Berg (though I love Mesa cabs)... seems a little more versatile.

 

The NV412 has a bit more low end, but not a ton - you may want to look for a NV215 in that case. Or how about a pair of Orange OBC115's?