Bergantino AE212 - Just Released

[KJung]

Gotcha. That NeoX-212T does have a lot of upper midrange content, for sure.

And that is not necessarily a bad thing. My TecAp s212 is similar also... lots of grind coming from the upper response of the drivers.

I think the AE212 does a very nice job, though, of going deep and also having a bit of brightness up top that isn't as peaked as some neo 112's, and a nice dose of punch also. Really a beautifully voiced cab IMO.

 

[tombowlus]

And that is not necessarily a bad thing.

Nope, not at all!

 

[Eublet]

The Neox 212 to me was upper-mid present. Very articulate, but I wouldn't necessarily call it aggressive. It was smooth top to bottom, but it sounds as if it gradually sloped upward in response as you moved into the upper mids. I can see why some people call that cab smooth, yet others call it articulate. It is both, but grindy is not something I've ever thought of it as. Just me though.

This is off topic, but I have a feeling that the new Streamliner head would KILL on a Neox 212. If the bottom is big and huge as the Genz guys are saying, the opposites-attract nature of the Neox might make for a great rig. With the new Neox cabs coming with Tolex at 53 pounds, it might even beat the AE212 for guys like me who don't want a deep bass extension.

 

[Musicman20]

This is off topic, but I have a feeling that the new Streamliner head would KILL on a Neox 212. If the bottom is big and huge as the Genz guys are saying, the opposites-attract nature of the Neox might make for a great rig. With the new Neox cabs coming with Tolex at 53 pounds, it might even beat the AE212 for guys like me who don't want a deep bass extension.

Id love to hear them side by side, but absolutely no chance if getting around the country to hear them, especially in the weather the UK have at the moment.

I still think the AE212 would be a wicked cabinet for my tone goals.

 

[KJung]

The Neox 212 to me was upper-mid present. Very articulate, but I wouldn't necessarily call it aggressive. It was smooth top to bottom, but it sounds as if it gradually sloped upward in response as you moved into the upper mids

That's the profile (what some call the classic neo tone profile) that can sound very aggressive if you have a bright and grindy input signal like a J Bass with rounds. I like that quite a bit, and when you really push the cab, it allows for that upper mid 'distortion' as the cones start to break-up a bit at their upper end range (or so I've been told) that gives some cabs their 'bite' that I describe as 'aggressive'.

 

[mophead]

Just picked up a new AE 212 from Grandma's Music in Albuquerque last night. Can't wait to see how it sounds against the NV215.

I do like the weight. I tried it in store with a Shuttle 6 which should match my Shuttle 12 pretty nice. Gigging it tonight.

Do they break in with some hours or sound the same after some hours of playing time?

 

[KJung]

Just picked up a new AE 212 from Grandma's Music in Albuquerque last night. Can't wait to see how it sounds against the NV215.

I do like the weight. I tried it in store with a Shuttle 6 which should match my Shuttle 12 pretty nice. Gigging it tonight.

Do they break in with some hours or sound the same after some hours of playing time?

Cool. I noticed a slight increase in the low end response over the first hour or so. You should be good to go after your first set tonight!

 

[Vic]

Cool. I noticed a slight increase in the low end response over the first hour or so. You should be good to go after your first set tonight!

Really? Is this you flip-flopping on the whole break-in period thing?

 

[KJung]

Really? Is this you flip-flopping on the whole break-in period thing?

You are confusing two issues. There is NEVER any reason from a safety or 'requirement' perspective to formally break in a cab.

Regarding low end extension, as I assume you know and have heard, with some cabs, there is a noticable increase in low end through the first hour or so of playing as the surrounds loosen. It is subtle though, and nothing special is needed (and with many cabs, you won't notice it at all.... get it on a gig and wump it). If you hear a bit more low end by the end of the first night... bonus

With the AE212, I noticed it... subtle but real at the 1/2 hour mark or so.

 

[midichlorine]

durn! i want 2 of these!!

 

[Vic]

You are confusing two issues. There is NEVER any reason from a safety or 'requirement' perspective to formally break in a cab.

Regarding low end extension, as I assume you know and have heard, with some cabs, there is a noticable increase in low end through the first hour or so of playing as the surrounds loosen. It is subtle though, and nothing special is needed (and with many cabs, you won't notice it at all.... get it on a gig and wump it). If you hear a bit more low end by the end of the first night... bonus

With the AE212, I noticed it... subtle but real at the 1/2 hour mark or so.

Nope, I'm not confusing two issues. I've actually read (tho maybe not from you?) that there are two reasons to break in cabs... one is for safety and the other is for tone. I always thought you didn't buy into either claim.

To completely honest, no, I've never noticed it, but then again, I've also never looked for it either. Maybe I will now tho... not that it really matters of course, because I never make a tonal assessment without spending a lot more time "at volume" with a cab anyway... and usually, "at volume" is also in a band mix, so it'd likely be less obvious and go unnoticed unless, again, I was listening for it.

 

[tombowlus]

You are confusing two issues. There is NEVER any reason from a safety or 'requirement' perspective to formally break in a cab.

Regarding low end extension, as I assume you know and have heard, with some cabs, there is a noticable increase in low end through the first hour or so of playing as the surrounds loosen. It is subtle though, and nothing special is needed (and with many cabs, you won't notice it at all.... get it on a gig and wump it). If you hear a bit more low end by the end of the first night... bonus

With the AE212, I noticed it... subtle but real at the 1/2 hour mark or so.

Yup, Vic. That sounds like a flip. Or is that a flop?

 

[KJung]

Nope, I'm not confusing two issues. I've actually read (tho maybe not from you) that there are two reasons to break in cabs... one is for safety and the other is for tone. I always thought you didn't buy into either claim.

To completely honest, no, I've never noticed it, but then again, I've also never looked for it either. Maybe I will now tho... not that it really matters of course, because I never make a tonal assessment without spending a lot more time "at volume" with a cab anyway... and usually, "at volume" is also in a band mix, so it'd likely be less obvious and go unnoticed unless, again, I was listening for it.

Safety is a zero issue, as is all this rot about playing CD's through a cab for 24 hours before gigging it and other 'formal' break-in routines. So, you are correct that I never see the need to 'formally' break-in a cab.

However, with some drivers, the low end does extend a bit after a relatively short time of playing. So, your comment about not evaluating a cab before you've pounded it a bit at volume is a good one. That will never hurt, and in some instances, will give you a slightly different and more accurate impression of the cab after an hour or so.

Edit: I do believe that drivers change over time over their entire lifetime (as the EE's point out), but that is 'in the lab' stuff, and I've never, ever noticed a difference in the tone of any cab after the first hour or so of playing. That doesn't mean it isn't there, just that IMO it is trivial and not worth even thinking about.

 

[tombowlus]

Safety is a zero issue, as is all this rot about playing CD's through a cab for 24 hours before gigging it and other 'formal' break-in routines.

However, with some drivers, the low end does extend a bit after a relatively short time of playing. So, your comment about not evaluating a cab before you've pounded it a bit at volume is a good one. That will never hurt, and in some instances, will give you a slightly different and more accurate impression of the cab after an hour or so.

Was someone proposing that a speaker might spontaneously combust or go thermo-nuclear if it wasn't broken in first? I guess I don't get where the "safety" thing is coming from. Most people whom I have heard discuss the merits of breaking in a cab were talking about making a more fair evaluation of the tone after a break-in period.

 

[greenboy]

In the case of Acmes with their very slight difference between xmax and the damage factor, xlim, it may be a safety factor.

With other long-excursion drivers like the Kappalite LFs it's obvious that things change over a longer period than a day or two, but there's not any safety issues there.

With most typical whimpy bass guitar drivers probably doesn't have that much effect one way or another ; }

 

[KJung]

In the case of Acmes with their very slight difference between xmax and the damage factor, xlim, it may be a safety factor.

With other long-excursion drivers like the Kappalite LFs it's obvious that things change over a longer period than a day or two, but there's not any safety issues there.

With most typical whimpy bass guitar drivers probably doesn't have that much effect one way or another ; }

+1 Those Acme's are a bit of a separate case, although even with them, Andy recommends just playing at moderate volume for a few minutes prior to cranking them up just to make sure the surrounds are loose, or whatever.

 

[KJung]

Was someone proposing that a speaker might spontaneously combust or go thermo-nuclear if it wasn't broken in first? I guess I don't get where the "safety" thing is coming from. Most people whom I have heard discuss the merits of breaking in a cab were talking about making a more fair evaluation of the tone after a break-in period.

It comes from TB rubbish Zillions of threads over the years of 'do I need to break-in my cab before using it', etc.... worrying about 'doing harm' or whatever. Zero issue (with the possible exception of the Acme's, and again, that takes about 10 minutes, which you would do just to make sure the darn things work prior to taking them to a gig anyway).

Back to the topic, yes, the AE212 seems to open up slightly after an hour or so, and this effect was probably the strongest I've heard on any new cab I've played. The Schroeder 115L+ was a close second... the surrounds on those Celestion Neo's were REALLY tight!

 

[tombowlus]

It comes from TB rubbish Zillions of threads over the years of 'do I need to break-in my cab before using it', etc.... worrying about 'doing harm' or whatever. Zero issue.

Gotcha.

 

[Munjibunga]

Was someone proposing that a speaker might spontaneously combust or go thermo-nuclear if it wasn't broken in first? I guess I don't get where the "safety" thing is coming from. Most people whom I have heard discuss the merits of breaking in a cab were talking about making a more fair evaluation of the tone after a break-in period.

Haven't you heard the stories of aluminum-cone speakers exploding , with shards of aluminum coming right through the grill and embedding themselves in the legs of the player? Well, haven't you?

 

[tombowlus]

Haven't you heard the stories of aluminum-cone speakers exploding , with shards of aluminum coming right through the grill and embedding themselves in the legs of the player? Well, haven't you?

Well, the lawsuit says I am not supposed to talk about it...