• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join freeLog in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

best cab to go with a 1x15?

Best Cab to go with a 1x15?

  • another 1x15

    Votes: 38 20.1%
  • 4x10

    Votes: 65 34.4%
  • 2x10

    Votes: 67 35.4%
  • 1x12

    Votes: 5 2.6%
  • other

    Votes: 6 3.2%
  • a bag of carrots

    Votes: 8 4.2%

  • Total voters
    189
Another 115! I usually don't like to mix speaker sizes. I've used lots of combinations eg; 210/115, 210/118, 112/115 and although they sounded really good, I just prefer the tone of either 112/112 or 115/115. Possible frequency incompatability? I don't know, just guessing, I'm not an engineer.
According to the engineers on here, that's right. I think it's the reason I never cared for mixed speaker rigs, too.

I love 15"s in smaller boxes because they push more mids that you can hear. Most of the bigger boxes get too boomy and end up with a hole in the upper mids, plus beaming (mid freqs in bigger speakers become way more directional and can't be heard as well off axis) plays a role in not hearing what mids you do have. So if you add another 15" with quiet mids to your mid-impaired current cab, you'll make it worse or no better, but if you add a different cab, you may get phasing issues.

What would I do? Hate to say it but I'd start over and build a rig around 10"s or 12"s.
 
According to the engineers on here, that's right. I think it's the reason I never cared for mixed speaker rigs, too.

I love 15"s in smaller boxes because they push more mids that you can hear. Most of the bigger boxes get too boomy and end up with a hole in the upper mids, plus beaming (mid freqs in bigger speakers become way more directional and can't be heard as well off axis) plays a role in not hearing what mids you do have. So if you add another 15" with quiet mids to your mid-impaired current cab, you'll make it worse or no better, but if you add a different cab, you may get phasing issues.

What would I do? Hate to say it but I'd start over and build a rig around 10"s or 12"s.

Thanks Jimmy, glad to know I'm not the only one who hears this. I would pick 2-115's first and my second choice would be 2-112's. I've just never cared for 10's.

George
 
Another 115! I usually don't like to mix speaker sizes. I've used lots of combinations eg; 210/115, 210/118, 112/115 and although they sounded really good, I just prefer the tone of either 112/112 or 115/115. Possible frequency incompatability? I don't know, just guessing, I'm not an engineer.

The answer is yes there can be some problems mixing drivers ...

It's basically a roll of the dice when it comes to mixing but I have had good luck with the 2x10s over a 15 combination


:) ... I personally use stacked identical drivers, you can not go wrong with that
 
aw gee, i'll have to respectfully disagree to a point.

i've had a lot of success mixing drivers/cabs to take advantage of the stregnths of two or more different sounds. It doesn't always have to be different diameter drivers, for a while i used an aguilar 1x12 for its great lows and highs with a bagend 1x12 for its mids. For a longer time i used an eden 210xlt (again for lows and highs) with a bagend 1x15 (for mids)

my rule of thumb is to completely ignore what's in the box and listen to it.
 
aw gee, i'll have to respectfully disagree to a point.

i've had a lot of success mixing drivers/cabs to take advantage of the stregnths of two or more different sounds. It doesn't always have to be different diameter drivers, for a while i used an aguilar 1x12 for its great lows and highs with a bagend 1x12 for its mids. For a longer time i used an eden 210xlt (again for lows and highs) with a bagend 1x15 (for mids)

my rule of thumb is to completely ignore what's in the box and listen to it.

so with that being said anyone know a good cab for extra mids?
or should i just start a new thread?
 
aw gee, i'll have to respectfully disagree to a point.

i've had a lot of success mixing drivers/cabs to take advantage of the stregnths of two or more different sounds. It doesn't always have to be different diameter drivers, for a while i used an aguilar 1x12 for its great lows and highs with a bagend 1x12 for its mids. For a longer time i used an eden 210xlt (again for lows and highs) with a bagend 1x15 (for mids)
There's plenty of bassists who do it and sound great, no doubt about it. But phasing is definitely something to consider and listen for when you try to assemble a mixed rig.
 
dang, i'm going through the same question right now. i've got a mesa m-6 carbine that i just picked up. i started running it with my swr goliath iii 4X10 cab (8ohm) and found that i wanted some more of the low-end thickness i heard when i demo'd the head in the store where it was hooked to a 2X10 and a 2X15. i went back to the shop and grabbed a powerhouse 1X15 and i like the combo of the two cabinets together. the biggest issue im having is the rig is big and heavy and overkill for what my band does. at our show on friday, i filled the club w/ bass without going through the PA AND the soundguy was asking me to turn down.

i tried running just the 1X15, but there is some "thickness" and "muscle" missing. i think it is in the lower-mid range. i tried tweaking the eq to mimic the sound and compensate for the missing 4X10, but i couldn't quite get it without getting the bass too boomy. i'm now considering selling the 4X10 and picking up a 2X10 to keep some of the midrange, but move a bit less air. can anyone here with personal experience shed some light on how the 1X15+4X10 combination compares to the 1X15+2X10? how noticeable is the difference of having two fewer 10s?
 
generally most phasing issues with multiple cabs are lessened (not eliminated) if you stack them vertically. Ditto for placing 2x10 cabs on their sides so the speakers are top and bottom rather than side by side.

FWIW, issues with phase cancellation really don't depend upon different size drivers being used, just multiple ones. In an ideal world, your sound would come from a point source, that being impossible, the next best is one driver. As most drivers can't reproduce enough of the frequency spectrum, multiple drivers in one cab (e.g. a fifteen and a horn tweeter) make the next compromise, although if crossed over well, the issue is more time alignment rather than phase cancellation. When volume or wanting to mix and match for tone come into play, then you're into multiple cabinets, which is where going vertical helps.
 
generally most phasing issues with multiple cabs are lessened (not eliminated) if you stack them vertically. Ditto for placing 2x10 cabs on their sides so the speakers are top and bottom rather than side by side.

FWIW, issues with phase cancellation really don't depend upon different size drivers being used, just multiple ones. In an ideal world, your sound would come from a point source, that being impossible, the next best is one driver. As most drivers can't reproduce enough of the frequency spectrum, multiple drivers in one cab (e.g. a fifteen and a horn tweeter) make the next compromise, although if crossed over well, the issue is more time alignment rather than phase cancellation. When volume or wanting to mix and match for tone come into play, then you're into multiple cabinets, which is where going vertical helps.
I totally agree that vertical helps a lot to eliminate comb filtering and mid dispersion issues (as well as possible phasing issues), but issues with phasing very much depend on different sized drivers/cabs being used, too. According to Bill Fitzmaurice, different sized drivers reproducing the same freq range are what causes phasing problems. Again, the amount of phasing you get varies, and many people run mixed rigs and love them, but it can be unpredictable.
 
I totally agree that vertical helps a lot to eliminate comb filtering and mid dispersion issues (as well as possible phasing issues), but issues with phasing very much depend on different sized drivers/cabs being used, too. According to Bill Fitzmaurice, different sized drivers reproducing the same freq range are what causes phasing problems. Again, the amount of phasing you get varies, and many people run mixed rigs and love them, but it can be unpredictable.

;) ... Jimmy said it better than me!