Best speaker configuration

Life isn't complete without at least one 15" or 18", to put some whoopass on those 10"s, IMO.

Don't leave home without it.

 

depends what style you's playing, and what sounds you are using, I personnally flit about with both big speakers and lots of little ones, and dig both sounds, experiment.

 

my pick :

4-string bass : 4x10 or 2x12
5-string bass ( high C ) : 4x10 or 2x12
5-string bass ( low B ) : 4x10 + ( 4x10 or 1x15 or 2x12 )
6-string bass : 4x10 + ( 4x10 or 1x15 or 2x12 )
7+ string bass : 1x18 + ( 4x10 or 4x12 )

Myself i have a 5-string bass, and i'm currently playing with a 4x10, but adding a 2nd 4x10 in January.

 

You probably need to try all that you can in the music stores. Make sure to bring your own bass to try them out. IMHO a 4x10 would be the first thing to buy, and then you could add to it later.

jtbp

 

at 160 watts,I would go with a 15 and two 10's,it will give you a more rounded sound,10's are great,but they will only go so low period,15's and 18's will only put out so much highs,I've sat in with bands latlely and all of the bass players had there huge cab's loaded with 10's they sure look cool but did not have near enough bottom,I have kind of a signature solo everybody likes thats a take off of Stu Hamms foggy mountian breakdown,it has a lot of two handed and slapp stuff,on the slapp they worked great but on the lower thumps they kind of fall off,but on my little rig I have a SWR W/M 15 and two 10's and it blows those expensive goliths and hartkeys away.

 

i like the 6x10 as the best compromise between portability, volume, punch, and depth.

4x10 just doesnt do it for me sound wise, i dont have a team ov oxen to move an 8x10, and 15s, 18s etc usually arent efficient enough to suit me, as well as need another cab for up top.

but thats just me

 

Store guys tend to push a lot of air.

As far as more, smaller speakers having more surface area, and therefore pushing more air than a single larger speaker, there is something to that, but it's only one of many variables that affect the sound of a cabinet.

 

1 word....

SWR Megoliath 8x10

...well actually 3

 

Anyone seen the Trace-elliot BFC? (Big F***ing Cab)

http://www.trace-elliot.com/bass/

****ing stupid if you ask me, so why do I find myself wanting one, two, three... so much!

 

A given driver moves a volume of air equal to [ piston area x Xmax ]. This is the Vd thiele-small parameter.

For my Rockford drivers the ratio is 2.71 10" drivers to move the same air volume as one of my 15" drivers. The Bl to Mms (force to mass) ratio is 40% higher in the 10s which implies a tighter control of the 10" cones. This comes with a multiple cost:

• Price
• Weight
• Frequency Response

A single 10" driver isn't much cheaper than a 15, and 2.7 10" are required to move the same amount of air volume. Multiple 10s also weigh more than a single 15", and the 10s don't go down as low as does the 15".

 

8x10 all the way! They move tons of air and sound the best of all speaker configs, IMO.

The best 8x10's I've played were the Ampeg SVT810E and the SWR Megoliath. I played them with different heads, so I cant really compare them though.

 

For me and my drop tuned 5s: 2x15 + 2x10, I got to try that out once I loved the tone from the Mesa Boogie Cabs great clean sound but I don't know how it would handle effects though.

 

mgood said...

Store guys tend to push a lot of air.

As far as more, smaller speakers having more surface area, and therefore pushing more air than a single larger speaker, there is something to that, but it's only one of many variables that affect the sound of a cabinet.

<hr>
True. If you do the math you'll find that a 4x10 setup has more cone area than a 2x12 and slightly less than a 2x15 rig.

Anyone who's taken a high school physics course can tell you that if all other things are equal, smaller speakers have better transient response, the cones are stiffer and sound reproduction is more <b>accurate</b> with a smaller driver - but accuracy isn't always what we're looking for.

Speaker design is relative - a pair of long-throw 10s might move as much air as a tight 15" speaker but that'll come at a price - higher cone mass means more amplifier power required to achieve a given SPL.

I'm thinking seriously about adding a 1x15 cabinet to the 4x10 combo amp I have now - but my suggestion is that each person needs to find their own sound.

Back in the dark ages I used a homebuilt preamp, a BGW 800 watt mono power amp and a pair of homebuilt tuned port Cerwin Vega 18" cabinets that weighed a couple hundred pounds apiece. The setup would probably crack plaster but was inefficient as hell and transient response sucked mightily - but I didn't know any better. I thought for awhile about trying 30" EV drivers but they were prohibitively expensive. I'm glad I outgrew that phase

The bottom line? Find what works for you. A lot of the "sound" folks are looking for is actually distortion and there's nothing wrong with that.

And - store guys <b>do</b> push a lot of air sometimes - I'm negotiating with a reseller on a Cirrus 6 right now. The best advice I can give on purchases? Be an informed customer. I kinda enjoy being a customer as long as I've done my homework before I meet the salesman

good luck -

allan