Beta 12A-2 or Basslite S2012 for a sealed 4x12?

[John E]

Hey guys, I'm getting my old 1980's Orange PPC412 refurbished for bass guitar duties and am torn between these two speakers. I like a tight bass sound with a little dirt. My current rig is Terror Bass 500 boosted with a Darkglass B3K and a P Bass with Lindy Fralins and a Leo Quan bridge. Eventually I plan to get an AD200b but that will be some time down the road. Anyway, which speaker would you recommend and why?

Thanks.

 

[AstroSonic]

Both are good drivers for your needs. The S2012 will yield tighter bass in a small cab volume, and it weighs less. Four should make a potent, but light weight cab. The Beta handles more power and costs a fair amount less. What to do. If weight and cab size are an issue, the S2012 is your pick. If maximum power handling is important the Beta is a better choice.

 

[kringle77]

S2012. Brighter, lighter, actually I think it has a higher Vd so, more output.

 

[lelandcrooks]

S2012. Great driver.

 

[AstroSonic]

Your cab has about 1.5 cf per driver.

For a sealed cab, both drivers yield a nearly flat bass response. For the S2012,F3 72 Hz and F5 63 Hz. The Beta 12A has F3 and F5 that are about 4 Hz higher. Not all that much difference in the bass - performance in the mids and highs would be the major difference.

For a ported cab, both drivers are optimally tuned at about 51 Hz (in 1.5 cf). Both produce a mildly peaked bass (+ 2.2 db @ 110-115 Hz), and effectively load the driver to about 38 Hz. For S2012; F3 63 Hz, F5 56 Hz. The Beta is about 7 Hz higher. Mid and low bass (excursion limited) power handling are substantially higher for the ported cabs.

Your cab without drivers weighs around 70 lbs. Four S2012's weigh 16.4 lbs for a total estimated weight of 86.4 lbs. Four Beta 12A's weigh 30 lbs, for a total estimated weight of 100 lbs. Not a huge difference.

 

[John E]

performance in the mids and highs would be the major difference.

What would the difference be?

 

[AstroSonic]

What would the difference be?

Both have a relatively smooth response through the mids, up to about 1 kHz for the Beta 12a, and 1.5 kHz for the S2012. Above that both exhibit an elevated response up to their high end rolloff. The Beta 12a's response rises 3-4 db between 1 kHz and 3.2 kHz. The S2012's response rises up to 8 db above its midband, with an average rise of about 6 db between 1.7 k Hz and 3.2 kHz. The audible effect will be less than the numbers suggest for both, as these numbers are for the on-axis response (directly in front of the driver). The peaks essentially maintain response off-axis. The bottom line: The S2012 will have a little more lower treble energy, while the Beta 12a will have a little more upper mids energy. The challenge is to be able to interpret what these differences mean with respect to tone, and how important they are to you. Both drivers are well liked here. The simple answer is to chose the S2012 because of its lower weight, deeper bass and more extended highs. However, the differences are small and the cost of the Beta is significantly lower ($75 vs $95). For me, the weight difference easily justifies the higher price of the S2012. The fact that it is more extended at both ends (bass and treble) doesn't hurt.