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Better with age?

#21
billfitzmaurice said:
The same thing that makes shoes get more comfortable with age: flexing of the suspension continues to soften it. An EVM12L I bought in 1974 had an Fs of 53 Hz after break-in. With each successive cab I used it in it measured a bit lower. The last time I measured it, about 1998, Fs was down to 48Hz.
Click to expand...

yea shoes do get more comfortable, but socks are always best the first time you wear them.

hmm... maybe people should start buying broken in or "Reliced" Underwear!

:hiding::hiding::hiding:


hehe reliced underwear...
 
#22
billfitzmaurice said:
The same thing that makes shoes get more comfortable with age: flexing of the suspension continues to soften it. An EVM12L I bought in 1974 had an Fs of 53 Hz after break-in. With each successive cab I used it in it measured a bit lower. The last time I measured it, about 1998, Fs was down to 48Hz.
Click to expand...
-------------

Wow. I'm scared about that Jensen 15 my tech talked me into ordering for my old B15 now. The replacement Altec from 1974was blown so I had to do something...I wonder if I can hook the thing up to a machine that will "break it in" for me." I know, I'll find one of those 16 year-old punk players and...well, maybe not.
 
#23
SteveD said:
-------------

Wow. I'm scared about that Jensen 15 my tech talked me into ordering for my old B15 now. The replacement Altec from 1974was blown so I had to do something...I wonder if I can hook the thing up to a machine that will "break it in" for me." I know, I'll find one of those 16 year-old punk players and...well, maybe not.
Click to expand...

theres an address in california. I will break it in for ya. ;)
 
#24
SteveD said:
-------------

Wow. I'm scared about that Jensen 15 my tech talked me into ordering for my old B15 now. The replacement Altec from 1974was blown so I had to do something...I wonder if I can hook the thing up to a machine that will "break it in" for me." I know, I'll find one of those 16 year-old punk players and...well, maybe not.
Click to expand...
Eh, just play it for a little while. It'll be fine.
 
#26
Here's my two cents worth ..... the speaker cone/voice coil/ spider is what wears out, the speaker frames/ magnets really don't ( unless there stored in a salt air enviroment ) the paper speaker cone will change in a very humid enviroment ( they absorb moisture ) and become soft ... a recone will make a speaker sound snappy and tight ... so the best practice is to store your stuff in a climate controlled setting.
 
#27
I've always been curious as to why the Aggie DB112 and the GS112 sound so different from each other. Same speaker, same cabinet size, one is rear ported, the other front ported, the DB baltic birch plywood, the GS mahogany plywood. Any ideas?

Dan
 
#29
What is the expected life expectancy of a well maintained speaker? The Diesel I recently bought, clearly is an old one (does anyone know when Mesa started the Diesel lineup?) that has been gigged with a lot, but well maintained. However, it sounds really good, so, how long do speakers last (or at least EVM 15L's)?

Matt
 
#30
Matt Dean said:
how long do speakers last (or at least EVM 15L's)?
Matt
Click to expand...

I would think it would depend on alot of things: how much use, type of use, climate, etc.

That said, my two EV 15's finally gave up the ghost recently after 15+ years of pretty regular use.

One was a recone, another original. I drove them the whole time with an SVT III (pre-pro), so they were within their wattage capability & I didn't give them any special treatment.

Easy enough to get repaired, if your's goes.
 
#31
billfitzmaurice said:
The same thing that makes shoes get more comfortable with age: flexing of the suspension continues to soften it. An EVM12L I bought in 1974 had an Fs of 53 Hz after break-in. With each successive cab I used it in it measured a bit lower. The last time I measured it, about 1998, Fs was down to 48Hz.
Click to expand...

That's almost two semitones. :eek:
 
#32
the cab? nope. If anything faults will develop that might worsen the tone.

the drivers? maybe. depends upon what you like. as long as you don't beat the crap out of them they can sound warmer for reasons billfm explained. i don't like the sound of brand new drivers too much, but they "open up" and sound less harsh after a gig or two.
 
#33
Ok... here's another angle on the bass cab discussion... I've been tapping on the wood of different cabs and find that different cabs have more or less different musical sounding pings when tapped. For example, my old Diesel has a high very musical note like quality when tapped. An Ampeg cab I recently tapped in had a lower note and another cab (that shall remain nameless) has a obvious non-musical thud. So, I am wondering, if the cab has a musical or drum like tonal quality when tapped, will it make a better, more musical tone when used for amplification?

Have I been smoking too much of the herbal essence here? :p
 
#34
Matt Dean said:
So, I am wondering, if the cab has a musical or drum like tonal quality when tapped, will it make a better, more musical tone when used for amplification?
:p
Click to expand...
A well engineered and built cab will add nothing to the tone, a poorly engineered and built cab can only detract. The classic 'knuckle test' is to rap the cab panels with your knuckles. A well engineered and constructed cab will give a high pitched crack, just like when you smack the back of a solid body bass. A poorly engineered and/or constructed cab will give a low pitched thud, while a real piece of crap will boom like a drum.
 
#36
billfitzmaurice said:
A well engineered and built cab will add nothing to the tone, a poorly engineered and built cab can only detract. The classic 'knuckle test' is to rap the cab panels with your knuckles. A well engineered and constructed cab will give a high pitched crack, just like when you smack the back of a solid body bass. A poorly engineered and/or constructed cab will give a low pitched thud, while a real piece of crap will boom like a drum.
Click to expand...

+1

In the late 1950's, my father worked as an electronic engineer for a manufacturer called CTS (Chicago Telephone Supply), which built among other things, speakers.

One of the CTS engineers was interested in "Hi-Fi" audio. In his spare time, he designed and built a large "bass reflex cabinet" out of steel reinforced concrete. Really. He somehow got it from his garage into his living room.

It was about 30"x 48" x30". Big, like washing machine big. It had a large slit type port near the bottom, and was about 3 inches thick all around, smooth, and with no visible handles. As I recall, it had a hole for one 12 or 15 inch driver. When I saw it, I was just a kid, but I do remember knocking on it.

It was like knocking on a brick wall. I never heard it used for sound reproduction, but my father said it was amazing for bass sounds, but weighted something like 200 lbs. I wonder how it has aged?? :D :D :D
 
#37
One of the CTS engineers was interested in "Hi-Fi" audio. In his spare time, he designed and built a large "bass reflex cabinet" out of steel reinforced concrete. Really. He somehow got it from his garage into his living room.

It was about 30"x 48" x30". Big, like washing machine big. It had a large slit type port near the bottom, and was about 3 inches thick all around, smooth, and with no visible handles. As I recall, it had a hole for one 12 or 15 inch driver. When I saw it, I was just a kid, but I do remember knocking on it.

It was like knocking on a brick wall. I never heard it used for sound reproduction, but my father said it was amazing for bass sounds, but weighted something like 200 lbs. I wonder how it has aged??
Click to expand...

Now that is funny!!! :bassist:
 
#39
Jim Carr said:
Yes, but as I am certain Bill Fitzmaurice can confirm, concrete has been used for cabs many times.
Click to expand...

Some studio monitors were designed by I think the godlike Tom Dowd for one of the most expensive control rooms in LA using two spaced concrete walls with sand in between them. And those aren't the only concrete-wall enclosures out there.
 
#40
Ok, this is a bit off-topic...

...but, what if someone were to build a cast of the TL606, pour some light weight cement into it creating a cast cement box and then mount an emminance kappa driver into it...

Would this be ridiculous good or ridiculous bad?

:hiding:
 

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