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Big E Speakers Part 4 - Quadraphenia

For me, the MAS109 is an easy carry at 34#. The MAS112 I believe is close to 50 (?) and has the option of rollers, which is a no-go in my book because of how I haul my gear, etc.

Given the comparison between MAS109 and H1203 (different beasts to be sure, but you can get some of the flavor of the 12 vs 10), my feeling is that the 12 will go a bit lower and be a bit more open while the 10 is more focused. But I haven't played an MAS112 or a Flex - closest to that was 46/110 combo.
How low the cabs go is something I've asked Mike about. 18 Sound 112 --> Flex --> 46 --> MAS 109, I believe, in order of increasing low frequency extension (meaning the MAS 109 goes the lowest before hitting its -3 dB point). Not sure where the newest 112 falls in there -- should go lower than my 112, I think, but don't know where it fits relative to the other cabs.

That only tells a small part of the story, though. Though the Flex goes a few Hz lower than my 112 with the 18 sound woofer, its "bump" (I think it might be more than just a frequency response thing, but that figures in, too) is higher up than the 112's, which is pretty brutal down to the bottom of its register -- that punch in the chest vs. kick in the gut thing (the Flex can kick and the 112 can punch, but I'm talking about their native strengths). If you listen carefully under the right circumstances you might hear that the Flex goes lower than the 18 Sound 112, but that's not necessarily the first impression they'd make, and relative extension wouldn't be the first thing you'd notice listening to the two next to each other.
 
So a busy weekend of 3 gigs in 2 days with the MAS109. Today was a double-header with a morning outdoors and the night at a regular venue. Probably the best comment was from my wife this morning when she said, "I could hear you from a block away." But we weren't loud at all. Was running the new Rob Allen 5-string along with the Smith, and the RA has massive low end which the MAS109 has no problem with. Then in the evening (though I was fried by the 5th set of the day), the tone of the Smith was pushing right along.

Seriously great cabinet. Only criticism I have is that it takes up more room in the back of my GTI and my cart has to sit upright instead of flat like it does with the H1203 in the back. Definitely 1st world problems...
 
So a busy weekend of 3 gigs in 2 days with the MAS109. Today was a double-header with a morning outdoors and the night at a regular venue. Probably the best comment was from my wife this morning when she said, "I could hear you from a block away." But we weren't loud at all. Was running the new Rob Allen 5-string along with the Smith, and the RA has massive low end which the MAS109 has no problem with. Then in the evening (though I was fried by the 5th set of the day), the tone of the Smith was pushing right along.

Seriously great cabinet. Only criticism I have is that it takes up more room in the back of my GTI and my cart has to sit upright instead of flat like it does with the H1203 in the back. Definitely 1st world problems...
Such a burden for such a great cab, and I am glad you are willing to shoulder the burden. (I think "shoulder the burden" has agreed to open for Kanye for free until he gets out of his 53 mil hole)
 
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Another show, different band (original 6-piece project), and the MAS109 just flat out works again. No bass through FOH (vox, sax, acoustic guitar, keys, and kick running through PA). 6-weeks ago we played the same room and the sound was horrible - mostly due to the sound guy not knowing the system. This time, the wife said it was the best we've ever sounded. Not too loud, and plenty of low end support. Her measure is how much time she spends on her phone and she said she didn't really look at it during the whole 60 min set. High praise :D
 
Another show, different band (original 6-piece project), and the MAS109 just flat out works again. No bass through FOH (vox, sax, acoustic guitar, keys, and kick running through PA). 6-weeks ago we played the same room and the sound was horrible - mostly due to the sound guy not knowing the system. This time, the wife said it was the best we've ever sounded. Not too loud, and plenty of low end support. Her measure is how much time she spends on her phone and she said she didn't really look at it during the whole 60 min set. High praise :D
So is the dispersion of the MAS109 live up to the reports of the cabs like the MAS46 that had the horizontal orientation of the wave-guides (ports)?
IOW: does it seem to be pretty omnidirectional across the audible spectrum?
 
The unholy alliance. This rig was *killing*. 10 piece Steely Dan tribute band, just a hair of bass in FOH. I've played this room probably a dozen times and this was by far the best bass sound I've gotten. Used the Rob Allen on probably a half dozen tunes, fretted Smith on the rest.

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The unholy alliance. This rig was *killing*. 10 piece Steely Dan tribute band, just a hair of bass in FOH. I've played this room probably a dozen times and this was by far the best bass sound I've gotten. Used the Rob Allen on probably a half dozen tunes, fretted Smith on the rest.

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Mix 'n match can be dicey but I know you've experimented with a couple permutations with the Hathor 1203. I see how the synergy between these two could work very well with the MAS109 filling out the bottom and giving good dispersion and throw while the elevated 1203 would add punch and character with a great stage presence. I'll bet that was a blast to play through. Very nice!
 
Haven't played the 109. The 112 -- another "vertical" cab -- has excellent dispersion; I can hear it anywhere on-stage and, when I've walked around the house listening while others have sat in, it's been remarkably even-sounding. The Flex has a little something extra going on -- the sound is enveloping in a way that's more than "typical bass cab" -- but I don't know that I'd call that a dispersion thing. The 112 just comes across as a very clear and articulate bass cab that happens to sound very much the same off-axis as on, and very much the same out by the bar as up by the stage.

The Flex and 46 could have some advantage at the extreme edges of horizontal dispersion -- I just haven't noticed a lack of it with the 112. The 109 is small enough that, if you had it on a stand, you could try running it horizontally -- it would take up about as much space as a medium-sized guitar combo that way. Mike has mentioned that the 109/112 present a little differently when horizontal, and has indicated a preference, himself, for the cabs being horizontal and elevated. I actually tried that once, at home, with my 112, but that cab is big enough that it's not practical to do that on the stages I play. Maybe if I get to play a big outdoor stage with it (and remember to bother!) I'll try that, but vertical has worked just fine for me.
 
Some compelling rigs posted here, with the "Micro 2.0" (or are we on 3.0?) heads. I just picked up the new Genzler head. Haven't had a chance to take it out, but am curious to see what it will do with my MAS 112 -- more specifically, to see how well it hangs with its older and beefier cousin, the GBE 1200. Initial, at-home impression is that it's a step up from the Shuttle/Shuttlemax heads in tone (somewhat subjective), feel, and user-friendliness, but then I always felt the GBE was two steps up -- in tone and feel, at least. The Magellan might be quicker to dial in -- it has fewer knobs, certainly.
 
The unholy alliance. This rig was *killing*. 10 piece Steely Dan tribute band, just a hair of bass in FOH. I've played this room probably a dozen times and this was by far the best bass sound I've gotten. Used the Rob Allen on probably a half dozen tunes, fretted Smith on the rest.

IMG_0115.jpg


IMG_0117.jpg


IMG_0118.jpg
Nostatic, this version of the MAS109 is 8ohm isn't it?
Just checking...thanks!