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Big E Speakers Part 4 - Quadraphenia

#4,121
bassically_eli said:
I really miss the simplicity (and cost) of just using a combo amp. One power chord, one cable from bass (or pedalboard) into the amp, tune up and play. BUT, no one makes speaker boxes nearly as good as MAS or Audiokinesis (maybe a handful of other botique makers, but these are the two I've tried), and the flexibility of mixing and matching heads and cabs is super valuable for us doublers who might play anything from a loud rock band to a quiet jazz trio. The thought of adding another layer of complexity to my signal chain, though, by separating preamp and power amp, is not appealing to me. I'm sure Mike's power amps are top-notch, and more power to anyone else who might go that route. Personally, i don't think the gap between the mass-produced heads and the botique heads is anywhere near as big as the gap between mass-produced cabs and botique cabs....just my 2¢.

My two MAS-1,6s are doing great, and my MAS26 was always great and reliable.
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My everyday gear is a pair of Arnopol-made fiberglass cabs (Crazy8, and Crazy88 with tweeter), and an Acoustic Image Focus amp. For me, the only thing missing is the sound I used to get from my '65 Bassnan blackface at low volume, which has been hard to achieve simply and affordably. In the meanwhile, I'm getting the best sound ever, all with lightweight gear that I carry in two cajon bags; combined weight is about 35 pounds! :)
 
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#4,122
In my experience, while there are some fantastic sounding heads, the preamp/poweramp situation has always seemed to produce the least amount of compromise, in terms of power and tone (the kind of tone that I like). For a long time I was chasing the no-compromise solutions and hauling more involved set ups, and as I get older and busier with life, I appreciate having things simpler and more streamlined. :) Thus the right integrated head.

PS mike’s 1200 amp with my sonic farms sounds really really good into the newish 45 I have here. Mike said this cab was his attempt to make a bass cabinet as flat as possible. It’s taken me a minute to get the hang of it like, but wow it sounds really great.
 
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#4,124
So...I decided to take the mas cabs back out last night after this thread sparked my interest again....private hippie type Halloween party...stage was a barn door on cinder blocks but super bouncy and flexible...ended up laying the cabs down on ground behind stage firing up...ran quilter bb800...I forgot how much subwoofer-ish feeling you get with these cabs over my gk 15...really sounded good...gonna take them with me tonight too
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#4,132
I wonder if Mike has considered doing any subwoofer-type cabinets (like the old 110 sub) again. Seems like the newer formats as seen in the MAS18 and MAS110 could make for some killer subs, and could be relatively simple (for an MAS that is) and affordable. Basically, I'm wondering if he could just take the same design and leave out the crossover and mid/hf speakers.
 
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#4,134
I’m sure it would be no problem for Mike to make any cab without mids or highs. He has recently reworked the frequency response of the new 4x6 so it is incredibly flat without a mid driver. If you were planning on adding something like that to other cabs, it would be unnecessary. The new 4x6 is punchier and deeper than anything I’ve heard and is really loud by itself. Because the cabinet is less complicated than the Bodai, the price is better.
 
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#4,136
I haven't seen Mike post much about the newer 4x5 and 4x6 on FB, are these designs complete yet or is he still tinkering?


radbass said:
I’m sure it would be no problem for Mike to make any cab without mids or highs. He has recently reworked the frequency response of the new 4x6 so it is incredibly flat without a mid driver. If you were planning on adding something like that to other cabs, it would be unnecessary. The new 4x6 is punchier and deeper than anything I’ve heard and is really loud by itself. Because the cabinet is less complicated than the Bodai, the price is better.
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#4,137
funkometer said:
I haven't seen Mike post much about the newer 4x5 and 4x6 on FB, are these designs complete yet or is he still tinkering?
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They will never be complete, several of them will hit the field and be returned with malfunctions if lucky enough to get responses from Mike at all, with profuse apologies and promises on how he will fix them well simultaneously making other posts about how his new designs blow them away
 
#4,138
shwashwa said:
They will never be complete, several of them will hit the field and be returned with malfunctions if lucky enough to get responses from Mike at all, with profuse apologies and promises on how he will fix them well simultaneously making other posts about how his new designs blow them away
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That's possible -- Mike has gotten in over his head a few times and had some well-publicized customer service issues (I know that your experience with him wasn't the best), some due, at least initially, to factors beyond his control and some due to factors within his control. Too, as you mention, his continual tweaking (rather than releasing a model and sticking with it, unrevised, for awhile) can be frustrating. Being an individual builder, making a cab or two at a time, he can do that (and he and I have talked a little about why he does that), but I can see why it bothers people.

On the other hand, I've owned four MAS rigs -- two bought used, two new from Mike -- and had good service from all of them, including great sound in notoriously difficult rooms and coverage outdoors with varying levels of PA support (in which application I feel they are unequaled). The only QC issue I ever had was a small air-leak where I asked Mike to mod one of the used cabs (add a switch with another crossover option -- the leak was at the switch), which he fixed.

That doesn't negate your experience, but I've owned four different models of MAS rigs that were completed, were supported where necessary, and served me well (regardless of models released in the interim) for some years. (I still own my MAS 112, which did more to save my enjoyment of playing in loud clubs than any other amplification-related purchase I've made.)

Based on my experience, I would own another MAS cab. Based on yours, you would not.

I think that's okay.
 
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#4,140
shwashwa said:
Yeah I've owned three, and all three of them have malfunctioned to the point where they were not usable. In the end I've gotten 85% of my money back, so I'm considering that a win
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That's interesting. Our experiences differ. Aside from the cabs I've owned, the others I've played (at Mike's place, at the one TB get-together I've attended, and while visiting with other players) would not lead me to expect this.

I don't want to push my luck or ask you to rehash old unpleasantness, but may I ask which cabs? The main issues I can recall reading about were with certain of the powered 18s, awhile back. I seem to recall that at least one of yours was one of these. (Correct me if I'm wrong.)
 
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