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Big E Speakers Part 4 - Quadraphenia
- Thread starter kesslari
- Start date
I'm referring to hearing it from the audience perspective. You need someone to play your rig, but it really was an eye opener for me. Talk about air movement!
I have a few (too many?) tube heads, and yes, they sound great through the flex. The crossover & tweeter controls make it very easy to tune in any amp I have tried with 'er.
Lots of fun to choose from (not pictured: 110flex at work in the road case)
MA109 live in a nice room tomorrow night, Campbell CA
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Yeah I was thinking about doing a short video demo of the two. Quick run down though: the mas112 is the clarity winner (both in top extended top end and in the mids), the switchable voicings winner, and obviously that 3d quality. Once you get them both pumping with some watts they both punch and carry some heft. The tc212 is 4ohm so it uses all of the watts my gkmb800 can give where as the mas112 is only 8ohms and the amp gives out before the speaker does (I clip the amps output before the speaker says it's had enough) I solved this easily when I just hook up another mas cab. I like it a lot with the 110 sub, also the 46 really punches it up a notch when I use it with the 112. Most of the time the 112 is enough on it's own, but those big 60x40ft stages in auditoriums need an extra cab for when i like to goose the bass eq up.
Funny thing though, when switching between both cabs, they are apart identically gain matched even though one has 212s and is 4ohm and the other has one and is 8ohm. I bet if I could find an amp that puts out 600w at 8ohms I'd be able to push that cab to it's limit.
For me, when I go between the two, the mas112 sounds much more refined and clear, and I never thought there would be a cab with more clarity than the tc212.
That being said, the tc212 isn't going anywhere because it's the loudest best sounding rig for it's size and weight and I'll use it when I don't have the room to drag out the mas112 and sub, but need a lot of volume.
Funny thing though, when switching between both cabs, they are apart identically gain matched even though one has 212s and is 4ohm and the other has one and is 8ohm. I bet if I could find an amp that puts out 600w at 8ohms I'd be able to push that cab to it's limit.
For me, when I go between the two, the mas112 sounds much more refined and clear, and I never thought there would be a cab with more clarity than the tc212.
That being said, the tc212 isn't going anywhere because it's the loudest best sounding rig for it's size and weight and I'll use it when I don't have the room to drag out the mas112 and sub, but need a lot of volume.
A south SF Bay area blues hot bed. Should showcase the cab line!
- May 15, 2007
- 344
- 465
- Disclosures
- Owner RAD Repairs and RAD Engineering ,guitar, bass, and amp repair and limited custom instrument and amp building.
- May 15, 2007
- 344
- 465
- Disclosures
- Owner RAD Repairs and RAD Engineering ,guitar, bass, and amp repair and limited custom instrument and amp building.
A fellow bassist and good friend Ken, also an MAS112 owner, and I stopped by Mike's house of magic yesterday to check out some new Faital 12's I think he will be offering as an option in the 112s. It looks like these speakers will be offered in 4 or 8 ohms and they seem
to be every bit as robust as the 18sounds. We compared both the 8 and the 4 with the 18sound using a GK Fusion MB800 and a Fat Boy direct box/ pre amp into a 1200 watt ICE module based power amp. The Faital is very slightly less efficient than the 18sound, so the level of the 4 ohm seemed about equal to the 18sound 8, which has low impedance for an 8 ohm speaker. The 8 ohm Faital had slightly less output at the same volume settings, but they all maxed out pretty close. The GK had no problem pushing all three to crazy levels. It was a little stronger with the 4 ohm Faital or the 18sound, but no match for the Fat Boy into the 1200. That pre amp sounds wonderful and huge.
Comparing the sound of the speakers is where the big difference is. The 18sound is very aggressive in the upper mids, even with the 4" mids shut off. This could be the ultimate aggressive rock and roll speaker. The Faital is a totally different animal. It sounds much smoother in the upper mids, partly because it rolls off slightly there and the 18sound has an upper mid peak. The 4" mids are handling more of the upper mids than on the 18sound and sound very smooth and musical doing it. The crossovers are different for each speaker. If you shut off the mids with the Faital it really goes into Jamerson territory, where the 18sound is still very articulate. It seems to me if you want a cab that will blow the skin off peoples heads with little or no eq. the 18sound is the way to go, but if you want a smoother, more traditional sound, still very articulate and hi-fi, the Faital is the way to go.
to be every bit as robust as the 18sounds. We compared both the 8 and the 4 with the 18sound using a GK Fusion MB800 and a Fat Boy direct box/ pre amp into a 1200 watt ICE module based power amp. The Faital is very slightly less efficient than the 18sound, so the level of the 4 ohm seemed about equal to the 18sound 8, which has low impedance for an 8 ohm speaker. The 8 ohm Faital had slightly less output at the same volume settings, but they all maxed out pretty close. The GK had no problem pushing all three to crazy levels. It was a little stronger with the 4 ohm Faital or the 18sound, but no match for the Fat Boy into the 1200. That pre amp sounds wonderful and huge.
Comparing the sound of the speakers is where the big difference is. The 18sound is very aggressive in the upper mids, even with the 4" mids shut off. This could be the ultimate aggressive rock and roll speaker. The Faital is a totally different animal. It sounds much smoother in the upper mids, partly because it rolls off slightly there and the 18sound has an upper mid peak. The 4" mids are handling more of the upper mids than on the 18sound and sound very smooth and musical doing it. The crossovers are different for each speaker. If you shut off the mids with the Faital it really goes into Jamerson territory, where the 18sound is still very articulate. It seems to me if you want a cab that will blow the skin off peoples heads with little or no eq. the 18sound is the way to go, but if you want a smoother, more traditional sound, still very articulate and hi-fi, the Faital is the way to go.
Last edited:
- Jun 29, 2006
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- 3,217
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- President, CEO, CFO, CIO, Chief Engineer, Technician, Janitor - Reiner Amplification
It's cool that this model has so many options available for custom-tailored sound. 
Thanks you for sharing your expert opinions, Randy!
Thanks you for sharing your expert opinions, Randy!
- May 15, 2007
- 344
- 465
- Disclosures
- Owner RAD Repairs and RAD Engineering ,guitar, bass, and amp repair and limited custom instrument and amp building.
