The tweeter switch---I don't understand it completely--influences the crossover on the mids. I'll have to find out details--but it does seem to remove some "smoothing" when the tweeter is turned off. The net effect is that the faital is using the entirety of its range---up to 8 k. But it's the quality of the mids that is different.Like I said---more of a "paper cone" sound all the way to 8k. It can be pushed into a really nice subtle break up. I elevated the cab turned off the tweeter, cranked it, and got one of the best Pbass rock sounds I've heard. But with detail up to 8k and not sounding like a "hifi" cab. Turned the tweet on and it cleaned up and sounded more like an Anthony Jackson hifi sound. The mids extend quite low, so when the phase reverse is engaged it changes the voicing a lot. Bass gets a bit thinner (more like some of the newer "punchier" hi end cabs. But the low bass stays the same. Using the tweet off switch I was able to get a very convincing early Music Man type of sound.
That's just the tweet on/off switch. There are 3 settings for the volume of the entire mid/tweet section.
0db--no pad---
in phase---stronger more R&B mid bass but with very present mids and highs
out of phase--Same B & E string but very flat in the mid and upper bass (as opposed to the built-in warmth of other MAS cabs) More in-your face mids and highs
-3db
in phase
warmer mid to upperbass than 0db more similar to other MAS cabs in this respect--neutral mids (flatter
out of phase
Very flat in the bass , mids, and highs---flattest setting ( funny thing is--the -6db out of phase setting measures the flattest---but this setting sounds the flattest to my ears--guess I like slightly elevated mids as a starting point)
-6db
in phase
warm, focused bass--less mids and highs---a bit more b15'y
out of phase--more of a sealed box rock sort of tone---especially if you turn the tweet off and turn your treble up a bit
These are initial observations. All I can say is that it's versatile---and functional in it's versatility. Seems a bit intimidating at first but gets more and more intuative.
Volume level is about the same as the 46 and 85 (very close to a single 15 or 410 and edging toward a 212.
Low end is by far the most extended of the Big E's.The new RachE waveguide as used here gives up about 5hz of -3db (now at about 39hz---still crazy low) for much stronger impact. While this cab can sound very hifi it's more about power and impact. The low end is super punchy with very little annoying "bloom" or "overhang". In some settings you can get the "bloom" but the notes stay very separate.
Efficiency is a bit less than the 85 (which is about 100db). I'd say still a strong 97db.
One thing we wanted to get with the 110 was the highest quality
"paper" cone sound as high as we could get . And rather than pushing the woofer into the mid area where it is flat enough but doesn't really shine we found a mid driver that goes quite low and quite high and is doing the "heavy lifting" as far as musical content and the 10 is doing the heavy lifting in the lows to free up the mid driver.
In comparing the 85 to the 110--it's pretty neat.
The 85 is---to me--- a very elegant speaker. Super flat but with lovely midrange definition. Plenty of big, warm bass without the extra warmth of the 46. You can get it to do nasty, but that's not its inherent voice. It's got that BIG E thing of being right there. It sounds really beautiful as 3rd says but will always cut through a mix. Big low end with good extension---but even below it's f3 point it doesn't unload, so the bass always stays focused. Uber hifi midrange definition.
While the 110 can do pretty and elegant there always seems to be an underlying power waiting to get out. Don't know how else to describe it. The 110 is about power and impact. Crazy low end but focused. And all of that versatility is not just about manipulating the frequency response---the cab seems to change its presentation. It just feels different. To me it doesn't seem to be like a "chameleon" that tries to do a bunch of things but doesn't excel at one--know what I mean?
Tom and Steve are admittedly two "wild and crazy guys" but they sure can't seem to keep still. They go nuts going over and over designs and implementation. They're even using crazy expensive "toroidal" inductors on the low pass which maintains power and impact on the low end.
I told them exactly what I was looking for. We picked out the drivers and they went to town. I couldn't be happier with the results.
And there is a 210 coming.
That's just the tweet on/off switch. There are 3 settings for the volume of the entire mid/tweet section.
0db--no pad---
in phase---stronger more R&B mid bass but with very present mids and highs
out of phase--Same B & E string but very flat in the mid and upper bass (as opposed to the built-in warmth of other MAS cabs) More in-your face mids and highs
-3db
in phase
warmer mid to upperbass than 0db more similar to other MAS cabs in this respect--neutral mids (flatter
out of phase
Very flat in the bass , mids, and highs---flattest setting ( funny thing is--the -6db out of phase setting measures the flattest---but this setting sounds the flattest to my ears--guess I like slightly elevated mids as a starting point)
-6db
in phase
warm, focused bass--less mids and highs---a bit more b15'y
out of phase--more of a sealed box rock sort of tone---especially if you turn the tweet off and turn your treble up a bit
These are initial observations. All I can say is that it's versatile---and functional in it's versatility. Seems a bit intimidating at first but gets more and more intuative.
Volume level is about the same as the 46 and 85 (very close to a single 15 or 410 and edging toward a 212.
Low end is by far the most extended of the Big E's.The new RachE waveguide as used here gives up about 5hz of -3db (now at about 39hz---still crazy low) for much stronger impact. While this cab can sound very hifi it's more about power and impact. The low end is super punchy with very little annoying "bloom" or "overhang". In some settings you can get the "bloom" but the notes stay very separate.
Efficiency is a bit less than the 85 (which is about 100db). I'd say still a strong 97db.
One thing we wanted to get with the 110 was the highest quality
"paper" cone sound as high as we could get . And rather than pushing the woofer into the mid area where it is flat enough but doesn't really shine we found a mid driver that goes quite low and quite high and is doing the "heavy lifting" as far as musical content and the 10 is doing the heavy lifting in the lows to free up the mid driver.
In comparing the 85 to the 110--it's pretty neat.
The 85 is---to me--- a very elegant speaker. Super flat but with lovely midrange definition. Plenty of big, warm bass without the extra warmth of the 46. You can get it to do nasty, but that's not its inherent voice. It's got that BIG E thing of being right there. It sounds really beautiful as 3rd says but will always cut through a mix. Big low end with good extension---but even below it's f3 point it doesn't unload, so the bass always stays focused. Uber hifi midrange definition.
While the 110 can do pretty and elegant there always seems to be an underlying power waiting to get out. Don't know how else to describe it. The 110 is about power and impact. Crazy low end but focused. And all of that versatility is not just about manipulating the frequency response---the cab seems to change its presentation. It just feels different. To me it doesn't seem to be like a "chameleon" that tries to do a bunch of things but doesn't excel at one--know what I mean?
Tom and Steve are admittedly two "wild and crazy guys" but they sure can't seem to keep still. They go nuts going over and over designs and implementation. They're even using crazy expensive "toroidal" inductors on the low pass which maintains power and impact on the low end.
I told them exactly what I was looking for. We picked out the drivers and they went to town. I couldn't be happier with the results.
And there is a 210 coming.
