• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

Boutique 3-way 115 and 215 on a budget

Status
Not open for further replies.
greenboy

greenboy

Dec 18, 2000
13,201
340
remote mountain cabin Montana
greenboy.us
Disclosures
greenboy designs: fEARful, bassic, dually, crazy88 etc
#1
The other day I was looking for a set of replacement mains for a friend's band and stumbled across a couple of winners from Carvin. 3-way, with superior internal volume and crossover, light and built with the same methods and materials the expensive lightweight cabs have - but so much cheaper it's ridiculous. Great midrange cone driver, superior neodymium tweeter/horn... Even after replacing the decent lead-sled woofers with lighter and higher-spec Em Kappalite 3015LF these babies would come in cheaper and have top-notch bass guitar performance.

Here's the 115. It seemed suspicious that it was only 24" tall. I checked with Carvin and it turned out that it's 28.75" tall, 15.5" deep, 18.75" wide.

http://www.carvin.com/products/single.php?ItemNumber=LS1503&CID=LS

LS15031.jpg


Here's the 215. More internal volume per driver yet, I think with Kapplites or Kappalite LFs it'd probably be a scary combination indeed for people looking for 215 with a dedicated midrange (and or a better tweeter)! Even with the stock drivers, actually.

http://www.carvin.com/products/single.php?ItemNumber=LS1523&CID=LS

LS15231.jpg


I'm also looking at the Carvin 115 bass cab as a great one to be retrofitted with the Kapplite series - enough internal volume to actually get the best out of the driver unlike almost all commercial bass cabs. A pair of them could actually smoke a lot of bands' 118 subwoofer pairs and with less wattage! Also using thinner baltic birch and more bracing. Carvin seems to be doing more right than they are given credit for.

The stock drivers and the Kapplite series both operate well in these enclosure sizes at the exact same tunings, so the retrofit if desired would be a piece of cake.
 
  • Like
Reactions: maestrovert
#6
Yeah, I was checking out the APS powered versions. Tri-amped internally, light, and actually having three band sweepable-mids EQ. I wonder if the input impedance and gain would work with a bass direct in, or an active bass anyway...

The main advantage I see for the passive versions is you can put a high performance woofer into them and then eke every bit of potential output they are capable of with more wattage. You can biamp or run full-range, too.
 
  • Like
Reactions: maestrovert
#7
Here's the Carvin 115 cab I think would make an excellent retrofit with Kapplite. 3015LF if running a top cab with it, 3015 if using as a stand-alone. One of the few manufactured bass cabs with enough internal volume to actually show what these drivers are CAPABLE of (the old Avatar 115 would also be a suitably large box with a Kappalite replacing that crap original-series Deltalite).

http://www.carvin.com/products/single.php?ItemNumber=BR115&CID=BA

BR1151.jpg


Actually I'm considering doing a pair of these with 3015LF and adding 1-3/8" pole cups. They'd be great subwoofers on one side of a QSC PLX3402 and I'd also be able to use one as part of a big extended-range bass rig when not responsible for bringing subs to gigs.
 
  • Like
Reactions: maestrovert
#9
greenboy said:
Here's the Carvin 115 cab I think would make an excellent retrofit with Kapplite. 3015LF if running a top cab with it, 3015 if using as a stand-alone. One of the few manufactured bass cabs with enough internal volume to actually show what these drivers are CAPABLE of (the old Avatar 115 would also be a suitably large box with a Kappalite replacing that crap original-series Deltalite).

http://www.carvin.com/products/single.php?ItemNumber=BR115&CID=BA

BR1151.jpg


Actually I'm considering doing a pair of these with 3015LF and adding 1-3/8" pole cups. They'd be great subwoofers on one side of a QSC PLX3402 and I'd also be able to use one as part of a big extended-range bass rig when not responsible for bringing subs to gigs.
Click to expand...

That's quite interesting. What about the Carvin BR210 to go on top? I have an old Redline series 210 that is the same dimensions as the BR210. What retrofit speakers would be recommended for this?
 
#10
I've got an old Redline too, very light for the output and considering it doesn't even have neo drivers. I just put a biamping plate amp into it yesterday that'll actually take a passive bass directly in. Schweet easy 51-pound jam rig without the need for a preamp!

Probably the best affordable retrofit would be 2510 DLII which would take the weight of a RL210 down to under 39 pounds. Though if you are using less wattage, the Basslite S2010 looks great... very cheap and the weight would drop to 36 and a half pounds!
 
#12
I just looked at the 2510 DLII's and they're listed as 8 ohms. Not sure how the current speakers are wired in the RL210 (assuming 4 ohm) but I wouldn't want to have it 4 ohms. Is there a way to wire two together so that the ohms remains at 8?
 
#14
Freddels said:
I just looked at the 2510 DLII's and they're listed as 8 ohms. Not sure how the current speakers are wired in the RL210 (assuming 4 ohm) but I wouldn't want to have it 4 ohms. Is there a way to wire two together so that the ohms remains at 8?
Click to expand...

No. You might contact Dave at Avatar and see if he'll sell you a couple of his OEM loads. Either that, or get a Speakermate.
 
#15
Anthbass said:
This is friggin' cool. I love 15's. Someone buy one of these 215's and do a speaker swap, then report to this thread immediately. I'll wait.
Click to expand...

I too like 215 cab low-end authority and punch, but I've always missed having the upper midrange spread you get with tens. I'd say with these cabs and Kappalites it's a shoe-in to have way more of both. But I'm considering going for the 115 3-ways instead for more rig flexibility.
 
#16
Or I could load it as 4 ohms and if run with another 4 ohm cab I could just run it on two separate channels on the QSC (I'm assuming here b/c the QSC is still in the box and I haven't read the manual yet).

But wouldn't work with the BR115 project b/c that's an 8 ohm cab.
 
#17
greenboy said:
I too like 215 cab low-end authority and punch, but I've always missed having the upper midrange spread you get with tens. I'd say with these cabs and Kappalites it's a shoe-in to have way more of both. But I'm considering going for the 115 3-ways instead for more rig flexibility.
Click to expand...

The 115 rig looks like the way to go, given the size and weight. If you do pick one of these up and 'fiddle' with it, please post on your experience. I am dead interested to know how it turns out. I'd love a single full-range 15" cab that weighs 60 pounds...
 
#18
Freddels said:
Or I could load it as 4 ohms and if run with another 4 ohm cab I could just run it on two separate channels on the QSC (I'm assuming here b/c the QSC is still in the box and I haven't read the manual yet).

But wouldn't work with the BR115 project b/c that's an 8 ohm cab.
Click to expand...

You can run a 4 ohm load on one side, and an eight ohm load on the other side, with more input gain on it.
 
#19
Anthbass said:
The 115 rig looks like the way to go, given the size and weight. If you do pick one of these up and 'fiddle' with it, please post on your experience. I am dead interested to know how it turns out. I'd love a single full-range 15" cab that weighs 60 pounds...
Click to expand...

Actually with Kappalites you would shave 4 to 5 pounds per driver, so the LS 1503 would end up at around 53-54 pounds.

Also, the LS1523 elsewhere has been listed at 98 pounds, so with Kappalites it could ened up weighing in as low as 88 to 89 pounds. Lightwer than a lot of 215 that DON'T have midrange drivers and tweeters!
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back