• 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.
#62
Supertanker said:
How's the mids and top?
Click to expand...

Great. Very even response, sounds natural with either bass or CD player into pro power amp - and of course the added sense of clarity/articulation you get with a dedicated midrange driver.

Easy to control?
Click to expand...

No L-pads if that's what you mean - as is usual with any calibrated PA cab. But every preamp or head I've used makes it easy enough to have more or less anyway.

What are you using for a power amp and a pre?
Click to expand...

I've already auditioned it heavily with both my V-Bass and my Peavey Max preamps, which are known quantities, and using both Peavey DPC-1400X and QSC PLX3402 power amps. Since I have a good reference cab that is four-way, as well as a paralleled signal; going into one-half of one of my PA stacks that's been pinked to the room, I have a good idea of what's going on.

The cab seems to this point to perform very well for 5 or more stringed bass IF you have decent EQ facilities if you desire less treble. Though I never found it in the least bit necessary as it actually sounds significantly better (not harsh or brittle) than a Fosterx horn, your tonal ideals may dictate differently.
 
  • Like
Reactions: maestrovert
#63
MichaelVee said:
Hey Greenboy, are these cabs trapezoidal, or regular boxes? Carvin's website's description doesn't say, and you can't tell from the one frontal picture.
Click to expand...

The cabs on the website are slightly trapezoidal - only toward the back of the cab is there a slight angle., which shows in some catalog pictures, and maybe in one of the website photos. Sacrifices very little internal volume unlike full traps.

The ones in the eBay store may be had either way I think so it's best to inquire for any particular listing.
 
#64
jnewmark said:
I'm thinking about the single 15 with tweet. Anyone try it yet?
Click to expand...

Some of the same components, but less internal volume, so there'll be less sub-100 Hz content, as is almost always the case. I kinda like a little more as I play with a low B/A string, and even occasionally, with a .185 F#0.

Pretty cool how they are able to build such a solid cab with 9-ply 1/2" baltic birch. So if weight is your concern I wouldn't worry about those published weight specs too much. They are true - for my cab at least.
 
#65
greenboy said:
Some of the same components, but less internal volume, so there'll be less sub-100 Hz content, as is almost always the case. I kinda like a little more as I play with a low B/A string, and even occasionally, with a .185 F#0.

Pretty cool how they are able to build such a solid cab with 9-ply 1/2" baltic birch. So if weight is your concern I wouldn't worry about those published weight specs too much. They are true - for my cab at least.
Click to expand...

Did you switchout their speaker for the Eminence? I would be using it as a stand alone, so I would'nt need the LF version. Also, I would be doing a fair amount of slapping and popping - just wondering how the tweeter sounds? I use a 4 string, so no concerns about a low B or A.
 
#66
jnewmark said:
Did you switchout their speaker for the Eminence? I would be using it as a stand alone, so I would'nt need the LF version. Also, I would be doing a fair amount of slapping and popping - just wondering how the tweeter sounds? I use a 4 string, so no concerns about a low B or A.
Click to expand...

Didn't switch out the OEM Eminence/Carvin and won't do so until I've really got the cab ingrained and totally understood. And actually I'm so incredibly happy with what I'm getting so far even with a low A - and even when biamping which is usually kind of an ordeal with bass guitar setups - that I'm not going to worry about it until my demands indicate that I need more excursion.

I really can't tell you what the two-way will sound like for slap/pop but this LS3105 is incredibly percussive and full ranging with no sense of pinched or harsh top-end. It just sounds as good as what you have going into it, EQ details, technique and instrument nuances, warts or not.

It reminds me why I like having a midrange driver too - it really melds the upper and lower content which often sound somewhat divorced or uneven to me in 2-way 15" cabs, and even 10-by and 12-by cabs. And hey, distortion and fuzz is sounding good through this compression driver/horn combination, partly because the midrange cone fills it out and take on the brunt of the tone. That's rarely the case.
 
  • Like
Reactions: maestrovert
#68
greenboy said:
Yep, it's big enough for a Kapplite 3015LF - and actually a great fit for a non-LF Kapplite too. One reason I found it intriquing. So many of the 115 and 215 bass cabs are drivers being squished into boxes that are too small, which throws away one of the advantages of a good 15" driver. And to top that off they don't have midrange drivers, which puts them at a disadvantage compared to 210 cabs that are also similarly small.

This one doesn't - it actually allows a low B or A player to have a matching amount of octave overtone, versus a hump up where the next few overtones fall. That translates into a less boomy and yet deeper sound. I like it like that.

A lot of PA mains using fifteens are similarly constrained, because the assumption is that either the customer won't realize that it's not going to perform very low, or that they will be using it with subwoofers anyway. It might even sell some subwoofers if the naive customer finds that they didn't get quite what they thought and wants to recify the situation.

But these cabs retrofitted with 3015LF because of being moderately larger could actually function with bass and kick going into them - no subs needed for a lot of smaller club gigs. Same reason they should make fine extended-range bass cabs.
Click to expand...

How much does the Kappalite 3015LF cost?
 
#75
In answer to an earlier question, semi-trapezoidal is the usual cab shape, with small impact on internal volume. At Carvin's eBay store totally rectangular versions may show up occasionally but may not have it listed in the description; ask before buying if it's important to you. The rectangular version of the LS1503 after subtracting bracing, port area, crossover box (well-designed and sturdy), and the sealed sub-cab for the 6" speaker, comes in at 3.2 cubic feet - I'd say the semi-trap comes in at 3 cubic feet.

I gigged the cab last night with my Ampeg 1832 Extreme waiting in the wings just in case. Well, the 1832 usually gets 525 watts x 2 bi-amped at 200 Hz, or 1400 watts bridged running full-range. At past gigs the limiter lights on the power amp come on enough to say that the cab is actually getting taken sometimes up to the amplifier's rated wattage on each side.

I alternated between full-range and bi-amped each of four sets on this stock LS1503. When bridged and full-range (selector switch in crossover behind a rubber plug) it was getting as much as 1000 watts into it. Bi-amped there was 325 watts going to the woofer, and 325 watts going to the 6" cone and the compression driver/horn, crossed over between 400 and 800 Hz using a Rane DC24 (experimented here and there).

The full-range use was impressive in that a lot of SPL was on tap and 1000 watts of low B/A Hipshotting and V-Bass layered bass and heavy metal guitar patches didn't make it fall apart sonically, though it became apparent when it was being driven very very hard (frequent limiting at amp) that a Kappalite would likely be an improvement. The mid-bass bump of the stock driver showed the disadvantage of such a voicing and it did sound like it was less tight than my awesomely tight 18" subwoofer in the Ampeg Extreme. Some people actually prefer that humped and slightly breaking up sound, but I think the Kappalite 3015 or 3015 LF will probably sound more controlled at the highest SPL, with less harmonic distortion. In spite of the torture test I never did bottom out the woofer, which leads me to beleive that many people would find this cab awesome and never retrofit it unless they ended up blowing the woofer.

But I actually liked the bi-amped 325 + 325 sound better as time went by. You could easily control the balance between lows, and mids and highs, just by changing one channel of the power amp's gain. Also the clarity was subtly enhanced by not going through an additional number of passive components that heat up over the hours and change values, and by having steeper active filtering. When I really drove it bi-amped more clean SPL was available as the mids and highs were handled separately from the lows and low-mids, and the coherence and impact was just incredible for a cab this size! And unlike many bass rigs bi-amped most players would not have to fiddle around to instantly have a balanced tonal profile: just set the crossover at 500 or 600 Hz and both gain knobs at the same place and let 'er rip. Really well-designed from this aspect for bass guitar use.

But either way, the cab sounded very powerful and deep, articulate and detailed and punchy all through the spectrum. Unlike so many cabs with horns it never ever sounded overly harsh or cutting even when the V-Bass was doing ultra-distorted layering. There's something to a three-way that makes this so much better. It's actually much like the few earlier Accugrooves I heard in that it can sound like improved, enhanced Old-School without detracting from old-school values. But if you slap, it might satisfy those who want a little more top than the Accugrooves are generally perceived to be capable of, so it's different in that respect.

Summary: This cab should be sold as a bass cab! It did the gig where usually around 85 more pounds was used and it actually kept up. And unlike some other smaller cabs, you can stand close to it and still hear your mids and treble without losing any sense of richness and extension. I'm sold.
 
  • Like
Reactions: maestrovert
#76
Yes. At some point I'll probably get a LS1523 and put recessed 3" casters on the back, and drop in a couple of 3015LF (for the larger volume that's defintely the driver of choice in a three-way). It would become my favored BIG RIG.

Actually I've fantasized about having TWO LS1523 already - they are certainly cheap enough considering what they can do and pretty damn light especially with some weight shaving Neo loads. I really love the sound of 215 cabs, but I want the enhanced and extended polar response and top that smaller cones and better horns can add.
 
  • Like
Reactions: maestrovert
#77
Did I gush yet about how easy the stock LS1503 is to carry? It truly weighs 58 pounds and its slender profile and handle placement are ideal for two-handed no-knuckles-skinned-on-doorways carrying. Also balances PERFECTLY when doing the one-handed 58-pound bowling ball thing, Lebowski. Seems lighter than it is, as a result; actually easier to deal with than a 210 cab. Really good dimensions/shape for loading into and out of small cars too - 28.75" tall, 18.75" wide, 15" deep.
 
  • Like
Reactions: maestrovert
#79
greenboy said:
In answer to an earlier question, semi-trapezoidal is the usual cab shape, with small impact on internal volume. At Carvin's eBay store totally rectangular versions may show up occasionally but may not have it listed in the description; ask before buying if it's important to you. The rectangular version of the LS1503 after subtracting bracing, port area, crossover box (well-designed and sturdy), and the sealed sub-cab for the 6" speaker, comes in at 3.2 cubic feet - I'd say the semi-trap comes in at 3 cubic feet.

I gigged the cab last night with my Ampeg 1832 Extreme waiting in the wings just in case. Well, the 1832 usually gets 525 watts x 2 bi-amped at 200 Hz, or 1400 watts bridged running full-range. At past gigs the limiter lights on the power amp come on enough to say that the cab is actually getting taken sometimes up to the amplifier's rated wattage on each side.

I alternated between full-range and bi-amped each of four sets on this stock LS1503. When bridged and full-range (selector switch in crossover behind a rubber plug) it was getting as much as 1000 watts into it. Bi-amped there was 325 watts going to the woofer, and 325 watts going to the 6" cone and the compression driver/horn, crossed over between 400 and 800 Hz using a Rane DC24 (experimented here and there).

The full-range use was impressive in that a lot of SPL was on tap and 1000 watts of low B/A Hipshotting and V-Bass layered bass and heavy metal guitar patches didn't make it fall apart sonically, though it became apparent when it was being driven very very hard (frequent limiting at amp) that a Kappalite would likely be an improvement. The mid-bass bump of the stock driver showed the disadvantage of such a voicing and it did sound like it was less tight than my awesomely tight 18" subwoofer in the Ampeg Extreme. Some people actually prefer that humped and slightly breaking up sound, but I think the Kappalite 3015 or 3015 LF will probably sound more controlled at the highest SPL, with less harmonic distortion. In spite of the torture test I never did bottom out the woofer, which leads me to beleive that many people would find this cab awesome and never retrofit it unless they ended up blowing the woofer.

But I actually liked the bi-amped 325 + 325 sound better as time went by. You could easily control the balance between lows, and mids and highs, just by changing one channel of the power amp's gain. Also the clarity was subtly enhanced by not going through an additional number of passive components that heat up over the hours and change values, and by having steeper active filtering. When I really drove it bi-amped more clean SPL was available as the mids and highs were handled separately from the lows and low-mids, and the coherence and impact was just incredible for a cab this size! And unlike many bass rigs bi-amped most players would not have to fiddle around to instantly have a balanced tonal profile: just set the crossover at 500 or 600 Hz and both gain knobs at the same place and let 'er rip. Really well-designed from this aspect for bass guitar use.

But either way, the cab sounded very powerful and deep, articulate and detailed and punchy all through the spectrum. Unlike so many cabs with horns it never ever sounded overly harsh or cutting even when the V-Bass was doing ultra-distorted layering. There's something to a three-way that makes this so much better. It's actually much like the few earlier Accugrooves I heard in that it can sound like improved, enhanced Old-School without detracting from old-school values. But if you slap, it might satisfy those who want a little more top than the Accugrooves are generally perceived to be capable of, so it's different in that respect.

Summary: This cab should be sold as a bass cab! It did the gig where usually around 85 more pounds was used and it actually kept up. And unlike some other smaller cabs, you can stand close to it and still hear your mids and treble without losing any sense of richness and extension. I'm sold.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the very informative review.

...and the new GAS pains.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back