Cabs w/ natural sounding top end

[Brother Goose]

my fearful 15/6 has a lovely treble response which is not brittle at all. I think not having an additional bullet horny/tweeter helps

just be sure you have PLENTY of power of tap for these sorts of cabs.

good luck!

 

[MaxSpinrun]

Genzler BA cabs have very smooth mids/highs IMHO. Love my BA 15-3.

 

[daveman50]

I like the high end of the Barefaced Super Compact. Also like some 12/6 cabinets. I avoid tweeters.

 

[jthisdell]

The Berg cabs all have a very natural clear high end

 

[RUSSELL56]

I'm running 1or2 115 cabinets with Evm15B speaker in them and honestly don't need a ton of top end as I run flats on a hofner but I do love the midrange in the 3.2 cuft ported cabinet. Never harsh to my ear.

 

[sumeursault]

There’s very little mid emphasis on the 115, a little more on the 210/112 by comparison.

This impression also depends on the voicing of your amp,

I use the Walkabout, but when I shed at home, I'm usually running the DI from the Walkabout to my interface and then practicing under a pair of beyerdynamic DT 1990 Pro open back cans. So my reference sound ends up being that WA/headphone setup. Maybe that's my problem...

At any rate, thanks as always for your help/insight!

 

[agedhorse]

I use the Walkabout, but when I shed at home, I'm usually running the DI from the Walkabout to my interface and then practicing under a pair of beyerdynamic DT 1990 Pro open back cans. So my reference sound ends up being that WA/headphone setup. Maybe that's my problem...

At any rate, thanks as always for your help/insight!

The Walkabout is a pretty voiced amp, perhaps that’s skewing your perception, especially through headphones. It will also depend on where you are operating your tweeter level at.

 

[sumeursault]

The Walkabout is a pretty voiced amp, perhaps that’s skewing your perception, especially through headphones. It will also depend on where you are operating your tweeter level at.

The WA definitely has a sound stamp, but my reference for what any particular bass "sounds like" has the sound of the WA baked in since I'm always using it as part of the signal chain.

I'm sure you and others who've commented similarly are right though -- it's a subjective thing and I'm probably conflating other factors like the room etc., and blaming it on the cab.

 

[Hamrlik]

I’ve found cabs that use a properly crossed-over mid driver in leu of or in addition to a tweeter are the smoothest I’ve encountered.

Examples of those that I’ve used are a pair of Baer 12/6 cabs, an older Dr.Bass 212/6/1 and a very old EV B15M. All have very smooth mids and highs and a smooth transition from woofer to mid driver. In my case, I modified the EV cab to use modern drivers and improved the crossover, extending the cabinet’s range and power handling and making the transition even smoother.

Other cabs I have tried that exhibit these characteristics are AudioKinesis, fEarful/fEarless Greenboy designs and, to a lesser degree (not as smooth or natural but not bad), the Avatar 12/6 but I’ve only tried these cabs out and haven’t clocked enough time on them to really judge them like I have the above cabs.

Bergantino makes great sounding cabs with great clarity but I don’t think they’re as smooth as cabs with dedicated mid drivers (just my take). I also find them to be a bit scooped.
Epifani cabs lean towards more highs and a less scooped sound than Bergs but I, personally, find them less smooth.

This has been exactly my experience also. I'll take a well designed mid driver over any tweeter all day. The Fearless 115 cabs I owned are the best I've ever played through by far. I never turned the tweeter on with them either. Even response from top to bottom, room filling sound (only needed both 115s once in 7 years) and the best off-axis clarity I've ever experienced.

I now own a Barefaced Super Twin which sounds very good. No tweeter in mine but still goes plenty high (I often use a very bright tone) and is smooth sounding too. It doesn't compare to one of the F115s, though.

 

[dbsfgyd1]

After many years in the wilderness, I'm thinking of going back to Bag End w/ the coaxial tweeter. Can you offer other suggestions for cabs with a smooth/natural top end (not harsh, clacky, or overly hyped)?

I’m perfectly content with my Eden Cabs, heavy and aged as they are. But what do I know with my 70 year old rock and roll damaged ears..lol.

 

[Lo-E]

I’m perfectly content with my Eden Cabs, heavy and aged as they are. But what do I know with my 70 year old rock and roll damaged ears..lol.

There’s nothing wrong with Eden cabs aside from their lack of manufacturer support and their weight. I absolutely love my Eden 210s but I have no interest in moving cabs that heavy anymore. Also, Edens have a distinct bump in the low mids which gives them their signature sound and I never felt the tweeters sounded all that smooth. I preferred them rolled back at least halfway, which leaves those cabs not with smooth highs but, rather, with rolled off highs.

Just speaking from my own experience (there’s no right answer here), I love the sound of both modern, crossed-over 2-way cabs and more classic single-driver (or single driver with tweet) cabs. I see them as very different tools that do very different jobs. As much as I love my modern Baer and Dr.Bass cabs, I also love old Edens, early SVT flatbacks and Theille (EV TL-606 and 806) cabs. It’s not any less reasonable to dig an assortment of cabinet designs than it is to dig multiple basses. Viva la difference!

 

[edwinhurwitz]

SUNN 200S!!!
Slowly I turned…

View attachment 7321142



That was one the favorite cabs of mine I got to use as a kid. The other was the 361 of the famed 360/361 combination.

In fact I went with the Mesa Subway 115 because there were some qualities there that reminded this old man of the fabled 200s

Step by step, inch by inch!

 

[DJ Bebop]

Step by step, inch by inch!


View attachment 7321931

“Dats der sh!t man!”

 

[dbsfgyd1]

There’s nothing wrong with Eden cabs aside from their lack of manufacturer support and their weight. I absolutely love my Eden 210s but I have no interest in moving cabs that heavy anymore. Also, Edens have a distinct bump in the low mids which gives them their signature sound and I never felt the tweeters sounded all that smooth. I preferred them rolled back at least halfway, which leaves those cabs not with smooth highs but, rather, with rolled off highs.

Just speaking from my own experience (there’s no right answer here), I love the sound of both modern, crossed-over 2-way cabs and more classic single-driver (or single driver with tweet) cabs. I see them as very different tools that do very different jobs. As much as I love my modern Baer and Dr.Bass cabs, I also love old Edens, early SVT flatbacks and Theille (EV TL-606 and 806) cabs. It’s not any less reasonable to dig an assortment of cabinet designs than it is to dig multiple basses. Viva la difference!

Good post. Me? I’m too old and too cheap to get with the program…lol Seriously, I think lot of preference is driven by the genres we play. I play in a Motown Review band, 6 singers, horn section and 4 piece rhythm section with FOH support. My goal is to overcome the 6 wedges on the stage and the horns right behind me without creating a lot of stage wash. Needless to say, I need that low mid hump to survive.

Earlier this year I picked up an Eden D-112-XST 8 ohm cab rated for 300 watts which I’m hoping will suffice. Looking at the specs I should be ok. Not a lot of weight savings over my D-210-XST however, but let me tell you, those to cabs together is one heck of a rig.

 

[sumeursault]

These.

View attachment 7321124

I have fond memories of the old shop in Ferndale, MI!

 

[sumeursault]

I guess I don't hear the same thing as you but I usually sit in front of my cab, that might change my perspective of it. Oh and I run my tweeter wide open 80% of the time.

View attachment 7321125

Those are not my everyday settings on my amp

Yeah that's essentially my rig, except I use the original Walkabout which probably sounds very similar to the WD-800

 

[Zooberwerx]

Genzler BA cabs have very smooth mids/highs IMHO. Love my BA 15-3.

If buying new, the BA 2x12 would be my first choice. As it stands, I have a hodge-podge of enclosures (Epifani, HyDrive, Crate) which sound great re: top-end response as I've been pickier about the host amplification.

Riis

 

[Lo-E]

I have fond memories of the old shop in Ferndale, MI!

Don is a stand-up guy and he builds great stuff. I have one of his older, non-neo 112s and it’s a monster.

 

[DJ Bebop]

Yeah that's essentially my rig, except I use the original Walkabout which probably sounds very similar to the WD-800

My understanding is the WD is similar but not the same. I never owned an OG Walkabout but from what I understand the WD is not as woofy as it gets driven or it loses its composure one might say at higher volumes. While some of that can be dialed in, it is not an either-or situation like on the old Walkabouts. So some of what you are hearing could be the cab interacting with what your head is putting out

 

[agedhorse]

My understanding is the WD is similar but not the same. I never owned an OG Walkabout but from what I understand the WD is not as woofy as it gets driven or it loses its composure one might say at higher volumes. While some of that can be dialed in, it is not an either-or situation like on the old Walkabouts. So some of what you are hearing could be the cab interacting with what your head is putting out

Yes, similar but not identical. Changes were made with a LOT of input from Walkabout players here on TalkBass.