• 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 freeLog in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

Carvin BRX 15.3 ???

I've always wondered about that cabinet. I just wish it was a little lighter.

Me too but Carvin got out of the NEO speakers when the market went crazy. The cabinet is the same size as the BRX10.4 also, which helps them with costs but also give the cab a "bigger" old-school sound as described by dodahday.
Trade off.
For not much more money (and less weight) you can score an Avatar TB153 NEO. After that, not many 15", 3-way powerful cabs under 700 bucks. The best ones are around a grand unless you buy a kit.
 
How do the two sound together? I already have a brx 10.2 and I want to add to it. I play through a Shuttlemax 12.0.

I tired them both together at the factory and didn't notice any overpowering of one cab by the other. Doesn't your head have dual amps with dual volume knobs? If it does, that will alleviate volume concerns.
Still, if you like the tone of the BRX10.2, it's probably better to just get another one.
Personally I see the BRX15.3 to be a perfect standalone cab for either the BX500, BX700, or B1000 head. Deals can be had when purchasing together and the power ratings at 4 ohms are ideal for the cab.
 
I'll try to resurrect this thread. I've been playing a Carvin BB75 and a 1944 Kay with a Revolution pickup through a Zoom B3 for a preamp into a QSC RMX 850 (Bridged mono) into the 15.3 for a few months. I got the 15.3 specifically for doubling. The cab is capable of reproducing the fundamental of the E string on my upright and being very clear and clean throughout the frequency range. All I do is switch to the next setting on the B3 and I'm playing fusiony electric goodness. Every style I've tried from funky slap to old school R&B to jazz is handled nicely with this rig. I even play bluegrass and all I do is change settings on the B3 and switch basses. The only drawback really is the weight.
 
  • Like
Reactions: jeff7bass
In the 3 way 15 under $700 don't forget about the Avatar B1510 available at this time only on Ebay from Avatar. It's also 600 watts at 4 ohms. I bought one right before Carvin came out with their BRX 15.3 and have been wondering about it ever since. It's only because it's a bit bigger and heavier that I haven't gotten one besides being thrilled with the B1510. There is a Carvin BRX 15.3 on GC's used for $249 right now btw. If I had read more positive reviews or any for that matter, it'd be on it's way to me right now.
 
I bought a used BRX 15.3 from GC. Probably the one you mentioned.
I love the lows it puts out. I use it with my B1000. You do need to have the Sub Bass and Bass turned up around 7 to get the punch.
Its not as hi-fi as my Avatar 210 112 combo. But you still get a very full sound.
Just for fun I put all three together and man what a sound. But that's to much to haul around.
 
  • Like
Reactions: jeff7bass
2015-01-12 17.40.11.jpg
 
  • Like
Reactions: jeff7bass
I thought about the b1000 with mine. I'm going with a GK 1001rbii. I wonder how the bi-amp wiring thing works with the 15.3 not having any real crossovers. Do you have to run full range or can you make it work? Also the 1001 bi-amps at 5khz so would that make a whole where the 8" drops out at 3khz and the tweeter picks up at 5khz?

Bi-amping with the GK heads only work if the cab was built with that in mind. The only cabs that I know of that do it are GK cabs and custom built cabs. There may be others out there but it isn't all cabs with a crossover.
 
:eyebrow:
I don't know for certain as I still haven't seen one of these in the wild but I would bet that Carvin would mention it as a feature if it could.
I had read somewhere that you can install a speakon NL4 connector and bypass the crossover in some speakers. It seems a bit different with the 15.3 though. I don't think it is a manufacturer recommended practice but it is possible with some speakers.
 
:eyebrow:
I had read somewhere that you can install a speakon NL4 connector and bypass the crossover in some speakers. It seems a bit different with the 15.3 though. I don't think it is a manufacturer recommended practice but it is possible with some speakers.

Oh you could absolutely mod some gear to do it. It seems that you could wire the mid and the woofer together and have that going to the woofer post in the NL4 and then wire the tweeter to the tweeter post, but someone more tech savy than I would have to verify that.
 
I just got one used from a TB'er. I've been using a 4-10 setup for the last 15 years but have been liking the sound of a 15 when I hear other people play through them lately. The Carvin has that full, round sound I was hoping for. It has a nice deep low end I could never get from my 4-10 setups. The 8" speaker is more hi range than I expected. It's almost too loud when playing solo but when jamming with the band it really makes the bass cut through while still having nice booming low end. I think I may put an attenuator on the 8" in addition to the one on the tweeter some day. The weight is not so bad to me. My last 4-10 cab weighed 110 lbs and my current 2-10 cabs weigh 65lbs each. The Carvin is around 79lbs (carvin specs) and is a fairly deep cab. It looks like it would be much heavier than it is. It can handle more wattage than many 15" cabs and it's 4 ohm, so you can get full power out of most heads with a single cab that can handle it.

*EDIT* I've found that simply boosting the bass on my amp compensates well for the 8" MF driver being louder than I'd like
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: Jim Carr
In my experience carvin rates their cabs a bit optimistically. The neo 10.4 I played thru wasn't much if at.all louder than a behringer 4x10 and I hate to say this.but the behr seemed bassier and fuller
The power rating of cabs has nothing to do with how loud it will sound.
A cab's power is a maximum amount of power that the cab will handle.
The wattage is the total of the power handling of all speakers in the cab. Two 100 watt drivers = a 200 watt cab.
To compare cab loudness, given equal power applied to the cab, the number you need is Sound Pressure Level, SPL.
These numbers are usually in the 90 to 100 db range, give or take a few db. They indicate speaker sensitivity.
The higher the number, the more sensitive, the louder it will be.
A +3db difference is twice the sensitivity, not twice the loudness.
You normally need at least a 10 db difference for a noticeable (significant) difference in apparent loudness.
The design of the cabinet can also affect how loud it is. You should not expect to hear much difference between two cabs with the same compliment of speakers, two different 4x10 cabs for instance based only on the cab power rating. The same with being bassier or fuller. That is a function of the speaker design and cab design. Not the power rating of the cab.
 

Latest posts