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Choosing the right bass cab

J

Jens4343

Dec 12, 2019
74
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#1
Hi:

Im looking for some advice for chosing the best bass cabinet.

Im playing a Sandberg California 4 string bass.
My bass amp is the Ashdown ABM 600 Evo Iv

I am looking for advice regading the best bass cabinets for me.
Im playing rock in a quite loud band (AC/DC, Rainbow, Thin Lizzy etc).

What can you recommend?

I think im looking for either 4x10" or 2x10"+1x15" (used to play the TC electronics 4x10" but it blew up the other night - now just sounding crappy)

I've tried the Ashdown ABM4x10 and 2x10" cabinets - I wasn't too impressed but maybe they're okay.... Any other options??

Thank you for your help I am in the 1000-1200dollars segment (but open to suggestions)

Jens
 
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#9
I'm a big fan of using a pair of matching, vertically stacked 2x10s rather than a 4x10 box. This arrangement gets some speakers up closer to your ears so you can hear yourself well without using a stand, and the linear array of speakers has great horizontal dispersion so band mates and audience members off to the sides can also hear you. I've got one such rig with Avatars and and another with SWRs, but you could do this with any brand that's readily available where you live.
 
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#10
ninefingerbass said:
You blew your TC 410? Wow, you guys really do play loud. Are the speakers broken? I had an SWR 410 that crapped the bed, turned out it was the fuse that busted. Check it out and you might be able to save yourself some money.
Click to expand...
Add a Broughton always-on HPF(ships to Europe) to whatever you buy to protect the speakers. For more info, Checkout my TB Wiki on the topic.
 
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#12
Jens4343 said:
Hi:

Im looking for some advice for chosing the best bass cabinet.

Im playing a Sandberg California 4 string bass.
My bass amp is the Ashdown ABM 600 Evo Iv

I am looking for advice regading the best bass cabinets for me.
Im playing rock in a quite loud band (AC/DC, Rainbow, Thin Lizzy etc).

What can you recommend?

I think im looking for either 4x10" or 2x10"+1x15" (used to play the TC electronics 4x10" but it blew up the other night - now just sounding crappy)

I've tried the Ashdown ABM4x10 and 2x10" cabinets - I wasn't too impressed but maybe they're okay.... Any other options??

Thank you for your help I am in the 1000-1200dollars segment (but open to suggestions)

Jens
Click to expand...

Barefaced! :thumbsup:

Yes, they really are *THAT* good! :)
 
#13
Jens4343 said:
Hi:

Im looking for some advice for chosing the best bass cabinet.

Im playing a Sandberg California 4 string bass.
My bass amp is the Ashdown ABM 600 Evo Iv

I am looking for advice regading the best bass cabinets for me.
Im playing rock in a quite loud band (AC/DC, Rainbow, Thin Lizzy etc).

What can you recommend?

I think im looking for either 4x10" or 2x10"+1x15" (used to play the TC electronics 4x10" but it blew up the other night - now just sounding crappy)

I've tried the Ashdown ABM4x10 and 2x10" cabinets - I wasn't too impressed but maybe they're okay.... Any other options??

Thank you for your help I am in the 1000-1200dollars segment (but open to suggestions)

Jens
Click to expand...
By far and away the best 410 cab I have ever used is the DNS-410 by DNA amps. First heard it in 2010 and I finally had the money to buy it in April of 2015. It is a "one-cab solution" to anyplace you want to play. No need to ever get an 810 cab when you have this cab. It's sound is clear, clean, full, articulate and LOUD! You can distinctly hear all three notes when playing bass chords and it has a very tight bottom end, so you never get mud.

This cab is crazy loud. It is rated at 106db at 1-watt/1-meter, but comparing SPL ratings is a bit tough. Some (most?) manufacturers measure it using a 1Khz frequency, and of course we play a lot more frequencies that just 1 KHz. Mesa is the only company I know of that measures multiple frequencies and publishes the average of them. Nonetheless, this cab really is crazy loud. It has a maximum SPL of 137db and of course you don't want to be anywhere near that cab at those levels. It will handle 1400-watts both mechanically and thermally. Street price is $1049.

I use an 800-watt Eden amp to drive mine and that's more than enough to power it. Indoors I can never run my master over 9:30. Same outdoors for patios and enclosed outdoor venues. For large stage Festivals, I can usually run the master up to 10 o'clock without being told to turn down. If I try to run it at 10:30 I always get told to turn it down.

The only problem I've run into with this cab is bringing it into small venues. Club-owner's eyes tend to explode when they see me bringing in my 410. So recently, I purchased a DNS-210. It will handle 700-watts rms and has a max SPL of 134db. Street price is ~$849-$899. That's more than loud enough for small and medium venues. Plus,it doesn't make their eyes bug out.

I used to use an Eden EX112 cab in small venues and sometimes ran two of them for medium venues, because they sounded great, especially for their low price. Then we played outside at a venue where I normally run those Eden EX112 cabs and it just sounded so much better through my DNS-410. Supposedly the DNS-210 had the same sound characteristics that my DNS-410 does. I had the gig money, so I recently bought the DNS-210 and also signed on as a DNA endorser. It does indeed have the same sound characteristics as my DNS-410 does, so I'm retiring my Eden EX112-4 cabs and selling them for $200 each plus shipping.

So here's my set-up. Doubt I will ever play with them both in a stack like that because I get told at Festivals to turn down when I'm just using the 410, but it certainly does make for a nice looking stack. ;)
414323124.jpg


Here's a link to more info on the DNS-410:
[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
 
Last edited:
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#16
Jens4343 said:
Hi:

Im looking for some advice for chosing the best bass cabinet.

Im playing a Sandberg California 4 string bass.
My bass amp is the Ashdown ABM 600 Evo Iv

I am looking for advice regading the best bass cabinets for me.
Im playing rock in a quite loud band (AC/DC, Rainbow, Thin Lizzy etc).

What can you recommend?

I think im looking for either 4x10" or 2x10"+1x15" (used to play the TC electronics 4x10" but it blew up the other night - now just sounding crappy)

I've tried the Ashdown ABM4x10 and 2x10" cabinets - I wasn't too impressed but maybe they're okay.... Any other options??

Thank you for your help I am in the 1000-1200dollars segment (but open to suggestions)

Jens
Click to expand...

ninefingerbass said:
You blew your TC 410? Wow, you guys really do play loud. Are the speakers broken? I had an SWR 410 that crapped the bed, turned out it was the fuse that busted. Check it out and you might be able to save yourself some money.
Click to expand...
Yup, I'm more budget-minded. I'd try to see if the TC 4x10 is repairable, fuse, speaker replacement unless you're just lookin' to get something new and this is the excuse :)
 
#18
Rip Van Dan said:
By far and away the best 410 cab I have ever used is the DNS-410 by DNA amps. First heard it in 2010 and I finally had the money to buy it in April of 2015. It is a "one-cab solution" to anyplace you want to play. No need to ever get an 810 cab when you have this cab. It's sound is clear, clean, full, articulate and LOUD! You can distinctly hear all three notes when playing bass chords and it has a very tight bottom end, so you never get mud.

This cab is crazy loud. It is rated at 106db at 1-watt/1-meter, but comparing SPL ratings is a bit tough. Some (most?) manufacturers measure it using a 1Khz frequency, and of course we play a lot more frequencies that just 1 KHz. Mesa is the only company I know of that measures multiple frequencies and publishes the average of them. Nonetheless, this cab really is crazy loud. It has a maximum SPL of 137db and of course you don't want to be anywhere near that cab at those levels. It will handle 1400-watts both mechanically and thermally. Street price is $1049.

I use an 800-watt Eden amp to drive mine and that's more than enough to power it. Indoors I can never run my master over 9:30. Same outdoors for patios and enclosed outdoor venues. For large stage Festivals, I can usually run the master up to 10 o'clock without being told to turn down. If I try to run it at 10:30 I always get told to turn it down.

The only problem I've run into with this cab is bringing it into small venues. Club-owner's eyes tend to explode when they see me bringing in my 410. So recently, I purchased a DNS-210. It will handle 700-watts rms and has a max SPL of 134db. Street price is ~$849-$899. That's more than loud enough for small and medium venues. Plus,it doesn't make their eyes bug out.

I used to use an Eden EX112 cab in small venues and sometimes ran two of them for medium venues, because they sounded great, especially for their low price. Then we played outside at a venue where I normally run those Eden EX112 cabs and it just sounded so much better through my DNS-410. Supposedly the DNS-210 had the same sound characteristics that my DNS-410 does. I had the gig money, so I recently bought the DNS-210 and also signed on as a DNA endorser. It does indeed have the same sound characteristics as my DNS-410 does, so I'm retiring my Eden EX112-4 cabs and selling them for $200 each plus shipping.

So here's my set-up. Doubt I will ever play with them both in a stack like that because I get told at Festivals to turn down when I'm just using the 410, but it certainly does make for a nice looking stack. ;)
View attachment 3629536

Here's a link to more info on the DNS-410:
[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
Click to expand...
Nice rig! I suggest trying the 2x10 on the bottom and using it as a stand so your 4x10 will be closer to your ears.
 
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