decisions decisions...

[bstew483]

I am stuck in the middle of a tough decision.
I can't decide if I want to switch the speaker in my acoustic b115 for a 4OHM, 500 wat one

OR

buy a used ampeg SVT 410HLF

It would be great to hear what anyone else would do in this situation. I am looking for a tight, punchy, low end tone. please explain why you would go with one or the other.

 

[RickenBoogie]

What's the rest of the story? What amp? What venues? How loud? Rest of the band? Tonal goals?
One thing is for sure, a 115, no matter it "rating", cannot compete with a good 410 for volume. And, a 4 ohm 115 makes no sense at all.

 

[AdamR]

I wouldnt call the HLF "tight". Low yes.

 

[5port]

I am stuck in the middle of a tough decision.
I can't decide if I want to switch the speaker in my acoustic b115 for a 4OHM, 500 wat one

OR

buy a used ampeg SVT 410HLF

It would be great to hear what anyone else would do in this situation. I am looking for a tight, punchy, low end tone. please explain why you would go with one or the other.

Do you have a Gen1 or Gen2 B115? I have a Gen1 Acoustic B115 and have gone thru a few speakers in it:

1) Carvin PS15 (made by Celestion)----4 ohm

2) Eminence CA154----------------------4 ohm

3) Eminence 3015 Neo-------------------8 ohm

With all three speakers I couldn't get anything but a dark sound out of this cabinet. Very bloomy and little definition. The 3015 had the most articulate sound but still wasn't happy. It now sits in my rear bedroom attached to the floor by its sheer weight.

 

[swamp_bass]

I believe that Acoustic cab is a ported design. It's extremely rare that a replacement speaker will work well with the box size and port tuning of another.

As RickenBoogie said, it's hard to know what your goal is - more volume, or improved sound, or a magical combination of both.

My recommendation is to sell the Acoustic and buy a cab that more closely matches the sound you want, be it the Ampeg or something else.

 

[experimental bassist]

If I had to throw out an uneducated guesstimation I would say your simplest solution would be to find a second B115.

But for a better opinion I wouldn't know what to recommend without knowing some more about what kind of amp your using, how much volume you're after, or whether you like what your hearing from your current B115 and just want it to be MORE.

I will say try that 410hlf before you commit.

It's a love it or hate it cab. I'll second the opinion that "tight" isn't a word I would use to describe it.

 

[5port]

I believe that Acoustic cab is a ported design. It's extremely rare that a replacement speaker will work well with the box size and port tuning of another.

As RickenBoogie said, it's hard to know what your goal is - more volume, or improved sound, or a magical combination of both.

My recommendation is to sell the Acoustic and buy a cab that more closely matches the sound you want, be it the Ampeg or something else.

Gen1 is sealed

Gen II is ported

 

[AstroSonic]

I am stuck in the middle of a tough decision.
I can't decide if I want to switch the speaker in my acoustic b115 for a 4OHM, 500 wat one

OR

buy a used ampeg SVT 410HLF

It would be great to hear what anyone else would do in this situation. I am looking for a tight, punchy, low end tone. please explain why you would go with one or the other.

Impedance and power handling have little to do with how tight or punchy a cab sounds. Tight and punchy are determined by the cab/driver alignment. The driver must be matched to the cab to produce those characteristics. Whether your version of that cab is sealed or vented, you will need to go to a vented design. The tuning will depend upon the driver TS parameters. I suggest emailing Eminence to see what driver, and what tuning frequency they would recommend for your cab that would yield a tight, punch sound.

As pointed out above, the 410hlf has good lows, but most would not consider it to be tight. It's probably not going to meet your needs.