A single 15 is about the equivalent of 2 10's. You were probably asking far too much of it. Another 410 would have been a much better choice.
Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
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.
Disappointed with Ampeg PF-115HE.
- Thread starter Schpector
- Start date
A single 15 is about the equivalent of 2 10's. You were probably asking far too much of it. Another 410 would have been a much better choice.
So glad I don't have to concern myself with such things as getting maximum volume out of a cab.
gnjpowell
Inactive
- Nov 12, 2010
- 562
- 2
- Disclosures
- Bass & guitar tech, FOH sound, backline rentals
Chris said: "A single 15 is about the equivalent of 2 10's. You were probably asking far too much of it. Another 410 would have been a much better choice." That was my conclusion as well hence the newly acquired SVT-210 & SVT-810 cabs.
Based on what I've read about speaker cabs on TB, your assumption is not correct.
It's more like the cab and amp were built to SELL together, not designed to get the max tone/volume/low end out of the package.
Bases on Ampeg's website, the cab is 8ohm and the amp is 500w at 4 ohms. Seems to me that you would need two cabs to get the most out of the rig. With 2 cabs, 250w would be going to each cab so you would have more headroom overall, move more air with two 1x15's.
When you turn the amp up I'd also advise to turn off the bass boost and turn the bass tone control down a couple of notches. Then work with the mids and compression levels to balance out the system.
Good luck.
Interesting input you guys have here so far, it's great to hear from you. A few things:
My post was not to "bash" the PF-115HE, all of this information is based on my personal taste and what I desire in tone. If you have a PF-115HE, and you like it, then more power to you, and keep on rockin'.
As far as breaking the speaker in, I am aware that drivers will get perceivably "lower" over time. I don't think break-in would have compensated for the amount of lowend that I felt the cab was missing. Perhaps I'm wrong.
As far as the A/B test, I set the PF-115HE with the PF-500 head on it next to my Acoustic B200 combo. I plugged in my bass to one rig, jammed for about fifteen minutes, then swapped to the other. I did this about ten times back and forth. Also, I am aware that this kind of loose testing is rather shoddy and haphazard, but it did provide me with at least two truths that I feel are inarguable - The Acoustic rig could get louder and lower.
I do not believe that I got a flawed PF-115HE. I believe it was working as intended. I believe it was just not my preference of tone.
Also, there are factors contributing to the reasons that the Acoustic outperformed:
1) It is ported and the PF-115HE is not
2) It is larger in size and has more internal baffling than the PF-115HE
A larger ported cab, will almost always go lower than a sealed competitor of smaller size.
My post was not to "bash" the PF-115HE, all of this information is based on my personal taste and what I desire in tone. If you have a PF-115HE, and you like it, then more power to you, and keep on rockin'.
As far as breaking the speaker in, I am aware that drivers will get perceivably "lower" over time. I don't think break-in would have compensated for the amount of lowend that I felt the cab was missing. Perhaps I'm wrong.
As far as the A/B test, I set the PF-115HE with the PF-500 head on it next to my Acoustic B200 combo. I plugged in my bass to one rig, jammed for about fifteen minutes, then swapped to the other. I did this about ten times back and forth. Also, I am aware that this kind of loose testing is rather shoddy and haphazard, but it did provide me with at least two truths that I feel are inarguable - The Acoustic rig could get louder and lower.
I do not believe that I got a flawed PF-115HE. I believe it was working as intended. I believe it was just not my preference of tone.
Also, there are factors contributing to the reasons that the Acoustic outperformed:
1) It is ported and the PF-115HE is not
2) It is larger in size and has more internal baffling than the PF-115HE
A larger ported cab, will almost always go lower than a sealed competitor of smaller size.
Well, I make sure I have enough rig with me that I never even come close to maximum volume - so, being concerned with it never enters the picture for me...
Likewise, I'm glad I don't have to worry about playing too loud as much as you do, Jimmy...
- georgestrings
Another thing to know about the PF115, is that when the horn selector is set at the "OFF" position, the internal crossover is not bypassed so that the 15" receives a full range signal. The 15" is still being crossed over - and the horn is simply "turned off".
Schpector said:Interesting input you guys have here so far, it's great to hear from you. A few things:
My post was not to "bash" the PF-115HE, all of this information is based on my personal taste and what I desire in tone. If you have a PF-115HE, and you like it, then more power to you, and keep on rockin'.
As far as breaking the speaker in, I am aware that drivers will get perceivably "lower" over time. I don't think break-in would have compensated for the amount of lowend that I felt the cab was missing. Perhaps I'm wrong.
As far as the A/B test, I set the PF-115HE with the PF-500 head on it next to my Acoustic B200 combo. I plugged in my bass to one rig, jammed for about fifteen minutes, then swapped to the other. I did this about ten times back and forth. Also, I am aware that this kind of loose testing is rather shoddy and haphazard, but it did provide me with at least two truths that I feel are inarguable - The Acoustic rig could get louder and lower.
I do not believe that I got a flawed PF-115HE. I believe it was working as intended. I believe it was just not my preference of tone.
Also, there are factors contributing to the reasons that the Acoustic outperformed:
1) It is ported and the PF-115HE is not
2) It is larger in size and has more internal baffling than the PF-115HE
A larger ported cab, will almost always go lower than a sealed competitor of smaller size.
Cool. Right you are sir
Yeah, it's a P I T A, trying to squeeze as much out of a rig as you can.
I wish all musicians could play at a volume thats even with drums. Just played last nite in a smallish bar maybe fits 65 people. My BL/drummer sets his kit up and proceeds to mic the entire set! Wanted to put me in the powered sub!
OMG dude like, an acoustic drumset on it's own isn't loud enough for this lil place?!
At this point I drop my lows down and boost high mids, so at least I'm clearer sounding.
I looked at the PF series, but I think I can tell I need something a lil louder. Great looking package tho. And if you play with other musicians with at least half a brain, the Portaflex's are prob all you'll ever need.
Normally I would not be concerned with "maximum volume" from a cab.
The only reason I made mention of this is because the PF-115HE distorted much earlier than I would have anticipated.
I would look at this issue from the opposite side of the fence:
I'm glad I don't have to concern myself with such things as being a prisoner of the limitations of my own equipment.
The only reason I made mention of this is because the PF-115HE distorted much earlier than I would have anticipated.
I would look at this issue from the opposite side of the fence:
I'm glad I don't have to concern myself with such things as being a prisoner of the limitations of my own equipment.
That's why I have two PF115's
And this rig has plenty of volume limitations, but it didn't seem that way on the gig 
Invalid Link Removed
Anyway, I hear you. Not the cab for you. But I have this feeling it's going to be tough for you to find no limitations with a 115 of any kind unless you go high-tech 2 or 3 way.
Old thread, I know but... I just gigged my pf115 for the first time and it was amazingly tight and punchy. The gig is a bluey, jammy Dead type gig and we are always working on our tone. I usually use a Aguilar Sl410 for this acoustic/electric thing and I picked this cab up to match my pf350 and also to conserve on stage area. My guitarist and I were pleasantly surprised by the tone. I mic it through a PA as well. Very articulate and a balanced overall tone. And it loves my P and jazz basses. This will be my main small club set from here on.
To help tighten up the cab further, I suggest taking a look at how much insulation is in the cab and add some, if necessary. Open cell foam Up to about 1/5 - 2 inches thick.
Also, check out TBr fdeck's adjustable HPF/pre to tighten up the low end and protect your speakers at the same time.
Hi guys, question for you all PF 115HE owners.
I have bought a new Ampeg PF 115HE few days ago, but holes in flip-top lid are only on the inner side, not through, so I am not able to attach the PF 500 head.
Did you get your cab with holes through the lid or you had to drill them, what about waranty?
Thank you very much for reply!
I have bought a new Ampeg PF 115HE few days ago, but holes in flip-top lid are only on the inner side, not through, so I am not able to attach the PF 500 head.
Did you get your cab with holes through the lid or you had to drill them, what about waranty?
Thank you very much for reply!
Ok, problem with attaching PF500 head is solved. Instructions on youtoube here
In my country there is no negative effect on waranty.
The Acoustic B200 115 is ridiculously underrated in power/volume. Mine keeps up with a fairly loud drummer at our church with gain at noon and volume on 4. So I think part of the problem is that your original point of reference was skewed by that. I'd look at finding a 4 ohm cab if you want to use just one.
I have the PF500 stack with a PF210HE and PF115HE cabs. It has the best classic tone of ANY rig I've ever played since the '70s. I've used everything from a full-on SVT stack and V4B w/SVT410HLF to Ashdown, Carvin, Epifani, TC Electronic, etc. While I would always choose an SVT for a big gig, the Portaflex stack works in any medium-to-small venue (no need to use only one cab unless you're playing quietly in a small room). Part of the great overall tone is the matching of the amp and cabs.
Back to the distortion question... The most likely cause of distortion in the PF500 / PF115HE (8 Ohm) stack is that the amp is being pushed too hard at 300W (@ 8 Ohms). The PF115HE is 400W at 8 Ohms. The stack works best with 2 cabinets. If you want the beefiest PF stack, that's the PF800 stack.
I know this is an old thread and sorry to contradict you, but hopefully this will be helpful to others using or considering the Portaflex series. This can seriously sound like an SVT (at lower volumes, of course) or much like the original B-15s. These gig around great with Tuki covers. If you're touring and need the smaller rig, there are ATA cases available.
Back to the distortion question... The most likely cause of distortion in the PF500 / PF115HE (8 Ohm) stack is that the amp is being pushed too hard at 300W (@ 8 Ohms). The PF115HE is 400W at 8 Ohms. The stack works best with 2 cabinets. If you want the beefiest PF stack, that's the PF800 stack.
I know this is an old thread and sorry to contradict you, but hopefully this will be helpful to others using or considering the Portaflex series. This can seriously sound like an SVT (at lower volumes, of course) or much like the original B-15s. These gig around great with Tuki covers. If you're touring and need the smaller rig, there are ATA cases available.
I recently purchased the PF-500 head and absolutely love it. The tone is outstanding. It is, in my opinion, easily the best 500 watt class D head on the market for the price.
I've been running it through a Peavey TVX-412 as my main gig rig. I wanted something more portable. Recently, I decided to purchase the matching PF-115HE (1x15) cabinet to go with it, since they are designed for one another. The package showed up today and I unboxed it, hooked it up, and started jamming.
Unfortunately, the experience was unsatisfactory. The head is great, but it seems like Ampeg kind of cut corners on the cab. The tone is lacking, as is the low-end. Also, the driver seemed to have very limited excursion and began to distort earlier than I had anticipated.
Now I know you can't expect a $300 1x15 cabinet to compare to the volume, power handling, or low end of a 412, so that was not even a basis for comparison.
For a more realistic comparison, I A/B'ed it against my Acoustic B200 1x15 200 watt combo and came to the following conclusions:
Where the Ampeg wins: High frequencies. The tweeter in the PF-115HE is far better than in the B200. I had the Ampeg's tweeter set at the middle position. The highs were clear and pronounced. The tweeter produced no "sizzle" or "hum". Impressive, but for me, a tweeter is the least important feature of a bass cabinet.
Where the Acoustic was superior: Overall volume, mid-range presence, and low-end capabilities before driver distortion. I don't have a decibel meter or anything like that, but based on my most honest estimations, I would conclude that the combo could get about about 25% louder than the Ampeg. The tone was also better, and had a punchier, "growlier" personality (which is ironic because, when ran through the Peavey cab, the Ampeg tone is far superior to the Acoustic tone - I actually felt like the PF-115HE detracted from the outstanding tone of the PF-500!)
I tried to be as neutral with this A/B testing as possible. Both amps were set flat, the gain at noon, and I used the same bass for each amp and tried to the best of my ability to play with an equal amount of attack. The bass is a Schecter Raiden 4, passive, and all volume and tone controls were full on.
I know "volume" capabilities shouldn't be the deciding factor on a rig. For me, and I assume most of us, the most important feature of bass guitar equipment is tone. Unfortunately, (and I don't know if it's just cheaply made, not tuned to my taste, or what) the PF-115HE does not do its head justice. Volume is important, however. I can keep up with a full band while jamming on the Acoustic B200. I do not feel that the PF-115HE could have done this. Also, I expected the mid-range to be more pronounced. The cabinet just sounds "thin" and frail, to my ears.
So, unfortunately, I am shipping back the PF-115HE. I will certainly be keeping the PF-500, as it is easily one of the best sounding heads I have ever owned. The cabinet, sadly, fell short.
To my ears, the PF-115HE cabinet is like most cabinets, it's personality can change depending on the head that's being used to drive it.
When I had a PF-500 head driving mine, I thought it was O.K at best.
(My PF-500 head sounded it's best through my front ported Avatar 210 cabinets.)
With my G.K. MB2-500 head driving the PF-115HE it sounded "very" good.
(My guess, the MB2-500's extended range e.q. helped fill out the sound.)
The "BEST" my 115HE cabinet has sounded is with my Hartke LH1000 head driving it.
(Loud, solid, clear, fast.)
