Do you prefer rear ported, front ported cabs or sealed bass cabs?

[LetItGrowTone]

Have you tried a horn loaded cab?

Maybe you're asking @Rodrigues. I've never tried one and I'm happy with what I have.

 

[Ric Vice]

My preference would be for a front ported cabinet that said my newest amp is dual rear ported so……….
Either can work very well. Sealed boxes ( I.e. the Gallien Krueger Micrbass Amps) aren’t all that common among
all the bass cabinets I’ve owned or played .

 

[tubedude]

Maybe you're asking @Rodrigues. I've never tried one and I'm happy with what I have.

You're right, my mistake.

 

[Akiyama]

I am thinking about making a cab with a passive radiator. Per AI, the designed cab should have excellent low frequency extension.

 

[Rodrigues]

Have you tried a horn loaded cab?

Yes, I owned Ampeg 410 and Fender 410 and tried a few others.
I was never happy with horn, because Ampeg and Fender made a lot of noise. Ampeg horns are blew off very fast.
Since a few years I love heights on bass, so I would love to have a horn which is good, but I didn't found a good cab with a good horn. Any suggestions?

 

[tubedude]

Yes, I owned Ampeg 410 and Fender 410 and tried a few others.
I was never happy with horn, because Ampeg and Fender made a lot of noise. Ampeg horns are blew off very fast.
Since a few years I love heights on bass, so I would love to have a horn which is good, but I didn't found a good cab with a good horn. Any suggestions?

I meant a bass horn design, not a high frequency horn. Here's a couple i built and some commercial versions.

 

[shoot-r]

I meant a bass horn design, not a high frequency horn. Here's a couple i built and some commercial versions.

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Hope you don't mind tube, I'll add a pic of my personal favorite...

 

[Rodrigues]

I meant a bass horn design, not a high frequency horn. Here's a couple i built and some commercial versions.

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Oh, no I never tried one. Are there any new Horn-Cabs out there?
Some years ago I had a Hiwatt Custom 100 and there was a 212 Horn Cab available. At time I wanted to buy one, but I didn't. I think Coldplay Bassist is using one of this Hiwatts.

 

[agedhorse]

I am thinking about making a cab with a passive radiator. Per AI, the designed cab should have excellent low frequency extension.

Don’t believe everything AI tells you… a well designed passive radiator cabinet CAN sound very good, but in general it won’t have any more low frequency extension than a well designed ported cabinet. It’s another way of doing the same thing as a ported cabinet.

Oh, no I never tried one. Are there any new Horn-Cabs out there?
Some years ago I had a Hiwatt Custom 100 and there was a 212 Horn Cab available. At time I wanted to buy one, but I didn't. I think Coldplay Bassist is using one of this Hiwatts.

There are no new commercially built horn loaded cabinets because the primary benefit is increased sensitivity and the tradeoffs ( size, weight, low frequency extension, cost) are unacceptable in today’s market.

 

[Akiyama]

Don’t believe everything AI tells you… a well designed passive radiator cabinet CAN sound very good, but in general it won’t have any more low frequency extension than a well designed ported cabinet. It’s another way of doing the same thing as a ported cabinet.

I getcha! AI has told me more than a few erroneous conclusions. I prompted the AI to give me options. I jumped on considering the passive radiator option as it “thinks outside the box”.

 

[YourGuitarist]

My latest DIY cab is side-ported.

I have a rationale: The port is parallel to the longest dimension of the box, allowing it to be as large as possible to minimize turbulence.

Smart

 

[YourGuitarist]

My latest DIY cab is side-ported.

I have a rationale: The port is parallel to the longest dimension of the box, allowing it to be as large as possible to minimize turbulence.

I must now design a front top right corner to back bottom left corner port...

 

[tubedude]

Don’t believe everything AI tells you… a well designed passive radiator cabinet CAN sound very good, but in general it won’t have any more low frequency extension than a well designed ported cabinet. It’s another way of doing the same thing as a ported cabinet.


There are no new commercially built horn loaded cabinets because the primary benefit is increased sensitivity and the tradeoffs ( size, weight, low frequency extension, cost) are unacceptable in today’s market.

The Jacklite 15, the black cab, weighs under 30 Lbs., and reproduces the low B on my 6 strings with ease.
And manyy bass bins you see in sound reinforcement are horn loaded designs.

 

[tubedude]

Hope you don't mind tube, I'll add a pic of my personal favorite...

View attachment 7232509

Yeah, I understand acoustic is making them again.
Here's my favorite, with accompanying amplifier. They regularly sent 535 watts to the three cabinets

 

[tubedude]

Smart

By large, I assume you mean the diameter. The port is actually tuned to a specific frequency though, right?

 

[YourGuitarist]

By large, I assume you mean the diameter. The port is actually tuned to a specific frequency though, right?

The port is tuned by its length and cross sectional area. The greater the area, the louder it can get before chuffing (port noise) and compression. But as area gets greater, the length must increase to remain at the same tuning.

Area is related to diameter in this case, larger diameter=larger area.

 

[agedhorse]

The Jacklite 15, the black cab, weighs under 30 Lbs., and reproduces the low B on my 6 strings with ease.
And manyy bass bins you see in sound reinforcement are horn loaded designs.

It reproduces the HARMONICS with ease but I can guarantee that it's not reproducing the fundamental with ease (or barely at all). The cutoff frequency of that cabinet is going to be 3dB down around 90Hz and 10dB down around 60Hz.

In fact, here's Bill's plot for the Jack 15 (red line), it's 3dB down at ~120Hz and 10dB down at 80Hz so I was being extremely generous in my back of the hand calculation above!

Almost no pro audio sub cabinets being built within the last 20 years by any major manufacturer are horn loaded designs. There are a few specialty designs, but you will find that they are VERY large and VERY heavy. The reason for this is due to the limitations of small to mid sized horns.

 

[David Morison]

It reproduces the HARMONICS with ease but I can guarantee that it's not reproducing the fundamental with ease (or barely at all). The cutoff frequency of that cabinet is going to be 3dB down around 90Hz and 10dB down around 60Hz.

In fact, here's Bill's plot for the Jack 15 (red line), it's 3dB down at ~120Hz and 10dB down at 80Hz so I was being extremely generous in my back of the hand calculation above!

Dontcha just love it when facts get in the way of a spurious argument....

 

[tubedude]

It reproduces the HARMONICS with ease but I can guarantee that it's not reproducing the fundamental with ease (or barely at all). The cutoff frequency of that cabinet is going to be 3dB down around 90Hz and 10dB down around 60Hz.

In fact, here's Bill's plot for the Jack 15 (red line), it's 3dB down at ~120Hz and 10dB down at 80Hz so I was being extremely generous in my back of the hand calculation above!

View attachment 7232946

Almost no pro audio sub cabinets being built within the last 20 years by any major manufacturer are horn loaded designs. There are a few specialty designs, but you will find that they are VERY large and VERY heavy. The reason for this is due to the limitations of small to mid sized horns.

I bow to your expertise in these matters. Your statements and graphs are no doubt accurate. We all have harmonics present, after all that's what delineates tone, the harmonic structure. All i can say is the low B on both my basses rings out loud and low. Very much lower than the octave above. It may be mainly harmonics generated by the amp and speaker, but i can't tell. It certainly gigs just fine with a 6er.
With my sine wave generator at 31 Hz, it still pumps out with no sense of loss. Perhaps room reinforcement and vibration (and there is a fair amount in my shop) are carrying the day. As in most anything involving the senses, test equipment can measure much greater differences than the ear can readily hear.
Few songs really use the low B. The 6th. string is more valuable in avoiding stretches that require much hand repositioning.

 

[agedhorse]

I bow to your expertise in these matters. Your statements and graphs are no doubt accurate. We all have harmonics present, after all that's what delineates tone, the harmonic structure. All i can say is the low B on both my basses rings out loud and low. Very much lower than the octave above. It may be mainly harmonics generated by the amp and speaker, but i can't tell. It certainly gigs just fine with a 6er.
With my sine wave generator at 31 Hz, it still pumps out with no sense of loss. Perhaps room reinforcement and vibration (and there is a fair amount in my shop) are carrying the day. As in most anything involving the senses, test equipment can measure much greater differences than the ear can readily hear.
Few songs really use the low B. The 6th. string is more valuable in avoiding stretches that require much hand repositioning.

Perception is a powerful mechanism.