Don't skimp on the Lbs

[Arjank]

On your second point a WELL DESIGNED WELL BRACED cabinet shouldn’t move or ‘walk’ due to speaker movement. The cabinet itself should be ‘inert’. If your speaker isn’t wasting energy to vibrate the panels of your cabinet, or walk across stage, then it’s louder and more efficient.

Bracing will not prevent a cabinet from "walkin" (the contrary, a "weak" cabinet will absorb some of the cone movement energy in flexing it's panels, thus not making the cab "walk"). Only enough opposing force will prevent that. Even if a cabinet doesn't physically walk it can still loose energy. All the speakers I ever made which had loads of mass did have a more detailed lowend. And the ones I build with a woofer at the opposite side are even better (impuls compensation).

 

[IntrepidCellist]

All you guys screaming for the benefits of "big iron" and big heavy cabs obviously don't have to deal with the reality of city life and public transportation.

Also, my 35lb 1x12 sounds *fantastic.* At least as good as the tone I was getting with a 2x10, a 2x12, and a 300W all-tube head or 400W solid-state "big iron" head. The only difference is portability and maximum volume... I still sound like "me."

 

[Metal Matt]

High volume and thump - that's what the FOH does.

Link Removed

 

[Sundogue]

Bracing will not prevent a cabinet from "walkin" (the contrary, a "weak" cabinet will absorb some of the cone movement energy in flexing it's panels, thus not making the cab "walk"). Only enough opposing force will prevent that. Even if a cabinet doesn't physically walk it can still loose energy. All the speakers I ever made which had loads of mass did have a more detailed lowend. And the ones I build with a woofer at the opposite side are even better (impuls compensation).

A well braced 1/2" thick plywood panel will flex less and absorb less energy than a 3/4" thick plywood panel of the same size, even though the 3/4" will weigh more.

It is about stiffness of panels, not weight or thickness. This applies to construction theory in ANY application, not just sound reinforcement. Just so happens that it works perfectly for sound too.

A well designed bass cab will not walk, and will not even have it's panels flex or vibrate, to the point where a glass of water on it will not budge or splash it's contents. And it makes absolutely no difference how thick/thin or heavy/light it's panels are. It has EVERYTHING to do with it's rigidity.

 

[Arjank]

A well braced 1/2" thick plywood panel will flex less and absorb less energy than a 3/4" thick plywood panel of the same size, even though the 3/4" will weigh more.

It is about stiffness of panels, not weight or thickness. This applies to construction theory in ANY application, not just sound reinforcement. Just so happens that it works perfectly for sound too.

A well designed bass cab will not walk, and will not even have it's panels flex or vibrate, to the point where a glass of water on it will not budge or splash it's contents. And it makes absolutely no difference how thick/thin or heavy/light it's panels are. It has EVERYTHING to do with it's rigidity.

Did you thoroughly read what I wrote?
There's a big difference in flexing of panels and movement of the cabinet as a whole.

 

[billfitzmaurice]

A well designed bass cab will not walk

Usually no, but it could happen I guess. Walking can be an issue with high output home theater subwoofers, which operate as much as two octaves lower than bass cabs, and can literally push sixteen times as much air. In those cases dual opposing drivers or rear ported works best, pushing equal amounts of air out the front and back of the cab.

 

[dbhokie]

I'm all about heavy and sturdy. Especially when it comes to speakers themselves. A lot of cab flexing being talked about has to do with resonance, resident natural frequency, air flow design as well, there are so many variables in everything in the world. Ice cream, its simple, its good.

 

[OOZMAN]

I was at an outdoor gig once where high winds blew over the guitarist's two Fender Bassman stacks. They bounced off the stage real good.

At the time, I was playing through a low-lying pair of Mesa Diesel 1x15s, which stayed put. I'm certain that an SVT 8x10 would have met the same fate as the guitarist's rig.

Tripping over a cord bringing down a stack of cabs? I'm not feeling that.

Whoops! meant to write 'head' not cab.

 

[Gaius46]

Did you thoroughly read what I wrote?
There's a big difference in flexing of panels and movement of the cabinet as a whole.

I think I understand what you're talking about now. You're speaking about the cabinet moving in response to the amount of air the speakers are pushing - Newton's 3rd law in action. In your initial note you mentioned "speaker movement" which I thought meant you were speaking about the movement of the speaker itself causing the cabinet to vibrate.

My 4x10 cab weights about 60 pounds - lightweight in my book. I've pumped 300W through it on a hardwood bandstand
(i.e. low friction) and have never noticed it move.

 

[Arjank]

I think I understand what you're talking about now. You're speaking about the cabinet moving in response to the amount of air the speakers are pushing - Newton's 3rd law in action. In your initial note you mentioned "speaker movement" which I thought meant you were speaking about the movement of the speaker itself causing the cabinet to vibrate.

You got it, the speaker movement is able to not just flex the panels but also to move the cab as a whole and that last point was my argument for the OP having a point with "heavy" cabinets sounding better.
When you have a light cabinet with a 15" that can move some air (e.g. a composite Fearful 15/6, don't get me wrong, I like the idea of composite cabs) and you mount casters you will definitely hear a difference in the reproduction of the low end compared to a regular wooden Fearful build without casters.