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Downsizing cabs to 2x10"

J

johnvice

Sep 7, 2004
848
9
#1
I am getting tired of lugging around my 4x10 marshall bass cab and a generic 1x5 cab as they are the size of dog houses for St. Bernards!

I did a gig recently where the bass amp was supplied. It was an Ampeg B4-h amp. (a 300w head albiet not very loud) and an Eden 2x10 with a horn. I was really impressed with the sound this little cab was putting out.

Does anyone having any experience using smaller cabs liek these ones ?
 
#2
I've used 412's, 410's and 210's for a long time.

I prefer the sound of 10's and for me a 210 cab is the ideal weight, size and punch. For larger gigs I use an additional 210 extension cab. 2 seperate 210 cabs are a lot easier to haul around than a single 410.

I've owned an Eden Metro, (210 cab). I thought it sounded great, though it didn't really handle the low end (low B) at high volumes very well (which most 210 cabs will not do, though some handle it better than others).

My current setup is two 210 cabs and it sounds very tight and can get quite loud. I built the cabs myself (one of which is a combo...see SMS Harvey combo thread), and I tuned them myself. It was a Peavey 410 cab at one time. I took the speakers out and designed new cabs for them.

Much nicer to bring to gigs now. Small gigs, only the combo comes along. Larger gigs I add the extra 210.

If you want to build your own cabs for your speakers, you need to get the T/S specs for those speakers and design around those specs. You could just halve the volume of your existing cab for each pair, but with the T/S specs, you might end up with a better sound by designing your own. But unless you are handy with woodworking and have a good understanding of cab design (do a search here for cab building), you might also end up with cabs that sound terrible.
 
#3
johnvice said:
I am getting tired of lugging around my 4x10 marshall bass cab and a generic 1x5 cab as they are the size of dog houses for St. Bernards!

I did a gig recently where the bass amp was supplied. It was an Ampeg B4-h amp. (a 300w head albiet not very loud) and an Eden 2x10 with a horn. I was really impressed with the sound this little cab was putting out.

Does anyone having any experience using smaller cabs liek these ones ?
Click to expand...
I like the punch of most 10" drivered cabs. The downside of only having one 2x10 cab is two 10" drivers can only move so much air (not enough for moderate sized venues). Two 2x10 would be a good solution & you would probably want each cab to be 8ohm (unless you have and intend on keeping an amp that can safely drive a 2ohm load).

Another option is one of the smaller Schroeder cabs like the 1210 which can get very loud, has an enormous sound, great cut-through tone, very good low end, punch, midrange, and treble in a 23"x16"x16", 47 lb package.

P.S. Currently all Schroeder cabs are 4ohm.
 
#4
it looks like its tiem for you to look at a bunch of cabinets. don't write off 15" speakers (think bag end 1x15 :D ). But honestly, there are TONS of great smaller cabinets on the market right now. as sun mentioned, you're probably going to need two small cabinets to handle a variety of gigs. For the lightweight ones be prepared to spend some cash, but in the long run you'll saev on chiropractor bills. Besides bag end, bergantino, epifani, EA and a bunch more make superb compact cabinets, and a lot of dudes are digging the whappo junior by accugroove and the shroeder 1210.
 
#5
Yeah,what Ivanmike said. In my collection of too much gear I have two smaller (portable) setups. The two Bag End 15's are portable and will cut through the mix in a loud band setting. they are 8 ohm cabs. My 2x210 set up is two SWR Goliath II Jr.s They are 4 ohm cabs and I run them with a pre/power amp set up that will run 400 watts per cab.
Link Removed
For some reason used SWR stuff is selling cheap these days so you can get great deals on them. Right now there are two ads at bassgear.com selling these cabs in the $250 range. new they would be $600 each
 
#6
If the bar/club has a PA which is 90% of the time, I use my SWR SM900 (700watts into 8ohms) into my Yorkville 2x10 (300watt 8ohm) cab. All I'm using it for is to hear myself onstage so it's more than enough (I put a little 2x2 block of wood under the front end of the cab to tilt it back and aim it up to my ears). I can walk in to a gig with my bass on my back, the amp in a suitcase I made up and the 63 pound 2x10 in my other hand. Also, everything fits into the trunk of my 94 2 door Chev Cavalier (the older, smaller ones). Out of sight, out of mind. Great.

I also have a Yorkville 1x15 (300watts, 8ohm) when there is no PA. It works out great to move more air and put out a little more bottom end. Doesn't hurt that it's 63 pounds too, just a little taller but can still fit in the back seat of my car.
 
#7
ain't little stuff great???

FWIW, Lowe's sells a collapsible hand truck good for about 200 lbs or so. my drummer has one and i keepmeaning to get one for myself. folds up stupid small and is too cool for words.
 
#8
I would have to say Acme Low B2. They are an awsome little cab. Bass response to die for. Unfortunately they are power hungry. They recommend an amp with at least 500 watts for the Low B2.

I have two of them one for rehersal space and one for home. I use two at gigs.

Just my $.02
Wade
 
#9
I run 2 x Eden 210XST's. I shelled out the extra $$$ (expensive here in Aus :()for XST's because I wanted heaps of low end...and that's exactly what I got (they eat my low B easily).

I found adding the 2nd cab added not only a large boost in volume, but also 'bass' presence. Now I have a 'compact' rig that is plenty loud enough for any venue (I have my BSS DI box if I ever need to play in a stadium). :D
 
#10
Man, those 210 XSTs are 90 lbs., according to the web sight. Is that accurate? Those are some pretty beefey 210s. They retail for 950 so you figure they have a street price of 650-700ish. That is an expensive 210.


How does one do one its own? I see thaey make both 4 and 8 ohm models.

Edit: true to form, another place said the cab weighed 59lbs- a lot better than 90. Pretty good specs.

EC-1060XL Cast Frame
Tweeters E-2700 Cast Bell
Crossover 3.5KHz @ 18dB
Power Handling 450W RMS
Frequency Response 30Hz - 14KHz
Sensitivity 103dB SPL
Impedance 4-8Ω
Dimensions 23”w x 18”h x 18.5”d
Weight 59 LBS

If I need to upgrade, I am probably going to get an Eden WT550 and a schroeder 1210. If I need more, then another 1210 since the eden runs stable at 2 ohms. But I seriously doubt I would ever need more. The trend is to have modest stage volume and super good PA. Why screw up your hearing? Many baby boomers already have so much hearing damage that the world sounds like an AM radio. Screw that.
 
#12
JazzFusionB0rg said:
I found adding the 2nd cab added not only a large boost in volume, but also 'bass' presence.
Click to expand...
that's generally true with doubling up any kind of cabinets - a very effective method. two 2x10 cabs often sound bigger than a 4x10 from the same company. For an experiment, try stacking the 2x10 cabs on their sides to get closer to the ideal "vertical array" looks a little silly, but often it sounds better.
 
#13
IvanMike said:
For an experiment, try stacking the 2x10 cabs on their sides to get closer to the ideal "vertical array" looks a little silly, but often it sounds better.
Click to expand...
I've tried this mate, but didn't notice any obvious sonic differences in my tone (perhaps it only sounds different a distance away?).

angelopb said:
Frequency Response 30Hz - 14KHz
Click to expand...
That's the part I like the most about my XSTs. :D I only run them together, so I can't really comment on how one (isolated) sounds in comparison... The new models (like mine) are rated at 500 Watts, so they can handle a fair amount of power. Also they are defiantely not 90 pounds :p I'm a pretty scrawny guy (I weigh 65kgs), but I can carry them easy.
 
#15
If there is another speaker available new for the same price as the B-2 that can equal its sound & build quality, I haven't heard of it. Budget Gourmet speakers! I only have one, but have lately pondered adding another so I can have one closer to ear level. Definitely an advantage over 4x10's in my book.
 
#18
I'm using (2) Epifani 210 ultralights. They sound great. The low end doesn't suffer at all from construction techniques. I've heard but not experienced the story about neo magnets losing their strength from overheating. Time will tell I guess...

Weight is a key issue to me, and it should be to the industry as their customers age. A 410 Hartke put me in the hospital. The wife actually approved the purchase of my Epifanis after having to repeatedly send my 50 year old ass to the Chiro due to my (2) Bergie 210 cabs. I own no single piece of gear that weighs more than 40 lbs.

In addition to the one-hand lift capability, two cabs offer great flexibility. One or two cabs, tall and skinny stack vs: short and fat stack, 8 or 4 ohms. For bigger venues I use two cabs, a Navigator and a 1600W PLX. For smaller gigs, one cab and a WT300. I'm in portability heaven!

davej
 
#19
I have a Eden 210xlt which I'm getting ready to sell because it was just a little smaller than any of my 410s and wasn't on wheels and still heavy. I felt I lost more in sound than the little weight savings was worth. You'll probably want to by 2 210s. I've tried the 210s and a 15 but still end up using a least a 410.

My $.02
 

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