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efficient cabs for low power tube amps

#21
Small, cheap, or efficient - pick 2. I always go with cheap and efficient, so I end up with giant boxes. The Eminence Beta 15s are supposedly close to what would've been stuffed in Ampeg 2x15 cabs back in the 70s, so I'd just go with something like that, assuming you like the sound Bassmec was talking about - which I do.

Chris
 
#26
Back in high school (4-5 years ago) the band hall had some of those massive Voice of the Theater horn/speaker boxes hanging from the ceiling and were super old, looked like the ones in that picture but 3x as big. I shouldve asked for em when they replaced it!
 
#27
Stealth Fighter said:
True to some extent, but hardly five times. More like 5 db. If you read my post I was pointing out that the 140 had higher power handling capacity, and greater excursion (whatever that term is). One-Hundred watts of bass energy may overstress the 130.

Per JohnK:
Their sensitivity (@ 1w/1meter), frequency response, and X/max specs are:
E130: 105db 50hz-6khz 2.54mm
E140: 100db 40hz-2.5khz 3.56mm
K140: 98db 40hz-2.5khz 5.09mm

http://www.talkbass.com/threads/vintage-15-jbl-comparisons-w-soundclips.809918/
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Bassmec said:
On a par sensitivity wise with the great old James B Lansing k130 is the Altec Lansing 418 series II driver.
View attachment 479158
It's the Alnico Magnet version of the 421a that Ampeg used in the folded V4b cab, I have a pair in original Ampeg SVT115A Altec option cabs. That's when Ampeg offered that cabinet with a lifetime guarantee on the speaker!:)
View attachment 479162
Don't get that today.:-(
It has a little more X-Max but not quite as much as the K140 be warned it's not a lightweight driver as to get that SPL It has an enormous stepped Alnico magnet with a very well focused field gap.
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What I was pointing out was that the OP asked for specifically modern speakers.

The old Altecs and JBLs are fantastic drivers, yes, but they're not modern.
 
#28
Grissle said:
Wow, I have a pair of these with 421's in them, well out of them now. The cabs alone have to be in the 200lb range.
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Yup! The magnets are very very heavy on the 421's, be careful as those ceramic magnets are far less focused and may induce small meteorites to leave their orbits.:-)
I thought in this thread, we for a refreshing change, hadn't factored in additional irrelevant parameters like SPL =1watt one Metre divided by Kgs x the average hourly rate of a chiropractor?. Bollocks it's about how much brilliant bass guitar row you can make in an attempt to drown an average drummer for level with only 40 odd tube watts.
Your 421a drivers are in well designed exponential mid bass horns, therefore are in the top .0001 of a percent of the loudest thing there is per watt, Apart from RCA field magnet drivers in folded horns, only the JBL E130 can get near it in a 4560 cab.
 
#29
Korladis said:
What I was pointing out was that the OP asked for specifically modern speakers.

The old Altecs and JBLs are fantastic drivers, yes, but they're not modern.
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Righto! Being 1/2 American I sort of understand the prerogative for new improved Pepsodent on a weekly basis and otherwise using Unilever to download what formerly passed as topsoil soil in the Galapagos to feed needy washing machines in the good old USA.
So Why don't you close gymnasiums and recycle magnets for the good of the planet after all a speaker that handles 5 times the power necessary for the job, may be a less efficient loudspeaker because it's swinging five times the weight of copper than is necessary for the purpose in hand.
PS I think I just found your last years model, class D Amp at a beach on the Gold Coast.
image.jpg
 
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#30
Right_Butterscotch64 said:
Back in high school (4-5 years ago) the band hall had some of those massive Voice of the Theater horn/speaker boxes hanging from the ceiling and were super old, looked like the ones in that picture but 3x as big. I shouldve asked for em when they replaced it!
Click to expand...
Not all colonial types have managed to find something smaller lighter and more fashionably Chinese to replace them with, perhaps they thought the chains holding them up where still strong enough after 40 years faultless service.:-)
image.jpg
 
#31
CL400Peavey said:
I would take a look at the Faith Pro 15PR400 loaded greenboy Dually. I use one with low powered tube amps, and it is awesome.
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Righto! 800 watts RMS of thermal handling = quite a lot of spare copper.
An engineering analogy might be fitting a formula one race car with a set of armoured wheels off a Oshkosh tank transporter, for the equivalent ratio of unsprung weight.:-)
No wonder Americans think Honda Aspensades are sports motorcycles.:-)
 
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#32
Seismic is as Jimmy said, not great but not horrible. The 2x15 came here originally to use as a replacement for FOUR of BOSE 2x5-1/2" "bass bins", push more air/sound better, cut my gear weight and setup time. For that, it works great and when it got rained on at a July 4th show I was not upset. Eric of basstremfanatics forum pointed them out as being able to get the snot beat out of them and keep ticking. Sensitivity is 99dB.

I'll post back after testing(2 weeks or so).
 
#33
Bassmec said:
Righto! 800 watts RMS of thermal handling = quite a lot of spare copper.
An engineering analogy might be fitting a formula one race car with a set of armoured wheels off a Oshkosh tank transporter, for the equivalent ratio of unsprung weight.:)
No wonder Americans think Honda Aspensades are sports motorcycles.:)
Click to expand...

Using a pair of drivers with 800w power handling with a 40-100w tube amp may seem a little excessive, but those particular drivers are somewhat unique in their ability to produce fairly deep bass in a surprisingly compact cab, with well above average sensitivity, and with remarkably extended highs that are well dispersed. And due to the thermal management required to handle 400w each, thermal compression is minimal up to about half of that. They are choice drivers for a 'full range' cab. It would be great if all this could be accomplished by a less expensive pair of 15's rated 100-150w. Anyone know of any?
 
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#34
Bassmec said:
Righto! Being 1/2 American I sort of understand the prerogative for new improved Pepsodent on a weekly basis and otherwise using Unilever to download what formerly passed as topsoil soil in the Galapagos to feed needy washing machines in the good old USA.
So Why don't you close gymnasiums and recycle magnets for the good of the planet after all a speaker that handles 5 times the power necessary for the job, may be a less efficient loudspeaker because it's swinging five times the weight of copper than is necessary for the purpose in hand.
PS I think I just found your last years model, class D Amp at a beach on the Gold Coast.
View attachment 479387
Click to expand...
That's uncalled for.

I was just pointing out that quite a few of the people responding seemed to have missed part of the OP, noting that old drivers can sometimes be fragile. I suspect the OP's concern with vintage drivers, much like mine, is that if they get blown, repairing replacing them might be difficult, especially if they're something not especially common but highly sought after.

I have a Sunn 2000S cab, but I don't use original JBLs for it, for what I think is a good reason. I play doom metal. The stress that puts on drivers is, well, it's not small. I would feel terrible about wrecking an old D-140, because it would be something gone forever. If my bass rig mainly saw use in the studio, I'd definitely get the original 140s, and probably an amp with vintage tubes, too. But that's not what I mainly use my rig for.

The OP was looking for specifically modern drivers, as in, currently manufactured. I just think it's kinda better to answer the question the OP asked than one he/she didn't.
 
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#35
Bassmec said:
Righto! 800 watts RMS of thermal handling = quite a lot of spare copper.
An engineering analogy might be fitting a formula one race car with a set of armoured wheels off a Oshkosh tank transporter, for the equivalent ratio of unsprung weight.:)
No wonder Americans think Honda Aspensades are sports motorcycles.:)
Click to expand...

Efficient, modern driver. At least it isnt a troll response suggesting drivers no longer in production.
 
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#36
Bassmec said:
Righto! Being 1/2 American I sort of understand the prerogative for new improved Pepsodent on a weekly basis and otherwise using Unilever to download what formerly passed as topsoil soil in the Galapagos to feed needy washing machines in the good old USA.
So Why don't you close gymnasiums and recycle magnets for the good of the planet after all a speaker that handles 5 times the power necessary for the job, may be a less efficient loudspeaker because it's swinging five times the weight of copper than is necessary for the purpose in hand.
PS I think I just found your last years model, class D Amp at a beach on the Gold Coast.
View attachment 479387
Click to expand...
And that my friend is the hidden nasty end of all this newer/smaller/better/planned-obsolescence/use-it-and-throw-it-away type stuff being peddled now.

They are the paper plates of amplification. :)
 
#37
CL400Peavey said:
Efficient, modern driver. At least it isnt a troll response suggesting drivers no longer in production.
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I wasn't trolling or talking about anything out of production, because when something historic is so sought after by the cognisant, for its utterly exceptional performance, you will always find that it's still in production. Perhaps not at very economical pricing. But you can still remag and recone old baskets, if you have in depth skills and most importantly a world class knowledge of your subject.
Link Removed
 
#38
Bassmec said:
I wasn't trolling or talking about anything out of production, because when something historic is so sought after by the cognisant, for its utterly exceptional performance, you will always find that it's still in production. Perhaps not at very economical pricing. But you can still remag and recone old baskets, if you have in depth skills and most importantly a world class knowledge of your subject.
Link Removed
Click to expand...

Show me new production of the drivers you quoted. Not refurb.
 
#40
Bassmec said:
I wasn't trolling or talking about anything out of production, because when something historic is so sought after by the cognisant, for its utterly exceptional performance, you will always find that it's still in production. Perhaps not at very economical pricing. But you can still remag and recone old baskets, if you have in depth skills and most importantly a world class knowledge of your subject.
Link Removed
Click to expand...

And more to the point, not only were you OT suggesting out of production drivers, you were replying and spouting off rhetoric meant to illicit a negative response. Which is the definition of trolling.
 
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