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enclosures

#2
The size of a speaker is not the only determining factor in it's sound. Traditional generalizations about the sound of 10's vs. 12's vs. 15's are based on older speakers that have a lot of inherent "character" or humps and valleys in their frequency response. Some 10's sound fatter than some 15's, some speakers sound more like the signal that's put into them. There are tendencies but you'll have to try out different speakers for yourself to decide what you like.
 
#3
I avoided 12"s most of my bass playing life. The only amp I had before this with a 12" was a Polytone Minibrute, which is a bad example for speaker sound because of its tiny, tiny cabinet design. Always loved the sound of 10"s and was real happy for almost 20 years with a Goliath jr with 2 10"s. When I finally blew up one of the original speakers, I decided on going a different route, as I would (eventually) still have my 2x10. I went with an Avatar SB112. One 12" speaker, about the same size cabinet, certainly lighter, and most importantly: it sounds huge. It does the pillowy bottom thing, it dous the burpy low mid thing, its got a clean high end for that sizzling tone ( if thats your thing) and it does this all for pretty cheap. Most would think the logical next step for mor sound would be a 2X12" but pairing any 2 1X12" cabinets is an unbelievable sonic treat, shakes your body like a 8x10" fridge. Lots of people here rock 2 Aggie 1x12" cabs and its almost too much. Almost. So, yeah, these days 12" speakers and well designed cabinets have come a long way, no need to fear them.
 
#4
you have to remember comparing speakers is also about how many... If you've got 8x10 then you can't fairly compare it to a 1x12 and then judge it as though all 10s are better/worse than all 12s.

Some people often say that more low-end comes from 10s and 15s.
This will be true in a 4x10 (more than likely) because if the drivers "coupling" and effectively acting as one driver, meaning that the surface area of the 10s is more than a single 15.

HOWEVER

as has already been said, and will be said a thousand times more, it is no longer dependent on simple driver size!
 
#6
shoot-r said:
IMHO, without getting into all the whys and wherefores, 12's give the lows near a 15 with the speed near a 10.
Best of both worlds.
Click to expand...

That's a popular assessment. It's not true, as driver size has little influence on either low frequency output or transient response, but it's popular.
 
#7
If you are asking if 12's do a good job for bass, then yes. But keep in mind that the drivers themselves, and the cabinet design also come into play.

With that said, I only use 10's and 12's. And, my Aguilar GS212 is one of my favorite cabinets. Quick response and beefy low end make it a winner.
 
#8
billfitzmaurice said:
That's a popular assessment. It's not true, as driver size has little influence on either low frequency output or transient response, but it's popular.
Click to expand...

This is precisely why I said, "Without getting into all the whys and wherefores!"
Markk661, Find a 2x12 loaded cabinet, try it and see for yourself. Use your ears to decide, not the scientific terms.
"IMHO", "To my ears", "From my experience", "From cabinets that are commerically available", 12's are the best of both worlds.
 
#10
Trust your ears ..... when selecting speaker cabinets ...try doing a wireless set-up, so you can get some distance between you and the cabinet ...and then you can see how the sound develops after some distance and how the sound will interact with the rest of the room environment .... also the size of the room will have a huge impact on how a cabinet will sound , and what's in it ... with that said ..... sound is really subjective ...and everyone has thier view of what is a "good sounding cabinet/speaker combination " and they are all most likely valid views ...IMHO
 

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