fEARful part 13: the bad luck's done, son

[Bardley]

Nice rig. I imagine that's a significant power upgrade from the Shuttle 6. But... it's not orange.

Funny you mention that. When I bought the rack in the back of my mind I was wondering if Duratex would stick to an SKB case.

 

[jeff5311]

Is anyone else out there powering their 15/6/1 with a MarkBass f500 or f1?

Im having to keep my preamp gain at or below 9 oclock to keep it from distorting. Just wondering if i've somehow wired something wrong. Or if im jist underpowered running at 8 ohms.

 

[kesslari]

OK, I'm starting to put together a woodshop in my garage, and I think I need to build a 15/6...

I'm currently playing through and very happy with a Genz Benz Streamliner 900 through a Genz Benz Uber 410. Has anybody tried the Streamliner through a Fearful? I'm wondering if the somewhat mid-scooped nature of the Streamliner will be too much through such a flat-response cabinet.

Thanks!

I play a SL900 through a fEarful 15/6/1
To put it bluntly, it absolutely kills.
I wind up cutting the lows slightly and boosting 600K a bit in most rooms. And it sounds awesome.

 

[::::BASSIST::::]

Is anyone else out there powering their 15/6/1 with a MarkBass f500 or f1?

Im having to keep my preamp gain at or below 9 oclock to keep it from distorting. Just wondering if i've somehow wired something wrong. Or if im jist underpowered running at 8 ohms.

Its your amp. Markbass 500w amps distort when pushed at 8 ohms. I loved my LMII but I sold it due to this reason.

 

[BurningSkies]

Its your amp. Markbass 500w amps distort when pushed at 8 ohms. I loved my LMII but I sold it due to this reason.

Correction, it distorts in the mids, at 8 or 4 ohms.

 

[::::BASSIST::::]

Never heard mine distort at 4 ohms, but never got it that loud with that ohmage.

 

[1n3]

Funny you mention that. When I bought the rack in the back of my mind I was wondering if Duratex would stick to an SKB case.

That looks like a rotocast housing, so it's either polyethylene or polypropylene. No coating would stick for long. You might be able to decorate with some self-adhesive orange vinyl.

 

[sickest beast]

so how does the 15/6 work? i'm too lazy to read 13 threads. Is it a 15 inch woofer and a 6 inch mid driver in the same box with a home made crossover that splits the signal to both speakers? and obviously the box is designed to work with the 15/6 inch drivers you choose?

 

[BurningSkies]

so how does the 15/6 work? i'm too lazy to read 13 threads. Is it a 15 inch woofer and a 6 inch mid driver in the same box with a home made crossover that splits the signal to both speakers? and obviously the box is designed to work with the 15/6 inch drivers you choose?

No. The 6" speaker is in its own sealed chamber while the 15 is in the large ported box. The crossover design is very specific in its component values and specs, and depending upon the box, can be a low pass, a 2 way or a 3 way.

You can use whatever drivers you want as long as they're an Eminence 3015LF and the spec'ed 18 sound 6" mid.

 

[Bredian]

I guess I'm not making any sense out of what you did last night having anything to do with either the Crown or the Shuttle, or fEARfuls. But I will say that a lot of micros come up short compared to most pro power amps when it comes to actual voltage delivery to loudspeakers.

It didn't except by wattage, so I'm concerned, I'm planning, and as I go, I need to look at both power heads and speaker cabs. Appreciate your comments on the micro heads. But still thinking somewhat light, like looking into the GK800 micro head. Likely a speaker cab build or 2 first.

 

[kesslari]

You can use whatever drivers you want as long as they're an Eminence 3015LF and the spec'ed 18 sound 6" mid.

Quoted FTW

 

[sickest beast]

What does that mean? Are those those best speakers ever? lol

I'm getting interested in this design.

 

[sickest beast]

I'm going to read the fEARful FAQ and then more than likely be back with more questions.

EDIT actually the FAQ is pretty good.

 

[sickest beast]

has anyone ever turned an existing speaker cabinet into a 2-way fEARful? like an old Ampeg, Sunn, etc.

 

[::::BASSIST::::]

Not possible bro. This is a VERY specific design. If you want what the fEARful offers you have to build it, or have it built, exactly to the specs, components etc. Otherwise its a roll of the dice what you end up with.

 

[sickest beast]

Ah I see.

If I had the tools, I would be all over building myself a cabinet.

 

[rshack]

Ah I see.

If I had the tools, I would be all over building myself a cabinet.

Am still on the verge, but as best I can tell from what others say, it requires discipline and a bit of courage moreso than it requires* much in the way of tools.

Checklist:
- Saw?
- Drill?
- Basic handtools (screwdriver, etc.)
- Attention to detail?
- Damn the torpedo's attitude?

* Not saying additional tools would not be convenient. They would. But for a one-time project...

 

[Oobly]

+1 to what rshack said. Especially the last item.

I used mostly hand tools to build mine (didn't even use clamps). The only concessions were an electric drill and later a jigsaw. I bought the jigsaw for doing the driver cutouts in the baffle. It's been handy for a few other home projects since then, too.

A 12/6 can be a good deal cheaper to build than a 15/6, depending on the mid driver and tweeter choices, etc. singlemalt's build was well-managed financially, I hope he doesn't mind me quoting him:

My alpha 6 was $30, the 3012lf is out there at various prices. The Eminence add1001 horn driver with a Dayton wave guide is a whopping $37.

My 12/6 came in under $300 with nice scoop handles, corners, grills, crossover, plywood.

 

[DONZI97]

Ah I see.

If I had the tools, I would be all over building myself a cabinet.

If you know any finish carpenters/cabinet builders, throw them a couple of beers or bucks/loonies, and they can bust one out in less than 4 hours, of course keep your head over their shoulders and make sure they follow the plans. Thats what I did.

 

[BurningSkies]

Me too. That was back before the day and age that there were a variety of qualified and authorized builders, conveniently listed with contact information, or even a guy who made cut-kits that all you needed was some clamps, glue and basic household tools. Nowadays, half the adventure is gone!

But seriously. You can’t cheat your way to a fEARful. You can’t use other speakers, you can’t use another box. The beauty of a fEARful is that EVERY single detail has been scrutinized, has been analyzed, and has been engineered for the best possible outcome. Unlike 99.9% of commercially available cabs, this one is a unified design. And it sounds unlike any commercial bass cab. Since I made mine back a few years ago, I’ve firmly believed that this is the ‘next wave’ of bass cab design and a major step forward. For most players who get them, this is their “LAST CAB”. Or for one guy I let use my setup confided to me about a month later: “I’m losing sleep over the sound of your bass rig…It was so perfect, it’s the sound I hear in my head now and I can’t stop thinking about it”. He’s said a number of things like that, but then so have other guys.