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Hartke Hydrive 115 VS Two Hydrive 112's

baste_artist

baste_artist

Jun 9, 2013
43
20
soundcloud.com
#1
Hey everyone, I have been browsing this forum heavily ever since I've been looking for a new bass amp, but this is my first post. :)

I have been running my SWR Workingman's Combo 12 for years now, and now that I'm actually in a couple working bands, I finally have realized that I NEED something to cut thru the mix.

My brother has an Eden WT-300 head that's been dead sitting in the garage for years, so I finally decided to get that repaired, then find a cab to match it. After trying as many cabs as the local music stores carry, I went with the Hartke Hydrive 115. The cab sounds great! It's got all the definition and clear top end tone I want and all the nice subby lows. The only thing is that it's rated at 500watts 8ohm, while the WT-300 is only pushing 300 watts at 4 ohms. When I turn it up real loud it creates a sort of farty sound, I have no idea if it's just the sound of the cab or if it has something to do with the power rating.. I was researching the Hydrive 112 today and noticed its rated at 300watts, and switchable from 4 to 8 ohms. Since that matches my amp's power rating, I was wondering if I would be better off running one or even TWO 112's, that way for smaller gigs I could just have one, and for big gigs I could run two. Do you guys think that it would be sufficient, tone wise and power wise? I've been running my SWR 12" combo for years and never was happy with the low end tone, always thought I would need a 15 to be truly deep. But maybe 2 112's would do the trick? The big factor for me is size too, because the trunk on my honda is only so big! Two 12's would definitely be easier to lug around.

Any input is great, thanks!!
 
#2
You should read through some of the FAQ threads stickied here. Start with threads related to ohms and what those really mean, and check out some related to wattage.

A 15" speaker doesn't always equate to more low end. Low end tends to come from the cabinet design, not speaker size. Farting is no good. It means you are pushing things too hard, trying to get too much from the amp and a single speaker. A lower wattage cab to "match" your head isn't going to help your situation, you need more clean headroom. The Eden is only giving you 150 to 200w at 8ohms, and cranking the gain or volume is likely to give some dirty sounds that the 15 is trying to reproduce, and it may not be happy about that. I fried the voice coil on a single 15 inch speaker rated for 600w with a 250w amp because I had the gain cranked too high.

It sounds to me like you either need a higher wattage head (so as not to have to push the amp into dirty territory) or should try the two 112s, as those will give you more volume (more speaker area=more volume) and potentially keep you from cranking the knobs.
 
#3
Another thing to consider is that if you really like the sound of your 115, get a second matching one. The Amp will be running at 4 ohm (I'm assuming that your Hartke cab is 8 ohm) so you'll have a little bit more clean headroom, but the real volume increase will come from adding that second 15.

The WT300 is a really nice amp, IMO! Great that you brought it "back to life"!
 
#4
If you already have the 115 and like I'd suggest getting another to increase your volume and overall headroom. Power ratings are mostly marketing non-sense; that 115 can't handle anywhere near 500 watts as you have already discovered and that WT-300 is capable of putting out more than 300 watts. The best way to avoid damage to listen for signs of distress and ignore the numbers.
 
#5
Unfortunately, that fharty sound is most likely the Hydrive 115. Bought one to compliment my Hydrive HX410 that I absolutely LOVE and was terribly disappointed with the HX115. VERY fharty! Brought it in to an authorized service center and had the driver replaced under warranty. Still very fharty... Sold it never having gigged it even one time. Very dissapointing. Still LOVIN the HX410 though !
 
#6
Before you sell anything, you may want to turn down the bass knob on the WT300 and lift the low and mid knobs before you get rid of the Hydrive 115. As Jumblemind said, you would be pushing 150 to 200 watts to an 8 ohm cab from that amp. If you love the sound after making that adjustment to the eq and want more volume, get another Hydrive 115 so the amp can be pushed closer to it's maximum.
 
#7
jason weatherby said:
Unfortunately, that fharty sound is most likely the Hydrive 115. Bought one to compliment my Hydrive HX410 that I absolutely LOVE and was terribly disappointed with the HX115. VERY fharty! Brought it in to an authorized service center and had the driver replaced under warranty. Still very fharty... Sold it never having gigged it even one time. Very dissapointing. Still LOVIN the HX410 though !
Click to expand...

1X15 + 4X10 is a bad combination as you have just found out.

The 1X15 can't keep up with a good 4X10, does NOT provide any more low end then a good 4X10, and will always be the weak link in a mixed cab situation.
 
#8
I have experimented with the EQ settings, and it really only farts if I really crank it, so it's most likely the head pushing too hard, like jumblemind said.

When it's not cranked I do love the way the 115 sounds, but getting another is just out of the question, way too big and pricey for my situation. I am still good on my return policy so I'm going to take it back and go for the 2 112's, I'll let you know how it turns out!

Thanks guys!
 
#10
Bass_Pounder said:
The 1X15 can't keep up with a good 4X10, does NOT provide any more low end then a good 4X10, and will always be the weak link in a mixed cab situation.
Click to expand...

These are frequently posted statements that are not always true, as in this specific case. According to Hartke, the HX410 is rated at 99dB sensitivity and response of 30-17KHz. The HX115 is rated at 98dB sensitivity and response of 20-17KHz. This means it is very close in sensitivity (1dB), so it can keep up, and it will go deeper according to their specifications.
 
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#11
NWB said:
FWIW, I use a pair of Hydrive 112s and they sound very nice and can get fairly loud. I think you'll be happy.
Click to expand...

Can you expand on using your pair of 112s? How does it compare to using a 410? Any noticable difference? What kind of amp head do you use? I was thinking about getting a Hartke LH500 for whatever cabs I decide to get.

I've been debating whether to buy a 410 or two 112s, mainly because of the logistics of lugging them around and having the flexibility to go smaller if the situation allows. Do ya'll think a LH500 is sufficient for a 410 or two 112s?
 
#12
keep the eden wt300; it'snot only a classic, but a world class amp. i don't think the lh500 is either.
take it easy on that wt300 eq
i personally don't like the hydrives, but i do like the xl cabs.
the xl cabs are a classic. i also like the pro series hartkes,
but these cabs weren't on the market long enough(?) to be considered a classic.
ditch the hydrive and get a 4ohm eden 210xlt, 210xst or
212xlt and be prepaided to be amazed:)
 
#13
AaronVonRock said:
Can you expand on using your pair of 112s? How does it compare to using a 410? Any noticable difference? What kind of amp head do you use? I was thinking about getting a Hartke LH500 for whatever cabs I decide to get.

I've been debating whether to buy a 410 or two 112s, mainly because of the logistics of lugging them around and having the flexibility to go smaller if the situation allows. Do ya'll think a LH500 is sufficient for a 410 or two 112s?
Click to expand...

I use the Hydrives with an Aguilar Tonehammer 500 and typically a four-string passive jazz bass. Sometimes a G&L M2500 fiver.

I've used a few 4x10s in the past and it's sort of hard to say whether the two 112s are comparable since I don't play very loud. In general terms, two 112's won't typically be quite as loud as a single 4x10. Portability is much better with the 2x112s though and they can put out some serious volume.

I used to have an LH500, but found that I couldn't quite EQ it enough to cut through in a loud rock band. It sounds great on its own though.
 
#15
I too bought a Hydrive 115 cab after being very happy with the Hydrive410 I bought a few weeks before. Pushing them with an Ampeg SVT-7. Was very disappointed with the 115 - it farts out with the SVT at 5-6 and the gain is only blipping if I dig in harder than actual playing. Disappointing as all heck. It was a manufacturers refurbished so no return on that now. So either I foist it onto some other poor, unsuspecting soul (really hate doing that, bad karma+) or I might swap out the driver as I have a brand new, in-the box Eminence LH driver rated for 600 watts. Was trying to avoid lugging my MesaBoogie 410+115 Powerhouse cab but next gig is outdoor show, gonna need all the firepower I can muster.

*I live in the sticks and nobody has a good selection of bass equipment around here so I bought online based on street cred.:rollno:
 

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