hartke or swr

go for the hartke.. it has aluminium cone

my friend, who builds very expensive high-end speaker-systems, once told me that a hard, solid cone can produce better lows, because the thin material goes flabbery... thin cone will give you good mids but the low ( 30hz for example ) frequencies fart out.

dunno if it's true, but since my car's subwoofer has a bulletproof thick plastic cone, i give him the benefit of the doubt..

 

I've never really liked the sound of Hartke's in general. They just seem kind of cold to me.

 

i've owned both. the kick backs don't have a lot of power or headroom. and those aluminum drivers do get blown. i never cranked my kb 12 or 15 and both those speakers went within 6 months. i tkink they sound cold as well. the wm 15 however, is one of my favorite amps. it sounds phat and warm as solid states go and has a great low end with a rather quick response, compared to other 15" combos i've played. i'd go with that one because i've heard only negative things from others who have owned kb's too.

 

i personally like the hartke sound. if they both sound great, i would just buy whichever costs less.

 

i used to have a WM15.

GREAT amp. i loved the sound of it. wish i could have kept it. i needed something louder.. which is the main reason i got rid of it. put some more handles on there.. get a little cart/dolly board.. wonderful.

i havent much experience with hartke kickbacks.. but the cabinets/heads ive played through do indeed sound very nice. many people have said they blow very easily.

of those two.. i say go with SWR.

 

Go with the SWR. The KB's are underpowered. Trust me. I'd take a WM-12 before a Hartke Kickback.

 

I own a Kickback 12. I play in a 5 piece band and have no problem with volume. However, keep in mind either of these amps are in the 120 Watt range and are going to need a little help from the PA. I haven't had any reliablity problems with my Hartke, and I push it pretty hard.

If I remember right, the SWR has an output for an extension cab, which the Hartke doesn't have. That might be a plus.