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Hydrive Fullstack vs. Mesa Single 4x10

Chrishi87

Chrishi87

Aug 17, 2010
599
704
Bremen
#1
Hey guys,

I need your help.

I just changed my Hartke LH500 with a Ampeg SVT 6 Pro and I think the cab (Hartke Hydrive 4x10 + 1x15) has to go too.
I can get a Mesa Boogie Powerhouse 4x10 for it. But somehow I can´t decide.
I love the Powerhouse, it´s the best Cab I´ve ever played with. But the Hartke is a Fullstack ^^

Should I stay with the Hartke Fullstack or go with the allmighty Mesa 4x10.

Cheers
 
#3
The mesa 4x10 has very good lows, imo better than the 1x15 with alu driver.

Get rid of the hartke, buy the mesa 4x10 and in the futur if you like hauling huge amount of gear, get the 1x15 or 2x12 to prodive your tone smoother lows.
 
#5
I switched from a full stack to just a PH 4x10 and it always got the job done doing B-tuned prog metal (thunderous drums etc, 120w high gain giutarist), even in small/medium venues with no bass PA support. I can't speak for the Hydrive. I'd prefer 2 4x10 over a 4x10/1x15 combo.
 
#11
KsPiNeSh said:
Honestly, IME a 410/115 pairing is not good - you may actually be happier with just the Hartke 410 without the 115.
Click to expand...

+1

I own a HyDrive 4x10, and for poops and giggles when I went to buy it, I tried it with the HyDrive 1x15. I thought that the 1x15 detracted from the overall punch and detail of the 4x10. It wasn't an additive effect at all when pairing the 1x15 and 4x10. I don't remember the Hartke specs, but perhaps there's a lot of frequency overlap between the two cabs.

Of course, that was in a small music store with low volume, which is not the same as playing a rig in the real world. Either way, I thought the pairing sounded bleh. It's funny that people are realizing that the 4x10 + 1x15 arrangement is not great sounding, but a 4x10 and 1x15, many times not even bi-amped, used to be considered the quinessential bass stack.
 
#12
The thing is, if you don't know any better, and plug an 8 ohm 1x15 in with an 8 ohm 4x10, it will indeed sound louder, and louder usually translates to better. BUT, as has been said too many times already, it's a poor match. Swap the 15 for another identical 410, and presto- not only louder, but seriously better all around. Each cab does what it does, but it's like adding 1+1 and getting 3. Same mathmatical analogy for the 410/15 would be 1+1 = 1.5
 
#14
I'm going to stick up for Hartke here. Mesa makes great stuff, but I really like the Hydrives and the AK's I like even more. I do, however, agree that a 115 does nothing for a 410 that a second 410 won't do much better. Love good 115 cabs and use them often...just not with 410's. The problem is the aforementioned frequency overlap causes phasing, where some notes can sound overly strong, some just go away, and the rest are various shades of either. Doesn't always happen to a large degree, but it happens a lot and the results are unpredictable. The idea that one complements the other in regard to low end is engineering by looks.
 

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