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Just in case you forgot.....15's RULE

Do 15's RULE for bigger Gigs?

  • Total voters
    281
  • Poll closed .
#81
Back on topic: 15s rule.

I agree. I heard (and owned) some 15s that sound poor and hate them, but a top-end 15 in a well-designed enclosure is my weapon of choice. If anyone is claiming 15s cant be punchy, you need to hear a 2x15" Emi 3015s in a well-designed box.
 
#82
CL400Peavey said:
Well there are bout 1,000 posts on this topic already but here we go again.

Sure if you are running through the PA this isnt an issue, but if you are using the pa why do you need both cabs anyways?
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I would figure that some bassists, especially in the heavier genres of music, competing against two guitarists who generally want at LEAST one 4x12 and a 60-120W all tube amp head, the two cabs are sometimes just what the bassist wants, EVEN if they aren't turning up that much.

If it sounds good, then go for it. If it doesn't, THEN worry about it.
 
#83
Musicman20 said:
I would figure that some bassists, especially in the heavier genres of music, competing against two guitarists who generally want at LEAST one 4x12 and a 60-120W all tube amp head, the two cabs are sometimes just what the bassist wants, EVEN if they aren't turning up that much.

If it sounds good, then go for it. If it doesn't, THEN worry about it.
Click to expand...

I agree completely. But adding a 115 to your 410 isnt really netting you any volume. The power handling limitations of the 115 will keep the 410 from being pushed. The system as a whole isnt going to be dramatically louder than the 410 by itself. Double up on the 410 and now you are talking. Both cabs will get the same amount of power, and your power handling is increased to the point where you can utilize the gain from your head.

Im not advocating the use of a single 410, or the use of a 410 period. I do recognize that it a greater SPL potential than a 115 though.

FWIW I play a 1515/66 with a 1,600 watt amp. The power to each speaker is managed via cross over though so Im not risking blowing one driver when my volume knob is turned up a bit.
 
#84
CL400Peavey said:
I agree completely. But adding a 115 to your 410 isnt really netting you any volume. The power handling limitations of the 115 will keep the 410 from being pushed. The system as a whole isnt going to be dramatically louder than the 410 by itself. Double up on the 410 and now you are talking. Both cabs will get the same amount of power, and your power handling is increased to the point where you can utilize the gain from your head.

Im not advocating the use of a single 410, or the use of a 410 period. I do recognize that it a greater SPL potential than a 115 though.

FWIW I play a 1515/66 with a 1,600 watt amp. The power to each speaker is managed via cross over though so Im not risking blowing one driver when my volume knob is turned up a bit.
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Don't get me wrong I'd love to try one of these new cab designs with the high end speakers, but in the UK there isn't much choice...ideally I'd like to try a Baer ML112 or a TC112/115.
 
#88
Had (and still have) the Hartke HyDrive HX410 and love it! Purchased the Hartke HyDrive HX115 to try with it and was totally disappointed. Fharty, muddy, could not get good volume from it. The HX410 sounds better in EVERY WAY. Brought it in for a check-out & service under warranty and they replaced the driver. No change, still totally disappointed. Sold the HX115 without ever even gigging it. Very disappointed with the 15... Your experience WILL vary!
 
#90
Lowactnsatsfctn said:
And so does the Majority vote:bassist:
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of course 15's rule...

Better yet, a pair rules even more.


6969997491_0fce465502_z.jpg
 
#96
ClassicJazz said:
Typically a horrid combination! Geez!

First my statement was in general. Of course you need to do your homework in regards to selecting the right speaker combinations. But a horrid combination, man you are way off course. That is a very common setup you see pro bass players using at live shows.

That is an ideal setup if you are using an amp with Bi-Amp/crossover functions or two separate heads.

Years back I used when I was touring I used a GK 800RB which is a Bi-amp with a fullrange crossover. That sat on a SWR 4x10 cab which sat on a SWR 1x15 cabinet. Sent all the deep low end (around 50Hz or so) to the 15 and the rest to the 4x10. Killer combo.

So saying a 4x10 and a 1x15 is a horrid combination is even more misleading for a beginner.

Here a couple guys you might recognize (out of many) that use those HORRID combinations:

victor-wooten-hartke.jpg

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
Click to expand...

You must not spend much time in the Amps forum. Read the stickies.

Wooten and Flea are both great bassists, but neither is an acoustic engineer.

A 4x10 and a 1x15... it's a bad combination. First of all, given similar speaker excursion, the 4x10 will be pushing nearly twice as much air as the 1x15, making the latter so quiet in comparison that's almost pointless to have there.

Secondly, most people run the two cabs full range. This means the same amount of power is being sent to both cabs. In the 4x10, the power is being split again between the four drivers. In the 1x15, obviously this is not happening, so it is getting four times the power of each of the 10" drivers. This is asking too much of it, and in most cases it will meet its mechanical limit before the 4x10 is even sweating. And because most people put the 1x15 on the bottom, when it does reach its mechanical limit and eventually blow, it will be hard to hear it do so because it's at the level of the player's knees.

If one does bi-amp, the 1x15 won't actually be suited to carrying the lows unless it's an actual subwoofer cab, not a full range bass cab. And having a 4x10 for the mids and highs is absolutely overkill. Those frequencies are the easiest for a speaker to handle, and require the least amount of power and speaker area to produce loudly.

And this is without even getting into the phasing issues.





Anyway, back to 15"s, which are awesome. Might build that second 2x15 this week.
 

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