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Lightweight and portable cabinet recommendations

groovenaga

groovenaga

Jun 7, 2011
4
0
Santa Fe, NM
#1
Looking for advice from the talkbass community in getting a new lightweight, small, and portable cabinet. I currently have an original Eden D410XLT powered by a Traveler 400 and would like to get something smaller and lighter that fits in my car (non-hatchback) and has the punch and midrange of the Eden. My main bass is a Fender Geddy Lee.

I am not a fan of 12's (owned an Eden D112XLT and an Aguilar GS 12) and would prefer to either stay with 10's or possibly a 15 (used a Peavey Combo 300 in college with a Black Widow and loved it). I will be keeping the Eden 410 and will be using it for any gigs that I have to bring the PA, keyboards, etc., to. What I will be using the new cab(s) for is practice with a loud drummer and smaller gigs that I just play bass at.

Cost is not much of a consideration (within reason meaning less than $800 per cabinet) and I have been looking at possibly getting a new amp to power this setup with - most likely either an Aguilar ToneHammer 350 or 500, GK MB800 or MBFusion, or TC Electronics RH750 (open to suggestions on this also, however the amp will be purchased later this year). A light weight would be nice, but is not a requirement (so does not have to be neos).

I did try out the new Aguilar SL 12 and was so-so on it (again, for whatever reason, 12's are not my thing). Some other cabs I have been looking at are the Aguilar DB210, TC Electronic RH210, MarkBass Traveler 102P and New York 604 / 804, Bergatino 210, Ampeg SVT210AV, Fender Rumble 2x8, Acme Low B-2, etc.

Unfortunately, I live in New Mexico which precludes trying out much equipment without ordering it or traveling out of state.

Any thoughts / advice? Thanks.
 
#2
I have a pair of the svt210av. I really like the voicing, which rolls off fast at probably 4 to 5k. Mids are very there if you want but not honky. while I have never pushed them super hard on their own or together I don't feel like huge black widow type boom is there to be had. The cab is sealed and too small to make much super low stuff. I really like this at home, recording, rehearsal and live. But that is certainly personal preference. (And probably not common)

I have only heard the Eden cab you have with upright (bad plus at the jazz club I am foh for) and it was crossed over into an Eden 15 below it. That said, I liked it but if you need high freq extension like it had look for something besides the svt210av.
 
#4
The best 210 I've ever played (and I've played a lot) is the 40-pound Bergantino AE210. While they are discontinued, you'd be wise to try and track down a used one. It has the tone and oomph a a good 410. Full range, with robust bottom. If you don't mind some extra poundage the new HD210 may be a good substitute. What's really cool is it fits in the smallish trunk of my car (non-hatchback).
 
#6
You may want to consider the Carvin BRX 10.2 Neo. It is only 46 lbs, compact and can handle a lot of power. It sounds really nice with my Eden WT800 and is great for rehearsals and smaller gigs where I don't need to use my D410T (similar to your D41OXLT).
 
#7
Lightweight and portable would be something like Barefaced cabs. They will be expensive. Other options are BFM Jacks, AudioKinesis Thunderchilds. I would not consider the Acme Low B2 lightweight or easily portable at 50lbs. My BFM Jack 10 at 35 lbs will get as loud if not louder.
 
#11
Unless you set it up next to your ears, I doubt the SVT would hang with a loud drummer. A reasonable drummer, yes. Otherwise plan on two.

I wouldn't be so quick to rule out 12s. The Eden wasn't a very good execution and the GS has a reputation for being scooped. Some of the coolest cabs out now (Baer, Barefaced, TC, fearful, GK neo...) are 12s. It's really about the cab, not the speaker size. I practiced and gigged an LDS 12/6 with the 3012lf that had boatloads of midrange and punch.

Agree about the AE210, and from what's been posted the new Baer 12/6 is similar and very affordable. I suspect one would meet your needs, and two might make you forget about the 410.

You could build or have a fearful built, or the Avatar TB153 is a good alternative.
 
#14
groovenaga said:
...
I am not a fan of 12's
Click to expand...

nutdog said:
I wouldn't be so quick to rule out 12s. The Eden wasn't a very good execution and the GS has a reputation for being scooped. Some of the coolest cabs out now (Baer, Barefaced, TC, fearful, GK neo...) are 12s. It's really about the cab, not the speaker size. I practiced and gigged an LDS 12/6 with the 3012lf that had boatloads of midrange and punch.

Agree about the AE210, and from what's been posted the new Baer 12/6 is similar and very affordable. I suspect one would meet your needs, and two might make you forget about the 410.

You could build or have a fearful built, or the Avatar TB153 is a good alternative.
Click to expand...

+1 on keep an open mind about driver size.

10's, 12's and 15's don't have an inherrent sound or tone based on cone size, or even construction. If you generalize from the specifics of your experience, you may rule out some very good options. Good cab design is complex, and good drivers are expensive. There are some GREAT drivers you probably haven't had the oportunity to hear yet.

If upper mids are a concern, you'd be well served by a two way cab with a dedicated mid and a proper crossover. The Baer ML112, fEARful 12/6 and 15/6 are good examples of two-way full range cabs with good upper mid response. The Bill Fitzmaurice Jack series cabinets are a little different, but are said to have very good mid range response as well as excellent overall efficiency, which should work very well with your Eden head. The fEARfuls and BFM Jacks are not commercially produced, but are DIY or you can order custom-built from a number of authorized builders. There are even knock down kits available from speakerhardware.com you can assemble yourself. Either will out-class just about anything you'll find in stock in a music store, and fall easily into your budget.

Most of the cabs with just a small horn tweeter will tend to be very mid scooped and will likely be missing the detail you want. The published specs of most commercial cabs say nothing of the actual response. The frequency response spec may say something like "40hz-18Khz", but doesn't state that there is effectively no useful response from 2.5khz to 6khz (never mind that the 40hz claim may be -10db or more). In fact, about the only things you can believe may be weight, dimensions, nominal impedence and maybe sensitivity.
 

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