• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join freeLog in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

Looking for 12" 4ohm speaker for empty small cab?

Wait a minute, mister. Assuming the one on the stool is a whole cab and you didn't just cut one in half to trick me, you have three!?!?!?!?

I expect you'll be making a lot of lovely racket soon enough with all that! Or is there a 4th? 5th? 6th...? Thread started talking about 1 :D
Yeah I've got 2 larger 440 Live 112 cabs and 2 smaller 440 Live 112 cabs which was the original cab I wanted to get the right speaker for. Then one thing led to another and with down time from gigs I thought I would just revamp all my cabs... funny how these things happen. I just sold the 2 deltalites which started me off on this journey. I think I have 1 functioning cab rite now? :)
 
20160521_163637.jpg
Got the drivers loaded today and tried them all out side by side. I don't have a gig until next week, but first impressions:

Cab on the left (w/BGH 25 tweeter using dayton audio xo2w-2.5k crossover) loaded with new Beta 12A sounds anemic compared to the other 2 cabs. I had the Carvin PS in it for a bit and it sounded weird with that driver too.

Cab in the middle I tried installing both the Beta 12A and the PS12 in it and sounded pretty darn good, with the Beta it sounded more alive down low and better overall then the PS.

Cab on the right is the small cab that I started this thread with, got the B&C in it and it sounds damn good for sure! Not as loud nor does it have the snap as the middle cab, but it is soooo well balanced sounding. Can't wait to play it next week!

Not sure what to do about the cab with the tweeter.. Thought the sound might have something to do with the crossover I installed? So I'm back to the drawing board with this one and might start a new thread to see if I can get some input?. The sound is thinner and dull, doesn't have any openness to it compared to the other 2 cabs. Although the tweeter does add some sparkle and snap to help things... but still :/

Thanks again guys!
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: Mr. Business
View attachment 871734 Got the drivers loaded today and tried them all out side by side. I don't have a gig until next week, but first impressions:

Cab on the left (w/BGH 25 tweeter using dayton audio xo2w-2.5k crossover) loaded with new Beta 12A sounds anemic compared to the other 2 cabs. I had the Carvin PS in it for a bit and it sounded weird with that driver too.

Cab in the middle I tried installing both the Beta 12A and the PS12 in it and sounded pretty darn good, with the Beta it sounded more alive down low and better overall then the PS.

Cab on the right is the small cab that I started this thread with, got the B&C in it and it sounds damn good for sure! Not as loud nor does it have the snap as the middle cab, but it is soooo well balanced sounding. Can't wait to play it next week!

Not sure what to do about the cab with the tweeter.. Thought the sound might have something to do with the crossover I installed? So I'm back to the drawing board with this one and might start a new thread to see if I can get some input?. The sound is thinner and dull, doesn't have any openness to it compared to the other 2 cabs. Although the tweeter does add some sparkle and snap to help things but still :/

Thanks again guys!


Maybe temporarily plug the ports on the one that sounds anemic and see what happens.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Lowactnsatsfctn
Maybe temporarily plug the ports on the one that sounds anemic and see what happens.
Yeah ill give that a shot tomorrow, and bypass the crossover/ tweeter to see if i can get it close tone wise to the other non-tweeter cab? Wondering if the crossover at 2.5k has created a hole in the freq range of the speaker?

Im still new to this whole cab speaker matching thing!
 
Last edited:
If it were mine, I'd keep the B&C out of that larger box with less than optimal tuning for that particular driver.

In an ideal cab, I've beat on mine with a LM3 turned up and it always handled the power claimed. In the wrong box, I've seen speakers hit Xlims at fractions of their claimed power handling.
 
  • Like
Reactions: wyleeboxer
Reverse the leads on the tweeter. See if that helps.

Maybe try the B&C in there if you're up for it.

this could be it.

In the Tweeter cab, try running the woofer wired directly to the plug on the cab.

Make sure that jumper on the crossover is set to the right impedance as well. When a crossover gets used for a different ohm load than designed for, the frequencies that it works at change drastically.

That could also be a solution, I know a lot of cabinets that have the woofer run full-range and a tweeter with a high-pass cap. That's really just for price, but maybe if the impedance in the driver doesn't match with the one the crossover is set up for - especially with both of the larger 12" cabs in parallel - maybe it'd be better without the low pass on the woofer.

Edit: Also OP, did you end up shortening the port on the small cab? Just wondering.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: wyleeboxer
If it were mine, I'd keep the B&C out of that larger box with less than optimal tuning for that particular driver.

In an ideal cab, I've beat on mine with a LM3 turned up and it always handled the power claimed. In the wrong box, I've seen speakers hit Xlims at fractions of their claimed power handling.
Yeah I'm think that it's not the driver and more so the crossover. Again thanks for the B&C recommendation, the little cab sounds killer!

Do you think the Beta 12A was a good choice for the larger box?
 
Last edited:
In the Tweeter cab, try running the woofer wired directly to the plug on the cab.

Make sure that jumper on the crossover is set to the right impedance as well. When a crossover gets used for a different ohm load than designed for, the frequencies that it works at change drastically.
I'm going to dig deep into this tomorrow, I dont have a lot of miles on the cab since I installed the tweeter. I've been compensating with over EQ'ing since Tweeter install.
 
this could be it.



That could also be a solution, I know a lot of cabinets that have the woofer run full-range and a tweeter with a high-pass cap. That's really just for price, but maybe if the impedance in the driver doesn't match with the one the crossover is set up for - especially with both of the larger 12" cabs in parallel - maybe it'd be better without the low pass on the woofer.

Edit: Also OP, did you end up shortening the port on the small cab? Just wondering.
Yeah I cut the port down to 1 1/4" from 2 1/2". It's sounding pretty damn good, no complaints!
 
  • Like
Reactions: Lowactnsatsfctn
The larger cab should be fine for a Beta. Plugging one of the ports should help to even out the mid bass hump, while plugging them both will almost entirely kill the low end.

Id wire the woofer straight to the cab first and test it with the crossover and tweeter disconnected. check the results. If it worked fine in the other cab, its a wiring/plug issue.

Then work on the highs.

The polarity of the tweeter wiring shouldn't matter when it comes to lower frequencies. It isn't playing anything in the same range as the Beta to cause phase issues with the bass. Make sure it is wired right any ways. Its easy to do and you'll have the cab opened up.

Make sure the jumper for the crossover is set to the right impedance of the tweeter (8 ohms I believe).

Check to make sure the inputs and outputs on the crossover are wired as they should be.

If there is still a problem, play music direct to the tweeter to see if the tweeter sounds ok on its own.

If everything functions as it should, but the tweeter is too loud, you need an L pad. its an easy install and an inexpensive part.
 
The larger cab should be fine for a Beta. Plugging one of the ports should help to even out the mid bass hump, while plugging them both will almost entirely kill the low end.

Id wire the woofer straight to the cab first and test it with the crossover and tweeter disconnected. check the results. If it worked fine in the other cab, its a wiring/plug issue.

Then work on the highs.

The polarity of the tweeter wiring shouldn't matter when it comes to lower frequencies. It isn't playing anything in the same range as the Beta to cause phase issues with the bass. Make sure it is wired right any ways. Its easy to do and you'll have the cab opened up.

Make sure the jumper for the crossover is set to the right impedance of the tweeter (8 ohms I believe).

Check to make sure the inputs and outputs on the crossover are wired as they should be.

If there is still a problem, play music direct to the tweeter to see if the tweeter sounds ok on its own.

If everything functions as it should, but the tweeter is too loud, you need an L pad. its an easy install and an inexpensive part.

Also, while you have the cab open, make sure the woofers for both of the bigger cabs are wired to the same polarity so that you can play with them both plugged into your head at the same time.
 
  • Like
Reactions: wyleeboxer
Ok so I pulled the cab apart this morning and everything seemed wired up properly. Put it back together and boom it came back to life, still not sure why?

However, it did have that "room boom" so I stuffed a towel in the right top port and all of a sudden I had a nice sounding cab I could control with the EQ, I had the Lpad off without needing the tweeter, but it was nice to add some highs if I wanted some slap snap. Sounded very balanced with clear bottom end.. :)

Now what's the best way to clog a 3" port without looking like a rag got stuck in pipe?

I'll just cut a disk and glue... Thanks again all!!!
 
Last edited:
There are companies that sell specific plugs for cab ports, but I've used something like this before038753334028lg.jpg google (3" pipe plug)

I do spray paint them after I check the fitment. 3 or 4bucks at a hardware store. gluing a plug in will have the same result on the sound, but wont be removable. The whole appeal of round ports is the easy installation and the easy adjustability. Don't want to loose that freedom.
 
Now what's the best way to clog a 3" port without looking like a rag got stuck in pipe?

Duke uses pretty standard 3 inch T Cones in some of his Audiokinesis cabs. My TC112AF came with two Etco P300 plugs, and I've seen something very similar in the plumbing section at either Home Depot or Lowe's. Some places call them cleanout plugs, FWIW.
 
Ok, so I had a chance to use the little cab with the B&C speaker last Saturday night at a 200 person size club. At first I almost grabbed my larger cab with the new Beta 12A-2 but I wanted to give this little one a shot first?
It was a pretty hard room and took a bit of low mid and bass boosting EQ'ing from my MB500 to get the sound to fatten up, but it held its own all night. Slap tone wasn't to bad either, it really had most of the balance I was looking for! Although the speaker may need to break in a little for a smoother sound perhaps?
After the 2nd set I went to get the larger cab to try out, but Alex Drizos a fellow bass player who has toured with Eddie Money, Donna Summer, and Dave Mason came up to ask me what rig I was using. He said it sounded pretty full and couldn't believe how small it was! He does live sound for the bands at Disneyland now so it was nice to hear and a nice guy too.. so I stuck with the same cab all night. Anyway, still need to check out the other cab soon, but all is good so far!

Thanks again everyone!

Yes I did do a bit of knob tweaking during sound check :)

girffins.jpg