I'm currently running a Gallien Krueger 1001rb-II head with a Mesa/Boogie Roadready 1000 cabinet. Lately, I've been having trouble dialing a decent sound that cuts through and the culprit is most likely the cabinet. I also have a Gallien Krueger NEO212 cabinet and the time is right to start using it. However, I want to add another cab, preferably another GK NEO, so the question is; should I go for another 2x12" or should I consider a 15" or 10's?
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Matching speaker sizes vs. different speaker sizes
- Thread starter BassMonstrum
- Start date
this is why the subject needs its own specific sticky!
(not your fault, but this very same question comes up over and over and over.)
short answer: best to get two of the same cab, they'll combine better.
two different cabs can work, in that they'll be louder than either by itself, they'll get the top cab up to ear level, and they'll get more power out of a solid state bass amp. people do it all the time and it gets the job done.
it's just that two of the same cab usually works better. the phase lines up better, so they reinforce each other more solidly and there's less chance of gaps and peaks in the sound.
of course, it has to be a cab that sounds good to begin with.
(not your fault, but this very same question comes up over and over and over.)
short answer: best to get two of the same cab, they'll combine better.
two different cabs can work, in that they'll be louder than either by itself, they'll get the top cab up to ear level, and they'll get more power out of a solid state bass amp. people do it all the time and it gets the job done.
it's just that two of the same cab usually works better. the phase lines up better, so they reinforce each other more solidly and there's less chance of gaps and peaks in the sound.
of course, it has to be a cab that sounds good to begin with.
This is a subject of huge debate here and the opinions are strongly divided. It's been discussed frequently and recently. You'll find plenty to read about mixing cabs/speaker sizes throughout this forum.
billfitzmaurice
Commercial User
- Sep 15, 2004
- 16,860
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- Disclosures
- Owner, Bill Fitzmaurice Loudspeaker Design
Step 1: Find a cab that you like the sound of all by itself.
Step 2: If one isn't loud enough use two.
Step 2: If one isn't loud enough use two.
yes, matched cabs are ALWAYS the better choice. It's a no-brainer, if you like the sound of a certain cab, you will love 2 of them together. Anything else is a crap-shoot, pure and simple.
As billfitzmaurice knows, some of us prefer to mix cabs. I've tried matching cabs and I was never happy with the results. It gave me lots more of the same, but I felt it added nothing to the total sound. I like my 212 and 115 set-up because of the deeper bass I get from the 115 and the richer highs and mids that come from the 212. I get a lot of comments from other bass players what a great sound I'm getting, so it works for me. To me it's not just about the volume, but the sound of the combined cabs. Mine is not the opinion backed by any actual knowledge of sound engineering, just what sounds good to me.
If you dont like the sound of the single cab, you might want to find a single cab that you do like. How do you like the 115 by itself versus the 212 by itself? If you have two cabs that dont sound good by themselves, maybe find one cab that does.
Yes, I get it. But that is not because one cab is a 212 and one is a 115 specifically. One of your cabs sounds one way, and the other sounds different. It has nothing to do with the driver size but it has everything to do with how the total cab is engineered.
It makes sense that: ok + ok = better
but with that same logic: great + great = Very good
Your experience with your own sound counts for a lot, what sounds good to you is what you should use. What most of us "Matching drivers/cabs" crowd are saying is that if you find a single cab that sounds good to you, and add a second one, it will sound even better than a mixed cab rig. It doesnt hurt that there is a bit of science that can be applied with out knowing and trying out specific cabs in every setting.
I do like the sound of my 212 cab by itself, and the 115 cab by itself. I've used them that way, and which one I take depends on the room. I just like the combined cabs best. I have an Orange SP212 and an Orange OBC115.
So what is missing out of each cab that you are gaining when you add the two? What do you get out of mixing the cabs that sounds better than a matched set up with either two 212 cabs or two 115 cabs?
I have a 15" cab with another homebrew 12" wizzer cab on top. I've always liked the sound of the 15 by itself(it usually gets used for recording) I also really like the sound of the 12 by itself. When I first played them together I was like, uh-oh. the sound combines to make something completely different. The more I used them I realized it's still actually a very good sound, just totally different than either alone. But honestly what makes a way way way huger difference as far as the quality of tone is the sound of the room I'm playing in. bad room = bad sound, no matter what you're using.
Matching cabs is usually fine in my experience. I have only encountered one mixed speaker rig in 5 years that has had any serious phasing issues. Mixed cabs a lot of the time seem to fill gaps of sound the other cab doesn't have. I've tested this before, and it does work nearly every time. Just be careful and test them together before you buy and make sure your cabs to work together well, because if they don't work well together you'll have a bloody mess. Matching is playing it safe and will nearly always sound decent. Mixing can be really good or (less often in my experience) really bad.
Is that the 4x10-1x15 cab? Have you checked the speakers to make sure all are working okay?
I also wonder if you gone FOH(wireless?) during a gig to hear how the cab sounds?
Maybe try stacking the 2x12 on top of the MB RR 1000 cab just to hear how they both sound together. Doesn't cost anything. Might save you some cash.
billfitzmaurice
Commercial User
- Sep 15, 2004
- 16,860
- 278
- 76
- Disclosures
- Owner, Bill Fitzmaurice Loudspeaker Design
Baby steps. No need to confuse the Luddites with more than one concept per thread.Fix it for ya!
