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Mesa Boogie 2x15 OR Ampeg PR-15h

T

tubesycl

Dec 25, 2009
43
0
#1
Hey guys, I was just wondering if I could get some other opinions about two bass cabs I'm having trouble deciding over. I already have an ampeg pr-410hlf and wanted to add another cab. The first one is an ampeg pr-15h cab. I don't know too much about this one, about the ohms or wattage(can anyone help?) The second one is a mesa boogie 2x15 diesel cab(the all black one, not road-ready) Is the mesa boogie one louder and more powerful? I heard good things about this cab and wanted to know which of the two would be better. What do you guys think?
Thanks!!
 
#4
tubesycl said:
Hey, thank you man! Yeah that's what I thought at first. Also isn't the mesa boogie switchable between 4 and 8 ohms? Because the 410 is 4, so it'll be ok right?
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There is no such thing as a cab that can be switched from 4 to 8 ohms.

Depending on when the cab was made, it may have connections that allow you to run each 15 seperately at 8 ohms, or it may just have a single 4 ohm connection.

With a 4 ohm 4X10, you will be running at 2 ohms. As long as your head is capable of running 2 ohm loads you will be fine. The power will be evenly split between the 2 cabs.
 
#5
The Deisel 215 is an awesome cab, but it's also a 4 ohm cab. What's your amp? If it's not stable to 2 ohms, you're finished with your 4 ohm 410. You could use EITHER your 410, OR the 215, but not both together, (unless your head will do 2 ohms)
 
#6
honestly, i don't know that there's much to gain by adding a 215 to a pr410hlf. the hlf will go as low or lower than any 215and be about as loud. plus if your head's not 2 ohm stable, can't add anymore cabs anyway.
 
#9
tubesycl said:
I'm running an ampeg svt4 pro head. I believe it says that minimum load is 2 ohms. So adding the 2x15 won't make it louder?
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oh it'll make it louder for sure. but those 410hlf cabs are very unique and different and don't seem to me like they would work and play well with others at all. if you used two separate amps to keep phasing issues at bay it could work, but what's the point of the 4 pro if you do that? your best bet would be to hold out for another pr410hlf and make an 810 stack out of it.

not that i'm against the mesa cab at all. i'll bet it kicks. but identical cabs always work together better imho.
 
#12
I tried both out when I bought the Mesa. I dont like the hlf through my rig. Tried all the tens GK, Ampeg MESA,. After that I will never look at a ten again. The 15's are way lower and I can get the same top as the ten. Using a different head and the bass make a difference too. My ESP is louder and tinker than the Aria when I switch. Best thing to do in my opinion is to take your head and bass to the GC and play through both and see which one you like. You can't order without listening. I wanted to run another cab so I bought the MESA 412 that sounded the best through my GK head for the dirt channel. So again try them out first.
 
#13
Cool cool. Thanks all you guys! Also, really quick, what's the difference between these two ampeg pr410? The one I have is the one with the three holes on the bottom of the cabinet.

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#14
tubesycl said:
oh, ok. But when you said "phasing issues" what do you mean by that? And why don't you think the 410 won't work with others? Sorry if I'm asking a bunch of questions, I just want to learn some stuff.
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short version...when you mix different cabs, they can have issues where some notes sound reinforced and some notes sound weak. that's called phasing. doesn't always happen to a noticeable degree but often it does and it can be very bad with a bad combination. your 410hlf goes way lower than any 215 i've heard, and it has a fairly unique design to make it go low, whereas the mesa cab is a very nice cab but built more "normally," for lack of a better word. so i just can't see any good coming from mixing them.

just my opinion, could be wrong, but before you commit, try two pr410hlf's first.
 
#15
tubesycl said:
Cool cool. Thanks all you guys! Also, really quick, what's the difference between these two ampeg pr410? The one I have is the one with the three holes on the bottom of the cabinet.

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top one is sealed, i believe, and yours is ported (the three holes are ports). if you do two of them, get another like yours and it will sound insane.
 
#16
so my ported 410 is louder?? 0_0 Well I know that my 410 is rated @ 4 ohms and I think that the other 410 is rated @ 8 ohms. I still never really 100% understood the difference between the ohms, but I'm thinking that the 4 ohm can push the amp louder than an 8 ohm correct??
 
#18
it works the other way...the ohms provide resistance to the wattage the amp puts out. like a straw...the thinner the straw is, the less your juicy juice comes out. the amp is the juicy juice and the cab is the straw.

your 410 is a tiny bit quieter than the sealed 410 with the same amount of wattage going into it because it's ported to go deeper, but your amp will put out twice the wattage with the ported 410 because it's 4 ohms. but that really doesn't matter. both cabs will get plenty loud. but i wouldn't mix them either.
 
#19
hmmm, so when you say "go deeper" you mean lower, like more low end? So my amp is a little quieter, but it puts out more wattage, so what does that do? I still don't understand the difference, sorry, can you please explain a little bit more??


Also instead of the mesa 2x15, what if I got an ampeg pr-15h cab? Would that be better?
 
#20
tubesycl said:
hmmm, so when you say "go deeper" you mean lower, like more low end? So my amp (EDIT: cab, not amp) is a little quieter, but it (EDIT: the amp)puts out more wattage, so what does that do? I still don't understand the difference, sorry, can you please explain a little bit more??


Also instead of the mesa 2x15, what if I got an ampeg pr-15h cab? Would that be better?
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i can see i confused you more than i helped. sorry about that...let me break it down a little for you in more simple terms:

deeper does mean more low end. and the pr15h is BADBADBADBADBAD with a 410hlf. 410hlf is about twice as loud and goes lower, plus the phasing issues will definitely be a problem. i made a couple corrections to your post that may explain the confusion. anyway, all this nonsense about wattage and ohms and stuff is something you need to read about and absorb over time. there is good info in the faq's, and you will find as much as you want to know.

in the meantime, you want to expand your rig the best way possible and don't want to waste time. so here's all you need to know:

1. sometimes unmatched cabs can work well together but a lot of times they work horribly together, and the only way to know if they will work well together is to try them out on a gig.

2. matched cabs always work well together, especially if you can make a vertical stack out of them.

3. if you like the sound of the one cab you have, you will absolutely love it if you have two of them.
 
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