Mixed cabs, double dog dare me

[madjazzbass]

Tell me again why I shouldn't mix cabs? This is not a joke, I'm serious, especially when I'm just jamming/playing in my room; Does it really matter then? Is it only frowned upon when you're playing out live? Am I better off just getting two 1x15 cabs instead of getting a 1x15 to add with one of my 2x10's? I really miss the fullness and warmth that you can only get with a (really good) 15 inch speaker; ala Mesa Boogie, Ampeg ... unless of course you're running an 8x10 "fridge" which is entirely way too big for me at this time.

 

[BassmanPaul]

You are mistaken! There are plenty of cabinets loaded with 10” drivers that excel at fullness and warmth. You just haven’t played them yet.

Find a cabinet that you love and then get a second. It’s the safest route to increase the size of your system.

 

[Old Garage-Bander]

Tell me again why I shouldn't mix cabs? This is not a joke, I'm serious, especially when I'm just jamming/playing in my room; Does it really matter then? Is it only frowned upon when you're playing out live? Am I better off just getting two 1x15 cabs instead of getting a 1x15 to add with one of my 2x10's? I really miss the fullness and warmth that you can only get with a (really good) 15 inch speaker; ala Mesa Boogie, Ampeg ... unless of course you're running an 8x10 "fridge" which is entirely way too big for me at this time.

For at home, it probably won't matter much as you likely won't crank things too loud.
Quick Review by example:
Two cabs... one is a 2 x 10 one is 1 x 15, each cab is 8 Ohms.
The power splits evenly between the two cabs, because of equal impedance.
So half the power goes to one cab, half to the other.
The 15 is getting the full half (if that makes sense) the 2 x 10 is splitting it's half in half again.
Each 10 is getting just a 1/4 of the power vs the 15 getting half.
The 10s are not working as hard as the 15.
The fifteen might fart out before you get to really get what you want out of the tens.
But it depends a lot on what you have going on.
More difficult to explain is that somewhere in the venue (not your bedroom) the differences in how the sound projects from the different cabs could affect how the combination sounds. Could be good, more likely it will be poopie.
Having the same cabs in a pair reduces the chances of all of the above being on the poopie side of the scale.

 

[madjazzbass]

For at home, it probably won't matter much as you likely won't crank things too loud.
Quick Review by example:
Two cabs... one is a 2 x 10 one is 1 x 15, each cab is 8 Ohms.
The power splits evenly between the two cabs, because of equal impedance.
So half the power goes to one cab, half to the other.
The 15 is getting the full half (if that makes sense) the 2 x 10 is splitting it's half in half again.
Each 10 is getting just a 1/4 of the power vs the 15 getting half.
The 10s are not working as hard as the 15.
The fifteen might fart out before you get to really get what you want out of the tens.
But it depends a lot on what you have going on.
More difficult to explain is that somewhere in the venue (not your bedroom) the differences in how the sound projects from the different cabs could affect how the combination sounds. Could be good, more likely it will be poopie.
Having the same cabs in a pair reduces the chances of all of the above being on the poopie side of the scale.

Got'cha, Thanks; poopie = no good

 

[chris_b]

Tell me again

If you're playing in your room then use what sounds good to you. That's the only rule in that section of the rule book.

 

[chris_b]

Am I better off just getting two 1x15 cabs instead of getting a 1x15 to add with one of my 2x10's? I really miss the fullness and warmth that you can only get with a (really good) 15 inch speaker;

These days 10's and 12's can sound much bigger, louder and warmer than many 15's. Those 15's generalisations might have been true back in the day but haven't been for many years now.

I ran a Mesa Boogie EV 115 and 210 stack for 10 years. A fantastic sounding combination but my current 2 112 cabs are louder clearer and have more tone and warmth than that stack or any other 15 or 18 I've heard.

 

[buldog5151bass]

Stock answer - find a cab you like, get a sec if you want more volume.
Now back to our regularly scheduled programming.

 

[Deak]

Do what makes your ears happy and rocks the house.

 

[jshinal]

Old Garage-Bander summarized it nicely. But you can get away with mismatched cabinets, and 95% of your audience will neither notice nor care about the nuances of your tone. I have a Genz Benz 410 and an Ampeg 1x15 with a powerful replacement speaker in it. They augment each other pretty well in a bigger room and solve a need for me to have a little more bump. It wouldn't be my first choice, I'd rather have another of those lovely 410s, but I'm not going to worry about it either.

Please note, I am a heretic and I do weird stuff.

 

[agedhorse]

Mixed driver sizes can in fact sound as good OR BETTER than identical sized drivers IF they are designed to work that way from the start, if they conform to the necessary math and physics models of the acoustic system.

 

[Charlzm]

Mixed driver sizes can in fact sound as good OR BETTER than identical sized drivers IF they are designed to work that way from the start, if they conform to the necessary math and physics models of the acoustic system.

Are there, for instance, Mesa cabinets that work together in a system like that?

 

[blubass]

Are there, for instance, Mesa cabinets that work together in a system like that?

Mesa has had a few mixed driver cabs in the past, like the powerhouse 115/410, or 1516 for instance.

 

[JohnDeereJack]

I've been using this combination of cabs for decades and it's never been an issue. Ever...

 

[snitten]

New Bass cab from Eich

 

[edencab]

a single 15" in a bedroom is more than enough....anything more will not increase anything, but will decrease your bank account...........IMHO

 

[BadExample]

Am I better off just getting two 1x15 cabs instead of getting a 1x15 to add with one of my 2x10's? I really miss the fullness and warmth that you can only get with a (really good) 15 inch speaker

I read as, you have a 2 x 10 and want to add a 15. But if that doesn't work, you are willing to get a 2nd 15.

I suggest trying just that. Get the 15, play it, if it's good, done. If you don't like it, get the 2nd 15 to match. Keep the small one as a more portable rig, or sell.

You may have trouble in the bedroom. That's beside the point. Trouble with blowing up the 15, I think, unlikely. Noise ordinance violations, ear drum repair surgery, family problems, neighbor hate and rage, all more likely to happen unless you get hold of a really weak 15 or really over eq the low end. In very small rooms, phase schmaze, you 2 x 10 is already having phase issues with itself and canceling out itself in random frequencies. Well not really random, but unknown.

I say experiment, learn, live, love, hate and rebel.

Post up some wattages and models of your amp, the 2 x 10 and the 15's you are looking at if you need any recommendations on matching up for cab safety. Wear hearing protection when you crank it up.

 

[two fingers]

Mixed driver sizes can in fact sound as good OR BETTER than identical sized drivers IF they are designed to work that way from the start, if they conform to the necessary math and physics models of the acoustic system.

I think we can lock up here now.

 

[edencab]

New Bass cab from Eich

View attachment 2774583 View attachment 2774584

ahh the ol' 215212410 trick

 

[Deak]

ahh the ol' 21152112410 trick

How much for the optional crane lift and platform trailer?

Well sure I want one! It stacks doesn't it? (Mic Drop)

Edit for word.

 

[guy n. cognito]

Trying to imagine the size of the bedroom that necessities the wall of speakers suggested by the OP......