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Mixing Speaker Sizes...Again
- Thread starter rmayer
- Start date
Interesting? You want interesting? Check out AudioKinesis. Or Bill Fitzmaurice. Or ... MAS(oundworks). Interesting? Yessiree Bob.
My approach is this.
So my 115 has a 350 watt rms handling capacity. My 410 has a 700 watt rms handling. Guess where my amp maxes out? 350 watts rms. Since I can't underpower the 410, and Im under the max of the 115 when used together, with this stack my biggest concern is too many tweeters! And that stack does sound pretty awesome.
So my 115 has a 350 watt rms handling capacity. My 410 has a 700 watt rms handling. Guess where my amp maxes out? 350 watts rms. Since I can't underpower the 410, and Im under the max of the 115 when used together, with this stack my biggest concern is too many tweeters! And that stack does sound pretty awesome.
Well, let me just throw this wrench in: if I had my heart set on running two different cabs together, and say I had a dual channel amp running in non-bridged mode, would there be any of the same potential issues? At least the non-optimal power distribution problem should be solved, no?
You still have an issue of hearing one cab more than the other at optimal power. Put more power into the one to hear them evenly and you may not notice that it is being overpowered.
I say this where my main bass cab is a 1x15 + 2x10..... I have never had any major problems with it with a few caveats. I don't play at the bleeding edge of its ability, I don't hear a major difference between playing it and a single 15" cab and I have no idea if I'm really only hearing either the 10's or the 15.
@ThisBass
That is a very good thread. Nice work, thank you! May I add that right by BFM's link in the FAQ section?
The caveats, of course, are numerous. Many bassists do not have the technical skills, analytical or modeling hardware or software needed to evaluate phase shift and group delay. Many manufacturers of commercial cabs also do not publish specifications of their proprietary drivers and cabinet systems. All of this makes it difficult for the layman to discern a good workable solution to enhance the performance of their existing gear.
I do think that the point made, that mixed drivers in cab configurations that are specifically designed to work properly together does work, is valid. The gap is that most bassists are not in a position to evaluate the performance criteria of the mixed driver sizes nor of the identical driver sizes with different box tunings and performance plots.
Thus, we have the 'try it and see" Monte Carlo method brute force approach, or the "an exactly identical cab will respond reasonably well within manufacturing quality limits" suggestion.
Of the three solutions, one could posit that the "try it and see" method might have the least chance of a successful outcome.
That is a very good thread. Nice work, thank you! May I add that right by BFM's link in the FAQ section?
The caveats, of course, are numerous. Many bassists do not have the technical skills, analytical or modeling hardware or software needed to evaluate phase shift and group delay. Many manufacturers of commercial cabs also do not publish specifications of their proprietary drivers and cabinet systems. All of this makes it difficult for the layman to discern a good workable solution to enhance the performance of their existing gear.
I do think that the point made, that mixed drivers in cab configurations that are specifically designed to work properly together does work, is valid. The gap is that most bassists are not in a position to evaluate the performance criteria of the mixed driver sizes nor of the identical driver sizes with different box tunings and performance plots.
Thus, we have the 'try it and see" Monte Carlo method brute force approach, or the "an exactly identical cab will respond reasonably well within manufacturing quality limits" suggestion.
Of the three solutions, one could posit that the "try it and see" method might have the least chance of a successful outcome.
The 410 is an 8 ohm at 700 watts and the DB115 I was thinking about is also 8 ohm, and is rated at 400 watts. Either way, with the 750 head, they're not evenly powered. I could just trade in my 8 ohm 410 for a 4 ohm version to get the full 750 watts out of the amp, but I was really looking for a different sound (the 115 cab) more than increased wattage (louder). I understand more watts might give more low end in the sound too.
My SWR rig was similar. Sounded good. The Aggie 115 doesn't have a tweeter. One less thing I have to think about late at night.
Mixing cabs is a lot like mixing assorted jellybeans. Sometimes it works... and sometimes you get something horrid like coffee and licorice. Two of the same will always work (assuming you like that flavor )
Uh Oh, Here it is. Why then do you see bassists (Pro-Fessional types) like Victor Wooten play through a 410 and a 115 cab? He even helped Ampeg design their cabs before he went to Hartke amps. Last time I saw him, solo and with Bela & the Flecktones, he had an awesome sound. I don't think he was using two amps or bi-amping either.
What you're going for is clear. And maybe with jellybeans it's exactly as you mention. I like coffee jellybeans & licorice jellybeans. Sure do. Haven't tried then together.
But anise-flavored coffee is very nice. Very nice indeed.
ok
Provided there is sufficiant amp power
True as long as a matching cab is exactly just the same cab. Some folks believe in the delusion a "matching" cab referes to number of speakers and driver size and Ohm matching only.
A 115 cab rated for 300 Watt shall struggle on 300 watt amppower. If this happens all day then TB forum advice for matching power is highly dangerous every time this advice was given at countless threads in the past.
115 cabs are mostly lower tuned then 410 cabs thus they can handle transients "tendentially" better then 410 cabs. A 300 watt amp power versus a 300 watt 115 cab I bet the amp cries for help long before instead the 115 cab.
It depends mostly on the over all design, but design is independent of speaker size.
And that all has nothing to do with odd Harmonics because there are a lot of important even order Harmonics as well
Great idea but not compelling necessary if it works otherwise.
Notice mic on one cone only. I wouldn't mind betting it's the only cab plugged in on any theatre gig.
Fame and talent have no relation to ones ability to choosing sensible gear.
Wasn't it Michael Manring who was endorsing those boutique 200 dollar power cables that have no scientifically possible way of improving tone as they advertise?
I love both of those guys. I love Hartke speakers too and maybe those cabs do sound ok together. I use a single hydrive 112 myself. But theres still power distribution issues and mixing cabs will always be hit and miss unless they are engineered to work together.
I'd call it each cab provides it's distinct coloring and characteristic by just same weight. Having a 810 cab and replace the 210 pair at the bottom by different 210 with different response, the different response get's lost in the dominance of the upper 610.
