• 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 free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

New Speaker Choice????

M

martarmetal

Guest
Mar 1, 2012
92
1
Belle Vernon
#1
OK, long story short, I have an older Fender Bassman 115
(i think)
fender_bassman115ha.jpg

that i tried to restore a few years ago...I was young and dumb.. recently I built a replica cab and refinished them both to a modern matching design. I currently have an eminence delta 15A in each cab. It sounds great but when i push about 300 watts total to the cabs (150 each) they seem to crap out a little. Is there a better speaker that i could install in these cabs or should i just break down and build a fEARful 15/6 or two? Or is there another industry cab that you would recommend. I used to be all about cab size and power but now im more focused on quality...and POWER!! Thanks in advance.
 
#4
the amp is not clipping, that was the first thing i checked, i do not know what the cabs are tuned to and the budget... well, for new speakers well say 500 or so and for two new cabs well say 1500. Im in the process of reworking my entire rig but if i can retain the cabs and just replace the speakers i would be pretty pumped. I put a lot of work into the cabs to get them back to gig-worthy gear. I just tossed the delta 15a's in a a fairly inexpensive fix, they are respectable speakers, just not for this particular usage.
 
#5
I just put a Faital Pro 15HP1060 ( 4 ohms ) in a Peavey 1x15BX. And its really cooks.
The truth is I ordered a 15PR400 in 4 ohms to replace an 8 ohm 15PR400 that was in the cab.
And arrived at my door was a 15HP1060. Hey... I kept it. I aint here to teach your children morals. ( or at least I knew I had to try it before sending it back... if I didnt like it ;) )

Anyhow, I didnt know what to expect... 1000W and the thing made the PR400 look and feel like a toy. I'm loving this thing. Better than the PR400. And I loved the PR when I first got it.

I pushed it with 500w from PLX1104 and 200w tube from a VTA-400. Smooth, punchy and deep/musical and really holds it together way up the volume spectrum.

The other factor here is that the 115BX is tuned to 40hz. The 15HP1060 Fs is 40hz and the 15PR400 Fs is 32hz. So the HP is better fit for the cab ( I think ).
 
#6
playbass0410 said:
As the delta 15 A have a Power Rating of (Watts 400W / Music Program 800W) each I do not believe that speakers "crap out a little" but that simply your Amp starts clipping.
Click to expand...
Nope, he's right...the speaker does crap out a little early.

I've yet to see a 115 with a ceramic speaker that can take much more than 200w without farting out. I've got Deltas in my B-15 cabs, and they do sound excellent and I've gotten them quite loud without fart, but that 150-200w mark is pretty much what you could expect IMHO. You can get a little more out of them with Betas because they have more xmax (cone travel). Betas have a lower power handling rating but that's when the voice coil fries, not when fartout happens). Some of these neo speakers can handle a good bit more power before fartout, but they're expensive and depending on the internal volume and porting of your cab, they may not work so well, whereas Betas and Deltas are the modern day go-to for most vintage sounding bass cabs. That said, that a neo speaker may work very well. Don't know much about your cab, but that Faital is a great speaker, and there are a few others to choose from.

But if I were you, I'd stick with Deltas and just back off them a little. Cheapest solution ;)
 
#7
Thanks for the advice, its just that I have this huge rig but it cant handle a huge volume and im a little disappointed it the speakers. I understand that the cabs are "tuned" and the cab "volume" and "port" size and location matter but im not an engineer. It seems like if i toss some high end speakers in ANY cab it should, for the most part, sound killer.
 
#8
martarmetal said:
I understand that the cabs are "tuned" and the cab "volume" and "port" size and location matter but im not an engineer. It seems like if i toss some high end speakers in ANY cab it should, for the most part, sound killer.
Click to expand...

And you would be wrong.


Not only could it sound worse, but in extreme cases of the speaker not being in the correct cab, it can damage the speaker.
 
#10
IME- You'd be hard pressed to find a ceramic magnet speaker that would hang with the neos performance wise. I chose the Faital 15PR400's for My cab based on sound clips posted in threads here, and the weight savings that I was looking for in My speaker project. The Faital Pro 15PR400 and Eminence 3015, are about as good as it gets for a full range 15" speaker.
If Neos are are more than You are wanting to invest, there are some lower cost ceramic options that would probably work better than what You have now. One that comes to mind would be the Eminence CB158, as I've seen that it gets a lot of love around here.

IMO-Your best bet, would be to model the cab in winisd to see how those drivers will "fit" in Your boxes, and base Your choice on the findings and/or Your budgetary restraints.
 

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back