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Old EVB 15" bass speakers....

D

Dilfis

Oct 12, 2024
19
11
#1
Hey folks,
I used to have a Sunn 215 (horizontal vent, internal angle panels) cab that I miss a lot, except for the heft....great hi-fi response. Anyway I got some plans for that design cabinet
and unfortunately have acquired a hair up my posterior to build anew.
My old cab was actually a Sunn 215 minus the speakers that I got for free in the late 1980's. I placed Electro-Voice EV15'B' speakers in it and got a lot of compliments on the sound
using a vintage SWR head to power it. Sold it. Now that design from Sunn is no longer available that I can tell. Neither are new EV15B's.
I'm interested in opinions: who out there has had a great experience with the EV15B's and has been forced to 'substitute' a more modern manufacturer's product? How did it compare?
 
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#2
I have two Mesa Boogie Road Ready Diesel cabinets with 15 inch EV speakers, and two old Ampeg B 15 cabinets also with 15 inch EV speakers. The Mesa cabinets are an exact version of the Electro Voice TL606 cabinet design. They sound good for what I do, but good modern bass speakers will have much greater power handling capability. You can still find old cast frame EV speakers for sale fairly often.

The difference between the EV15 L, and EV15 B speakers is all in the recon kit, so the same cast basket can be set up as either the B or L. Both have been used for bass. There is a version that has a higher stated wattage because of some improved cooling. May have been called the Pro model?

The TL606 cabinet is probably easier to build that anything with "internal angle panels".

Here are the Plans for the Electro Voice TL606 cabinet,(designed by EV to sell the speaker in question).

I have seen posts here on TB by people who have installed other speakers in the EV TL606 cabinet, but I don't know what speakers they were, or how well it worked.
 
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#3
AFAIK Eminence Delta 15A or 15B are voiced as close to the EVM as any driver. No idea how close their T/S specs are.


15L
1733179797186.png


Delta 15A (top) 15B (bottom)
1733179940415.png
 
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#5
The EVM 15B is not very similar to the Delta 15 drivers, the L's are closer but still different.

Closer is the Delta Pro.

You could probably buy an older heavy 15"cabinet (by multiple manufacturers) for less than the cost of building one and end up with a better end resulting performance-wise. I see old Mesa Diesels, Road Ready's and Powerhouses WITH EV drivers for less than the cost of building them.
 
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#8
#9
Dilfis said:
Hey folks,
I used to have a Sunn 215 (horizontal vent, internal angle panels) cab that I miss a lot, except for the heft....great hi-fi response. Anyway I got some plans for that design cabinet
and unfortunately have acquired a hair up my posterior to build anew.
My old cab was actually a Sunn 215 minus the speakers that I got for free in the late 1980's. I placed Electro-Voice EV15'B' speakers in it and got a lot of compliments on the sound
using a vintage SWR head to power it. Sold it. Now that design from Sunn is no longer available that I can tell. Neither are new EV15B's.
I'm interested in opinions: who out there has had a great experience with the EV15B's and has been forced to 'substitute' a more modern manufacturer's product? How did it compare?
Click to expand...
I never had the opportunity to try a Kappalite 3015 in my old Sunn 1X15 slant vent cabinet but my guess is it would have more low end. I've played through the 15B's many times. Great tone but a little light on the low end.
 
#10
Plectrum72 said:
Hempopotamus Loudspeakers on reverb makes clones from OEM parts. A bit pricey, but they sound good. Not the most cost effective solution, but cheaper than the price of an old heavy cab and having it shipped if there are none for sale near you. No affiliation other than being a satisfied customer.

https://reverb.com/item/40849523-el...ones-all-ev-and-oem-parts-pmr-speaker-15l-15b
Click to expand...
Bull-poopie, that's absolutely NOTHING like the original in any meaningful way.

The original EV drivers used a very different frame, a vented pole piece, a 2.5" VC with aluminum wire, Kapton bobbin, etc. These are a solid pole piece, 3" VC, copper wire and an aluminum bobbin.

These are counterfeit drivers, EV is owned by Bosch now (used to be Telex and then Gulton/Textron before that). I have found no information that these are licensed drivers... especially since EV still makes the EVM 12L is available from EV and has been marketed to us OEMs as a current part.
 
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#11
I used a SUNN 2-15/ 200S cabinet with JBL K-140's for a long time. It was my New York City gigging cabinet! Yup- Checker cabs, then, my own old cars to haul it around. Powered it with a SUNN Coliseum 880 head. It got plenty of compliments, and I loved it. That got sold or traded, can't remember.. but it really sounded great.
There's old SUNN cabinets available on Craigslist, and elsewhere- not many people want large cabinets now. I sold my last SUNN Cab a couple of years ago- it was a killer 215 SH. folded horn. Amazing, but I hadn't used it in 15 years.
 
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#12
I have a pr of 15B's in my old Sunn Sorado cab. The vents are way too small for these drivers but these speakers somehow manage to produce such a tight and focused sound in the this cab, I'm not changing anything. One of the best bass rigs I've ever played was a Sunn 2000S with 2x200S cabs. Around 200 watts into 4 JBL D140's. Bass Heaven.
 
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#13
GreyBeard said:
I have a pr of 15B's in my old Sunn Sorado cab. The vents are way too small for these drivers but these speakers somehow manage to produce such a tight and focused sound in the this cab, I'm not changing anything. One of the best bass rigs I've ever played was a Sunn 2000S with 2x200S cabs. Around 200 watts into 4 JBL D140's. Bass Heaven.
Click to expand...
The ports are about right in the 215 but limited to about 200 watts RMS. In the 115 they are too small though.
 
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#14
agedhorse said:
Bull-poopie, that's absolutely NOTHING like the original in any meaningful way.

The original EV drivers used a very different frame, a vented pole piece, a 2.5" VC with aluminum wire, Kapton bobbin, etc. These are a solid pole piece, 3" VC, copper wire and an aluminum bobbin.

These are counterfeit drivers, EV is owned by Bosch now (used to be Telex and then Gulton/Textron before that). I have found no information that these are licensed drivers... especially since EV still makes the EVM 12L is available from EV and has been marketed to us OEMs as a current part.
Click to expand...
Well, thanks for the education. Wish I'd known this about 3 years ago. Suppose I should've checked with the TB knowledge base before buying, but it didn't occur to me at the time. On the plus side, while they may not be like the original in any meaningful way, they still sound good. No sarcasm intended. I truly appreciate you dropping some knowledge on me.
 
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#15
Dilfis said:
Hey folks,
I used to have a Sunn 215 (horizontal vent, internal angle panels) cab that I miss a lot, except for the heft....great hi-fi response. Anyway I got some plans for that design cabinet
and unfortunately have acquired a hair up my posterior to build anew.
My old cab was actually a Sunn 215 minus the speakers that I got for free in the late 1980's. I placed Electro-Voice EV15'B' speakers in it and got a lot of compliments on the sound
using a vintage SWR head to power it. Sold it. Now that design from Sunn is no longer available that I can tell. Neither are new EV15B's.
I'm interested in opinions: who out there has had a great experience with the EV15B's and has been forced to 'substitute' a more modern manufacturer's product? How did it compare?
Click to expand...
FYI, what you have is the original 200s cab, manufactured approximately from 1966(or ‘67?)to 1970, paired with their flagship 200s head(ultra linear design, 60 watts from a pair of KT88’s or 6550’s. The cab’s unique internal design was not derived scientifically, but, as legend has it, it came to Conrad Sundholm in a dream. He utilized JBL D-140’s(130’s for guitar cabs), as the baskets were shallow enough to fit in the tight chambers created by the port throat. They would be installed through the back(hense the back panel with all the screws). The success of the cab was due in part to the use of that particular driver, in that serendipitous manner.

This all makes me wonder, how are you fitting deeper EV’s in there? I would assume through the front, but keep in mind the cab wouldn’t necessarily be optimum for those drivers, not quite enough volume. The later 215B cab, same outward size, which emerged around 1970 and was more often paired with the solid state Concert head, had an entirely different internal design, somewhat similar(but not exactly)to Mesa Diesel cabs that employed EV’s, front loaded/sealed back, with a verticle side port. These cabs had a proprietary driver(not JBL), manufactured by CTS or Eminence(I forgot which).

There was also the earlier Sorado cab, same size budget version, with just a straight one piece baffle board and two small round port holes and cheap CTS speakers. I’ve own all three, still have a complete 200s rig and a 215B that I placed a pair of mystery Cerwin Vegas in, to good results, powered by a Fender Studio Bass amp in head form.
 
#16
A few years ago, I acquired a Ampeg V4-b cabinet ( the 2-15 folded horn ), I asked what was inside it, the guy just shrugged, and said "I don't know", got it home and opened up the speaker enclosure, and low and b hold a pair of OEM EV 15L's, was hoping for Altec's, but those speaker do sound good in that cab, as a side note, I don't use it very often, too big to hug around, and sound guy hate those things, because of the "throw", I got cause of nostalgia, had one when I was first starting to play out
PXL_20230820_191531753.MP (1).jpg
PXL_20230820_204301301 (2).jpg
 
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#17
Plectrum72 said:
Well, thanks for the education. Wish I'd known this about 3 years ago. Suppose I should've checked with the TB knowledge base before buying, but it didn't occur to me at the time. On the plus side, while they may not be like the original in any meaningful way, they still sound good. No sarcasm intended. I truly appreciate you dropping some knowledge on me.
Click to expand...
It's too bad that there isn't more truth in advertising... they may sound good but most players would buy them thinking they are legitimate (ie. licensed) EV clones/equivalents. To me that's really deceptive, and intentionally so.
 
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