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Opinions of Sunn Cabs?

N

nicolai

Sep 17, 2007
2
0
Portland, OR
#1
There is a little bit of info about Sunn in these forums but it pertains more to the amps and talks little about the quality of the cabs. It seems like the general tendency is to try to match up the appropriate cab to its head in the way sunn originally released them.

There's a local listing for a "1960s Sunn 4x10 Open-back Transducer cabinet". The Sunn website is kind of dismal, but I think this is the 410s listed in the Sunn museum. Anybody have any opinions, guesses, or experience with this cab or its kind? I'm thinking about picking it up for general use and hoping it's got some unique flavor or warmness to it. In any case I'm just trying to find out whether or not I'm going to be wasting my money ($300) and maybe spark some dialogue about this comparatively underserved topic... I think I attached a pic. if so, it's the cab in the upper lefthand corner.
Cheers and thanks!
 

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#4
Mostly likely it's a 610M (magna transducers) or 610S (108G transducers) with a V shaped baffe board.Which are all guitar cabs. and rated at 6 ohms from the 70's.As far as I know Sunn never made any cabinets with 10" drivers dedicated for bass back in the day.I recently checked out a Sunn 610S cab. recently and almost purchased it,but the cab was sold before I made my mind up.My plan/idea was to replace the drivers and rewire it to be 8 ohms.

John
 
#5
I was never a big fan of Sunn heads 'back in the day' - Ampeg all the way; but the Sunn Magna 4x15 cab was one of the best sounding cabinets I've heard. I'm not sure but it may have something to do with the lack of airspace behind the speakers in the V-mounted configuration. They sounded fat but tighter than normal 15's. Pretty compact also.
 
#6
The cab on top is a 410S as evidenced by the center logo and wheels on the side. I haven't been able to learn much about these aside from photos.

The 410s has 4 "Sunn Transducers" but there is no indication what brand(s) these were. I've seen it mentioned twice that they used different speakers for bottom (more bass response) vs. top (more like standard mids). One thread claimed they were JBLs "because of the chrome caps" but I don't know whether that's conclusive. I've them mentioned in the 1975 catalogue but no idea when production started. Mine was paired with a 68/69 Sceptre cabinet when I found it.

The 1975 catalogue adds this:
410S - Open-Back, 4x10 Sunn 108 G, 8 ohms, 160 watts RMS, 24" H x 24" W x 11-1/2" D.

One recone kit for the Sunn 108G mentions Eminence. All can agree on 40W Alnico. One thread cites a parts list (parts obtained from Weber Speaker): Cone WC10Q, Spider SN2, Voice Coil vc1515h, Gasket G10, Tinsel Wire

Cheers,
-Eli.
 
#9
erobillard said:
The cab on top is a 410S as evidenced by the center logo and wheels on the side. I haven't been able to learn much about these aside from photos.
Click to expand...

Although it's a moot point (the OP hasn't even logged on to TB for over four years), for general informational purposes the cab pictured could be either a 410S or 410M. Both were introduced in the 1972 model year and continued under various badges/grillcloth/color schemes for about 10 years.

erobillard said:
The 410s has 4 "Sunn Transducers" but there is no indication what brand(s) these were. I've seen it mentioned twice that they used different speakers for bottom (more bass response) vs. top (more like standard mids). One thread claimed they were JBLs "because of the chrome caps" but I don't know whether that's conclusive. I've them mentioned in the 1975 catalogue but no idea when production started. Mine was paired with a 68/69 Sceptre cabinet when I found it.
Click to expand...

The original "Sunn Transducers" in the 410S were a stamped frame, AlNiCo motored guitar driver. Pretty puny, but some guitar players like them; not much use for bass guitar IMO.
I'm about 99% sure they were CTS, although labeled and coded as Sunn. Sunn did mfg. drivers at their KY plant, but I think the original AlNiCo transducers were a CTS “pass through”.
What they were NOT are JBL. By 1972 Sunn no longer used JBL as OEM, the upgrade drivers were Sunn Magna, and the "premium" upgrade was Cerwin Vega.

billfitzmaurice said:
The best Sunn cabs were the earliest, the 200S and 2000S loaded with JBL fifteens. Some of the later cabs were OK, but also only when loaded with JBL fifteens.
Click to expand...

The Sunn 215S that replaced the 200S was on par with the 200S, and far more versatile.
One of the problems with the 200S cab is that it was designed with the relatively compact motor structure of the JBL D140F as it’s only driver. Some ceramic drivers just won’t fit in the 200S without hacking away at the port ducting.
The 215S will take any 15” driver, and is very forgiving tonally as well.
 
#10
I have owned (3) Sunn cabs:

(2) Early to mid 1970's: Sunn 2x15 Magnas and (12) 70's Sunn 1-18vh.

I bought the Magnas for very little of their [then ] going rate; kept them 3 years and sold them for what I paid for them in
'76.

Tonal-wise, I did not like the Magnas or I would have kept them. They sounded no better than my old Kustom 200: 2x15 cab, which is powered with CTS speakers.

I bought my my 1-18vh to power my 1974 Acoustic 370 head.

The Sunn 1-18vh is a folded horn variant, powered by a 18"
Cerwin/ Vega speaker; has volume and tone to die for. It never has any loss of high's: Played high D# as well as open E. I could hear myself on stage, as well as rest of the band and probably caused digestive issues with our audiences 100 feet away; could fill any room. I wish I owned another to stack vertically. That would produce quite a sonic wave...LOL..

I have been asked to turn down in nearly every venue I played in back in the 1980's. Acoustic 370 volume begins at 1 1/2 and will kill at close range if turned up to 4. As I couldn't realistically reduce the volme of my 370,I had to back the volume down on my Rick 4001 to please managers and bartenders with any volume issues.

Frankly, I prefer my Sunn horn over the "proper" AC 301, which is a "W-HORN". I believe the 301 will throw sound very efficiently, but you may have issues hearing it on stage.

I would love to hear or own either/or the Sunn 1x15sh or 2x15 sh. Entwistle used those and other Sunn horns that I cannot identify. Prior to his death, Ashdown made "Jackass" cabs, which appeared to me to be clones of the 1x15sh and 1x15sh cabs. The 1x15sh looks like a 15" version of my 1`8' horn cab.

I cannot argue against the science of BFM/ fEARFUL, etc cabs, but other than weight, I would like to match my 1-18 against a fEARFUL or the like. Probably the newer would sound more hi-fi; flat [ lifeless], but my old horn cab would have a tone of it's own that would be more pleasing to my ears.

OK, Bill.. light into me: Spelling, grammar..something.. I always agree with [your]science and light weight, but a soul-less; flat tone would not be worth the sacfifice to me. Now clone my 1-18vh with neo 18 and light weight cab materials and we'll talk seriously.
 
#13
Loved my 200S amp and 2x15 JBL cab! I swear mine had twin D130s...

My opinion of Sunn cabs: Early cabs (60s thru early 70s) were well considered, well built, sturdy, and sounded great. Easier to move than the Ampeg cabs of the day too.
 

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