The Bag End system I built was about 1995-96 or so. This was quite some time after the ELF subs were introduced.
As I mentioned, I chose Bag End compact 18" ELF subs specifically to cram a full PA along with a 5-piece band into a Learjet. I could have chosen EV SB121 or Ramsa WS-A240 subs, which are even smaller, but I expected the Bag Ends to play lower and sound better.
The entire system included four compact 18" ELF subs, two TA12s and two TA12 Jrs. The processor was a Bag End Elf 1. The system also had a pair of Galaxy Audio HotSpots. The HotSpots were for the vocalist who refused to wear IEMs. Each cab got a dedicated channel from either a QSC PL1.8 or a PL1.4.
In all honesty I was a bit disappointed in the performance of the ELF subs. I expected a significant improvement in the sound quality. They sounded good, but I do not feel that they had better fidelity than a good ported design.
For context, the Bag End gear replaced a very high end (Apogee Sound) system that consisted of four AE3 monitors, two AE5 mains, and two AE10 subs. The Apogee system had way better fidelity and could play way louder...it was also way more expensive, way bigger, and way heavier.
Years later I learned that the Bag End system had remained popular for a long time after I left. Everyone loved how light and easy to set up it was.
When properly configured, the ELF Concealment did a pretty good job of hiding the limitations of the subs. Rather than farting out or clacking, the subs simply did not try to reproduce sounds that were beyond their SPL limits.
As I mentioned, I believe I cut the subs off at 40hz rather than running them all the way down to 8hz. I thought they sounded better at 40hz and they had noticeably more headroom and punch. Also, if I pushed the system hard with a lower cutoff, the subs produced some noticeable artifacts and the Concealment was not completely transparent. Essentially it become more obvious that the lows were pumping and thinning out.
I do think there are applications where the Bag End INFRA subs could be a good choice. But if you really need lot's of super low frequency output, you will need a huge array of INFRA subs and plenty of amps to push them.
If you only need response to 40hz, I am confident that a pair of JBL VRX918s would stomp a quad of INFRA S18s. I think the VRX918s would sound more dynamic and play louder.
As I mentioned, I chose Bag End compact 18" ELF subs specifically to cram a full PA along with a 5-piece band into a Learjet. I could have chosen EV SB121 or Ramsa WS-A240 subs, which are even smaller, but I expected the Bag Ends to play lower and sound better.
The entire system included four compact 18" ELF subs, two TA12s and two TA12 Jrs. The processor was a Bag End Elf 1. The system also had a pair of Galaxy Audio HotSpots. The HotSpots were for the vocalist who refused to wear IEMs. Each cab got a dedicated channel from either a QSC PL1.8 or a PL1.4.
In all honesty I was a bit disappointed in the performance of the ELF subs. I expected a significant improvement in the sound quality. They sounded good, but I do not feel that they had better fidelity than a good ported design.
For context, the Bag End gear replaced a very high end (Apogee Sound) system that consisted of four AE3 monitors, two AE5 mains, and two AE10 subs. The Apogee system had way better fidelity and could play way louder...it was also way more expensive, way bigger, and way heavier.
Years later I learned that the Bag End system had remained popular for a long time after I left. Everyone loved how light and easy to set up it was.
When properly configured, the ELF Concealment did a pretty good job of hiding the limitations of the subs. Rather than farting out or clacking, the subs simply did not try to reproduce sounds that were beyond their SPL limits.
As I mentioned, I believe I cut the subs off at 40hz rather than running them all the way down to 8hz. I thought they sounded better at 40hz and they had noticeably more headroom and punch. Also, if I pushed the system hard with a lower cutoff, the subs produced some noticeable artifacts and the Concealment was not completely transparent. Essentially it become more obvious that the lows were pumping and thinning out.
I do think there are applications where the Bag End INFRA subs could be a good choice. But if you really need lot's of super low frequency output, you will need a huge array of INFRA subs and plenty of amps to push them.
If you only need response to 40hz, I am confident that a pair of JBL VRX918s would stomp a quad of INFRA S18s. I think the VRX918s would sound more dynamic and play louder.
