Should I change from a 115 to a 210?

[HelpImaRock]

A few years ago, I bought a Markbass LMII and a GK NEO 115. It’s a cool, portable rig and suits my needs. I feel like the cab sounds great, but you have to stand about 15 feet away to actually hear it. There’s this nagging voice in my head that says a 210 Avatar or Fender Rumble would be a little easier to stand next to and still give me the low end I want. And yes, I’m a 1 cab kinda guy, so “both” isn’t an answer.

Thoughts?

 

[Stumbo]

Try getting your rig up on a stand closer to ear level or tilting it back. Or both.

You also might try dialing in more Mids

 

[Stumbo]

Also, consider putting an HPF in your signal chain. Checkout my HPF mega thread for more info.

 

[HelpImaRock]

Also, consider putting an HPF in your signal chain. Checkout my HPF mega thread for more info.

I tend to run the bass control around 10 o’clock and the treble around 2. I could cut more bass with a regular EQ pedal before buying something new, but I could use an explanation on how that solves the projection issue. Thanks!

 

[JimChjones]

Put crudely the hpf filters out frequencies that aren't needed, leaving more amp power for those that are, so you get more audible volume. However if your rig is loud enough out in the room anyway I doubt making it potentially louder will help. I'm with the 'point the cone at your ears' school of thought.

 

[aproud1]

A few years ago, I bought a Markbass LMII and a GK NEO 115. It’s a cool, portable rig and suits my needs. I feel like the cab sounds great, but you have to stand about 15 feet away to actually hear it. There’s this nagging voice in my head that says a 210 Avatar or Fender Rumble would be a little easier to stand next to and still give me the low end I want. And yes, I’m a 1 cab kinda guy, so “both” isn’t an answer.

Thoughts?

I gigged that exact same rig for a while. Great combo! I agree that getting the speaker of the floor and a HPF will help. I'd say it is worth experimenting with your current setup.

If you just want a new cab, that is a different story.

 

[ctmullins]

“Like” for pizza instead of carrots!

If you’re happy with the tone of the 15, then tilt back is the answer.

 

[jeff62]

Good suggestions above. If you need to move more air, just add a second matching 15” and that’ll get it closer to your mid section and ears where you’ll feel the punch.

 

[Stumbo]

I tend to run the bass control around 10 o’clock and the treble around 2. I could cut more bass with a regular EQ pedal before buying something new, but I could use an explanation on how that solves the projection issue. Thanks!

Here's a good post on the topic from the mega thread:

1) A HPF helps deals with boomy venue and/or stage acoustics (like putting your rig on a stand or a pad, which I also recommend, to disconnect from stage)

2) decreases speaker "floppyness" by reducing mechanical movement, especially in ported cabs. Still, it works for sealed cabs too.

3) Protects speakers from transient spikes.

4) Keeps your amp from working so hard and gives more headroom by cutting unneeded/unnecessary frequencies (below port tuning or speaker ) from being reproduced (mud).

5) Help balance string to string volume.

6) Better stage volume and clarity.

7) Allows your bass amp tone control(s) to boost or cut frequencies that matter. If you add a LPF (low pass filter), depending on your style, you can tame the highs as well.

8) Allows you to control what you send to the FOH mixing board. Why send mud to the FOH? Same for LPF.

9) Helps keep your rig from stepping on the kick drum's slot.

10) Can also be used by guitar and keyboard players to cut their low-end incursions into bass guitar territory

11) Helps you sit in the mix better because your rig is not reproducing muddy and/or sub-sonic, non-hearable lows even if it sounds good on stage

12) Allows your passive or active bass guitar tone controls to be more effective

13) Will help control 5 and 6 string and other down-tuning bass's low frequencies and help your rig go louder and sound clearer and cleaner

14) Controls and protects speakers from effects that produce sub-octave tones. Can also improve sub-octave tracking along with improving the tone of effects that produce too much low and mid-lows, especially distortion effects. Some pedals come with an HPF and some come with an internal splitter that creates both distortion and clean, allowing you to blend both for best effect before outputting to your amp

15) Also known as a low-cut filter, rumble filter or sub-sonic filter, it could also be called an anti-distortion filter or equalizer. It cuts low frequencies your speakers can't reproduce or reproduce well.

16. Cuts muddy, sub-sonic frequencies so that effects are working with a cleaner signal. This will help keep compressors from reacting too soon and distortion to produce a better tone.

 

[eriky4003]

Although I am now a fan of an HPF, your first issue is to get that cab closer to your hearing instead of firing on the floor to your knees, maybe even place the cab on one side. If you weren't already aware, this cab is a mid-monster and won't give you too much low-end bass so your dialing of bass at 10:00 is the right thing to do - goose your mids as already suggested. That should get you pretty much there. Good luck.

 

[rtslinger]

I am told that is usually how it works. For a 15" speaker you need to be at least 15 ft away to get the full affect, so you will need to be 10 ft to really get the 10". I was using a 15'' on a amp stand, so I could hear it while standing in front of it and although it does help, you really do need to move out away from the amp in order to hear what it is doing to the overall band mix in my experience. So many times I was just about hearing myself, but move to the other side of the stage and I was shaking the building off the foundation.

 

[Stumbo]

Also go FOH to hear how you sit in the mix. If you sound good in the mix, getting your cab closer to ear level may be all you need to do.

 

[AstroSonic]

A single 210 sitting on the floor won't do much better than what you have.

I have one of those cabs. All you have to do is tilt it back a little - raise the front edge about 4 inches off the floor. It also helps to have some sound coming from the tweeter. The neo 15 driver by itself has weak upper mid presence, so the tweeter really helps.

 

[Wasnex]

A few years ago, I bought a Markbass LMII and a GK NEO 115. It’s a cool, portable rig and suits my needs. I feel like the cab sounds great, but you have to stand about 15 feet away to actually hear it. There’s this nagging voice in my head that says a 210 Avatar or Fender Rumble would be a little easier to stand next to and still give me the low end I want. And yes, I’m a 1 cab kinda guy, so “both” isn’t an answer.

Thoughts?

Elevate and/or tilt the cab back so it aims at your ears. I used to run an Eden D210XLT on top of a rolling rack with a Countryman Type-85 wedged under the front edge. This put the cab at the perfect angle for me to hear the full range of frequencies it produced. The same trick will work with a 15.

Course not everyone wants to hear the mids and highs. Ground Coupling Learning Experience.

 

[micguy]

Changing cabinets won't help that much. Either point the speakers at your ears, or move your ears to the back of your calves. Your choice.

 

[BogeyBass]

Kinda depends on the 15" speaker itself.

I've heard many that handle power greatly. But are short on the magic midrange

Then heard some with magical lovely midrange. But had to ease on the power.

Then some are muddy boomy farting crude nuggets lol.

Where your current driver is at I don't know....but

I've found that even if I didn't need massive volume. A stacked pair of magic mid-range 15s. Not only gave me more overhead and brought things up to ear level.

The overall presence is a tear jerking expierence

Anyhoo. I hate 2x10s so you won't get my vote on that. Don't get me wrong I love my 10s and prefer the tight love of sealed 10s

But a 2 driver situation don't cut it for me in sealed application. And ported 2x10s
Just never did it for me.

If I'm going to deal with a ported cabinet it's going to be a 15" or a 12"

I'd find a 15" that makes you happy, but it's gotta be presented at ear level regardless.

So instead of getting odd ideas of adding a 12" to that or adding a 10" to this blah blah.

If you like a single carry solution, and can at least understand the magic of a minimum 2 matching drivers.

A taller ported form factor like a 2x12 might be the one for you.

Likewise the overall efficiency of a 2x12 is above a 2x10 or a 1x15. And offers a very very nice tone in a ported application. And is still a single carry cabinet

 

[JW56789]

'Should I change from a 115 to a 210?'

Yes.

 

[JW56789]

'Should I change from a 115 to a 210?'

No.

 

[SteveHeissner]

If you feel the need to spend $$ then get a matching 115. Good luck.

 

[Brad Johnson]

A single 210 sitting on the floor won't do much better than what you have.

I have one of those cabs. All you have to do is tilt it back a little - raise the front edge about 4 inches off the floor. It also helps to have some sound coming from the tweeter. The neo 15 driver by itself has weak upper mid presence, so the tweeter really helps.

This. Aim the cab more "up" towards your ears.

How close you have to stand to your cab can also be an issue