Speaker Cabinet - Help to understand quality

[Zeus_Mutation]

Well here's another speaker cabinet question.

In a complex world with complicated people I'll be trying to oversimplify this topic.

I have read the amp FAQ's.

I'm hoping to get a quality cabinet without going into debt. I think the general theme is buy the best you can afford. That said, defining quality is part of my question. Is there a huge difference to be aware of between manufactures, Peavey, Markbass, Ampeg, etc.?

I will go listen to several… but, I'd like the know more about the quality behind these products too. I'm sure theres more to the price different between say a $200 peavey headliner 210 (400w) and a $879 Ampeg Pro Neo (550w) aside from profit margin.

2x10 cab is my preference as of now. I've read that a higher sensitivity ratting is very important. I'd like to actually reach the 100+db mark if I can afford to.

If I can find something at $400 or less great, is this realistic? Should I wait until my budget is bigger?

Oh and I'll be using a used, beat up Fender M-80 head to drive it until I can get something better.

Thanks!

 

[2.6kHz]

Light, high quality, cheap. Pick two. There's cheap stuff out there that can handle power and sound good, but it will break your back moving it. Light and high quality is really expensive.

Peavey cabs weigh a ton at the lower price points, but they sound fairly decent. Carvin is a decent lower priced cab that won't give you a hernia.

 

[B-string]

http://avatarspeakers.com/home/product/b210special/

Special $288 (+ shipping I think). Solid plywood construction, RELIABLE Eminence speakers. If you want a cab without the "rat-fur" carpet it would be a normal order cab for more $.

 

[rigtec]

Hi Zeus,

Most... of the 'surviving' bass amp manufacturing companies (many are gone forever), are making very "High Quality" products these days; too many great ones out there to compete with, building sub-par audio sound gear! But, you have to compare 'Apples to Apples' to level the playing field; can't compare a 1200W Ampeg 8-ten with a 100W GK 1-ten, or a $4000 dollar mega-stage rig to a $179 buck 'bedroom bargain'. Having said that, Most stuff on the market is pretty darn good. But it can become very subjective trying to decide which one Sounds the best; that's not necessarily a 'quality issue'... it a 'personal taste' thing! And could be that the longer you shop, increasing the candidates, the more difficult the task becomes to decide.

I trust that you'll get a few good responses here in this thread, but the bottom line will be "Your choice".

Best to you!

 

[strictlybass_ic]

Avatar is the best bang for your buck that I've used. DIY Fearful 12/6 isn't a bad deal either if you have the tools/means.

 

[strictlybass_ic]

I have one of the super cheap Avatar 210s listed above. Its 95% a great cab, but it is a touch weak on an open E and I suspect not so great on a low B. But for the $$$ its a screaming deal.

 

[rigtec]

I actually have that 'exact same cabinet' B-string. Mine came w/ Kappa pros... Great piece for the mid/high section of my Bi-Amp but also sounds good as stand alone!

 

[B-string]

They are being offered right now with the Basslites (8 ohm) or ceramic (4 ohm).

 

[Zeus_Mutation]

Appreciate the feedback

If I understand, the quality between manufactures will be on par with one another … materials used being the major difference?

 

[2.6kHz]

Most are using 3/4" birch ply, but some do use poplar, lowest price points will use MDF.

Level of bracing, quality of the drivers seem to dictate the price differences the most. Bracing helps with keeping the sound tight at high power levels and also makes the cab more durable at the same time. Higher power handling and/or lighter drivers will of course add to the price.

 

[will33]

IMO, the low quality stuff out there nowdays is pretty much confined to extreme budget brands, like behringer or guitar centers "acoustic" house brand, etc. Most stuff is varying flavors of decent and it's mostly a subjective tone thing combined with a how much you can afford thing.

There are also very high quality brands that are quite a level above the usual commercial manufacturers. With that, you can get yourself into a paying a lot more for a little better type of thing. Sounds great to you, but most of the audience won't appreciate the difference between a $500 product and a $1500 one. They absolutely know the difference between "average" and "really good", they just don't know why, or that it took spending 3 times as much to take that step.

There are also some brands that make the same stuff they have been for the last 20 or 30 years and basically command high price just for name recognition or prestige rather than the actual product.

 

[Mr. Foxen]

Gotta bear in mind, the better you know the brand name, the more money you pay for the cab is going to marketing instead of anything that makes your cab work better.

If the design has pushed towards being light, tends to have good quality all round, light drivers are expensive, being heavy is cheap. Right now, you'll probably have a hard time finding a poorly designed light cab.

Greenboy/Fearless/Fearful stuff, if you have a local builder, or cab build, is a good bang for buck place, because minimal money in marketing and good design, but there isn't a cheap tier.