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Speaker Size

Two 1x15 cabs (EVM 15L) through Bass 400: To deep sounding for me, kind of sounded like the cabs were further away then they really are (hard to explain)

Two 2x10 cabs (EVM 10M) through Bass 400: Too harsh sounding, not quite the "Icepick in brains" but definitely too much highs (note: I mainly use an almost all Maple Alembic)

When combined it sounded a lot better to me, as said above "Best of both worlds"
the TB "i'm still right" answer is that you don't really like either of those cabs and should sell them all for a cab that you do like by itself, and get multiples for bigger gigs.

the correct answer is "hey it works for you, so go for it."
 
Perhaps I can get more recommendations with more specific details?
About...um...75% of the songs I play have scooped mids (of varying degree).
The rest seem to be the opposite (boosted mids, cut everything else).
And I tend to lean toward a punchy kind of sound.
And the people I'm playing with have a, either 200w or 250w amp with a 410 cab (guitar), and another guitarist that has a smaller amp but feels the need to overpower everyone.
And soon there will be a drummer.

I was originally thinking of getting a 210 (as that or a 212 are the most convenient size for me at the moment, or anything around that size)
I'm not completely sold on any one amp yet though.

And I have no idea about any of this amp stuff.
Like, why does a combo of a 210 and 115 not work (some times!!), but there are cabs with a larger speaker and smaller that do?
And, if you want two identical cabs, does that not mean you want a matching head from the same brand?
 
And I have no idea about any of this amp stuff.
Like, why does a combo of a 210 and 115 not work (some times!!), but there are cabs with a larger speaker and smaller that do?
those are like PA cabs, where the sound is split up with a crossover so that only lows go in the big speaker and only highs go in the small one.

a totally different deal.
And, if you want two identical cabs, does that not mean you want a matching head from the same brand?
nope, not at all.
 
the TB "i'm still right" answer

:D in fact: ROFL

From my experience, I would advise a 2x10 and 1x15 combi. If you want to start with one cab I'dd go with a 1x15 first.
That advise is for the old Mesa diesel series cabs, they are affordable (I guess about $300 in the US?) and imho the best cabs around. Downside: they are kind of heavy, 38.7 kg for the 2x10 and 28.8 kg for the 1x15.
Mesa also had a 2x10 version with Eden Speakers which is about 32 kg (and 300 Watt, the EV loaded cabs are 400 Watt)
 
I've been thinking I would go with a mixture of cabs (in the long run)

But here is one more question applying to that:
If I am to do a 210 +115 combination, how would I go about that without it sounding like crap?
I'm sure part of it is just how it sounds to me, but is there any special connectors, or just plug them in and go?
 
Feeding the same signal to two different speakers, each of which reproduce the sound differently, throw differently, react differently to processing and EQing...

Just can’t be the best way.

Start by embracing the laws of physics, then add your creativity… the two will act in harmony instead of fighting each other.
 
What bass are you using and with what strings? When I plug my old Warwick into most 10" or 12" spk cabs, it doesn't sound like a Warwick. But when it's played through 15" spkrs, no matter what brand, it sounds like what I paid for. Also, different basses with different strings can sound totally different played through the exact same gear. Is there a store near you where you can take YOUR bass and play it through cabs with different speaker sizes? Don't be afraid of the 5" spkr cabs like Phil Jones Bass. You might like them. Just try all the sizes with YOUR bass.
 
why?

there's lots of reasons why it's less than ideal; what's your reason for going that direction? what do you think the advantage will be?

Prepare for a mix of my ignorance in this field and the wonderful influences of the internet!

First off, I've imagined myself getting a 115 and either a 210 or 212. Why??
According to what I've read, the bigger the speaker (115) it is more "bassy", though not necessarily lacking in the highs. And the opposite could be said about smaller speakers (210).
Now that is according to the internet. As I have not yet had a chance to REALLY try out different combos of cabs.
And I understand that I WILL try them out before I buy.


I have read about bad things happening (more like the rig just not sounding right), but I have heard an equal amount of good stories.
Perhaps I am looking in the wrong places, I dont know.

I have also read that for bass the speaker size and number of speakers doesn't really matter: what does it the combined area of all the speaker.
Though I'm unsure what the perfect area would be...

Now, only having 10 months experience, I really have no idea what I'm talking about.
Almost everything I know is based off what I've read, with a lack of money holding me back from really experimenting.

So, to a novice like myself, you should be able to see why I would want a mix.
When I hear "more bass with this one +mids and more highs +mids with these!" I think "awesome!"
Please excuse my ignorance, this is why things like TB are good.
 
According to what I've read, the bigger the speaker (115) it is more "bassy", though not necessarily lacking in the highs. And the opposite could be said about smaller speakers (210).

So, to a novice like myself, you should be able to see why I would want a mix.
When I hear "more bass with this one +mids and more highs +mids with these!" I think "awesome!"
Please excuse my ignorance, this is why things like TB are good.
that in a nutshell is the myth, and don't feel bad, because plenty of non-"novice" players fall for it, too.

it's called "listening with your eyes";

"that 15 is a bigger speaker than each of those 10s, so it has to have more lows, right?"

once you go with this false premise, then the next step is:

"if this cab has more lows and that one has more highs, then putting them together should be awesome, right?"

that works for PA systems, because each different-sized speaker is only covering a certain frequency range, and doesn't overlap with the others.

different kinds of cabs covering the same frequencies (like two regular bass cabs) can do weird stuff with phase-cancelling and coverage issues. two of the exact same cab will reinforce each other's low end, making the stack much more powerful.

anyway, definitely do more reading, there's another one of these threads appearing about every 30 minutes on TB.
 
Some mix better than others. There's really know way to predict it without trying them ( spending $$ ). You can hear it when you walk around the room. Bass will be really strong in some spots and can almost disappear in others. So, you sound different to everybody depending on where they're standing. Harder to dial in something good when no matter what you do, it still sounds different everywhere. Using matched speakers eliminates some of those problems, sounds a lot more even across the room, and is easier to dial out problems, dial in good sound, because the adjustments you make at least apply somewhat evenly to most of the audience.


If you're confident you'll have full PA support at every gig for the rest of your entire life and the only person hearing your actual rig will only be you from 6 feet straight in front of it......it's not such a big deal.
 
I agree that each player prefers different cabs and speaker sizes. Best thing if possible is play through different cabs with the different speaker sizes. I myself have always used cabs with 10's, they always have worked for me and what I am doing. As far as cabs, 410's are a nice cab to get to usually have that "enough" for most situations. As others have said mixing cabs of both speaker size and different brands is usually not looked upon highly, but again it may work for you. It's really up to you.
 
Shlogo, mixing cabs like you are thinking about makes a lot of sense if you have an amp with a built in crossover and 2 amp sections (GK 800RB, for example). But with a normal amp, you lose the benefit that the built in crossover provides and are sending exactly the same signal to both cabs. And while a 210 may be more pronounced in the mids and a 115 more pronounced in the lows, they both probably cover the same frequency response range.

I think there is wisdom of finding a cab that has a voicing you like, then getting another one of the same, as that will get you move volume and more SPL without changing the voicing. Going at it with a mix and match mindset can work but it becomes a game of chance - will these 2 cabs produce a sound I like?
 
I've been thinking I would go with a mixture of cabs (in the long run)

But here is one more question applying to that:
If I am to do a 210 +115 combination, how would I go about that without it sounding like crap?
I'm sure part of it is just how it sounds to me, but is there any special connectors, or just plug them in and go?

Actually a 210 (or 112) over a 115 (or 215) bi-amped with a Gallien-Krueger 800RB can sound totally awesome.

NOTE: When bi-amped with a GK800RB. ;)