Stacking Mesa Subway Cabs Question

[N4860]

I have a Subway 800+ with a Subway 112 and Subway 115. Mmbongo describes each cabinet perfectly. When I was playing out, I’ve played through just the 112 or the just the 115, and I’ve also stacked the two. All sound incredible.

I’ve bought used all from Long And McQuade a few years ago. I think the one cab came from Calgary and the other from Halifax. The amp was from Hamilton. They brought in all of it and they cover shipping. I haven’t had a problem with any of this. L&M have a great return policy, and a great trade in policy if you want to trade later for something else. They even let me try it out in the store before I bought any of this. Now, you won’t be able to try anything out these days, but that will change. I’m certain that you won’t be disappointed.

Yeah, I think I saw one of the 115 cabs is available used out West on the L&M website so I could always get that shipped to me in Waterloo. I'm just in the research phase right now as I do want to try somethings out in person once the stores open up again here.

 

[Scarey Larry]

I purchased a TT800 three months ago and love it. I wanted that 400+ circuit and HPF. I use the subway circuit for pedals. Jazz bass = 400+, P bass = Subway. YMMV Two Subway 15's will pretty much demolish a building with any of the 800's. Three is the opening shot in a nuclear war.

 

[FirewalZ]

In a nutshell:
Subway 112: Rounder sounding bottom end, thicker in the low mids. I call it 'old school'.
Subway 115: Deeper, snappier, more articulate. Sounds 'faster' if that makes sense.
Kinda think of the 112 as a P bass and the 115 as a Jazz bass.

I have both and much prefer the 115. The only time I use the 112 is when paired with a 115.

Great description....I started with a 212, than added a 115 for a smaller stand alone option as well as beast mode stack. I was surprised at how articulate, snappy and lightweight the 115 was.

 

[DrThumpenstein]

I purchased a TT800 three months ago and love it. I wanted that 400+ circuit and HPF. I use the subway circuit for pedals. Jazz bass = 400+, P bass = Subway. YMMV Two Subway 15's will pretty much demolish a building with any of the 800's. Three is the opening shot in a nuclear war.

That IS scarey!

Yeah, I just got the SW115 and it kills with the WD. I played the SW 112 and 210 and various combinations and they all sound good, just somewhat different voicing with each combination. There are fans of each combination. I confirmed just this week at band practice that I shouldn’t really need another cab for gigs where we’ll be playing when it opens up again.

Not to say I won’t be getting a 112 or another 115 down the road...

 

[Smooth Operator]

The amp is yet to be determined. I currently have Mesa M6 Carbine through a PH610 but would like to switch to something a little easier to move around, but still comparably powerful. Initial thoughts are a TT-800 or WD-800.

I have thr WD800 and the D800+. The WD800 is amazing. It's very versatile and has beautiful harmonic content that I've never heard out of another class D amp. The D800+ is great as well. I hear great things about the TT800. If you will utilize the 2 channels of the TT800 then that sound slike a winner, otherwise I'd go for the WD800. They are Plenty powerful especially at 4&2ohms.

 

[lermgalieu]

Official Mesa Boogie Subway Series Club

 

[Bassngtr]

I have a D800+ and the 2x15 Subway cab. (Hadn't said that for a while...just wanted to brag).

Only did one gig last Feb before lockdowns. Chose the 2x15 for the wheels and the weight (60 lbs is almost 10 less than my D210XLT). It can stand vertically in my 4Runner. OMG am I happy. What a combo of head and cab. Can't wait to gig again and can see myself using the 215 even for smaller gigs since it's so freaking portable.

 

[Rip Van Dan]

Hey, I know the Subway cabs are quite popular here so I have a quick question. Has anyone tried using a Subway 2x15 with a Subway 1x15? The 2x15 is 4 ohm and the 1x15 is 8 ohm. Is there any reason why this wouldn't be a good match?

Also, I noticed the depth dimensions of the 2 cabs are slightly different (~.75") so I was wondering if anyone has experience trying to stack the 2 cabs and if that difference affects the balance much.

I want to have a rig that can accommodate playing with some pretty loud players but also something that can be flexible in terms of what I would need to bring to a gig if it were a smaller quiet gig. Being able to take either 1, 2, or 3 15" speakers seems pretty flexible to me.

I'd think that's a great set-up. You have the 115 to use at small or small/medium venues and the 215 to use a medium/large venues, plus stack both for truly Large venues, outdoor venues, and Festivals. Trick is you need to be sure you have an amp that will handle a 2.67 ohm load. If it handles 2 ohms, you're good. If it has a minimum ohms load of only 4 ohms, you can use one or the other but not both at once. Mesa has a number of amps that will handle that lower ohm load. Plus just about any of the older Eden WT hybrid amps will handle 2 ohms. None of their current amp offerings do.

If you get the Mesa amp to compliment it, don't forget that we are lucky to have @agedhorse as a very active member here on the forum and he designed those amps and I believe all the Subway cabs too. So if you have a question or a problem, there's nothing quite like getting the info directly from the horse's mouth (sorry, just couldn't resist!).

The cool thing about running an 8 ohm 112 with a 4 ohm 212 is that each of the speakers will get the same number of watts. If you are running two cabs of the same impedance, such as two 8 ohm cabs, the amp will split its power equally between them. But, if one cab is 4 ohm and the other is 8 ohm, it sends the 4 ohm cab twice as much power as the 8 ohm (presuming the industry standard parallel connections). The good news with your set-up is that the 4 ohm cab has twice the speakers so each speaker will get the same amount of power - that's ideal. That's why @mmbongo said to think of it not as an 8 ohm cab and a 4 ohm cab but rather as three 8 ohm speakers. Would be a very nice and modular set up as long as the amp will handle the 2.67 ohm load.

 

[retroXvertigo]

In a nutshell:
Subway 112: Rounder sounding bottom end, thicker in the low mids. I call it 'old school'.
Subway 115: Deeper, snappier, more articulate. Sounds 'faster' if that makes sense.
Kinda think of the 112 as a P bass and the 115 as a Jazz bass.

I have both and much prefer the 115. The only time I use the 112 is when paired with a 115.

That's a great description of the 115. I haven't tried the 112, but I've tried a few things after I had two SW115s and the 15s always win.

They sound so huge and tight.

 

[dbsfgyd1]

Indeed I am. Being in Canada, I'll have to do some searching to find a store that has some Mesa amps in stock but I'll be sure to bring one of mine to test with it. I honestly have no idea how each amp will sound compared to the carbine series. Even the D-800/800+ interests me so ideally I'd like to find a store with each of those to test to see which is the best fit for me. Have you tested any of the subway 112's against the 15's? I'd be curious to know how they sound compared to each other. I used to gig a pair of GK 112s so I am familiar with 12's but its been a long time since I've used a 15.

A week or so I saw on TB classifieds, someone from Montreal was selling a lightly used Mesa WD-800.

 

[2milehighspike]

A week or so I saw on TB classifieds, someone from Montreal was selling a lightly used Mesa WD-800.

And I think somebody in Canada in the classifieds has a 115 for sale.

 

[nnnnnn]

Have you tested any of the subway 112's against the 15's? I'd be curious to know how they sound compared to each other.

When I got my Subway rig I tried the 115, 112, and 210 - at that time those were the only available options.

I did not like the 112 much. I did like the 210 quite a lot. And I loved the 115. Ended up with a 2 X 115 stack and a D800 head.

I would recommend trying all of the options in person if possible. I didn't like the 112 but a lot of people love it. And a lot of people love the way the 112 blends with the 115.

I was wondering if anyone has experience trying to stack the 2 cabs

If you head over to the main Subway thread that somebody above linked to I think you'll be able to find pictures of a 215 plus 115 stack, that combination is definitely in use by some players.

 

[2milehighspike]

When I got my Subway rig I tried the 115, 112, and 210 - at that time those were the only available options.

I did not like the 112 much. I did like the 210 quite a lot. And I loved the 115. Ended up with a 2 X 115 stack and a D800 head.

I would recommend trying all of the options in person if possible. I didn't like the 112 but a lot of people love it. And a lot of people love the way the 112 blends with the 115.


If you head over to the main Subway thread that somebody above linked to I think you'll be able to find pictures of a 215 plus 115 stack.

I like the 112, but I haven’t tried,any of the others. You guys are pushing me the the 115!

 

[N4860]

A week or so I saw on TB classifieds, someone from Montreal was selling a lightly used Mesa WD-800.

And I think somebody in Canada in the classifieds has a 115 for sale.

Thanks, guys! I'll take a look at those but I might not be able to make a move on new gear until the Spring when I can try some stuff out before purchasing unless there is some used gear available locally that I can try.

 

[mam1862]

I own the 112, 210 and 115. I mostly use the 112 for rehearsal but I have gone out with all three a few times and it absolutely rocks. My go to set up is the 210 and 115. Perfect blend of sound. I ran the D800 + mostly and then gave the WD800 a ride. I liked the D800 + better. Then the TT800’s started to show up in the classifieds and I picked one up. Great amp. I settled on on the TT and I’m done. I almost went with another 115 but I like the punch of the 210. Good stuff from Mesa.

 

[Yummy Notes]

I noticed the depth dimensions of the 2 cabs are slightly different (~.75") so I was wondering if anyone has experience trying to stack the 2 cabs and if that difference affects the balance much.

To the OP,
I believe the size difference between the 215 and 115 has to do with the slide rails on the back of the 215.
BTW, I think your initial plan is great. Get the 215 then stack another Subway on top...there isn’t a wrong answer for the second Subway cab (112, 210, 212, 115, 215,) because they were made to work with each other.

 

[N4860]

I own the 112, 210 and 115. I mostly use the 112 for rehearsal but I have gone out with all three a few times and it absolutely rocks. My go to set up is the 210 and 115. Perfect blend of sound. I ran the D800 + mostly and then gave the WD800 a ride. I liked the D800 + better. Then the TT800’s started to show up in the classifieds and I picked one up. Great amp. I settled on on the TT and I’m done. I almost went with another 115 but I like the punch of the 210. Good stuff from Mesa.

Thank you for your response! How do you find the sounds of each of those 3 amps compare to each other, generally speaking? I am really not sure which direction to go for that and it won't be likely that I can find a store around me that would have all 3 of them. The TT-800 looks great and versatile with the 2 channels, however, I do like that idea that the WD800 has 3 mid controls.

 

[mam1862]

Thank you for your response! How do you find the sounds of each of those 3 amps compare to each other, generally speaking? I am really not sure which direction to go for that and it won't be likely that I can find a store around me that would have all 3 of them. The TT-800 looks great and versatile with the 2 channels, however, I do like that idea that the WD800 has 3 mid controls.

The TT800 is kind of the best of both worlds as IMO you can get the sounds of the 800+ and the WD800. The 800+ is a little darker and deeper but has a big full sound. The WD has a more modern sound although with the eq you should be able to dial up a sound that you like. Again this is just what I came up with when I compared them.

 

[Kipp Harrington]

In a nutshell:
Subway 112: Rounder sounding bottom end, thicker in the low mids. I call it 'old school'.
Subway 115: Deeper, snappier, more articulate. Sounds 'faster' if that makes sense.
Kinda think of the 112 as a P bass and the 115 as a Jazz bass.

I have both and much prefer the 115. The only time I use the 112 is when paired with a 115.

"The only time I use the 112 is when paired with a 115".

Me too!

 

[Al Kraft]

"The only time I use the 112 is when paired with a 115".

Me too!

Unless it's a really tight stage set-up, small room, and/or more of an acoustic group I find the 115 is the best single cab solution for me and mostly use the 112 as a 115 helper for bigger jobs.