Sunn 215BH OR Ampeg 410 HLF

I have a Sunn 215BH. Which drivers are in the 215BH you are considering? Have you tested it?

 

For doom, I'd imagine you would want a cab that can take the full brunt of your head. The 410hlf can, but that doesn't necessarily mean the Sunn can't. A lot depends on what speakers are in it. Anything made before the 90's and I'd say forget it.

 

...with what kind of speakers?

 

No experience with the 410HLF, but I do own a 215BH with original speakers. The Sunn is capable of a hefty bit of volume, but I might second the sentiment that (at least speaking for the original speakers) they might not be your most efficient option. On paper, your head is capable of a higher output than what the Sunn drivers are rated at, but like any other amp/cab pairing - it's best to use your own ears and the numbers are flexible. The Sunn will give you quite a bit of grunt before crapping out, so you need to listen if you're giving it too much if you care about those speakers. That said, I find the Sunn cab to very low-mid punchy, with smooth highs and it's definitely the meatiest cab I own (in terms of tone and weight -the cab is HEAVY) and that includes an Orange OBC410 and the newer Ampeg 212AV. It also sounds incredible with any head I put into it. With the Acoustic/Sunn combo, you'd definitely be rocking some rad vintage gear. Heavy, rad, vintage gear.

All bets are off if the speakers have been replaced, or you are planning on replacing them. In that case, it can be anything you want.

Also, food for thought, (and Jimmy can correct me if I'm wrong) - I seem to recall seeing a fair number of posts on the HLF that mention a different tuning to that cab that comment about it being BOOMY and a little unwieldy in the low end(?) I might have that incorrect(?)

 

Nope, you're right. Earlier ones from before 2010 (guesstimating based on people's experiences) are very boomy down low. Newer ones, especially the Heritage, still go very low but the boom has been tamed down to reasonable levels. Then again, that might be desirable for doom.

 

You'll still get that from a 2012 410hlf. You just don't get that insanely boosted low end. Instead, you get more mids. But if you want insanely boosted lows, that's what the bass knob on your amp is for.

 

Two completely different sounding cabs.
JimmyM pretty much sums it up.
Boom or Doom.

 

CB158's should take a pretty good pounding, but I prefer 15"s with more than 3k on the top end. Definitely a darker sounding speaker than most.

 

Those drivers were recommended as replacements for the Sunn drivers in my 215BH by Leland Crooks, the gentleman who runs speakerhardware.com and is a very knowledgeable person. Assuming the cabinet has no rattles—a possible issue with older cabinets—the Sunn might well sound great. I'd bet it really has a great chest thumping punch.

My advice is to try out the Sunn at a reasonably high volume with what ever effects you plan to use. It has got to be a lot cheaper that the ampeg, which btw is a fine cabinet, too.

Here is a PDF with specs on the Legend cb158 drivers...

 

I think you may have mentioned this in another thread, but are you still running the original Magna drivers in your 215BH?

 

I'm not ABSOLUTELY positive, but I lean towards yes. (I should've clarified in my post).
They don't have the Magna labels, but in other threads of the cab I've seen, they seem to match up with looks and style.

That said... and to make matters even more sketchy, I've read that Sunn might have mixed manufacturers of speakers at some point so they weren't all equipped with the Magna drivers past a certain year(?) Information on all of this is a lot of second hand that may/may not be completely accurate.

But reading through threads and looking at speaker codes (which is also another cluster of confusion, since the dating and numbering process seemed to vary depending on the company) I probably have Cinaudagraph or Consolidated drivers that probably were original to the cab from the year it was made, which may or may not be from '84 according to the speaker codes.

Does that help clarify?

 

Also - I could be incorrect on ALL of the information above.

 

If they're wired in parallel (and they probably are), correct.

 

Yes, the stock Sunn 215BH cabinet is 4 ohms. It would be surprising if the current cab is not wired the same way, as Jimmy noted. I'd assume 4 ohms.