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The Powered Cabinet Route...

G

godoze

Oct 21, 2002
3,890
10
#1
IN trying to streamline my setup i am thinking of going to a powered cabinet.. 2 x 10 if i have my druthers... Who makes what and what is the consensus for the best ones out there ?


Thanks,
Don
 
#2
Don Zebrauskas said:
IN trying to streamline my setup i am thinking of going to a powered cabinet.. 2 x 10 if i have my druthers... Who makes what and what is the consensus for the best ones out there ?


Thanks,
Don
Click to expand...

Bergantino IP series, all the way. Jim offers a 3x10, 2x12, and a 1x12, currently.

Tom.
 
#3
Tom, any downside to powered cabs ? If i do not got that route I just want to get the best 2x10 cab out there. I play smith basses and am not terribly happy with my woods or Ebs heads at the moment so i am also thinking about going with another head or even getting a pre and a power amp... any thoughts ?
 
#4
Don Zebrauskas said:
Tom, any downside to powered cabs ? If i do not got that route I just want to get the best 2x10 cab out there. I play smith basses and am not terribly happy with my woods or Ebs heads at the moment so i am also thinking about going with another head or even getting a pre and a power amp... any thoughts ?
Click to expand...

The main drawbacks that I see would be weight (though this really shouldn't be an issue, as you would have had to bring an amp anyway) and cost (though again, you'd have to pay for an amp somehow). And in most cases, you are going to still need to bring a preamp (though some of the "stomp box" sized preamps are pretty darn compact). Of course, if you didn't like the sound of the amp or the sound of the cab/drivers, you'd be stuck with a "package deal", and you wouldn't have the flexibility of trading out one without the other.

As I view the IP series cabs, the amp/DSP unit only adds 7 lbs, which is fairly minimal. And as for cost, if I add up the price of what I would consider to be "equivalent gear" (say line driver with IP112/EX112 versus Walter Woods Ultra with HT112/EX112), the IP setup comes out ahead on price, too. And then, of course ,there is the tone... :p

Tom.
 
#5
Regarding the best 2x10's, this is of course a subjective thing, but my top three 2x10's would be the Bergantino HT210 (now discontinued, though the HT210S is very nice, too), EA NL-210 and Glockenklang Duo. I have a new Sadowsky SA210 on the way, which I think should have promise, and a lot of guys like the Epifani UL210, which I have not been able to try extensively, but which I liked fairly well.

On the solid state head front, if you take away Walter Woods and EBS, you still have some killer options from EA, Thunderfunk, Glockenklang, MarkBass, Ashdown Labs, etc. On the tube side of things, the Sadowsky SA200 will knock your socks off, guaranteed. If you go the "seperates" route, I personally prefer conventional power supplies, unless you are talking the very latest SMPS technology, which seems to be a marked improvement. The Crest CA9 is my solid state amp of choice, but you'd be well served by a Crown MacroTech, or something, too. Preamp-wise, the sky's the limit, though Glockenklang and Millennie keep going through my head... :D Pete Skjold's new preamp looks pretty darn promising, too, and if you're looking for vintage warmth and complex mids, The Low End's True Voice is a must audition.

Wow, that's a lot of name dropping! ;)

Tom.
 
#6
I have tried the Ashdown EVO heads and like them. Could you elaborate on the Thunderfunk ? I guess it might hwlp to say that I play mainly jazz and well, i guess i play a lot of different stuff.

Sorry for the ambiguity !

Don
 
#7
Don Zebrauskas said:
I have tried the Ashdown EVO heads and like them. Could you elaborate on the Thunderfunk ? I guess it might hwlp to say that I play mainly jazz and well, i guess i play a lot of different stuff.

Sorry for the ambiguity !

Don
Click to expand...

I'll be able to say more after next weekend, when I will have a chance to hear one of Dave's latest amps. My previous experience was with his 400w head, which I found to be very capable. I owned an AMP BH420 for a while, which is the "forefather" of the modern TFB550-B, and it was a very comptetent peformer as well. Most comments (and my experience with the earlier versions) would say that the Thunderfunk is a versatile head capable of doing a good job with a wide variety of musical styles.

Tom.
 
#8
On the powered cab front...

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I wonder if it's available by itself? Ya know the schroeders have a large pack panel in which it just might fit...

It actually looks a bit familiar, any similarity to the IP panel Tom?
 
#10
coyoteboy said:
On the powered cab front...

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I wonder if it's available by itself? Ya know the schroeders have a large pack panel in which it just might fit...

It actually looks a bit familiar, any similarity to the IP panel Tom?
Click to expand...

That's an iteresting idea, out of curiousity I wonder if such thing is feasible, but still practical. :ninja:
 
#15
coyoteboy said:
sorry, I wasn't trying to be pesky.
Click to expand...

Oh, I didn't take it that way, and neither was I! :hmm: It's difficult to convey the intent behind a post sometimes. You are very properly making pointers to some other powered cab options, and I meant my comment only as a supportive follow-up. Nothing pesky involved on either side of the line, in my book! :)
 
#17
Don Zebrauskas said:
I have tried the Ashdown EVO heads and like them. Could you elaborate on the Thunderfunk ? I guess it might hwlp to say that I play mainly jazz and well, i guess i play a lot of different stuff.

Sorry for the ambiguity !

Don
Click to expand...

For Jazz and funk with an EB, the Thunderfunk is by far the best head I've ever used regarding volume, tone, weight and size (and price). Played through an articulate, efficient cab like, for example, the Epifani UL series (the 310UL/TF550 would be an amazing small, light, loud rig for a Ken Smith IMO), it's the best of all worlds IMO... light, loud, articulate, with plenty of tight usable bottom.... and also a rare combination of being plug and play but with massive tone control options.

I have never been a fan of 'combo' amps... always afraid of damaging the 'head' part of the amp. A padded cover is fine for a speaker cab, but does not provide enough protection for the 'amp' part of a combo (or the power section part of a powered speaker IMO)... I like to have that stuff in a hardcase or rack. Just my 2 cents on that.... I guess if you always cart around your own gear and are careful, it's not such a big deal. However, my stuff sometimes gets thrown in a truck or van... not a good thing for an 'all in one' unit IMO.
 
#18
i hear you on the combo thing...i had a very nice combo amp that shall remain nameless and on a gig i plugged it in a blew a fuse. in order to change the fuse i had to take the whole amp section out of the box....which i guess now makes me think about hte problems one might encounter on a powered cab !
 
#19
There are so many high quality and cost effective amps that I don't think going down the powered cab route is a great idea. The only thing that I'm trying to figure out is what you are looking for as the thread starts with you not really liking your current heads. Is there anything in particular you don't like or just hankering for a change?

I have a Thunderfunk TFB420EU (the 500 watt version) and I like this a lot, but it does have a number of similarities with EBS heads, soundwise. However, for smallish sized venues I feel this an excellent head. I also have a WT800B for biger venues as I'm looking for more low end 'bloom'.

With these combinations I'm happy although I still hanker for the punchy three dimensional mid range of an all valve amp. So I'm looking for something along this route myself, to add to my sound options, but not so damn heavy as my old SVT. I'm kind of toying with the Sadowsky but concerned that it might not quite have the headroom I'm looking for (two guitars and loud drummer).

One comment on powered cabs though. One of my bands has EV powered cabs for the PA and I often go through these at rehearsal using just an EBS multicomp before connecting. I have to say that these are extremely good and not too heavy either.
 
#20
alanbass1 said:
I have a Thunderfunk TFB420EU (the 500 watt version) and I like this a lot, but it does have a number of similarities with EBS heads, soundwise. However, for smallish sized venues I feel this an excellent head. I also have a WT800B for biger venues as I'm looking for more low end 'bloom'.
Click to expand...

I don't hear much similarity between the TF and the EBS350. The TF is MUCH warmer sounding, with more punch and mid presence (and is not capable of the extreme 'sizzle' of the EBS head using the Bright contol). The TF also puts out a lot more volume than the 350 into a 4ohm load IMO. The only thing I prefer on the 350 over the TF is that wonderful compression circuit... very smooth and useful. The TF compression circuit is only useful at very low settings for 'protection/limiter' usage IMO.

I agree with the Eden800... a much larger, more open low end than the TF. I actually use a very efficient cab with the TF (a 4ohm Epi410UL)... so I actually never need more power or volume. However, with less efficient cabs like the Bergie's or Ea's, etc., I could see where you would need some additional wattage in high volume situations.
 

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