• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

Tiny Head, Same Big Speaker Cabs: What's the Point?

#103
I can understand the OP's original question. For example, I have a head and cabinet (Carvin BX1200 and CRX4x10 Neo) that are probably 8-10 years old. The head is one of the last ones before all the class D heads came out, so it's about 35 pounds. The Cabinet, because it has the neo speakers in it, is about 75 pounds. I could get a class D head and lose at least 20-25 pounds in head of my rig. However, I would still have to move the 75 pound cabinet, so I haven't bothered to make the change. Additionally, a lot of the neo options out there are disappearing as the price of magnets has increased, so in many cases, cabinets are getting heavier again. My cabinet would weigh about 20 pounds more if it didn't have the neo speakers in it. I have experimented with smaller cabs, but they haven't sounded as deep as my 4x10, so I literally carry on.
 
  • Like
Reactions: BradH
#104
selowitch said:
I am aware of the trend toward tiny, lightweight bass heads. That's all well and good, but what's the point if most speaker cabinets are just as large and heavy as they've always been. I am genuinely perplexed. Other than perhaps using a tiny bass head for practice (with headphones) or maybe the studio, what's the point of having it in a live setting?
Click to expand...
Here's an example. A SVT-410HLF weighs 85lbs. It has wheels. An SVT-CL/VR weights 85lbs. It does not have wheels.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Fishheadjoe
#105
selowitch said:
Such as? The ones that I own are relatively heavy, so any purchase of a lightweight head is largely (hahahaha) beside the point.
Click to expand...
My 4x8 Markbass neo cabs weigh nothing, are smaller than 20x20, have B&C speakers, and can push at least 600 watts easily. I will admit that if you want small and good, you have to pay though.

I have two of those cabs and I can carry the entire full stack, with head and cables, easily by myself in one trip. 8 speakers are a bit of a secret, have a huge cult following, and are a bass players best friend!
 
  • Like
Reactions: roswell1965 and BOOG
#107
selowitch said:
I am aware of the trend toward tiny, lightweight bass heads. That's all well and good, but what's the point if most speaker cabinets are just as large and heavy as they've always been. I am genuinely perplexed. Other than perhaps using a tiny bass head for practice (with headphones) or maybe the studio, what's the point of having it in a live setting?
Click to expand...

I sort of know what you're saying, I have a soundbar subwoofer with a 5 1/2" speaker that cranks out the bass, but there are quite a few decent lightweight cab options out there, and new ones are being introduced with increasing frequency. Plus, I'd feel kind of silly rocking a 5 1/2" cab on stage... Class D amps are a godsend, not only for gigging musicians, but in the studio as well. What's to complain about?
 
#108
How can you be perplexed? This is a commonly discussed issue on TB, look around. Bass cabs have continually gotten smaller and lighter in recent history. D Class heads can be smaller and light as a feather. Cabinets can't be any smaller than the neo speaker housed in them obviously. There are plenty of small and lightweight cabs to choose from.
 
#109
selowitch said:
I didn't realize we were dealing with that much of a disparity in weight. I haven't had a separate head and cabinets since the 80s. I think it was around 2009 that I bought my current Markbass CMP 121P
combo, which sounds really good but sometimes needs a little more oomph.
Click to expand...
well..your profile says you are 48 years of age..so in the 80's..you must have been a very young boy with a bass rig that had a seperate cab and head..?..
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: armyadarkness
#110
Is there a 30 pound or under cab with (maybe a 12 ?) that if you had a 300 watt or so head that would put out the whole 300 watts guessing maybe 4 ohm ? coming from being a lead player for years, I am very new to what is out there in this modern small stuff , I have noticed theres a million 3 or 4 pound powerful heads out there , but not sure about feather weight cabs .
 
#111
A problem that I had when running the light-weight, semi-tiny Class D powered heads was with cabinets that vibrated enough to "bounce" the head off the cabinet (higher-end commercial light-weight cabs). Tried various types foam under the head, but the cabs had a duratex-style of exterior finish. The head simply wasn't heavy enough...the foam and the head would scoot around.
 
#112
The size of the head compared to the size of my cabinets never bothered me. If there's a smaller lighter head that's easier to carry, sounds good, and is reliable then I'm all in favor of trying it. In fact, I have. I now own a small collection of micro class D heads and the GK RB1001II (a pretty light head as well) I used and loved for a long time sits unused. As long as I'm getting the sound volume and quality I want then I'm happy to go smaller and lighter. Why choose heavier just to choose heavier? ;)

For the foreseeable future at least, there are limits on how small cabinets can get but there are also an increasing number of high end cabinets that have gotten smaller, lighter, sound great, handle a lot of power, and have gotten A LOT lighter and I've jumped that bandwagon too. I don't carry them around often, but I can appreciate how easy they are to move and because they also sound so good I'm glad I tried them. Yes, the featherweight cabs are pricey but, if you're willing to pay for them, they're pretty impressive. If you're not willing to pay for them, that's fine, too, and there are a lot of heavier cabs that are a lot cheaper and also sound great.

I'll agree it is a lot easier to pull a small head off of a cabinet. But I solved that problem by putting some rubbery drawer liner on the cabinet and putting the head on top of that. I've always wound my cable through/around the handle on the cabinet before plugging into the amp, so I continue doing that as well.

One other thing. It's also a lot of fun seeing people who don't know what they're looking at scoff at them at first and then quickly change their minds when they hear them. That's not among the real reasons I made the switch, but it is a nice secondary benefit. :D
 
#115
mark roberts said:
A problem that I had when running the light-weight, semi-tiny Class D powered heads was with cabinets that vibrated enough to "bounce" the head off the cabinet (higher-end commercial light-weight cabs). Tried various types foam under the head, but the cabs had a duratex-style of exterior finish. The head simply wasn't heavy enough...the foam and the head would scoot around.
Click to expand...

VELCRO. Problem solved... :)
 
  • Like
Reactions: trickyric, hintz, David A. Davis and 1 other person
#116
caledoneus83 said:
or, you can only have to carry one heavy thing around rather than two. That's not hard to understand, is it?
Click to expand...
Exactly my line of thinking. I’d rather have a 10lb head and lug around a 75lb cab with wheels than carry both a 75lb tube head and a 75lb cabinet. Even though I’m young I have lower back issues and I have no problems with tiny amp heads. Makes things more convenient.
 
  • Like
Reactions: caledoneus83

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back