Vertical stacking is there a limit?

[JWH91]

What is considered overkill for example two 410s stacked vertically sounds louder than side-by-side. Now my question is let's say we have an 810, would eight individual 10" drivers stacked vertically sound louder than your standard 810?

For those who already know me on this forum, as you can see I am sober and clearly ready to learn some theory on speaker amplification and sound waves, for the next 15 minutes at least lol

 

[charlie monroe]

That column would approach 10 feet tall.

 

[Stumbo]

**The Official Comb Filtering Thread**

I've seen PAs flying stacks 10 Ft tall or more.

 

[Lobster11]

How about two stacks of 18 (1x15) cabs each?

 

[AdamR]

When you need a ladder to stack them or they fall over, that's the limit.

 

[Mushroo]

What is considered "overkill" depends on the specifics of the gig and the venue. Since in this case you are playing a 45 minute opening set with PA support, I think any stack that is taller than you are would be overkill.

 

[Roland GR 88]

Let gravity be your guide........

 

[two fingers]

The ceiling.....

 

[Coolhandjjl]

The width of the 810 configuration helps push bass frequencies forward, technically known as baffle step compensation. A skinny enclosure for bass would result in a loss of that. For coupling and bass response, there's really no reason to go more than 2 drivers high. 4 drivers high is cool because that way, drivers are closer to your ear so you can hear them better. Some 810 configured cabs will low pass one vertical row at approx 500Hz so it won't acoustically interfere (comb filter) with the other row at frequencies above 500Hz. (That's also why several subs are often stacked horizontally, as the frequencies they cover will not comb in the horizontal plane.)

 

[Oddly]

The ceiling.....

What if it's an outdoor gig?

 

[BunchyMutt]

Some 810 configured cabs will low pass one vertical row at approx 500Hz so it won't acoustically interfere (comb filter) with the other row at frequencies above 500Hz.

Any examples of 810 cabs that do this?

 

[Coolhandjjl]

Any examples of 810 cabs that do this?

One of the Barefaced offerings.

 

[Slevage]

That column would approach 10 feet tall.

Cool

 

[two fingers]

Paging @agedhorse

What are your thoughts on two vertically-stacked 8-10 cabs? (Mechanical/gravitational issues notwithstanding....)

 

[JWH91]

What is considered "overkill" depends on the specifics of the gig and the venue. Since in this case you are playing a 45 minute opening set with PA support, I think any stack that is taller than you are would be overkill.

Brooo lol you know I mean down the line. We have a 10ft hauler. Why not have two 8ft stacks, slender and tall as hell, I have my head and effects in a tour rack anyways, or will have. Hasn't came in the mail yet lol

 

[JWH91]

The ceiling.....

Ah building codes deem that common household ceilings must be at least 8 feet tall, so I'd be okay

 

[JWH91]

The width of the 810 configuration helps push bass frequencies forward, technically known as baffle step compensation. A skinny enclosure for bass would result in a loss of that. For coupling and bass response, there's really no reason to go more than 2 drivers high. 4 drivers high is cool because that way, drivers are closer to your ear so you can hear them better. Some 810 configured cabs will low pass one vertical row at approx 500Hz so it won't acoustically interfere (comb filter) with the other row at frequencies above 500Hz. (That's also why several subs are often stacked horizontally, as the frequencies they cover will not comb in the horizontal plane.)

Whoa. Where can I go further into detail about this? I was thinking (from bottom) 15/1212/410 then Horn and tweeter, all stacked vertically, 2 separate inputs 15 and 210 for one crossover, 1212 and 210 for the other. Would that be feasible for the frequencies?

 

[Jeff Scott]

The ceiling.....

What if it's an outdoor gig?

Same answer. Just make sure you have adequate scaffolding.

 

[JWH91]

Paging @agedhorse

What are your thoughts on two vertically-stacked 8-10 cabs? (Mechanical/gravitational issues notwithstanding....)

Don't forget they'll be split! Lol so roughly 13" wide and 16" deep from what I usually see 810 set up as, oh also about 93" in height and maybe over 200lbs

 

[micguy]

I'm an Acoustical Physicist, so we'll talk about whats ideal here, forgetting practicalities for a bit, if that's OK. Acoustically, the taller you go, the better. Actually, the ones above your head would cover the audience better than those behind you, as your body won't be blocking the mids and highs from them. That's part of what was great about the Greatful Dead setup - its height meant the performers weren't blocking the high frequency sound. If you have to limit your stack to, say, 5 feet high, acoustically you'd be best off with the stack starting at about your ear height (so you could hear yourself) and...going up from there.

Ideally, if you stack from floor to ceiling, the reflections from the floor and ceiling make the array "look" even taller, which is this case, is a good thing - picture the ceiling and floor as mirrors, and the reflected speakers act (acousticlaly) just like what you'd see in a mirror, if that makes sense. Bass varies in a venue in 3 dimensions. If you stack from floor to ceiling, you reduce the variability to 2 dimensions. If you cover an entire wall with bass cabinets, you make a 1 dimensional situation, which would be killer in a lot of ways. Plus it'd just look awesome.

Then again, the taller you go, the more your should pay attention to how well they stack - some sort of nesting/locking brackets would be a very good idea for anything taller than you, especially since the things vibrate.