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What cab? 4 Ohm, >= 500 watts, ~<30 lbs, cheap

#82
callofcthulhu said:
Will definitely add that to the list of things to keep an eye out for used. I'm just can't justify sinking $1k into a cab that won't be getting used that frequently. They look awesome though.
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I know that's the issue isn't it? Who knows you might be able to find a used one somewhere that's closer to the budget. Kind of a cool idea though One driver shooting bass in the floor, and the other set in an angled baffle. I'd love to actually try one. The specs say it'll take something like 1200 watts at 4 Ohms. This I find hard to believe! :bored:
 
#83
Pbassmanca said:
I know that's the issue isn't it? Who knows you might be able to find a used one somewhere that's closer to the budget. Kind of a cool idea though One driver shooting bass in the floor, and the other set in an angled baffle. I'd love to actually try one. The specs say it'll take something like 1200 watts at 4 Ohms. This I find hard to believe! :bored:
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And you should.
 
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#85
Pbassmanca said:
I know that's the issue isn't it? Who knows you might be able to find a used one somewhere that's closer to the budget. Kind of a cool idea though One driver shooting bass in the floor, and the other set in an angled baffle. I'd love to actually try one. The specs say it'll take something like 1200 watts at 4 Ohms. This I find hard to believe! :bored:
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I am loving my little downward firing cab, just an experiment for home/studio at the moment but I would definitely like a bigger version. The mix of down and angled sounds tempting, but a 48lb cube is going to be an awkward lift...
 
#86
For me this thread is inadvertently serving as a great reminder of the limitations of physics and acoustics as they apply to Modern bass cabinetry. We want a single cabinet to be light and loud, and we want both the bass response and the price to go low. I suppose the art and the science lies in finding the perfect balance between all four parameters and pushing the boundaries with new tech and new designs. Imagine what the future will hold?
 
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#89
Pbassmanca said:
Hey Brother, great to have someone posting on the thread with such a depth of knowledge who works on this stuff day in and day out! In terms of Mesa Boogie ,the Subway series cabinets, I know on the website it says they're 8ohm only but if you make a special order will Mesa do a 4ohm Subway cabinet? Like, a 4ohm Subway 210 would be wicked, or a 4ohm Subway 15. About five years ago I had them do a 4-ohm 600-watt 210 for me, which is the shizz....:smug:
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Sorry, no custom drivers on the subway line. There's way too many amps out on the market these days that could easily damage any single driver 4 ohm cabinet, we want to stand behind our warranty with a clear conscience.
 
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#90
callofcthulhu said:
Almost there, unfortunately the 112 is only rated at 300 watts. The 210 or 115 would be a much better fit, but don't appear to have the switchable impedance.
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Rated at 300 watts. But the manual suggests you can ue the hartke LH1000 with it. When i use just one of these, i run 500 watts at 4ohms into it. Could i turns the lows all the way up, dime the volume and gain and hammer the E string. No. But it holds its own with our six piece at normal settings, mind you i do plug into the pa as well. Adding a second definitely gave me more breathing room for those bigger stage/ outdoor gigs. The hydrives arent cheap. I would try some if possible before purchase, or any cab really.
I really struggle with wattage ratings. Our EV mains are rated at 250watts, and we run 1250 watts into each.
 
#91
agedhorse said:
Sorry, no custom drivers on the subway line. There's way too many amps out on the market these days that could easily damage any single driver 4 ohm cabinet, we want to stand behind our warranty with a clear conscience.
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Thats definitely a good point. It's crazy how many amps will put 800-1000 watts into 4 ohms now with class D. From a manufacturer perspective I can see how that's something to be considered. I even have to be considerate of this with my Mesa 4ohm 210 and an M9 carbine, as the carbine is capable of blowing up those speakers with the right EQ / volume and or transient peaks . I almost always use the compressor on moderate settings to help tame the Beast.
 
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#92
agedhorse said:
Sorry, no custom drivers on the subway line. There's way too many amps out on the market these days that could easily damage any single driver 4 ohm cabinet, we want to stand behind our warranty with a clear conscience.
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I have a couple other Subway questions, but I will post them perhaps over in the official Subway Owners Club thread later when I have a chance. Thanks for the input! :thumbsup:
 
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#93
sm49341 said:
Hartke Hydrive 112. 30 lbs. switchable 4 to 8 ohms. So if you add a 2nd, you can set them both at 8 and stay at 4 ohm. I really like mine and the weight is a game changer.
I have not gigged other 112 stacks so i wont sit here and tell you its the best out there. But 2 of these puppies stacked, i like!
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OP wanted a single 4ohm 500w cab. If you set that Hartke on 4ohm it would would be set on fire trying to put 500w through it.
 
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#95
An M9 can lay
Pbassmanca said:
Thats definitely a good point. It's crazy how many amps will put 800-1000 watts into 4 ohms now with class D. From a manufacturer perspective I can see how that's something to be considered. I even have to be considerate of this with my Mesa 4ohm 210 and an M9 carbine, as the carbine is capable of blowing up those speakers with the right EQ / volume and or transient peaks . I almost always use the compressor on moderate settings to help tame the Beast.
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An M9 can lay waste to most any single cab. Hell, an M6 will. I had one and miss it. What a thing that was.
 
#97
agedhorse said:
Sorry, no custom drivers on the subway line. There's way too many amps out on the market these days that could easily damage any single driver 4 ohm cabinet, we want to stand behind our warranty with a clear conscience.
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And there's the thing. These days, watts are cheap. Plenty of 3-$500 4 lb amps out there that will drive a single 8 ohm cab to its limits.
 
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#99
David Jayne said:
And there's the thing. These days, watts are cheap. Plenty of 3-$500 4 lb amps out there that will drive a single 8 ohm cab to its limits.
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Agreed, this is exactly why we put so much effort into defining (and improving wherever possible) the mechanical limitations of the speaker, since the Subway amps can just reach the point of mechanical limits into 8 ohms. We really have to design in as much robustness as possible, folks are expecting more and more out of the smaller cabinets (to the point that I am seeing quite a bit of unrealistic expectations) so in order to offer a 5 year transferable warranty it's prudent to reduce the risk of accidental overpowering. It's a tough line to walk, as I'm sure you guys appreciate... too conservative and folks will pass it over without another look in favor of the 1000 or 2000 watt "marketing rated" speaker, but not conservative enough and we have some unhappy customers with damaged speakers. If I was to use the "marketing department" ratings for the speakers, that would probably be close to 500 watts RMS, 1000 watts Program, and 2000 watts peak, but that's not how we roll and fortunately players looking at this level are a little more educated (or willing to learn).

(disclaimer, my slagging on marketing guys should be taken from the engineer's perspective... (think Dilbert cartoons: Invalid Link Removed ) the marketing guys are plenty brutal on engineers too as we make pretty easy (nerdy) targets)
 
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