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what is the difference between different sized speakers

#23
will33 said:
The main thing is to get away from the "bigger speaker = more bass" or "bigger speaker = louder" frame of mind.
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This, I think, confuses a lot of people, although I understand the premise.
In General, all other parameters being somewhat equal: One 15" can reproduce a lower frequency at a higher level than one 10" can, but take four 10" speakers in a properly tuned box, and they can go lower and louder than that same 1x15". That's why people were amazed when Bose introduced the 901 hi-fi speaker with nine 4" speakers that had a ton of bass.
Likewise, a smaller diameter will be able to more effectively reproduce higher frequencies well.
Then there is the beaming issue. Larger diameter cones will narrow the listening field at higher frequencies even though it can reproduce that particular frequency.
DeadPoet said:
Also there's the speed of the speaker to consider: a 15" has more surface to move thus will respond slower to your playing than a 10".
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This, IMO, is pure fallacy. The human ear cannot detect reaction "speed" of different diameter drivers. To hear some tell it, you would have to play ahead of the beat if using 15"s or 18"s. (LOL!!) :ninja:

Bottom line: A properly built and tuned cab will utilize the proper amount of large to small size speakers to effectively cover the intended frequency range.
 
#24
The parameters described here have a far larger effect on tone and performance than nominal diameter does, and only one of these parameters is proportional to diameter:

http://eminence.com/resources/data.asp

I wrote some stuff about cone diameter with regard to our range of speakers here, ignore the blurb regarding our models, and focus on the general information about Volume displacement (Vd), motor strength and dispersion which remains true whoever makes your cab. Many bassists haven't noticed dispersion issues because they've never thought to listen for it, and the way most stay rooted to the spot during gigs it's no wonder it hasn't been obvious! ;)

http://barefacedbass.com/technical-information/speaker-size-frequency-response.htm
 
#25
M*A*S*H said:
what i am wondering is what is the difference between different sized speakers. :help: 4x10, 1x12, 1x15 and does it matter if theres one or four and how much does it effect the volume. :confused:
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What you'll get in response to this question is as many answers as there are posters, all different, and most of them based purely on speculation by users with no acoustical engineering knowledge.

As far as different driver sizes are concerned, the only factor that is purely determined by driver size is dispersion. The larger the driver, the narrower the dispersion angle. It therefore makes sense to use smaller drivers for wider dispersion, but that goes down the crapper if you place drivers side by side, which causes two tens, for instance, to have the same dispersion as one twenty-one.

Using more than one driver increases both the power that the system can handle and the efficiency of the system. With equal power input two identical drivers have 3dB more sensitivity than one, and that's the equivalent of doubling the power input.

Beyond that any other blanket conclusions fall into the realm of (usually unfounded) subjective opinion.
 
#27
Heated discussion... I'll present the question on how much (if at all) difference in sound there is between a 10, 12 & 15 speaker on an acoustics forum...


However, to my psycho-acoustic mumbo-jumbo ears a 2x12 or 1x15 sounds middier/honkier/barkier/<insert other unscientific way of describing a difference in frequency response> and slower than a 4x10 cab :D



Herwig
 
#29
Bruce Lindfield said:
I find, the smaller the speaker size - the better the sound - as in more faithfully reproducing what is going into it!

The bigger the speaker, the less distinct - which can be a good thing if you are playing rock and just want to fill out the bottom end..?

Big speakers = stadium rock
Small speakers = acoustic level Jazz
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yes, that's why all the best cabs are made with only 1" compression drivers. sure, it takes a thousand of them, but... ;)

nice generalities there, bruce.
 
#30
Jaco who? said:
I couldn't agree more, which just happens to coincide with the measurable effect of the dispersion angle of a particular diameter, so what's the problem?
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Where this idea goes wrong is that 4x10 cabs have far worse midrange dispersion than vertical 2x10/2x12/2x15 cabs, due to the drivers being placed side by side.

The "articulation" differences people usually describe are inevitably far, far more related to the box design than the driver.
 
#31
DeadPoet said:
Heated discussion... I'll present the question on how much (if at all) difference in sound there is between a 10, 12 & 15 speaker on an acoustics forum...
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What you'll be told on an acoustics forum is that the sound produced by a driver is primarily determined by its T/S specs. Note that driver size is not a T/S spec.
http://www.eminence.com/resources/data.asp

What will also happen on an acoustics forum is that if you mention you use tens, twelves and fifteens with T/S specs that are quite similar all in the same system they'll question why you'd do anything so fundamentally wrong. Then you mention 'I play electric bass' and they'll say Oh, you're one of them...:rollno:
 
#32
I own a 410 cab, a pair of 115 cabs and a 412 cab. When comparing them using the same amp and bass in the same room, its obvious that they all sound very different. Funny thing is I like them all! To my ears my Epifani 410 sounds "faster" then the other cabs and the tone is more compressed. The stack of Mesa 115 cabs sounds huge and is louder by far then either the 410 or the Mesa 412 when using the same settings on the amp and the same bass. This leads me to believe the 115 stack is more efficient then the other cabs. The 115's clearly dont respond to slapping and popping the way the 410 cab does. The notes don't jump out with as much speed and clarity. The 15's offer a dramatically different tone then the 410 cab.

My 412 cab sounds not surprisingly, to my ears to be the most "balanced" and as its the tallest setup of the three, seems to be the easiest to hear when jamming with a loud band and I can see why many bass players think of 12 inch speaker as a "best of both worlds" speaker size.

To the original poster, in my 25 years of playing bass, i have owned many bass rigs and the best advice I could offer is to decide how large of a cabinet (or pair of cabinets) you are willing to haul around, then go and try as many cabinets in your size range as possible and decide purely on how they sound to you rather then what size speakers are in them.

I would be happy to play anywhere with any of my speaker cabs and can honestly say that I don't prefer one speaker size to another.
 
#34
DeadPoet said:
Every diameter has its own sound as well. It is all a matter of preference, but a 12" will sound a bit more nasal / has more 'bark' (to my ears) than a 10". A 15" has a resonance even lower than a 12" so it will seem to 'go lower' than a 12 or 10.

Also there's the speed of the speaker to consider: a 15" has more surface to move thus will respond slower to your playing than a 10".


For what I do I prefer the sound and response of 10" drivers, followed by a single 15" with the 12" being my least preffered sound. Don't get me wrong, playing through 12" or 15" cabs makes me play a certain way or certain styles/genres, it's that a 4x10 or 2x10 is a more versatile cab *to me*.

...but that is all *very* personal and depending on your own needs and taste. It is also an acquired taste imho. Choose a cab or speaker size, learn it well and after a year (or more) get another cab on loan or so and check out the differences.



Herwig
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I very strongly disagree with this. Speakers and cabinets all sound different because they're all voiced differently, but -- when it comes to commercially available full-range bass guitar cabinets -- there's nothing inherently unique about speaker size, in terms of tone. Any perceived differences are due to the specific characteristics of the brand of speaker and cabinet design and their relationship with one another. When you shop for a cabinet, don't narrow yourself down to a certain set of choices based on myths about speaker size, instead just use your ears.
 
#35
Bruce Lindfield said:
But what can be measured, does not tell you how the thing sounds! :eyebrow:

The only measurement I take account of in this context, is the weight!
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No one is saying that your cabinets don't sound different... they do. But it's not because they have different sized speakers, it's because they have speakers with different voicings in different cabinets. Manufacturers can make tens that sound "slow and honky" just as they can make fifteens that sound "quick and punchy."

When you compare bass cabinets with different sized speakers, you're drawing a conclusion on tonal differences in a situation where you have many variables that are not controlled, making it impossible to solve for a single variable. It doesn't matter if you're measuring the soundwaves or just listening -- there are dozens of factors that go into the difference you hear.
 
#36
Eminor3rd said:
I very strongly disagree with this. Speakers and cabinets all sound different because they're all voiced differently, but -- when it comes to commercially available full-range bass guitar cabinets -- there's nothing inherently unique about speaker size, in terms of tone.
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you strongly disagree because you are using facts to arrive at your conclusion.
 

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