Where are we with powered (active) bass cabs?

[two fingers]

This thread is for posting your knowledge and experience (or even just a web link) regarding powered (active) bass cabs. Not PA cabs you have used with great success. I'm curious about dedicated bass guitar cabs.

Have you used one?

Who makes them?

Are they any good?

Your thoughts/impressions?

 

[jsbarber]

Yes, I have a Bergantino IP310 and an IP112ER/HT112ER stack. The IP series powered cabinets use a DSP to tailor the poweramp to the driver/cabinet characteristics. Excellent cabs, with the obvious benefit of being able to be matched with any preamp of choice. The 112s are about 50 lbs each. The 310 is 86 lbs. It is quite compact and comes on castors so I've found it more reasonable to move around than you might expect. Although it was discontinued in about 2010, the IP series is still held in high regard today. The B|Amp also takes the DSP approach but puts the DSP and poweramp in the head rather than the cabinet. So one approach provides high flexibility wrt preamp, and the other provides high flexibility wrt cabinet choice. Buying from Bergantino is like eating at your favorite restaurant, everything on the menu is excellent - what you choose depends on your personal preferences and what you're pairing it with. Bon Appetit!

 

[Stu_Bass]

Mike is making his MAS cabs available with ICE modules. I have not played them . I own an EA Wizzy 112P, 12 inch Wizzy with built in 200 watt power amp. Nice cab. Goes up to 16K with the whizzer cone and will put out a moderate amount of clean sound.

 

[nzscott]

hi , here's a link to a dedicated bass active/powered cab
[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

 

[two fingers]

Nice.

I guess the offerings are more limited than I thought.

 

[/\/\3phist0]

These look stellar. Demos sound good and bass player mag gave them high marks.
Wayne Jones AUDIO - High End Bass Cabinets & Stereo Valve Pre-Amp

 

[nzscott]

I know ashdown used to make a powered cab , but I cant seem to find any info on them. also GK but you
have to use them in conjunction with their combo amp,
MBP Cabinets

 

[BogeyBass]

Not sure but they had them at Woodstock lol. Sorry just find it ironic

 

[chadds]

Bag End & Meyer. I know the Meyers aren't bass specific.

 

[Ken Morgan]

I'm ready to just make my own, really. Drop in a 500 watt module or plate amp into a couple cabs, and just be done with it.

Of course, technology advancing as fast as it does, by the time the parts got here , someone would have perfected a 300watt amp contained in a guitar cable..

 

[Sid Fang]

I think they are usually called "combos".

 

[two fingers]

I think they are usually called "combos".

Nah. What I want to do is take my favorite preamp to shows with great PA support, and then take the same preamp and a powered cab to shows where I need a little oomph on stage.

I'm not sold on the idea. Just tossing it around.

 

[Downunderwonder]

Nice.

I guess the offerings are more limited than I thought.

that would be because a powered bass cab is a bass combo without a preamp and there's scarce bassists in the market for that. Then you can always poke your preamp up a combo fx return and give same result, further fracturing the market for powered bass cabs.

 

[lz4005]

Then you can always poke your preamp up a combo fx return and give same result

Exactly.

There are a lot of people who do that. With combos and separate heads.

All you would get with powered cabs is a very slight cost savings from omitting the pre. Probably no more than $50.

Powered cabs make sense in a lot of PA applications because they're modular and expandable to cover different room sizes.

Bass stage rigs are a different application with different needs.

 

[monsterthompson]

Sure looks like a Big Baby 2 with a power amp, but it is being marketed as a PA.
Barefaced Bass - FR800 high resolution active loudspeaker

 

[climber]

naaaahhh. just can't see it. the amps I use are as light as a preamp alone and a powered cab is going to be heavier than a non-powered one. I don't see you save anything. I tried tech Bergantino cab when it first came out and it didn't do anything for me. at that time I was using Epifani stuff.

 

[NOVAX]

I like mine.

1. Yes
2. ISP
3. Yes
4. Epic transient response, air and fantastic note clarity & bloom, tight, deep, delicious, dangerous, warm, pillowy, massive, precise,
thick, fat, juicy, thumping and bumping, big and bad lord a pointin' that gun at me!

 

[inanimate_carb]

Gallien's been offering these for a few years now. Probably the biggest player in the bass amp market to offer them. It always seemed like they were intended more as powered extension cabs but they'd function with a preamp in front of them as well.

MBP Cabinets

 

[BadExample]

Powered PA cab.

 

[pudgychef]

Gallien's been offering these for a few years now. Probably the biggest player in the bass amp market to offer them. It always seemed like they were intended more as powered extension cabs but they'd function with a preamp in front of them as well.

MBP Cabinets

I have been curious why they downplay the ability of these to work with non GK preamps...I get they want to expand their customer base, just seems if you could also tap.into the Sans Amp crowd, you would.sell more..