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Why Didn't Powered Cabs Catch On?
- Thread starter ProbablyTooLoud
- Start date
why would they?
The value of an amplifier is the tone it produces and not the volume supplement.
Why do Marshall heads still bring top dollar when the industry is focused on limited manufacturing cost and portability by comparison. Tone is everything.
There seems to be one or two of those WJ powered 210s being bought and sold through a string of people here. I thought about one several times but the weight
erformance ratio seemed off. And I believe you can only connect to the cab with an XLR, which is a definite negative. Was there anything good to report with that cab?
@two fingers where you at?
I know you went the Mesa + Mesa cab route, but I'm curious to hear your take on this topic.
I know you went the Mesa + Mesa cab route, but I'm curious to hear your take on this topic.
When I started playing in the late 80s, seems like the preamp/power amp set up was a big deal in the guitar world, and to a lesser extent the bass world. It really fell out of favor. I've know some guitarists in recent years who run a modeler and powered wedge, but that really hasn't caught on as a bass thing.
The total volume output might not be enough for a really loud band. It's fine for what it is. I've used the Noble everyday for six years. After having bought and sold a ton of gear, I have no inclination to change this configuration. I also have a small PJB BG-150 combo that easily sits atop the powered cab for more volume.
For real, no thanks!
On another note, a happy byproduct of this thread is whole new group of ads in my TB feed.
Yay ads.
If those are the ones I’m thinking of, I had a set of them back in the day (2 cabs with 8-10”), there was a power amp build in the cabinet and a preamp that sat on top, way more amp than I ever needed, but man they were loud, and all my musician pals were impressed, because, well, bigger was better.
Longevity/parts support is a huge concern of mine. I tend to not buy AIO units as if one part fails, the unit my not be serviceable. I run a modular setup, but would not run a powered cab. I have a pedalboard (with a Mesa Subway+ DI preamp), running to a crown XLS-1502 (bridged) into one or two Barefaced BB3 cabs. I could always use a bass head with my cabs too without any issue. The setup is also great for running IEM/Ampless gigs too. I just brought my pedalboard over to a session with some jazz folks that already had a PA for vox. Small room. Carried the bass adequately without me bring more than a board and a bass.
I can't speak for the world, but for me, I am not interested in anything that makes cabs heavier
And honestly, it doesn't really improve anything that I can tell. I don't really see the benefit of it. Sure you don't have to carry an amp head, but I'd rather carry an 8lb head than have 8lbs added to each cabinet. Plus doesn't it mean now you have to have a power cord and outlet for each cab? I dunno... not seeing where the benefit is. Plus it makes all my other gear incompatible and obsolete.
It was. There was a 4x12 on top of each on the best days. Good times. And someone to help with loading.
Maybe, but not necessarily.
We transitioned between fairly equivalent 12+horn cabs. The unpowered cabs (Apogee AE5) weighed 76lbs. The powered cabs (Meyer UPA-1P) weighed 77lbs and needed an adapter plate and a mounting bracket for pole mounting.
There seems to be one or two of those WJ powered 210s being bought and sold through a string of people here. I thought about one several times but the weight
They really are great sounding cabs. If I had a permanent house/church gig and all I had to was show up with my Mesa Subway DI, (which has the dual XLR's,) I'd be super happy with that.
I love that feature of the Subway series too. Mic level out for FOH and line level to drive an amp if needed.. And the master on the pedal does not change the signal sent to FOH.
Very late, actually...the Acoustic 360 was a powered cab setup. The head was just a preamp with four outputs. When they replaced it with the 370, they went to a powered head and passive cab. Just daisy chain for more power...each cab was 200 watts into an 18" speaker.
Yeah the Mesa TT800 and Subway 115s came along and seriously scratched my itch. I use the head as a "fancy DI box" for in-ears gigs. And the Subway cabs sound freakin amazing and are zero effort to transport. So I'm all set these days.
That said, I hope the conversation continues. To the extent that we still use cabs in the future I think powered cabs and preamp will be a bigger part of the market.
