Unfortunately if anyone was looking for a report, I don't have a Schroeder so I have nothing to say. I'm wondering if anyone else has comparisons they can offer. Bottomzone you have both?
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Double Bass Wizzy 10 vs Schroeder Mini 10+ L
- Thread starter Adrian Cho
- Start date
Now that I'm back in Los Angeles for a few weeks, I took the time to go out to Jorg Schroeder's place to try both of his Mini 10+ speakers. I was looking for a second speaker to combine with a Wizzy10 that I purchased for Scotland. Since the Wizzy10 is at my Scotland flat, I didn't have it with me to make a direct comparison, so my impressions of the differences are based on memory of what the Wizzy sounds like. As soon as I have the chance to play both cabinets together, I'll write again with my final comparison.
After trying out both the regular and light cabinets, I purchased one of the regular cabinets in a 8-ohm configuration. I drove the cabinets with a Clarus SL amp using my Hachez bass with a Scherter StatB "pickup." The StatB has a HPF built in to the little box that provides power to this device that is effectively a contact microphone. I also took my AI Coda III along to compare to the Mini10 since I view the ContraEX cabinets as the gold standard for a natural sounding cabinet. I also wanted to hear how the Mini10 would sound as an extension speaker for the Coda.
Here are my impressions so far:
1. The regular weight speaker sounded MUCH better for upright bass. It is quite light at 21 pounds, but I had hoped to like the Light speaker better since it only weighs 16 to 17 pounds. I would not recommend the light version for upright--the tone was just not fat enough.
2. I think the Mini 10+ is also available in a 4-ohm configuration, but I elected to buy the 8-ohm model that I auditioned. It got plenty loud on its own with the Clarus--a trait that characterizes all of Jorg's speakers that I've owned or tried. His speakers are LOUD and they cut through a mix like a champ. I know the AI amps can handle a 2-ohm load, but I would prefer to keep the load slightly higher when I'm using two cab's, and the 8-ohm Mini10 and the 4-ohm Wizzy10 in a stack would do this. I plan on using this stack for doubling gigs and when I'm playing in loud big bands in large rooms without PA support.
3. I currently own two of Jorg's Mini 12+ speakers--one with a very small port and a front firing speaker, and the other is the older model that has the speaker angled and a larger port. They make a great stack for doubling, but I much prefer the sound of the front firing cabinet for upright. I tried out the Mini10 in a stack with my f.f. Mini12, and the combination was wonderful. The speakers sound very similar to each other, although the Mini12 is louder because it moves more air.
4. The Mini10 has a very musical sounding Titanium tweeter but I found that using just a small amount of tweeter produced the most natural sound.
5. Like the Wizzy10, the Mini10+ produced a very even and punchy tone that should cut through a mix beautifully and be very effective in producing a driving pulse, particularly on hard swinging tunes. My impression, without having the Wizzy10 there for an actual comparison, was that the Schroeder Mini10 produced a fatter tone with less mid-range than the Wizzy. However, in no way is the Schroeder fat or flabby sounding. I did find that as I cranked up the volume that the mid-range frequencies became more prominent but I think that is common to most speakers.
6. I tried the Mini10 cranked up to the loudest volume that I could achieve without feeding back, and it performed beautifully with no distortion or farting. Although I don't have a low B string, I do have a C extension, and the Schroeder (like the AI Contra speaker as well) handled the low string perfectly. I also tried the Mini10 at the lowest possible volume as well since I need an amp that can add just the slightest amount of amplification for low volume piano and bass duo gigs. The speaker responded admirably at both loud and soft volume levels.
7. In a direct comparison with the Coda, the Schroeder is dramatically louder because the speaker is so much more efficient than the ContraEx speaker cabinet. I expected to like the AI speaker better at lower volumes, but in Jorg's small room where I was playing, I preferred the sound of the Schroeder. This space was not a good indicator of how they would each do in larger rooms where the ability of the Coda to spread out the sound, particularly at lower volumes, can be wonderful. Using the Schroeder Mini10 as an extension speaker for the Coda produced a very loud rig indeed with the Schroeder being the dominant sound because of its greater efficiency.
8. The Schroeder is slightly larger than the Wizzy--16 X 13 X 12 for the Schroeder vs. 15 X 12 X 11 for the Wizzy10. It is also about 4 pounds heavier. While the Wizzy is of course easier to carry because of its lighter weight and smaller size, the Schroeder also feels very compact and easy to handle. There is a single spring loaded handled on the top of the Schroeder, and in carrying it out to my car, I found it quite comfortable to carry.
Well, that is all for now. I'm going to be taking the Schroeder Mini10 and the ClarusSL with me tomorrow night for a rehearsal of a loud big band that I play with occasionally, and I look forward to hearing how it performs. This band is loud enough that I've been bringing the Schroeder Mini12 as an extension speaker to my Coda for the last few rehearsals. I hope to find that the Mini10/Clarus combination will be enough power since it would make the load-in that much easier.
I should also mention that as always Jorg Schroeder is a delight to deal with--he is passionate about his speakers and their quality and he is willing to do just about anything to make his customers happy. I've been doing business with him since he launched his company--my first speaker of his was a 1210 regular weight cabinet that I used primarily for slab--and have gotten universally good service and straight dealings from him.
Cheers for now,
Erik Hansen
Los Angeles and Scotland
After trying out both the regular and light cabinets, I purchased one of the regular cabinets in a 8-ohm configuration. I drove the cabinets with a Clarus SL amp using my Hachez bass with a Scherter StatB "pickup." The StatB has a HPF built in to the little box that provides power to this device that is effectively a contact microphone. I also took my AI Coda III along to compare to the Mini10 since I view the ContraEX cabinets as the gold standard for a natural sounding cabinet. I also wanted to hear how the Mini10 would sound as an extension speaker for the Coda.
Here are my impressions so far:
1. The regular weight speaker sounded MUCH better for upright bass. It is quite light at 21 pounds, but I had hoped to like the Light speaker better since it only weighs 16 to 17 pounds. I would not recommend the light version for upright--the tone was just not fat enough.
2. I think the Mini 10+ is also available in a 4-ohm configuration, but I elected to buy the 8-ohm model that I auditioned. It got plenty loud on its own with the Clarus--a trait that characterizes all of Jorg's speakers that I've owned or tried. His speakers are LOUD and they cut through a mix like a champ. I know the AI amps can handle a 2-ohm load, but I would prefer to keep the load slightly higher when I'm using two cab's, and the 8-ohm Mini10 and the 4-ohm Wizzy10 in a stack would do this. I plan on using this stack for doubling gigs and when I'm playing in loud big bands in large rooms without PA support.
3. I currently own two of Jorg's Mini 12+ speakers--one with a very small port and a front firing speaker, and the other is the older model that has the speaker angled and a larger port. They make a great stack for doubling, but I much prefer the sound of the front firing cabinet for upright. I tried out the Mini10 in a stack with my f.f. Mini12, and the combination was wonderful. The speakers sound very similar to each other, although the Mini12 is louder because it moves more air.
4. The Mini10 has a very musical sounding Titanium tweeter but I found that using just a small amount of tweeter produced the most natural sound.
5. Like the Wizzy10, the Mini10+ produced a very even and punchy tone that should cut through a mix beautifully and be very effective in producing a driving pulse, particularly on hard swinging tunes. My impression, without having the Wizzy10 there for an actual comparison, was that the Schroeder Mini10 produced a fatter tone with less mid-range than the Wizzy. However, in no way is the Schroeder fat or flabby sounding. I did find that as I cranked up the volume that the mid-range frequencies became more prominent but I think that is common to most speakers.
6. I tried the Mini10 cranked up to the loudest volume that I could achieve without feeding back, and it performed beautifully with no distortion or farting. Although I don't have a low B string, I do have a C extension, and the Schroeder (like the AI Contra speaker as well) handled the low string perfectly. I also tried the Mini10 at the lowest possible volume as well since I need an amp that can add just the slightest amount of amplification for low volume piano and bass duo gigs. The speaker responded admirably at both loud and soft volume levels.
7. In a direct comparison with the Coda, the Schroeder is dramatically louder because the speaker is so much more efficient than the ContraEx speaker cabinet. I expected to like the AI speaker better at lower volumes, but in Jorg's small room where I was playing, I preferred the sound of the Schroeder. This space was not a good indicator of how they would each do in larger rooms where the ability of the Coda to spread out the sound, particularly at lower volumes, can be wonderful. Using the Schroeder Mini10 as an extension speaker for the Coda produced a very loud rig indeed with the Schroeder being the dominant sound because of its greater efficiency.
8. The Schroeder is slightly larger than the Wizzy--16 X 13 X 12 for the Schroeder vs. 15 X 12 X 11 for the Wizzy10. It is also about 4 pounds heavier. While the Wizzy is of course easier to carry because of its lighter weight and smaller size, the Schroeder also feels very compact and easy to handle. There is a single spring loaded handled on the top of the Schroeder, and in carrying it out to my car, I found it quite comfortable to carry.
Well, that is all for now. I'm going to be taking the Schroeder Mini10 and the ClarusSL with me tomorrow night for a rehearsal of a loud big band that I play with occasionally, and I look forward to hearing how it performs. This band is loud enough that I've been bringing the Schroeder Mini12 as an extension speaker to my Coda for the last few rehearsals. I hope to find that the Mini10/Clarus combination will be enough power since it would make the load-in that much easier.
I should also mention that as always Jorg Schroeder is a delight to deal with--he is passionate about his speakers and their quality and he is willing to do just about anything to make his customers happy. I've been doing business with him since he launched his company--my first speaker of his was a 1210 regular weight cabinet that I used primarily for slab--and have gotten universally good service and straight dealings from him.
Cheers for now,
Erik Hansen
Los Angeles and Scotland
Lownote,
Did you get the standard speaker carpet covering or the "Rhino Tuff"? Were you able to check out any samples of Jorg's cabinets with "Rhino" protection?
Thanks, Glen
Did you get the standard speaker carpet covering or the "Rhino Tuff"? Were you able to check out any samples of Jorg's cabinets with "Rhino" protection?
Thanks, Glen
I bought the carpet covered cabinet as his rhino cabs are special order only at the moment. I did see a couple of the rhino covered ones, including one that was unassembled and still curing, and they looked fine. Wouldn't be my thing but then I'm not playing in situations where I might get a drink spilled on the top of my amp.
Mind you, I do not play upright, but here is my take. I am blessed to have both a Wizzy 10 and a Schroeder Mini 10+ L. While the Wizzy 10 produces a HUGE soundstage with serious bass content, "warmth" and "roundness", it does not have the high frequency "bite" that I like. I play primarily gospel, jazz and fusion and the Schroeder (which has a tweeter) is the ticket for my Peavey Cirrus Bubinga 5 and Warwick Thumb 5 BO basses. Initially, the Schroeder was slightly lacking in deep bass, but after the 2 week break-in specified by Jorg Schroeder, THIS LITTLE CABINET KICKS BASS, punches and has "bite"! I have no problems hearing myself on stage, eventhough I am very close to our drummer and not too far from a big Leslie organ speaker cabinet. An AWESOME pairing with my Micro 300 amp! I am not slighting the Wizzy 10 by any means! The ideal combination may be using both the Wizzy 10 and the Mini 10+ L.............HMMMMM.........
A Groove is a Terrible Thing to Waste!
A Groove is a Terrible Thing to Waste!
Bryan R. Tyler
TalkBass: Usurping My Practice Time Since 2002
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- May 3, 2002
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- Reviewer: Bass Player Magazine
Thanks for the review LowNote- I was looking for a more detailed description of the Mini 10+. I only play electric, so I'm still interested in either the 10+L or the 10+R- the weight difference is so minimal that either would be fine for me. I'm not sure if you play/played enough electric to judge, but were the attributes that you found in the Light version possibly beneficial for electric, or still a potential negative? For example, some of the neo cabs I've tried aren't as fat-sounding but have a faster response which is beneficial to quick, "notey" electric playing.
When I went to Jorg's I only took my upright so that I didn't play electric through either, and have yet to plug an electric bass into the Mini10+ Regular that I purchased. I intend to do so of course, and will post more when I feel that I have something to say. I'm also planning on getting together in the next couple of weeks with another Southern California TB'er who doubles so that he can try out my cabinets, and this may provide some information that would be helpful to you as well. Sorry that I can't be of any help at the moment.
I was unable to connect with the SoCal TB'er who has a Wizzy10 to compare. I'll be back in Scotland, where my Wizzy10 resides, beginning Dec. 27 and am taking the Schroeder Mini10+ with me. As soon as I get a chance to compare them, I'll do another posting.
