2nd, if someone likes 810s in general (or a specific 810), that's great. Terrific. Have at it. It's about what each guy likes. But to claim the 810 Vd that you do is simply wishful thinking. Mass-marketed 810s employ drivers that are (& must be, economically) pedestrian. A pretty good guess at 810 displacement is in the 800-900cc range. A single 3015LF clocks in @ 845cc.
fEarful owner/fan here. I don't think you're being quite fair to 810's, there. So I'll take a stab at it, maybe help the OP in comparing what ya'll are talking about here.
Give the 810's their due. A lot of folks like them, and depending on what one wants, they can do the job well. They'll fill a room with bass. Not necessarily sub/low bass, but not everyone wants that. Most roll off lows in a range that can be useful... even with cabs that can do lower there are times when a HPF set in that same neighborhood can be a good thing. They usually roll off highs in a place that works pretty well for bass for a lot of players.
They don't disperse like a 2 or three way cab... but as a stage monitor beaming can be dealt with, or even be what is desired. They often have a bump in frequency response right where some might want to have a bump in frequency response.
Yeah, big and heavy. Not a problem for some, plus wheels/handles make them easier to move than smaller/wheel-less cabs in some situations.
In other words... they are what they are. Like anything, they have strong and weak points. When the strong points match up with what you want, and the weak points aren't things that matter to you, and you like the way it sounds... sure. Get an 810 and be happy with it. Those points didn't line up that way for me, I didn't get one, and I ended up happier with something else. Yay!
And if I really did prefer the sound of an 810, I probably would have been looking at the Barefaced '69er that Mr Foxen mentioned.
In terms of "moving air" no, a single 15/6 won't whoop a good 810 (don't think I've ever heard anyone say that). A dual 3015 or 3012LF won't either, though they are getting in the ballpark for it... matching or beating some, not others. To be fair, I do my "compare to typical full range 10s" Vd math with an Eminence Legend 810. BFM has said it's pretty darn close to what ships in the Ampeg 810e and higher-end 8x10's nowadays. It had good Vd for a 10, way better than the estimate you give. Here's raw air movement numbers, with an "ballpark equivalent in Legend 810s" figure tacked on to the end:
Eight Legend 810's = 1321.6 cc
Single 3012LF = 494 cc (3x10)
Single 3015 = 505 cc (3x10)
Single 3015LF = 845.9 cc (5x10)
Dual 3012LF = 988 cc (6x10)
Dual 3015 = 1010 cc (6x10)
Dual 3015LF = 1691.8 cc (10x10)
Note that the figures don't take into account any increase in air movement (up to almost double) due to port tuning. (See Barefaced's article on the subject
here.) Doesn't account for any mids or tweets, either. Just the simplest hard data available on the woofers doing the "air moving", from a reliable source.
Putting down the paper, I agree with CL400Peavey that my 1212/6 is in the ballpark with some 8x10s. Maybe it loses and an out-and-out peak SPL war, maybe not. But how often does one actually have to push either cab to those limits? Pretty much never. Both can put out plenty of sound for pretty much any occasion. The rest is a matter of taste, preferences, and special needs.
But given that real-world comparison, and the raw Vd data, plus the potential for even more air movement due to good tuning... I think I'd put my money on a '66 smacking an 810e pretty hard.
Only one way to know for sure, though. A duel/faceoff at a GTG somewhere. Who wouldn't love to see that? Maybe a Heritage SVT & 810 vs. a Classic 400 on a '66? And then more power... swap out the tube heads and try it with an SVT-7Pro & Carvin B2000?
." Industry standard is only industry standard until industry comes up with something better.
. Plus, it's smaller and lighter.
