Cab advice - 10 or 12 or 15in?

[roballanson]

Go for the 210s azzy great for a punchy sound. I now use a 210 and 410 cab and it kicks plenty...

 

[PocketGroove82]

If you play 5 string, you really should get a 15, if not then 2x10s is gonna be better than one 12. imo.

Ideal rig is 2x10 and a 1x15. best of both worlds!

 

[Aussie Mark]

Ideal rig is 2x10 and a 1x15.

I used to have such a rig, but I found the 1x15 to be unnecessary (for a 4 banger player such as myself). These days I have the 2x10 for small gigs and rehearsals, and an 8x8 for bigger venues,

 

[strummer]

If you are only using it at home, I would avoid a single 15 just due to the physics of a 15 inch speaker. It generates such a large sine wave that you have to be around 10 feet from it to get a clear convergence of tone from it. Many sound muddy if you are closer than that. Now I have not heard a Mark 15, but I cannot imagine that he has found a way to beat the physics of sound yet.

A 10 or 12 will converge much sooner and have a lower amplitude sine wave thus you can be closer to the speaker and hear a focused note without mud.

Hope this helps.

While I don't disagree with the recommendation of smaller drivers, your "15" speaker physics" is just plain wrong. The speaker will generate (or try to) whatever frequency you send to it, and speaker size has nothing at all to do with wave lengths.

 

[strummer]

I voted 1x12, because that's what I like myself.

 

[Bill]

I say 210. It'll be very portable and have a lot of punch while still having excellent bottom. You can add another cab later. I had a friend's Hartke 210 Transporter at my house for a while, and I was surprised at how good it sounded.

 

[Psycho Ward]

I voted for the 210, because I just bought another Bergantino off eBay and it is a 210.

Out of all my amps and cabs I have way more 10's, the Ampeg 810e, Ashdown ABM 410 & ABM C210 combo.

The Bergie 12's sound great too and the B-15-R kills, but the B-18-N, aside from being only 80 watts, can scare large animals!

 

[artisan]

personally i like the sound from my 1x15 but i plan to add a 2x10 when i can afford one.
but for home use i think the 1x15 is a bit much so for now i'd go 2x10 (G.K. of coarse)

 

[mike not fat]

I agree with the 2x10 votes.

I choosed 1x12 because they are good sounding and not to heavy. They take less room. Most Markbass combo with only one speaker are comeing with a 12".

MNF

 

[tkarter]

I agree with the 2x10 votes.

I choosed 1x12 because they are good sounding and not to heavy. They take less room. Most Markbass combo with only one speaker are comeing with a 12".

MNF

Valid point Mike. I am seeing more and more bar gigs done with a single 12 combo. Ear plugs usually required too.

There is magic in a 2x10 and 1x15 pairing though.

Have we done enough to confuse you yet Azzy?



tk

 

[stretch80]

I voted for 15s because I love their tone in the end, BUT I think you will be best off with a 2-10, like the gang has been saying.

 

[azzy_wazzy]

Have we done enough to confuse you yet Azzy?

You guys tend to manage that within about 5 minutes, so yeah, I've been confused since yesterday afternoon

2x10 and 1x12 were the 2 options I was thinking of the most, so you lot haven't helped my decision!

But hey, what did I expect

 

[tkarter]

You guys tend to manage that within about 5 minutes, so yeah, I've been confused since yesterday afternoon

2x10 and 1x12 were the 2 options I was thinking of the most, so you lot haven't helped my decision!

But hey, what did I expect

There is always the toss of the coin at these times.

Seriously if you can get the 2x10 you are set for some pretty good sized venues. It will sound great at home without a lot of volume. Then when you hit big time you can add a 1x15 and start damaging ear drums.

tk

 

[Kirby]

While I don't disagree with the recommendation of smaller drivers, your "15" speaker physics" is just plain wrong. The speaker will generate (or try to) whatever frequency you send to it, and speaker size has nothing at all to do with wave lengths.

I was taught that was the reason that a 15 sounded muddy if you were too close to it and that is why a 10 or 12 sounded tighter with less distance to it. Can anyone elaborate why this is so then? An engineer with a studio engineering degree from Berklee explained this to me. I could have misinterpreted it, but this is what I got out of it.

 

[maddog]

From my attempts at being an amateur acoustic engineer, invariably due to the mass, a 15" speaker will have a lower resonant frequency than 2x10" speakers mounted in their appropriate boxes. Therefore, the 15" would have a deeper response and interaction with the room would be more apt to make things muddy. However, without seeing the frequency and impedance curves, it is hard to say how things will sound. The modern age of engineering can make anything side like anything else using wonderous eq especially since personal computers have lots of processing power.

Also, with the heavier mass, the high end would be muted. Contributing to the sense of muddines.

The explanation of sounding muddy due to distance doesn't make any sense to me no matter how I apply the physics.

The problem with rules of thumbs is they have exceptions.

 

[tkarter]

To me the hillbilly that learned in the living room. A 15 is a different frequency than a 10. A 12 is in between. Where you set the amp is what makes the noise. In that way of view. Yeah, they all sound different and I don't know.

Life was easy in acoustic days all you had to hear was the music. Frequency only came into play when the dog heard something you couldn't.

the has dated himself to doom


IMHO

tk

 

[strummer]

I was taught that was the reason that a 15 sounded muddy if you were too close to it and that is why a 10 or 12 sounded tighter with less distance to it. Can anyone elaborate why this is so then? An engineer with a studio engineering degree from Berklee explained this to me. I could have misinterpreted it, but this is what I got out of it.

I am a bit crowded here at work, but I'll get to it eventually
I think it's just a bit of misunderstanding, where you accidentaly connected woofer size to wave lengths. I'll get back to you.

 

[Kirby]

Thanks for the help. I am very interested in learning the correct reasoning behind this.