MarkBass Cabinets HR & HF

[Spectre]

I am looking to replace my current cabinets with MarkBass.

The 104HR and 151HR appeal to me for their size and mobility.
Unfortunately, I can not find a GC that has an HR & HF of a model in stock, at the same time, to compare.

Has anyone had the opportunity to compare them side by side (as in 104HR & 104HF / 151HR & 151HF)?
Interested in what the sound difference is between the two configurations.

 

[1Echo]

Personally I prefer the HF variety and found them to be clearer and punchier in general. However, keep in mind that where you play (as in position of the cab) will have an effect on the sound. An HF cab can have it's back placed fairly close to a wall with less booming of low frequencies than the HR can ...... all has to do with the moving of air after all. The HF just seems more consistent regardless of application.

Perhaps Peter will chime in on their differences.

 

[Kirby]

I think the GC in Indy just got an HR 4x10 in. I have had a 4x10HF on order for a month now and spoke to GC today. They said there are none in the country now, but I should have mine by the middle of next month.

 

[Ostinato]

I tried one of their 210 combos. It sucked. I think you would have better luck if you punched a few holes in a cardboard box and threw some home made speakers in em.

Seriously, if you care about the sound of your bass, avoid MB cabinets at all costs!

 

[Dr Stankface]

Oooooooh, gonna replace the Bergs?

 

[1Echo]

I tried one of their 210 combos. It sucked. I think you would have better luck if you punched a few holes in a cardboard box and threw some home made speakers in em.

Seriously, if you care about the sound of your bass, avoid MB cabinets at all costs!

I think you'll find most here disagree with this but that's what makes it an opinion. A lot of people on this forum have found their sound with one of those combos. I have one myself ..... it sounds great and I can carry it with one hand. Sounds even better when I pair it up with a 151HF.

 

[Spectre]

Perhaps Peter will chime in on their differences.

+1

-------
I picked up a Traveler 102, 2 weeks back. Took it to a small gig and it performed beautifully. My opinion, it has great punch and impressed with the bass response. Another big plus, it is light, and fits in the trunk of my car.

My current stack is SWR Golliath III 4x10 and SWR SoB 1x15 . They have done their job and performed faithfully. But, I would be happy not having to drag an 89lb cabinet (4x10) around. Plus, if the MarkBass big cabs are like the T102, they will give me a fuller bass sound than what I have with my SWRs.
Like 1Echo, I do like front ported speakers, as are my SWRs. But, the size of the MarkBass HRs are more to my liking. Those dual front port 104 and 151 HFs are tall beasties.
Hence my question about the differences in sound, and what I may lose, if anything by going with HRs instead of HFs.

I have tried, with no success, of finding a GC that would have an HF and HR so I could do comparison. From what I gather, these cabinets fly out the door soon after they arrive. Case in point, when I bought my 102P, GC just received two of them. I happend to come in the day they arrived. I bought one that day, and the other one was sold by following weekend.

 

[Peter Murray]

I am looking to replace my current cabinets with MarkBass.

The 104HR and 151HR appeal to me for their size and mobility.
Unfortunately, I can not find a GC that has an HR & HF of a model in stock, at the same time, to compare.

Has anyone had the opportunity to compare them side by side (as in 104HR & 104HF / 151HR & 151HF)?
Interested in what the sound difference is between the two configurations.

The 104HR and 151HR will reach the US later this month (or early next), and there's some chance that a store near you will have one of both the HF and the HR models.
If they don't, it might be difficult to orchestrate.
But at least all four cabs (104HF, 104HR, 151HF and 151HR) will be in the GC system.
Anything that's in the GC system can be ordered from any store, and they all have a 60-day return policy.

The HF cabs are generally preferred for gigs without PA support, gigs on big stages, and gigs where you need lots of bottom end.
The HR cabs are somewhat tighter and more focused in the low end, but not as big sounding. Since they're smaller than the HF cabs, they also make excellent "second" cabs, in other words, combined with an HF.
That said, the HF cabs don't sound "unfocused", and the HR cabs don't lack bottom end! It's just a bit of a different low end character.

I hope that helps somewhat. Let me know if you need more detail.

Cheers,
Peter

 

[Spectre]

Thanks, Peter, for the insight on the HRs and HFs

Looking forward to the HRs arrival and trying them out.

 

[jaylegroove]

I have an older Traveler 151P, and as far as I understood it is very close to what is now called Standard 151HR (please Peter, correct me if I'm wrong).

All I can say is that this cab has very solid low end, while being very fast for a 15", and the adjustable tweeter makes this cab _very_ versatile. I actually chose this one (instead of the Traveler 102P I also own) for smaller venues.

Great cab, really.

Hope this helps,
Jay

 

[ashiin]

hey peter when will marbass come to hong kong? I'm dying for one!

 

[bovinehost]

I tried one of their 210 combos. It sucked. I think you would have better luck if you punched a few holes in a cardboard box and threw some home made speakers in em.

Seriously, if you care about the sound of your bass, avoid MB cabinets at all costs!

On the other hand, quite a few of us have and love our Markbass gear.

Opinions - yes, even opposing opinions - are welcome, but you may want to phrase it in a way that won't suggest that I don't care about the sound of my bass, you know?

I do. And I've been using Markbass amplification and cabinets exclusively since last year.

Jack

 

[jaylegroove]

I had nothing but compliments about my tone during this Summer tour.

All I need now is to find something to add (SABDDI ?) to phatten my tone and make it a bit darker.

 

[DaveDDF]

I prefer the HF cabs myself. I've sold a few markbass setups to people in my job (music retailer up until last month ) and they are cracking bits of kit.
Some guy came in and bought a 610HF and a little mark II to go with it. AWESOME sound!

 

[Peter Murray]

Thanks, Peter, for the insight on the HRs and HFs

Looking forward to the HRs arrival and trying them out.

The STD 104HR and STD 151HR are available NOW from Guitar Center.
If there aren't any at your local store, they can be ordered in.

R500, F1, CL 108, Jeff Berlin combo, Minimark: available from GC end of October

Classic 300, TRV 121H, TRV 151P, CL 104: available from GC end of November

Other models will roll in in late 07/ early 08--more info on that to come.

Cheers,
Peter

 

[jamesattard]

However, keep in mind that where you play (as in position of the cab) will have an effect on the sound. An HF cab can have it's back placed fairly close to a wall with less booming of low frequencies than the HR can ...... all has to do with the moving of air after all. The HF just seems more consistent regardless of application..

In a few words, which is the best position for a cab? I normally put it on one of those soft-drinks plastic boxes i find in the bar, and not too near a wall.

 

[Mobay45]

I tried one of their 210 combos. It sucked. I think you would have better luck if you punched a few holes in a cardboard box and threw some home made speakers in em.

Seriously, if you care about the sound of your bass, avoid MB cabinets at all costs!

Thank you, thank you, thank you. You have just saved me a ton of money.

I was thinking of getting one of these combos and, even though I've been playing for over 25 years and liked the sound, your definitive review has totally changed my mind.

 

[KennethB]

Me too! That's the exact combo (CMD 102P, right?) I was thinking about buying but now I'm glad this came along.
Cause I do have a cardboard box, and I can use the speakers in my mom's stereo-system (She doesn't listen to music that much anyway) . That will be much cheaper. Thanks, Ostinato! You just saved me $2k.