Ashdown 4x8neo & 4x8 ceramic

[Kevin Dean]

I've been playing with a Ashdown 4x8 neo ported cab rated at 1000rms 8 ohms & I'm thinking of getting a Ashdown 4 x8 ceramic sealed cab rated at 400w to go on top , the idea is that the sealed cab would give a more defined sound a bit like having a 4x10 on top of a 1 x15 or won't it work like that ?

[Bill Fitzmaurice]

What you'll end up with is a chain with a weak link. You may have seen it said that sealed cabs have more definition than ported. It's not true. Definition occurs in the midrange, and there's no difference in the response of sealed versus ported cabs in the mids. As for a 410 atop a 115, that's probably the worst possible cab configuration, nothing about it makes any sense.

[Kevin Dean]

[quote name='Bill Fitzmaurice' timestamp='1504477425' post='3365176'] What you'll end up with is a chain with a weak link. You may have seen it said that sealed cabs have more definition than ported. It's not true. Definition occurs in the midrange, and there's no difference in the response of sealed versus ported cabs in the mids. As for a 410 atop a 115, that's probably the worst possible cab configuration, nothing about it makes any sense. [/quote]
I was hoping that the top cab not being ported & different speakers that it would exaggerate the high frequencies ...I see a lot of mixed speakers set ups that sound pretty good so maybe it's theory V practice thing ..I'll give it a go & report back .

[Bill Fitzmaurice]

Mixed cab setups can sound fine. The question is whether or not a pair of mismatched cabs works better than a pair of matched cabs. The only way one can know that is to try A+B, A+A and B+B side by side.
The sealed 4x8 may have better highs than the ported, but if it does it's not because it's sealed, it's because the drivers have better midrange response. Predicting if that's the case [i]should[/i] be a simple matter, you'd just look at the frequency response charts for the speakers. Unfortunately, manufacturers have a very low opinion of their customers, thinking them too daft to be able to make heads or tails of a frequency response chart, so they don't provide them.