mcnach

Ok... my general views... Overall my conclusion was: I could be happy with any of them. If it weren't for BassChat I'd probably be happy with whatever I was playing, and would have more money in my pocket... but where's teh fun in that? I knew that the TKS S112 pair was going to appear as a 'meh' proposition. It's just very different to all the others in every way. Tried alone, they sound good. Again some might love it some won't... I do. But they do not have the bottom the others have. If I had not used them already with my two bands (rehearsal only, but loud rehearsal), I would have probably left the room thinking 'nah, the S112s are definitely not for me'. But I do like my mids, and I don't go for a very bassy sound... and these do it for me. Their drawback, perhaps, is they won't get as loud as the others. The bottom end can be dealt with by using EQ. In fact they respond very well to adding bass, they retain definition and not sound boomy at all... but they just won't be able to do that at very high volumes. For a rehearsal point of view they'll work very well. For stage sound, they will probably be very very good: they have enough volume for anything but very large stages and they sound clear and distinct wherever you are. I enjoy that a lot. As a sole source of bass, without PA... it will work in a small bar setting if the band is not crazy loud... but they may struggle if you want them to produce a lot of deep bass. So, they are what they are: very small, very light... and you would not expect earth-shattering lows out of such a small box. I'm going to have another pair of TKS S112, on Sunday, which I'm hoping will take care of the volume issue. Four of these are still a reasonable compact package over all, very easy to transport and pack away, and with the same lovely sound (for me!) just louder. I wish I could try their S212, as it's similar to two S112s, but the box is a little deeper and it is supposed to sound similar just a bit deeper. That looks like a winner, then. The TKS 1126s sounded very big. We tried first the S112 and then the 1126 and that's where I saw some smiles It had a lot more depth, with crystal clear highs... It sounded very good. very very good. I can't believe I am letting the red beauties go! . Using the Mesa, they sounded hefty... Using the Momark, with a good dollop of VLE filter, it was more vintagey with a good amount of midrange. Very good combination for my liking. The Streamliner sounded very clear... but we all had different preferred settings as we all had different goals. The point is that the 1126s can sound very good in a variety of ways. The Vanderkley 210MNT were very very good too. I was very curious because when I bought the 1126s, the other contender was the 210MNT. They sounded remarkably similar. They're about the same size, weigh about the same and both have deep lows if you want them to. The Vanderkley was perhaps a bit more to my liking, actually, as it had a bit more of that midrange character that I love. But Stephen showed that the 1126 could easily do that sound using his MoMark... so there is a difference, but it's a small one and nothing that a tiny bit of EQ would not take care of. I love the look of these cabs. I think the red panel on black looks fantastic. I'm not a big fan of carpet covering, 'though... so after hearing them side by side... I'd probably choose the 1126 over the 210MNT. Both seem to be able to deliver the goods in any gig situation. I've heard what the 1126 can do in a largeish bar with a reggae band, and really, anything they cannot do, it's definitely territory where there should be a proper PA in place to carry the bass. The pair of 1126 fit perfectly in the boot of my A3 Sportback. It's why I bought them (among other reasons, but dimensions were important). Funny enough, Stephen, who owns the Vanderkleys, also drives an A3... but I don't know if they fit in the boot. I suspect they do, I really could not see much different in size between the two cabs. Oh, one more thing.. the tweeter on the 210MNT is very effective and sounds very good! I'm not a big fan of tweeters, but in this case... I'd go for the tweeter version. It has a very noticeable effect across its range, and doesn't sound brittle at all. The tweeter in the 1126 seems a bit unnecessary to me: the 6" speaker gives them an extended response that makes the tweeter almost useless, I think. You can hear what it does, but it's only in the very top end... and it's not something I care for. The Barefaced pair... they didn't look as nice as the others. I love the logo! But while I don't have an issue with the finish itself, compared to the others they did look a little more... 'industrial'. The BB2 is pristine, just dusty, but the Compact has 3-4 small marks that were acquired without needing any traumatic experience... that finish may be easy to touch up, but it is also easy to damage. I did not have a cover for it for the first couple of years, and although I have always been careful, it got a handful of little marks. Nothing much, but between them being a bit dusty and next to amazingly beautiful TKS and Vanderkley cabs... they just did not steal teh show for looks. HOWEVER... how did they sound? Well, that was the second smile moment. They sounded big. And bigger. Incredibly big for their actual size and light weight. They also sounded very good. These don't have the more pleasing sound of the 1126 or 210MNT cabs, on their own... but they have a clearer midrange that works very well in a band situation. It's a good sounding setup that gets as loud as you can expect, and can still get louder, apparently. When trying to push the cabs to their limits on another occasion, I noticed with my Streamliner I could push to the point that you could tell you should probably not push more. That was really loud, by the way. I could never reach that point with the Barefaced... they continued to happily get louder and louder until my amp had no more to put into the speakers. For this reason, I let the 1126 go as I favour the smaller S112 rig... but I am keeping the Barefaced around until I'm satisfied that I don't really need that volume. I'm actually letting the Compact go, because -long story- while two BB2 can be manageable the Compact is slightly larger and makes life complicated... so I'll be keeping a single BB2 for now. If the 4x S112 perform well enough (loud enough!), then I'll probably let the BB2 go, as I do prefer the sound of the S112s. But if not, then I'll let a pair of S112 go and get a second BB2 so that I can have the small and the loud rig. Again, whatever preferences I expressed here... they're not really big. That's why factors like size, or colour!!! become sometime deciding factors: they all sounded good to me, I could live with any of them. The S112 pair is the least powerful, so that one has the caveat that if you need really loud it is probably not the ideal setup for you. But all the other three could work just fine in any setting. Of the three 'loud' ones... I'd probably choose the Barefaced as I know it works well with the bands I play with and I would not worry about volume, while the TKS 1126 works in some settings and not so well in others, for me. But the 210MNT have an interesting midrange as a feature that distinguishes from the 1126, and they might actually give me a nicer sound while sacrificing a bit of volume, which I doubt would be an issue as they don't lack volume, that's for sure. So, like Stephen... I went home thinking I was happy with my choices... but only because I had already experienced the S112 pair with two bands. Otherwise, I'd be thinking that it was either the Barefaced or the Vanderkley for me. But I'd be happy with the 1126 anyway I never got to hear the Tecamp... but it was a very nice looking cab, and much lighter than I expected! Amps... The MoMark sounded dark with a nice touch of midrange. That's the sound Stephen goes for, and it sounds great with his Shuker. I would normally use less VLE and a bit brighter sound... but that's just personal preference. The Mesa was pretty interesting. Deek played a bit with the controls and although he seemed to go mostly for deeper fatter sounds than I would go for... it was clear the amp could do other noises... It's a nice looking amp that packs a punck, and as I just realised, it can do 2 ohm... all of which puts it in the 'amps I should really check out' category. My Streamliner sounded punchy and very clear... but I don't think there was any extreme EQ, Deek If I remember correctly, I did not have the 'extra gain' button engaged... so I start from a clearer tone than when with the gain button pressed in, which is what I see most people do. The input gain was set clean, so there was no extra 'fat' applied. The bass knob was set at around 9 or 10 o'clock as I feel it has a lot of bottom end in the mid position. I was using the mids on the 2.5KHz position and boosted a little, maybe just after 1 o'clock. The treble knob I don't know where it was... it does very little with the S112s... but it wasn't that high as I don't like a lot of clang with my Stingray. But I clearly had teh less 'vintagey' sound of the three My girlfriend sat on the floor (seen behind Stephen in one of the pictures above) listening, and afterwards she told me that we looked very cute taking pictures of our amps and talking about speakers... she started to play bass last summer and she loves bass, but she's not into the 'geeks R Us' society we seem to have here at BassChat and she was a bit disappointed that there was no more real bass playing as opposed to checking sounds... But I had a great time

[quote name='dave_bass5' timestamp='1454012234' post='2965488'] They are on Thomanns website already, although not available yet. [/quote] oh, they are, and it's maple with white blocks!!!! Do I need another Jazz? No I don't. I really don't. But...

[quote name='molan' timestamp='1453993948' post='2965122'] Unfortunately my car is a 'coupe' so I can't convert completely. The rear seats do fold but I I'd have to load through the car so it would be a bit of a pain. There is enough space in terms of volume but it's the load angle getting the 1126 over the lip of the boot that causes the problem. The ones that amazed me were the Aggie Sl112's - I can fit two of those in the same space! [/quote] Ah, it looks like you're safe for now... until it's time to get a new car

[quote name='Beer of the Bass' timestamp='1453994789' post='2965135'] If you get curious enough you could always pop off the connector plate at the back and stick your phone camera in the hole (with the flash turned on) . I think it's likely to be the Eminence Beta 12, as TKS have said they use Eminence and it's a 250 watt rated ceramic driver, with specs that very closely resemble TKS's published specs when you model it in that size box. But I may be off the mark with that one! A bit slower than I anticipated at first, the boxes are assembled but I still need to do the baffles, round off the corners and paint them. I'll probably get a bit of a move on next week, as I'd like to use them for a gig in a fortnight. There's a thread in the Build Diaries section. If they do turn out to perform similarly to the S112s, you're welcome to try them stacked up with yours with the series/parallel cable. [/quote] Thank you , I'll ask Tommy first, but yeah, I might try that if he doesn't answer (I doubt it!). ooh, I'll look for that thread. The gig... is it in Edinburgh? I'm getting a second pair of S112s on Sunday! Yes, I know... crazy. I'm driving to Carlisle to meet Karlfer and he'll take my 1126s in exchange for his two S112s and some cash. Then I'll spend the rest of the day doing a little tourism around Hexham... and on Monday I'll use all 4 S112s at rehearsal with the RATM band.

[quote name='tauzero' timestamp='1454006822' post='2965380'] 1299 EU. See [url="https://www.facebook.com/Eich-Amplification-185018971836714/"]https://www.facebook...85018971836714/[/url] [/quote] thank you! a bit more than the Puma 1000, but not far off. Looks pretty cool too!

That should be made into a movie!!! Well, it may not have a lot of appeal to the larger audience but I'd watch it Great result!

[quote name='such' timestamp='1454004235' post='2965326'] I see a couple of these in my future (this year probably). Apparently there's a Candy Apple Red coming out soon as well as lacquered-board fretlesses. [/quote] Candy apple red? If it's a maple neck I'm doomed...

[quote name='molan' timestamp='1453987893' post='2964975'] I really like the 1126 cabs - unfortunately they don't fit in the boot of my car [/quote] Funny that. A big reason I got my pair of 1126 was that they fitted perfectly in the boot of my small car (A3 Sportback), as you may remember I found something yesterday... I have a couple of BF cabs that almost but not quite fitted in my boot. I always carried one in the boot and another on my backseat. They looked like they *almost* could fit but it was impossible to get both there. Last night I was transporting 3 sets of speakers with my seats down, and after unloading at the end of the night I decided to leave the two BF in the car overnight. What I found was that with both cabs in place in the boot, I could pull the backseat up just fine... and voila! They do fit after all! It's just that there's no extra clearance to get them in or out without loosening the backseat backrest first. I'm not saying that it will solve your problem, of course... but if you think they are almost there but not quite, perhaps it'll help... and then you can let your lust for the 1126 go wild?

The 1126s are great cabs. I am letting my two go on Sunday (long irrelevant story), and yesterday I was comparing them to a bunch of other speakers, with various amps and three different players... and a little bit of me was crying They really sound good. And look good too!

[quote name='Kevin Dean' timestamp='1453987709' post='2964971'] Did any of the set ups obviously move more air than the others ? [/quote] I'd say the Barefaced. Perhaps unsurprisingly But the TKS 1126 or the Vanderkley were not shy at all either! The S112 pair sounds great to me, but when you place them next to those others, they feel a bit like an underdeveloped teenager in a Mr Universe contest If yesterday were a test in a shop, I don't think I would have chosen the S112. However, fortunately, I *know* how they sound in a band situation and they are very good, just not as powerful. But the three of us have slightly different tonal goals... I think Deek really hated the S112 I'll write my impressions in more detail later.

[quote name='Beer of the Bass' timestamp='1453990992' post='2965050'] I was going to say Ampeg SVT (or the cheeky Bugera clone) but I guess you want something a bit more portable! [/quote] ha ha yes... portable is the name of the game... the recent game of musical chairs has only come about by a need to reduce bulk further... I used to have lots of storage space, then I had lots more... and now I have very little, and the situation is unlikely to change until much later in the year, so I am taking the opportunity to find ways to reduce bulk in general. So far so good, it led me to discover the TKS S112 cabs and I love them. They don't have a huge sound or anything but... there's just something about them that I really really like. I have to ask Tommy what speakers he puts in those. How are yours coming along?

[quote name='chris_b' timestamp='1453989951' post='2965037'] Various TC amps are either 2ohm or 2.6ohm, my Thunderfunk TFB750-A and the Mesa D800 goes to 2ohm. You can also run 2 4ohm amps into 2 4ohm cabs by daisy chaining the amps. [/quote] Yup, another option was using two amps indeed. I like that redundancy as an 'insurance' of sorts... what are the chances that an amp will fail? well, what are the chances that BOTH will fail? In fact I might test that with the LM3, as I have an LM3 and a CMD121P combo (an LM3 head in combo form), as I really like the Markbass... and getting a second LM3 would be a lot cheaper than a Mesa D800 or something like that... So many amps, so little time!

[quote name='tauzero' timestamp='1453987515' post='2964967'] The new Eich 1000 - 2x500W at 2 ohms or bridged, 1x1000W at 4 ohms. Not a cheap option though. [/quote] It doesn't need to be cheap. But I can't find any info about the Eich 1000, regarding price... I imagine it'll be similar to the Puma 1000?

[quote name='Lozz196' timestamp='1453986645' post='2964944'] Splitter cable from OBBM. [/quote] Too late... I have ordered that already It's my first test, see how my existing amps deal with the four cabs at 8ohm (two pairs of 8 ohm in parallel = two sets of 4ohm.. then those in series = 8ohm) But because I'm not 100% sure the Streamliner 900 is for me, this situation is opening the possibility of my changing amps to something I like a bit better and get the 2ohm option since I'm at it... we'll see.

[quote name='EBS_freak' timestamp='1453985858' post='2964926'] Small and Light - Mesa D800 [/quote] wait! I missed this... the Subway D800 does 2ohm?? I heard one in action yesterday and you know what? It wasn't half bad I didn't realise it did 2ohm... hmmm. Interesting. I'm not sure I *need* (or want) to change amps just yet but the D800 is now firmly in my radar, thank you! and thanks for all the other suggestions too! Lots to look at

I like the Markbass LM3 and the GB Streamliner 900, for different reasons as they are pretty different. It would be great if they could cope with 2 ohm loads. There aren't that many amps out there that do... do you know which ones do? Especially if you think they are in some way similar to either those two? But ok if they're different

[quote name='CamdenRob' timestamp='1453979466' post='2964821'] I'm GASing for a P bass and one of these could fit the bill just nicely.... how to decide that's the real question [/quote] no question: blue and maple!!!

Yup... The VLE filter in particular I use a lot. It's perfect to 'round' up the edges of the sound a bit. I use the EQ very lightly and VLE is just lovely.

It happened... see more details here: http://basschat.co.uk/topic/277818-a-room-full-of-amps-cabs/