Bill Fitzmaurice

Your only option is to use pliers to force it to turn. Hopefully if anything breaks it will be the plug and not the socket. I've never had this happen either but I've heard of there being some issues with knock-off Speakons. Only use genuine Neutrik.

[quote name='hunt the shunt' timestamp='1364651435' post='2029231'] What on earth do you think you will achieve adding a 1x15 to a kilowatt 8x10 rig??? [/quote]Good point. A 1x15 is a good addition to a 2x10. Adding one to an 8x10 is about as useful as putting a sail on a cigarette boat.

[quote name='hamfist' timestamp='1362662020' post='2002899'] I will say that this cab has the potential to be very bright (in an upper mids sort of way) though. I had to take a lot of upper mids out from the amp, to compensate. It was never a problem though, just a characteristic of the cab. Just shows how little of these frequencies most cabs put out maybe ? If I were really nit-picking, it would be nice to have a dial control on the cab to control the mid-driver output. [/quote]You're just hearing for the first time frequencies that your bass produces but your speakers were unable to reproduce. Once you get used to it you won't feel the need to reduce the sensitivity of the midrange driver, you'll just wonder how you ever got along without it. When it was being beta tested Roger asked my opinion of whether to add an LPad, as he saw that many testers automatically went to turn it down, even before turning the amp on, let alone hitting a single note, while setting all the EQ knobs at 12:00. Partly on my advice he didn't, and sure enough, eventually his beta testers figured out that those knobs are meant to be used, and once they had regained that long forgotten ability they found out that they really didn't need an LPad to get exactly the tone they wanted.

Fuzz and tweeters do not get along well. That's why guitar speakers don't have them.

[quote name='Mr. Foxen' timestamp='1362570635' post='2001404'] Sealed should be stuffed. [/quote]Perhaps. If the cab is too small for the drivers within response will be boomy; stuffing the cab can reduce the boom. If the cab is the correct size for the drivers then lining alone is adequate. But most manufacturers use cabs that are too small, especially in the lower price range.

[quote name='BassHertz' timestamp='1362434615' post='1999851'] Do the manufacturers not bother with padding inside the cabinet anymore? [/quote]The ones who care how their speakers sound wouldn't dream of sending out cabs that aren't properly damped. Those who'd rather save the two quid that it costs to do it right, not so much.

[quote name='hamfist' timestamp='1362040160' post='1994748'] And, Bill, to pick up your point about midrange drivers, my next cab will definately have one. I just don't understand why they are not standard on bass cabs, even instead of a tweeter. It's down to cost and tradition I expect. [/quote]Tradition and cost. The first tweeters used were piezos, back around 1972. They were stuck in bass cabs because they were cheap and didn't need a crossover. Midranges weren't used because few existed capable of the job, and they required crossovers. Eventually dynamic tweeters with high pass filters, if not full blown crossovers, supplanted piezos, but midranges cost roughly twice as much, so they're seldom employed. The midranges we have at our disposal today render tweeters obsolete, but I wouldn't count on seeing them go away anytime soon.

[quote name='hamfist' timestamp='1361990753' post='1994150'] If I merely turn the tweeter control on the rear to minimum (at which point I can perceive no sound coming out of the horn), is that the same as actually disconnecting any crossover inside and wiring the woofers straight to the input ?[/quote]No. [quote]I assume there is a crossover inside which splits my signal into high and low frequencies, and sends the high to the horn, and the lows to the woofers. I have no idea of the crossover frequency in my cab as GK publish no info about this. My suspicion is that this frequency is significantly lower than the woofer's upper frequency output abilities[/quote] In most cases the opposite is true, they go to the tweeter an octave or so higher than where the woofer is useful. 4 to 5kHz is the usual range. That leaves a gaping hole in the response, and it's why midrange drivers should be used, at the least in concert with tweeters, if not replacing them. [quote]With the horn turned down on the rear and the signal being split by the crossover, am I right in assuming that the woofers don't receive a full range signal, therefore possibly sounding duller than if just connected them straight to the input[/quote]Probably not, see above. And even in those rare cases where a twelve has useful axial response above 3kHz none have useful off-axis response above 2kHz. [quote]I hope my waffle is understandable. The thing is, with the horn completely turned down, the tone is too bassy for my tastes [/quote]Don't turn it completely down. Use your amp EQ to control the highs.

[quote name='Tom Bowlus' timestamp='1361978280' post='1993951'] There are industry standards for measurement of amplifiers and cabs for both home audio and pro audio use, but there are not equivalent standards for musical instrument amps and cabs. I am sure that Bill will disagree with me, though. [/quote]The standard of how to measure speakers dates to the 1930s. A speaker is a speaker is a speaker, how it's used has no bearing on how it should be measured.

[quote name='Tom Bowlus' timestamp='1361974750' post='1993866'] That is not an accurate assessment of our testing procedure. Yes, we do test with one mic and we do not splice multiple measurements into one chart. [/quote]You may do so accurately with the speaker mounted in the wall of an anechoic chamber. You can duplicate that by going outdoors, digging a pit large enough to fit the speaker into facing upward, backfilling around the speaker to create a flush mounting, with the mic suspended far enough above to insure that the multiple wavefronts from multiple drivers are fully integrated. The two step process is a lot easier. The way you're doing it will not give an accurate result. [quote]We measure using 1 watt at 1 meter. [/quote]Measuring at one meter does not allow for integration of the wavefronts of the woofer and midrange. The result will be inaccurate, especially off-axis. Your charts show deep nulls in the off-axis that aren't there on-axis, and in the midrange and HF sensitivity at 15 degrees is higher than axial at some frequencies. Those inacurracies are the result of the mic being too close to the speaker. The low frequency response is also off, the result of the baffle reflection as line source when measured at too close a distance. [quote]From our perspective, we do not believe that the ML-112 measured "poorly."[/quote]Since your perspective would be compared to other cabs that you've measured using the same technique that's to be expected. The issue is that compared to speakers measured half-space anechoic with the mic at a proper distance the results are pretty bad, and could lead one who knows how to read SPL charts to think that the cab sounds pretty bad as well.

[quote name='JTUK' timestamp='1361961039' post='1993556'] Ok...forget that you don't like the measurements.... if the buyer then decided he didn't like the sound, that would trump all technical data, to my mind anyway. And the the opposite would apply as well. IMO. [/quote]It's not a matter of what I like. There is a correct way to take measurements, and there's every other way. Bass Gear uses one of the other ways. If one bases their criticisms solely on those measurements, not having heard the cab, then those criticisms have no basis, either objective or subjective. [quote]How do you yourself rate your above behaviour as compared to the Roger Baer behaviour that you criticised so vocally? [/quote]His behavior is the same now as it has always been. He fancies himself an authority, and takes very opportunity to belittle those who actually make their livings doing what he wishes that he could. An internet bully, who can't expound on his own accomplishments if the field, as he has none, so he can only satisfy his ego by criticising those who are successful. I chose to ignore him a goodly five years back. I answered a few of his posts in this thread, in the hope that he was actually interested in learning something. You can see how well that turned out, so back onto my iggy list he has gone. Others, like Alex, have decided that it's just not worth their time being here at all, given the toxic atmosphere. AFAIK Roger is the only other manufacturer who has ever been here, and given the warm reception he's received I wouldn't be surprised if he also decided it's not worth it.

[quote name='Beer of the Bass' timestamp='1361901971' post='1992810'] Is a lower than nominal impedance at 3kHz likely to cause much of a problem in a bass guitar application? [/quote]No. This is normal. If there was a dip below 5 ohms in the region where 75% of the power demands lie for electic bass it would be an issue, but that region lies below 500Hz.

[quote name='JTUK' timestamp='1361895223' post='1992617'] I don't see why an opinion should almost be shouted down. [/quote]Because the measurements are wrong, and along with them any and all opinions based upon them.

[quote name='stevie' timestamp='1361879249' post='1992237'] Review of the Baer ML112 Well, not really a review as such, but I thought I’d flesh out my earlier remarks for those of you planning to audition the Baer cabs. Here are a few pointers gleaned from the measurements from the Bass Gear test that may be of help. I’ll try to keep it salient. The first thing you notice on the Bass Gear frequency response plot is the first thing you will hear when you listen to the product. There is a large (6dB or so) peak at around 1600Hz which is the main breakup mode of the bass driver. This peak comprises distortion and delayed resonances (‘ringing’) and is fairly typical of some Eminence LF drivers. Normal practice is to neutralize such peaks by putting them well out of the passband. These are resonances, not unlike cabinet resonances, and are normally undesirable. One of the benefits of using a midrange driver is that you get to take these “nasty" breakup frequencies out of the equation and replace them with a nice smooth, clean, uncoloured midrange. There are several other benefits of this arrangement, including directional consistency up to a much higher frequency than the bass driver can manage on its own. However, because the crossover frequency of the ML112 is at a very high 1500 – 1700 Hz (where you would expect to cross to a 1” compression driver like in Duke’s AudioKinesis system) this speaker gains few of the benefits of a bass/mid design where the transition normally takes place much lower (at around 600Hz). It’s almost as if the midrange driver in this system were being used as tweeter. The sharp cancellations in the off axis responses show that the crossover design is flawed (the off-axis curves should be smooth). This is also likely to have a negative effect on sound quality in this area. [/quote]All of that assumes that the Bass Gear chart is accurate. It is not. Why has already been explained in great detail. And as they have always used the same flawed measuring technique every chart they've ever published is not accurate. I don't see that you've been breaking every other manufacturers balls over the disinformation published by Bass Gear, so why you're picking on Baer suggests a personal agenda. And it reminds me why I long ago put you on my ignore list, and why you're going back on it after this short hiatus.

If it is a power amp it must be used with a pre-amp. You really can't be sure of what its capable of if you don't have one.

[quote]If Bill would like to chime in with how the test were conducted, I will gladly allow that, as it is really out of my area of expertise and I don't want to give out the wrong information. [/quote]I measured the cab in the fashion proscribed by the AES and EIA, half-space anechoic. Doing so without an anechoic chamber is a two step process. Done outdoors, away from any structures, a ground plane measurement is taken first. This gives a half space result below the baffle step frequency. I do so at a distance of four meters with a sixteen watt signal, which corresponds to 1m/1w. Measuring at a closer distance gives an inaccurate result. Then the cab is put on its back, aimed upwards, the mic suspended four meters above. Another measurement is taken, this one giving a half space result above the baffle step frequency. The two results are spliced, giving a true half-space result. This procedure is starkly different from the Bass Gear procedure, which consists of sticking a mic in front of the cab, taking a single measurement at close range on the HF element axis. When you do so you get a half space result below the baffle step, a quarter space result above the baffle step, along with inaccuracies caused by floor bounce and response lobing, rendering the measurement useless for comparison purposes other than to measurements of other cabs taken using the same flawed technique.

[quote name='hamfist' timestamp='1361611756' post='1988161'] I think you are being rather unfair to Mr Baer here. The analogy of sitting in a pub and an insurance salesman coming up to you with some hard sell has no comparison to the situation here. This is a bass guitar forum, and this is a thread specifically started to discuss his products. [/quote]+1. Roger didn't start a thread about his product, he merely responded to one. If you want to see that no manufacturer will come here hauling those who do over the coals is a good way to be sure of it.

[quote name='JapanAxe' timestamp='1361663639' post='1989142'] Thanks to a NIMBY neighbour, the venue has has one of those frickin' sound monitors attached to a set of miniature traffic lights. [/quote]I was employed by a major venue to fix their noise issues, because despite having one of those in the FOH they had a continuing problem. The thing never went off but the complaints still raged. No wonder, the idiots who came up with their noise control plans and sold them this gizmo for $25,000 used industrial noise standards, which specify 'A' weighting. The bass was roaring at 110dB plus in the FOH and the meter system, set at 100dB, being 'A' weighted never measured it. In any event if your venues meter is 'A' weighted it will never know you're there anyway.

[quote name='surfguy13' timestamp='1361635195' post='1988607'] Yes, the Selmer has two outputs on the rear panel....a 7.5 and a 15 as Musky mentioned. It is a 50 watt valve head, not SS. It has SS rectification though if that makes a difference? So....am I right in thinking that if I take a lead from the 16 ohm 'out' on the amp and then somehow split the lead with a jack going to each 16 ohm socket on the cabs I'll be OK? [/quote]Or you could use the 4 ohm load option on the 7.5 ohm tap. Six of one, half a dozen of the other, the result will be the same. Back in the day when the original Kustom PA was introduced they inexplicably only had one output jack for the two columns. The supplied cable was two sixteen foot lengths, coupled in a single jack that plugged into the head. It worked, but it was hardly convenient.

[quote name='surfguy13' timestamp='1361619521' post='1988316'] Could I, for example, take a single cable from the 8 ohm speaker out jack on the head and split it? Would this still give me 8 ohms to each cab? [/quote]You have it backwards. The cabs load the amp, not the other way around. If you Y the output jack to each cab, plugging into the 8 ohm jacks, that will place a 4 ohm load on the amp. Doing so to the 32 ohm jacks will place a 16 ohm load on the amp. If the amp output is rated for 8 ohm operation which to use depends on the amp. If valve use the 4 ohm option, if SS use the 16 ohm.

[quote name='chris_b' timestamp='1361615163' post='1988226'] Hi Roger, Well [b][i]I[/i][/b] appreciate your input to basschat. Thank you for joining us. By the way, nIce cabs. You must be doing something right for BFM not to be able to find fault with them! [/quote]I never said they were as good as mine. What I can say is that if one is going to make a cab of this sort, a 1x12 2-way direct radiator, this one was done right. That does put it in a decided minority of what's out there, as IME at least 90% of the rest are flawed in one fashion or another.

[quote name='JTUK' timestamp='1361542631' post='1987248'] If tests are supposedly too technical for most to comphrend, translate, analyse or relate to something meaniful, then they are just as worthless in some regard. [/quote]That's the party line spouted by those members of the industry who don't provide test results. It's thinly vieled subterfuge to obfuscate the real reason why they won't provide valid test results conducted with accepted methodology: They don't want you to see them. That doesn't mean one should go by tests alone; a mix of both subjective and objective data is far preferable to only the one or the other. If the consumer doesn't care about test results that's his right. But the consumer should at least have access to objective data, and not be told in so many words [i]"we won't give it to you because you're too stupid to understand it". [/i]

[quote name='surfguy13' timestamp='1361545599' post='1987322'] Can anyone tell me what the resistance is for a AB165 circuit Bassman head from 1967? I was told by an amp tech that I could use a 4,8 or 16 ohm cab. Is this correct? [/quote]The [i]impedance [/i]of the original cab was 4 ohms. It was designed to handle two, making it 2 ohms. We used to run them with anywhere between 1 and 8 ohms with never any complaint. I doubt it would be all that happy at 16 ohms, though.

[quote name='Iana' timestamp='1361479054' post='1986476'] They certainly didn't do TC Electronic any favours! [/quote]That being the power measurement of the amp? I believe that was accurate. It's their speaker response measurements that are essentially worthless, as there's no way to compare them to every source that measures them correctly. If you're going to play the game you have to follow the established rules, you can't just make up your own.

[quote name='stevie' timestamp='1361459243' post='1986002'] That's a bit harsh. You can nit pick, but I've always found Tom's measurements to be the most useful part of his reviews. [/quote]And I've found them the most worthless part of his reviews, as they do not adhere to any measurement standard. From the very first issue they admitted that they were doing their measurements their own way, because they didn't know how to do them the right way. That makes them as useful as mammary glands on a male bovine. I'll stick with half-space anechoic, as that's how all the rest of the audio world does it.