Bill Fitzmaurice

[quote name='escholl' post='299868' date='Oct 5 2008, 08:23 AM']err...maybe it's just me, but those graphs don't say that much to me on their own. A graph of frequency response and/or sensitivity/vs frequency, would really be a bit more informative. any chance of that?[/quote] The maximum SPL chart is far more informative than a FRD. FRD shows what the cab will do with low level input, but what a cab will do with 1 watt doesn't say what it will do with 100 watts or more. Admiittedly having manufacturers provide FRD would be a giant leap in the right direction, but ulitmately the max SPL chart tells us what most of us are really interested in, which is how loud the cab will actually go.

[quote name='Mr. Foxen' post='299038' date='Oct 3 2008, 07:16 PM']Dunno if this is a lucky score or an extra wardrobe. Figuring its a lot like a 18" folded horn a lá Acoustic 361. Think the 150W is wrong from the valves I can see. Anyone know anything about these? Or feel the urge to pick it up and drive it to my practice space. [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&item=170266941211"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vie...em=170266941211[/url][/quote] Valve amp technology hasn't had a significant change since roughly 1969, so a 30 year old amp is just as good as a new one from a technological standpoint. But speaker technology more than ten years old is dodgy, and more than 20 is a dinosaur.

[quote name='alexclaber' post='291733' date='Sep 25 2008, 08:05 AM']Continuing to meander off-topic, how much sense does this chart make? Red = The Big One Orange = The Compact Blue ~ Epifani UL410 Green ~ Schroeder 1212L It's showing maximum output in dB SPL as limited by both excursion limited or program power handling. Alex[/quote] It's informative, if not entirely accurate, as calculated maximum SPL doesn't take into account thermal power compression. But since every manufacturer who publishes maximum SPL ratings doesn't factor in the mechanical compression caused by xmax it's still a far better representation of a real world result.

[quote name='alexclaber' post='294354' date='Sep 29 2008, 05:04 AM']Exactly! Alex[/quote] Also, the PDN 15sb40 is not a good choice for an electric bass cab.

[quote name='alexclaber' post='294059' date='Sep 28 2008, 01:30 PM']Have you already bought the drivers? Alex[/quote] What Alex didn't say but should have is "I hope not". Aside from a ten and a fifteen not being the best combination, choosing drivers first and then a cab to go with them isn't the road to a successful build. The cab design and appropriate drivers to be used with it should be decided upon simultaneously.

[quote name='david_l_perry' post='291033' date='Sep 24 2008, 12:00 PM']If you are talking about the wedghorn 10, its [i]massive[/i]....[/quote]I wouldn't say 4 cu ft and 35 pounds is massive, though it's not exactly a shrimp either. But if you want to go low and loud small isn't part of the equation.

[quote name='alexclaber' post='290308' date='Sep 23 2008, 03:37 PM']Based on my experience most bass cabs, whether lightweight or heavyweight are underbraced and underdamped. Tilt an Acme cab up and it won't go anywhere because it's really solidly built and properly braced, despite the high excursion woofers creating far more internal pressure than on a run of the mill cab. Alex[/quote] +1. Well designed and constructed cabs don't vibrate, poorly designed and built cabs do. One place where manufacturers cut corners de riguer is with bracing, as it can't be seen. The same applies to internal damping. [quote name='The Funk' post='290159' date='Sep 23 2008, 12:46 PM']Is this a stupid question: does this mean generally that the smaller the speaker the greater the dispersion BUT the smaller the speaker the higher the frequency range AND the higher the frequency range the smaller the dispersion?[/quote] Yes. The main reason for the necessity of using multiple drivers of different sizes is that small drivers can't go low, and large drivers can't deliver wide dispersion at higher frequencies.

[quote name='escholl' post='286611' date='Sep 18 2008, 08:45 AM']that does make sense. where did the myth come from then?...because it seems quite widely known.[/quote]Probably from the fact that most neo drivers are upper end, with better engineering and therefore better midrange response than the cheaper OEM variety drivers. While some may find the superior midrange of high end drivers too 'midrangey' for their taste, based mainly on what they're used to, accomodating tonal tastes is why amps have tone controls.

[quote name='KevB' post='286581' date='Sep 18 2008, 08:11 AM']need 8ohm units really to match the other speakers..[/quote]No, because to do it properly you need an electronic crossover and a separate amp to drive the subs. Passive crossovers of the sort used in the Wharfedale are only good for low power situations, and won't cut it on PA. I'd pass on the Wharfedale as the cost of its passive crossover is wasted money that should be invested in a crossover and amp.

[quote name='Zach' post='285843' date='Sep 17 2008, 08:38 AM']I've heard this midrange bias mentioned several times in reference to neo's, and i just can't fathom the reason behind it.[/quote]You're quite correct. There are many factors behind how a particular driver sounds, but the magnet material is not one of them. If a driver that's strong in the mids happens to have a neo magnet, or vis-versa if you choose, it's purely coincidental. A driver has strong mids because its designer configured it to do so.

[quote name='stingrayfan' post='285265' date='Sep 16 2008, 12:50 PM']Must be economics. At the moment, they're limited to more top end stuff[/quote] The main advantage is the reduction in shipping costs, of both the drivers and the finished cabs. Trimming a 22 pound driver to 10 pounds is a lot more important to a manufacturer's bottom line than trimming a 6 pound driver down to 5.

[quote name='Merton' post='284990' date='Sep 16 2008, 08:44 AM']But will it have any bearing on the phase relationships at f3 etc, if one is rear-ported and one front-ported?[/quote]No.

[quote name='phil_the_bassist' post='282968' date='Sep 12 2008, 06:04 PM']is there any advantage (like more oomph/better response/power handling etc) to runnin one cab off the Ext.Cab. socket of the other?[/quote] No. You lose current capacity that way. Run two cords from the head, though in truth the difference would be barely measureable and likely inaudable.

[quote name='Mr. Foxen' post='280676' date='Sep 9 2008, 03:45 PM']Right, since we shed a guitarist I suddenly have some space to fill in the higher end. Thus far I've been all about the low doom rumble, and I don't want to lose that. So: I have a Firebass head with a crossover, the current plan is to run the high out into a JCM600 guitar head into a 4x12 (or possibly 2x12) cab. For bass cabs I have a nice 4x10 and a couple of not so great (serviceable) 1x15s. Thus on the bottom I have a choice of 2 15s or a 15 and a 4x10, or one of any. This is a loud dense bassy band that tunes down to A mind.[/quote]Use the two 15s on the bottom. On the top more than 1x12 is overkill. A vertically aligned 2x10 would be far better.

[quote name='Fraktal' post='280105' date='Sep 8 2008, 07:57 PM']Beyma... Extremely underrated speakers, Im positively surprised someone has mentioned them. Powerful, tough and reliable, even cheap here in Spain since thats where they are made, no clue about international prices.[/quote] Their prices in the US are prohibitively high, which is unfortunate.

[quote name='SMART' post='279980' date='Sep 8 2008, 03:42 PM']Glockenklang only offers 10" neos at this time as they feel the current crop of 12's and 15's etc in neo format simply can't hack it.[/quote] IMO the Eminence 3015 and 3015 LF drivers are the best full range and sub woofer fifteens made today, period. There are many other very nice neo drivers of all sizes from not only Eminence but also JBL, Beyma and B&C amongst others, with far better specs than the ceramic magnet drivers they replaced in their respective lines. The only non-neo driver I still recommend is the Eminence BP102.

[quote name='Crazykiwi' post='278929' date='Sep 6 2008, 09:11 PM']The Eden forum would have you believe that neo magnets are more susceptible to heat fatigue and have a shorter life.[/quote] Only because they were the last to get on board, and with what appear to be Eminence OEM at that. Now let me guess, do they claim they waited the extra five years so that they could 'get it right' ?. No surprise there, when they still blatently lie about the frequency response of their cabs.

[quote name='Mr. Foxen' post='278816' date='Sep 6 2008, 03:58 PM']Gonna be soon, totally impractical as I have trouble lugging mine around as it is[/quote]A proper bi-amped rig is not larger than others. A well engineered one is smaller. That's because the top cab can be at least 75% smaller than a full range cab as it doesn't have top carry any bass frequencies. Finding a well engineered bi-amp rig is another matter, no one I'm aware of makes one.

[quote name='DaveSetchfield' post='278822' date='Sep 6 2008, 04:12 PM']Are there any problems associated with neodynium magnets, which aren't being spoken about?[/quote]No. They've been used almost exclusively in top of the line touring PA for some ten years now. It's not new technology. [quote]I would have thought that if a way of making cabinets much lighter came along it would be snapped up and introduced by manufacturers across the board, but this hasn't happened, why not?[/quote]It has, in the higher price ranges. Most OEM drivers are lower priced models, and that's not where neo is most beneficial, as the weight savings there are only a few pounds. Neo dominates where the old ceramic magnet models weighed twice and more what the neo versions do.

[quote name='jensenmann' post='278595' date='Sep 6 2008, 09:11 AM']Only exception from that are very modern line array PAs with cardioid subs. They will throw the bass only into the crowd, not on stage. Here you need something bigger than 10" speakers.[/quote] Those venues will have a full complement of monitors, both wedges and sidefills, as well as in-ears in many cases, so Uber cabs aren't required. This side of the pond tens remain the #1 driver size seen on tour w/major acts. The problem venues are those large enough to require PA support but not sensible enough to provide it. But even then four tens vertically aligned are enough to do the job, which is providing adequate output for the stage and the first 50 feet or so of room. If there's no PA to cover beyond that it's the promotors problem, not yours.

[quote name='fretmeister' post='277885' date='Sep 5 2008, 09:49 AM']I had never thought about stacking them 4 in a line though - other than getting them up to ear level, are there any other benefits?[/quote] The dispersion angle on the horizontal plane is wider, so everyone can better hear what you're playing, while the dispersion on the vertical plane is lessened, placing more output in the audience rather than aimed toward the floor and ceiling.

[quote name='david_l_perry' post='277634' date='Sep 5 2008, 05:14 AM']Forgot to add that unfortunately the Omni 10.5 and Titan 39 combo didn't record well, and to be honest it sounded (to me at least) no bigger/better than the Omni15. Could have been room related, but it didn't do a lot for me. Shame[/quote]It shouldn't sound all that different from the O15 at normal levels, taken into the back yard and cranked to the max the difference would be obvious. The advantage to the O10.5/T39 lies in being able to leave the T39 at home when not needed, or using it for the PA sub when there's no useful house PA.

[quote name='fretmeister' post='277764' date='Sep 5 2008, 07:56 AM']At the moment I have a LM2 and the 102HF 2x10. It sounds ace. I want to get the amp running at full output... and I just like a big amp! So I am in 2 minds whether to get another 102HF to have a virtual 4x10... or a 151HF for that classic mix. I have no idea which way to go... and I can't find a shop that has all in stock to try it out. What say you?[/quote] The result of mixing different cabs is always unpredictable. If you like the tone you have add another 2x10, be sure to stack them on end so the four tens are on a vertical line.

[quote name='Protium' post='277354' date='Sep 4 2008, 03:36 PM']Cheers mate, should it be wired parallel or in series with the woofer?[/quote] [url="http://www.partsexpress.com/pdf/piezo.pdf"]http://www.partsexpress.com/pdf/piezo.pdf[/url]

[quote name='The Funk' post='276136' date='Sep 3 2008, 06:30 AM']From the For Sale forum, a 4 ohm Mesa 6x10" (which Alex points out could be rewired to 16 ohms)... [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=22354"]http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=22354[/url][/quote] Rewiring is probably not necessary. Unlike SS tubes are comfortable with lower impedance loads, and uncomfortable with higher impedance loads, than the nominal transformer rating.