alexclaber

I used to think zero frets were the answer to having more even tone on open and fretted notes. Then I realised that a fretted note is partially damped by the finger that's doing the fretting, therefore a zero fret needs a similar material behind it to damp the note. This therefore means that the route to open and fretted notes sounding as similar as possible is actually to have a slightly softer nut material to partially damp the note. An ebony nut actually strikes a very good balance, strange though that may seem on a fretted bass!

In terms of sound quality (ie flatness of frequency response, amount of all the different forms of distortion) the Big Series cabs (with the optional tweeter) have quantifiably better performance than the typical PA cabs found in most smaller venues. The polar response is also better through the midrange. For the PA variant there will be a different tweeter and crossover, which will improve the polar response through the treble whilst further flattening the frequency response and lowering the distortion, so they'll compete performance-wise with some of the most expensive PA gear on the market. The Midget T has lesser fidelity for various reasons but it still sounds far better for PA use than more normal bass cabs do (and many generic PA speakers). One reason is because we care about polar response, which is the downfall of most musical instrument amplification. It won't hit 129dB at the normal measuring distance but it'll certainly play louder than an ART 710a (which looks like a nice speaker despite that overoptimistic spec!)

As Clarky said I've been thinking about offering top-hats as an option on some models - just ordered some whilst stocking up on other parts, so we'll see how they work out. For PA sub use I'd lean towards our Big Series cabs to get high-end PA depth but for live music I'm sure the Compact would go as low as more generic PA subs. Having had great success with a dual Big Baby T and Baby Sub PA system we're planning to release a PA cab based on the Big Baby relatively soon. I think a pair of them on stands (with no additional subs) will be great for smaller venues or larger venues at more restrained volumes.

Replace "all the time" with "the vast majority of reasonably loud rehearsals or gigs"...

Technically it's 3dB which isn't much, but in practice it can make the difference between infrequent light clipping (which happens all the time with bass rigs and sounds fine) and more frequent heavier clipping which can sound nasty (in a bad way). Lots to read about this in the tech info and BGM articles on the Barefaced site. I'd take most sensitivity specs with a whole bucket of salt!

Unless the tuning frequency is inappropriate a smaller cab will take more power to fart out than a larger cab (with the same speakers in both!) The amount of bottom produced at the point of farting is pretty much the same for a given tuning frequency and complement of woofers but undersized cabs suffer from mid-bass boom. Make a cab smaller and you lose LF sensitivity on the one hand but gain LF power handling on the other, so one compensates for the other (within reason).

I'm going to have to point out that the difference in sound between the HF and HR models is purely that the HR models are smaller (and may be tuned differently). If you put the HR's ports on the front or the HF's ports on the back the sound wouldn't change. But make the HR as big as the HF (and make the tuning frequency the same if it's currently different) and the two cabs would sound identical despite one being front ported and one rear ported.

If you have some time alone with it, pluck an open A constantly and move the sliders up and down in groups of three (so treat it like a 4 band EQ) and listen to how it changes the sound. Once you have a feel for that then start seeing what the individual sliders do. Don't overthink it though - if it sounds good, it is good!

The cabs being in opposite polarity will only affect the real bottom in the sound - plugging a reversed polarity cab in will add the usual extra loudness from the low-mids upwards but the sound will get thinner at the same time. Correct the polarity and the true bottom returns but nothing really changes above the low frequency region. I have a reverse polarity lead in the workshop for testing so I'm very familar with its effects!

Your MAG210 was probably compressing and distorting and thus adding midrange punch. You're now using a mellow fat sounding amp with mid-shy fat sounding cabs, so much less punch. Start twisting knobs on both bass and amp and changing how and where you pluck. See link in my sig for many more hints and tips in BGM columns and tech stuff.

Looks like it'll work ok in an Omni 15. Whatever cab it goes in it'll need a midrange driver to manage most bass sounds.

If two 1x12"s have the same total internal volume, same drivers and same tuning as a 2x12" (and both are properly constructed) then the performance will be identical.

I doubt your cab can handle much more than 100W in the lows without the drivers exceeding Xmax, just be sensible! No output transformer on the Terror - don't use the 8 ohm switch with a 4 ohm cab but the reverse will be fine.

My best guess is that the switch changes the output limiter threshold, similar to what the biggest Genz head has (though I believe that drops the rail voltage too but I think that's unlikely with a class D module). Anyway, running an 8 ohm load with the switch at 4 ohms won't be a problem, you just get a bit less power but I doubt you'll notice much difference.

I believe they're the same 32 ohm drivers used in the SVT810. You may struggle to find a 4 or 16 ohm 10" which suits a sealed cab. Look for high Qts.

If you can gig successfully with an SP210 then the Super Twelve would be spectacular overkill. Max SPL is not dissimilar to that of a classic 8x10"!

It's a valve amp with an output transformer, not a solid-state amp! All the posts talking about increased current flow at low impedances are wrong - valves and output transformers do not behave like that. This is quite informative: [url="http://www.metaltronix.net/metaltronix-amp-basics.htm"]http://www.metaltronix.net/metaltronix-amp-basics.htm[/url] 4 ohm cab on an 8 ohm tap and you'll get about half the 8 ohm power. 16 ohm cab on an 8 ohm tap and you'll get about half the rated power. Go lower than 4 ohms and the power decreases further but the amp doesn't care. Go higher than 16 ohms and the power decreases further AND you risk killing your amp. (The reasons are complicated but explained in that link). I'll say it again - valve amps do not behave like transistor amps!

Your Markbass 104HF will have the same low frequency response as the 102HF if they're tuned to the same frequency and the 102 has half the internal volume of the 104. And even if there are volume/tuning differences the end result will be relatively similar - and neither will have appreciable output at 35Hz whatever the specs may claim!

If you're thinking about two smaller cabs why not get two 1x15"s? It isn't like a 2x10" will get you any more top than a good 15" will with a bit of treble boost.

The AD200 is a valve amp so the rules are totally different to the solidstate amp ones. It looks like it has both an 8 ohm tap and a 4 ohm tap on the output transformer and you can use either one but not both. You could safely run three 8 ohm cabs on the 4 ohm tap, that won't bother it at all as valve amps are sensitive to overly HIGH not low impedances. Likewise I wouldn't envisage a problem running all those cabs you describe off the 4 ohm tap.

I'm a bit dubious about mixing such dissimilar designs but sometimes it works. Driven by the Terror the Midget will play quite a lot louder and fatter than the SP210 - in fact it'll go louder than the SP212 with ease. But if the SP210 on its own does the job then it sounds like you're already sorted! P.S. You'd need at least three SP212s to equal a Super Twelve in max SPL. Overkill!

In fact what Gareth/Musicman20 says is pretty spot on apart from regarding loudness - the feedback I've had suggests they're not VERY loud, more par for the course (bearing in mind both power handling limits).

I wouldn't say they're particularly hi-fi though the coax tweeter is pretty smoothly integrated. In the lows particularly they're more like older designs which makes sense when you consider the speakers in them.

Depends on the sound you want!

[quote name='EssentialTension' post='1234652' date='May 17 2011, 06:07 PM']Without having to spend time messing with it, with the knobs in the middle position. (I know that's not the physics answer but it's what I meant, and what I do)[/quote] Fair enough! I hate messing with amps, hence my main rig has essentially no EQ and just a volume knob. And it's totally clean however you set that. But with a 2 or 3 band EQ, how hard is it to turn the bass knob up if it sounds thin, down if it sounds boomy, turn the treble knob up if it sounds dull, down if it sounds too bright, and turn the mids up if it sounds too mellow, down if it sounds too aggressive? It isn't exactly rocket science and could mean there are a lot more amps to choose from, not just the few whose default curve happens to suit you, your bass and your cab.