gapiro Posted April 17, 2012 Share Posted April 17, 2012 Hi chaps Currently I have a Hartke HA2500 running into a Barefaced Midget T. I love this setup, I love the sound and the cleanliness of it. However I am simply not getting enough volume at gigs from it. I do a fair amount of sub gigs, and the problem is, some of the bands refuse to mic up bass etc for their smaller gigs (understandable). So i'm kinda stuck, what would be the best option? I am unsure if it is better to get another cab and use the other output of the hartke, or to get a more powerful amp, but I love the sound as it is! (I like my bass as clean and natural sounding as possible, my main bass is a lakland 55-01) Ideas? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JTUK Posted April 17, 2012 Share Posted April 17, 2012 My first thought is that your rig isn't going to give you more volume.. so you need a bigger amp as you are running to its limits into the impendence.. and will probably need another cab. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris_b Posted April 17, 2012 Share Posted April 17, 2012 The Midget is an 8 ohm cab so, first of all, get a BF Compact and run it with your Midget, then if you need to save up for a 500 watt amp. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lozz196 Posted April 17, 2012 Share Posted April 17, 2012 As above. Preferred option is a Midget/Compact stack. This is a very efficient setup, so if after that it`s still not loud enough, new amp time. Alternative is get a much more powerful amp first, as the Midget will handle and put out a lot, but it is still only one 12 inch speaker. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gapiro Posted April 17, 2012 Author Share Posted April 17, 2012 Yeah, how is the compact? I've never really got my head around amps, If i have a 250 W amp and connect both outputs, is that 250 wats on each cab, or 250 split between the two? (brain farting today really) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JTUK Posted April 17, 2012 Share Posted April 17, 2012 If the amp is 250 watts then that is all it will produce into its lowest impedance...so 250watts into 4 ohms is typical spec. If the single cab is 8ohms..then you are probably only delivering 180 watts or less..and that is the amp flat out...!! Your amp is your first concern in this case ..but the cab will be a close second... as running 300watts at 8ohms with a more powerful amp into that cab will be fraught and not something I would do..for sure. As I said, you are asking too much of your rig if you are needing lots more volume. And the thing to remember, IMO, with cheaper amps is that they get worst the more you push them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4 Strings Posted April 17, 2012 Share Posted April 17, 2012 Its 250W split between the two but other factors come in. Firstly your amp is about 170W at full tilt into your 8 Ohm Midget. Run two 8 Ohms cabs in the default series and you have 4 Ohms and the full 250W available. Secondly (and others will explain this more fully than I) using two cabs will increase the efficiency of your speakers set up and so you'll get more dB for your Watt (ie louder for the same amp). This is why people have suggested get your second cab, if still not enough get a bigger amp. You'll certainly get louder if you push more Watts from a more powerful amp into your Midget too. How about lifting your Midget up (if its on the floor) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woodyratm Posted April 17, 2012 Share Posted April 17, 2012 [quote name='4 Strings' timestamp='1334701705' post='1620141'] How about lifting your Midget up (if its on the floor) [/quote] hah! I'd get a second cab first - then get another head as folk have said. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ratking Posted April 18, 2012 Share Posted April 18, 2012 (edited) I'd also vote for another cab first - if you have to play small gigs without PA support, even a good and loud single 12" just isn't enough when paired up with drums and guitar amps (or, even worse, stacks). I did many gigs without PA support for bass, usually bringing my two 12"/8" cabs, and was fine even with loud death & black metal bands. Usually with an amp somewhere around 500W - wchich I never needed, 250W probably would have been enough. But with a single 12"/8", it was really hard to cut through ... Edited April 18, 2012 by ratking Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Fitzmaurice Posted April 18, 2012 Share Posted April 18, 2012 [quote name='gapiro' timestamp='1334664595' post='1619315'] Currently I have a Hartke HA2500 running into a Barefaced Midget T. I love this setup, I love the sound and the cleanliness of it. However I am simply not getting enough volume at gigs from it. [/quote]Add another Midget T. You'll get a 6dB bump in output, the equaivalent of quadupling your amp size, with no changes in tone. And with the second cab atop the first it will be closer to your eaars, making it seem louder still. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Musky Posted April 18, 2012 Share Posted April 18, 2012 Depends how much treble you want. AFAIK you don't get the acoustic coupling with a tweeter paired up in cabs like this, but on the other hand the tweeter in the top cab will be closer to your ears so you should be hearing much more of it (unless the cab was angled up towards your head anyway). So I suppose it boils down to whether you're using the cab for onstage monitoring with PA support, or whether you're relying on the cabs alone for the audience to hear your tone - which would be another kettle of fish for people off axis anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lozz196 Posted April 18, 2012 Share Posted April 18, 2012 [quote name='born to be loud' timestamp='1334764599' post='1620893'] Does the second cab need the tweeter? [/quote] One of those, better to have it and not need it, rather than, situations, methinks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4 Strings Posted April 18, 2012 Share Posted April 18, 2012 [quote name='Lozz196' timestamp='1334777636' post='1621224'] One of those, better to have it and not need it, rather than, situations, methinks. [/quote] I think the point being the first Midget T has one, are two required? I would say not, pot turned only half way up is way enough on mine. Saves £100 to go towards the eventual more powerful amp. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gapiro Posted April 18, 2012 Author Share Posted April 18, 2012 Cheers for the many replies. Given me stuff to think about. I always have amp off floor anyway. Be it on my cable box or a chair or whatever. I think a compact maybe the way forward. Now I need to save up ! With regards to cabs in series. How do you do it. Midget only has an in and no out ? The problem is that it is right on the border between loud enough for pa support but not quite for non pa. again maybe a case of you can turn down but not up ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dad3353 Posted April 18, 2012 Share Posted April 18, 2012 (edited) [quote name='gapiro' timestamp='1334789568' post='1621493']...With regards to cabs in series. How do you do it. Midget only has an in and no out ?...[/quote] Good evening, gapiro... You don't want your cabs to be in 'series'. They should be in parallel. The amp has 2 o/p for speakers; 1 to each cab and you're done. If you decide to get a second cab which has a second jack, then you would have the option of 'daisy-chaining' from there to the Midget, but there is little to no advantage to that. Edit: I echo the above post: why not a second cab, identical to the present one..? The 'tone' would be minimally affected, for small gigs use just one, larger gigs stack one on the other. You can't go far wrong with that. If, further down the line, more amp power is justified, a 3500 or 5500 will replace the 2500 with, again, minimum impact on your 'sound'. Hope this helps. Edited April 18, 2012 by Dad3353 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Fitzmaurice Posted April 19, 2012 Share Posted April 19, 2012 [quote name='gapiro' timestamp='1334789568' post='1621493'] I think a compact maybe the way forward. [/quote]If you want to do so using only it you'd need a new amp too, as you don't have enough power to drive the Compact to full output. The point of adding the second cab is to get the added sensitivity and power that results from two cabs. And if you add a second cab you want them displacement matched, otherwise should you ever go to a big amp you won't be able to go any louder than what the cab with the smaller displacement will allow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lozz196 Posted April 19, 2012 Share Posted April 19, 2012 [quote name='4 Strings' timestamp='1334785426' post='1621401'] I think the point being the first Midget T has one, are two required? I would say not, pot turned only half way up is way enough on mine. Saves £100 to go towards the eventual more powerful amp. [/quote] Ah, didn`t notice that. in that case, yeas, just a plain Midget would be fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris_b Posted April 19, 2012 Share Posted April 19, 2012 Drop Alex (at Barefaced) an email and explain what you've got and what you need. He'll set you straight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gapiro Posted April 20, 2012 Author Share Posted April 20, 2012 [quote name='chris_b' timestamp='1334828789' post='1621845'] Drop Alex (at Barefaced) an email and explain what you've got and what you need. He'll set you straight. [/quote] Will do, i've dealt with him before seemed sound Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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