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Two 1x12 or One 2x12


jonunders
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It depends on your playing situation. I find that in my bands 2 112 cabs are more flexible and if you get the right ones they don't sound less than a 212.

I have a bad back so I need light and small cabs, which makes modularity a key requirement. I use one cab for quiet gigs and two for most of the rest. This year I got a 2 ohm amp so I added a third cab for the loud gigs.

I can't go smaller or significantly lighter so I'd only sell these cabs for better tone. I'm using Bergantino and so far nothing that I've heard comes close.

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I also believe that a 212 is easier to move than two 12s, just one ride, of couse i'm talking about Barefaced heavy territory! ;)
I had a Epifani 212 who was very light too and i had no problem moving it. For me it's the number of journeys that count, bass on the back, suitcase with amp and cables on one hand and cab on the other = 1 ride!

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[quote name='davehux' timestamp='1352119235' post='1858879']
Don't forget to check the impedance of your amp and that of the cabs.

2 x 112 cabs will halve the impedance, so if it's 2 x 8ohm, your amp will need a 4ohm output but will push out more power than a single 8 ohm 212 cab
[/quote]

I haven't even thought about that, i assumed that it was a 2x 8ohm 112 vs 1x 4ohm 212. Yes, impedance will have a lot of importance on the comparison.

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[quote name='EBS_freak' timestamp='1352112075' post='1858728']
Depends on what you are looking at.

For example, 2x EBS 1x12s does not equal the EBS 2x12. One is a killer cab and the other cab as a pair falls short of the mark.
[/quote]

I have noticed that my EBS Neo 212 has a bit more low end punch than a 2x 112 cab set up. There is a lot more air moving inside the 212 cab which then then gets pushed out of the front ports. Similar kind of acoustic difference between an 810 compared to 2x 410 setup. The speakers will always sound the same no matter how many or how few you use in a cab, but how much air pressure is being generated inside and how it is disposed through the ports does make a sonic difference.

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I`m currently using a Markbass Mini CMD121P combo, with NY121 extension cab. I bought the set-up as it was the easiest lightweight option for my needs, as opposed to my wants. I did however think I might have to compromise on sound, but as said, needs outweigh wants.

Luckily, not at all. Those two 12s, in very dinky little boxes, produce an amazing amount of very nice noise. The benefit of two 112s would also be only needing one at reharsals. I`m very glad I made this move, even the combo is light enought to carry in one hand, with my bass in the other, so rehearsing and smaller gigs are a doddle.

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I use 2x112 and 2x210.

IMO, the 2x210 outperform the 2x112 by some way... but 2x112 is good for a small bollocking rig in a way that 1x210 would not be..IME.

Pros for 2x112 are carry, but you'll need to do two..which isn't a problem, IMO..
and the cons are that it is a more expensive way to do it.

If you want a one cab solution, the cab needs to be 4 ohms to get the same output from the amp

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Yes. If your car has a small trunk like mine, you might have to break it up. If I could squeeze a 215 in my trunk, that would be the ultimate for me. So I compromise downward grudgingly. I have 2 ways to pack. Either I can put something in the trunk, which limits me to a Greenboy Bassic or something else 13" deep or slimmer, say an Ashdown VS212, or I have to fold the front seatbacks down, drop the rear seatbacks (which won't level with the trunk bed), slide a cab into the rear footwell, then tilt it back and squeeze it into the trunk. Doing things that way, I could get a mutant 215 in there--far from optimum in size and so tight if oriented vertically, the driver rims would have to touch each other and stand at the top and bottom edges of the cab (the Faital 15PR400 frame is 15.5" largest diameter), or with the top driver skewed 30° off vertical, hardly optimum for sound. A Barefaced Super 12 would barely make it through that opening inside the car. So it may have to be a single Bassic 15. I believe I could get a pair of Greenboy 12uuu through the trunk opening. But I am stalling because I really want a 215.

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[quote name='Ghost_Bass' timestamp='1352119616' post='1858882']
I haven't even thought about that, i assumed that it was a 2x 8ohm 112 vs 1x 4ohm 212. Yes, impedance will have a lot of importance on the comparison.
[/quote]

I don't believe it will make much difference at all. It's a logarithmic scale. The most significant factor is the sensitivity of the drivers and the swept volume.

On the other hand, if you have an 8 Ohm 2x12 you can add another one if you need to be really loud: many amps won't go down to 2 ohms so if you have a 4Ohm 2x12 you're stuck with one cab.

Having said that, I have a single 4Ohm 2x12 and it's hard to think of situations where it isn't loud enough. For some reason it's quite tricky to find 8Ohm 2x12 cabs - many 12 drivers only seem to be available in 8Ohm form. Gallien Kruger is one exception, there are probably others. EBS cabs are all 4 Ohm.

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