EddieG Posted May 6, 2013 Share Posted May 6, 2013 Well, thanks to Citroen completely redesigning the new C5, I'm now on the hunt for some new cabs! I used to get both of my Hartke 4.5XLs in the cavernous back of my old car, but thanks to the new one being a saloon I cant even get one cab in the boot! I love the sound off the 4.5XLs so it really is a bit of a wrench to switch to something else, so I've been looking at some new Hartke gear, and am stuck between the 410 or buying 2 of the 112 speaker cabs and have a mini-stack of sorts. Obviously, the ability to squeeze them into my car is a pretty big issue (and after the back-breaking 99kg of the 45XLs, something lighter would be nice too! ), but I dont really want to sacrifice much in the way of tone, or change my sound too much. Has anybody used any of these live, and can give me a decent review on them, and how they would be compared to my existing set-up? Ta very muchly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JTUK Posted May 6, 2013 Share Posted May 6, 2013 I don't know these cabs but if you are used to playing 2x410, then 2x112 will be a massive drop, IMO. I don't think 2x112 do as well as a decent 410..IME... but I think it would be easier to live with the difference. The tone of the cabs is likely to be different between 10 and 12' but the biggest factor would be the sheer amount of air 2x410 push out.. There is no easy way round that... FWIW.. I use 2x112 and 2x210 from other makers and the 410 arrangement wins hands down. To the point that I would swap out the 2x112 for other 12's...as I like the footprint and the sound loss is acceptable over 410's...but it is still a compromise. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lozz196 Posted May 6, 2013 Share Posted May 6, 2013 I had the 210 & 115XLs, and have had - albeit briefly - a Hydrive 410. The Hydrive to me sounded very tight and focused, more so than the XLs though that could well be the difference between a 410 and 210/115. I saw a bassist using one of the Hydrive 112s with a G&L bass, and his tone was very old-school, so they aren`t only capable of one thing. As JTUK says, the difference from two 410s to anything lesser will be very noticeable. I went from using a 410 to two 112s, and it wasn`t as drastic as I thought it would be, luckily. I suppose it boils down to convenience though. Two 12s will be much easier to cart about, although the Hydrive 410 is manageable, but will even that fit in the boot - it`s nowhere near as big as the 4.5XL, but still regular 410 sized. I think in this situation, order two of the 112s on-line, and take advantage of Distant Selling Regs - see how they work out at rehearsal, if not sufficient return them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris_b Posted May 6, 2013 Share Posted May 6, 2013 It all depends, how loud you play your 810 stack? You will notice a difference if you play very loud all the time, but If you're just loud then switching to a 2 112 stack might work. I sold a Bergantino AE410 and started using 2 AE112 cabs and they were fine. If you want to make [i]the[/i] quantum jump....... switch to Barefaced cabs. They’ll be light, go as loud as you need and all with great tone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EddieG Posted May 6, 2013 Author Share Posted May 6, 2013 Sorry chaps, I've put that over wrong. I only use one 4.5XL live nowadays for the most part, but was able to haul the two of them around in the old car if required. So its really something to replace one 4.5XL; a Hydrive 410, or two Hydrive 112 cabs? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mildmanofrock Posted May 6, 2013 Share Posted May 6, 2013 (edited) The Hydrive 410 is up there with the best cabs I've ever played through (Barefaced, Ampeg etc). I've never had so many compliments on my sound. I'm having to downsize, so I'm forced to sell both my Hydrive 410s. I'll miss them. Edited May 6, 2013 by mildmanofrock Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
0175westwood29 Posted May 7, 2013 Share Posted May 7, 2013 The 112 hydrive is a very good and loud 112, i never tried it apart from at a blues gig on its own with my old lm2 Its really how you feel if you play in places with a pa the stack of 12's would be fine Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EddieG Posted May 7, 2013 Author Share Posted May 7, 2013 95% of the places I play, my band goes through our PA (drums, two keys, guitar, sax and vocals) and I just come out of my own rig, which consists of my '91 Burner into a Sansamp RPM rackmounted preamp into a Behringer EP1500 power amp (which hasnt put a foot wrong in 5 years), then out in bridged mono into one of my 4.5XLs. To be fair, I usually don't need the amp turned up beyond about 9/10 o'clock to keep up with the PA, and my sound is very clear and clean. I would imagine that either the 410 or a couple of 112s would get me there as regards volume, but how different would each set up be to the sound I'm used to through the 4.5XL? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
0175westwood29 Posted May 8, 2013 Share Posted May 8, 2013 Isnt the 4.5 a 410 with 5 inch horn? Id imagine the 410 would get you closest if so Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EddieG Posted May 8, 2013 Author Share Posted May 8, 2013 Yeh, the 4.5XL is the one with the 5" driver in it: I tend to drop a lot of the top end out on my Sansamp though, so I'm not too sure what impact the 5" driver has on my tone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
0175westwood29 Posted May 9, 2013 Share Posted May 9, 2013 Might be worth trying the 12's but the 410 will give the chance to push more air, and the hydrive are nice loud cabs aswell. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.