Cab tone questions

[Sir Spence]

I’m trying to decide if to swap out my Aguilar SL112 for an Ashdown 115 ..eh?

I’m still feeling my way into bass gear - I started out with a TH300 and the SL112 and always found it a bit bright biased and as a long in the tooth guitarist, I missed the lack of valve dynamics

Ive just got an Ashdown CTM100, which I’m really liking and I’ve found that I much prefer the tone of the SL112 with the tweeter totally off

I’m sadly not able to gig nowadays (bad back) so lightweight isn’t an issue to me - once the rig is setup, it’s staying put and I’m playing at around 100dB (loud home volumes)

So all that considered, I’m thinking a nice 115 with a bigger swept volume and no / disabled tweeter might make sense and I’ll move on the TH300 SL112 set to someone who’s gigging regularly?

..but what do know ..whaddya think?

Edited February 18, 2019 by Sir Spence

[Lozz196]

Well when I played through an Aguilar SL cab at the London Bass Guitar Show I was pretty underwhelmed, I thought that the tone was fairly lightweight to match its actual weight. Ashdown cabs to me are quite low-biased so give a weightier sound imo, which I think will be more where you’re after. 

[Sir Spence]

Thanks @Lozz196  - I ‘think’ I’m after strong midrange, so it should be on the money

[Sir Spence]

Just wanted to report my findings

The Ashdown cab has definitely got a lot more bottom end and lower mids than the SL112

I actually think they both sound great and if I was a gigging player and weight was a constraint, I'd per perfectly happy with the SL112

For my specific needs, I think the Ashdown wins by a nose

[Japhet]

What works at home generally doesn't work in a live mix. You'd probably find that the Aquilar cuts through better in a live mix and the Ashdown gives you the sound you like at home. Horses for courses.

[Jazzjames]

The DB112 punches much better than the SL112. I a/b’d them when I bought my DB112 cabs, and it was clear after 20 seconds that the DB112s sounded better to my ear. If you can find someone who has one but is tired of the weight, maybe a swap would be in order?

The DB112 is one of my favourite cabs ever, it sounds lovely loud or quiet.

Edited February 25, 2019 by Jazzjames

[LukeFRC]

If I wanted a tweeterless lightweight 15” I would see if that purple chilli one is still in the for sale section! 

[Sparky Mark]

Is the Ashdown 15" a neodymium magnet speaker?

[Sir Spence]

Nope - ceramic - weighs about 25kgs

[Sparky Mark]

Sometimes it's just worth carrying the extra weight. Jazzjames preferred the ceramic DB over the SL and I preferred the ceramic Bergantino HT112 over the AE112. I've wondered for a while now whether the extra mass of heavier cabinets just keeps them "planted" to the floor more firmly/rigidly and helps low end frequencies project better? I'm convinced (I think) that the driver magnet material doesn't make a difference. 

[Sir Spence]

All of my knowledge (such that it is) in this area comes from the guitar world, where Alnicos are still King for open backed cabs and (generalising a bit) Ceramics work best in closed back situations

The first generation Neo magnet speakers were harsh / brittle - the Celestion Century Vintage had the same cone / driver as the V30 but sounded nothing like it

That said, Celestion in particular is getting pretty darn close with the latest generation Neo Creambacks, which sound somewhere in between the G12H & M magnet ceramic equivalents

There's still some way to go to replicate the Alnicos - I guess it's further away in terms of 'magnetic density' (..flux?)

The magnet is probably less important in bass driver application, as the higher driver excursion demands are meaning that the cone / driver capabilities become more dominant?

[Jazzjames]

I don’t wish to generalize for all cabs, because I use a Greenboy Audio cab that is light and uses Neo drivers, and it is amazing. I love it, so maybe don’t apply what I say to all cabs as I take it on a cab by cab basis.

9 hours ago, Sparky Mark said:

Sometimes it's just worth carrying the extra weight. Jazzjames preferred the ceramic DB over the SL and I preferred the ceramic Bergantino HT112 over the AE112. I've wondered for a while now whether the extra mass of heavier cabinets just keeps them "planted" to the floor more firmly/rigidly and helps low end frequencies project better? I'm convinced (I think) that the driver magnet material doesn't make a difference. 

 

The DB112’s increased weight doesn’t only come from the speaker material, does it?  If the cabinet material and design is different, in the quest for lightness, that would explain the sound difference.  I’ve never seen the inside of the SL112, so I don’t know. All I can say is, the DB112 is a very punchy cab which kicks suprising donkey when required.