Cab options.....advice needed

[donslow]

So after MUCH thought, and some conversation....

 I've decided to keep my amp and get a smaller speaker setup, initially thinking a single 4x10 but thats just me thinking out loud

Im after suggestions and recommendations for decent cabinet configurations and speakers that wont colour my amps sound too much?!

whats out there?! Whats worth looking at?!

[TheGreek]

I'd be thinking about two 2x10. There are loads of lightweight cabs available that will deliver what you need. Personally I'd recommend VDK but there will be as many recommendations as there are choices.

Must be tough being spoilt for choice..

[Dan Dare]

18 hours ago, TheGreek said:

I'd be thinking about two 2x10. There are loads of lightweight cabs available that will deliver what you need. Personally I'd recommend VDK but there will be as many recommendations as there are choices.

Must be tough being spoilt for choice..

Good advice. You can take one or both depending on how much nosier you need to make. As for makes, try the usual suspects.

[Phil Starr]

Just a quick one.

What do you need your cab to do? Increasingly people are moving to put all the instruments through the PA and just use their rig for monitoring. It has a lot of advantages to do things this way but basically that is down to PA's being so much better and being able to handle everything at loud volumes in a compact package so you don't need backline to do all the lifting. That assumes you have a decent PA though and that all the band are willing to cut down on the on stage levels.

If you go this route a single 12 or a 2x10 will just about give you all you need. A lot of us are carrying two of these so when we need the extra oomph we just add the second cab. One will do monitoring duties, rehearsals and small gigs even without PA support two give you the flexibility to cover the rest of our needs. The only caution is that really capable 1x12's or 2x10's don't come cheap.

The reasons for the 8x10's and even 4x10's have gone. Single drivers can handle  much more power than a few years back and amplifier power outputs per £1 have improved so multiple drivers with high efficiency aren't needed in the same way. The only thing I would say though is to try as many cabs as you can. In the end the sound is what matters and you won't like the sound of every modern lightweight

[thodrik]

Good choice. The Ampeg SVT II is a tone monster. 

I believe that the SVT II runs on 2 ohm or 4 ohm load, so  you should ideally be looking for a single 4 ohm cabinet or two compact cabinets . Since your amp can handle a 2 ohm load, it might be fun to get two lightweight 4 ohm 2x10s. This would give you a light weight 4x10 set up but it would be much more easy to move than a single 4x10. 

If you are used to a 6x10 I think that moving to a 1x12 set up would be a bit extreme. Plus the cab would be so much smaller than your amp. 

If you want to keep a similar sound to your 6x10, I would get either a 4 ohm 4x10 or 4 ohm 2x10. If money is no object, then the new Mesa Subway cabs are very powerful and very lightweight (and very very expensive). Barefaced, Vanderkley, Aguilar, Bergantino, EBS (Neoline for weight saving), Matamp and Darkglass would be in my thoughts for 'top shelf' bass cab considerations. You really can't go wrong with any of them.

The Ampeg speakers are not the most efficient so you might find that moving to a modern design 4x10 provides far more volume than you current set up. 

[Lozz196]

The Ashdown RM414 is a lightweight 410, stick some castors on it and you have a nice portable, great sounding cab. Plus new they’re very reasonably priced,.

[thodrik]

35 minutes ago, Lozz196 said:

The Ashdown RM414 is a lightweight 410, stick some castors on it and you have a nice portable, great sounding cab. Plus new they’re very reasonably priced,.

Just checking the price, very reasonable indeed!

[itu]

5 hours ago, thodrik said:

I believe that the SVT II runs on 2 ohm or 4 ohm load, so you should ideally be looking for a single 4 ohm cabinet or two compact cabinets. Since your amp can handle a 2 ohm load, it might be fun to get two lightweight 4 ohm 2x10s.

It is feasible to check the specs (yes, SVT II is able to do that). Not every amp can. There may be thermal issues. See:

P = UI and U = ZI => P = ZII => I = sqrt(P/Z)

sqrt (300 W / 1 ohm) = sqrt(300) A = 17.3 A (4 mm² cable needed, 17 V)

sqrt (300 W / 2 ohm) = sqrt(150) A = 12.2 A (2.5 mm² cable needed, 25 V)

sqrt (300 W / 4 ohm) = sqrt (75) A = 8.7 A (1.5 mm² cable needed, 34 V)

sqrt (300 W / 8 ohm) = sqrt (37.5) A = 6.1 A (1.5 mm² cable needed, 49 V)

Voltage is not a problem because you can compare it with how fast the electrons are travelling. Current on the other hand can be described as the area the electrons need for travelling (hence the cable and amp parts needs to be thicker or they melt). While the amp has limitations to push current, the output power will become less when the impedance (the load) gets harder (smaller number). Usually this is the case and harder loads are not supported. Your 500 W amp may become a 20 W amp with array of cabs in its output.

[itu]

acoustic, AER, Aguilar, Alusonic, Ampeg, Ashdown, Barefaced, Bergantino, Carvin, Darkglass, EBS, Eden, Eich, Epifani, Euphonic Audio, Fender, GK, Genzler, Glockenklang, Hartke, Hiwatt, Kustom, Matamp, Markbass, Marshall, Mesa, Orange, Peavey, Phil Jones, Quilter labs, SWR, Tech 21, tce, TKS, Trace Elliot, Vanderkley, Warwick... please continue (although not every company exists or has a 4x10" in their program).

[thodrik]

1 minute ago, itu said:

It is feasible to check the specs (yes, SVT II is able to do that). Not every amp can. There may be thermal issues. See:

P = UI and U = ZI => P = ZII => I = sqrt(P/Z)

sqrt (300 W / 1 ohm) = sqrt(300) A = 17.3 A (4 mm² cable needed, 17 V)

sqrt (300 W / 2 ohm) = sqrt(150) A = 12.2 A (2.5 mm² cable needed, 25 V)

sqrt (300 W / 4 ohm) = sqrt (75) A = 8.7 A (1.5 mm² cable needed, 34 V)

sqrt (300 W / 8 ohm) = sqrt (37.5) A = 6.1 A (1.5 mm² cable needed, 49 V)

Voltage is not a problem because you can compare it with how fast the electrons are travelling. Current on the other hand can be described as the area the electrons need for travelling (hence the cable and amp parts needs to be thicker or they melt). While the amp has limitations to push current, the output power will become less when the impedance (the load) gets harder (smaller number). Usually this is the case and harder loads are not supported. Your 500 W amp may become a 20 W amp with array of cabs in its output.

That really does not mean much to me I am afraid. I just play bass and know when smoke appears from the amp or when there is no sound then something is wrong!

 If an amp manufacturer makes an amp that works on  2 ohm or 4 ohm loads an includes impedance selectors and inputs to provide for this on the back of the amp, then it should work on 2 and 4 ohm loads. The Ampeg SVT II has this so should be stable at 2 ohms. If it doesn't then the amp is not doing what it is designed to do or what the manufacturer claims it can do. With valve amps though, when things go wrong, things get expensive to fix so it best to be cautious. For that reason I would be more wary of using the amp with a single 8 ohm than two 4 ohm cabs. Two eight ohm cabs giving a four ohm load would be fine, but then I would feel obligated to bring both cabs to every gig or rehearsal, which would defeat the purpose of having the flexibility of two cabs. 

Most non valve amps are 4 ohm minimum, so I wouldn't ever use a 2 ohm load on an amp that isn't capable of doing it. 

[bertbass]

I'm used to a 6x10 but now use a Barefaced 2 x 10.  The 2 x 10 seems to give more of everything compared to the 6 x 10, mind you, I do have to tilt it back to hear the highs properly.