Cabinet Combinations

[chris_b]

19 minutes ago, Stub Mandrel said:

Can you show me a definitive proof that 'matched cabs' are superior?

(P.S. if unmatched cabs don't work together, someone had better tell the PA professionals....)

Are we talking about cabs from different manufacturers or different driver sizes from the same manufacturer?

It is true that matched cabs can sound good, because they are of the same design so each cab will definitely reinforce the other. Unmatched cabs can have differences. Sometimes those differences will interfere with the sound of the other cab. That might affect the overall sound. If the cabs have been designed correctly they will work together, ie Mesa Boogie and Bergantino.

I haven't used cabs from different manufacturers but many times I have used mixed driver sizes (10's & 12's and 10's & 15's) from the same company and got a great sound and yes I listened to them all around many rooms over many years. 

Pro PA's are totally different and will dedicate power amps and drivers to different frequency ranges.  

[uk_lefty]

1 hour ago, BigRedX said:

I assume that all of you who are experimenting with different cabinet combinations are only playing pub gigs with vocal only PAs?

BTW do you check what your bass sounds like all around the venue, or just where you are going to be stood on "stage"?

Sometimes, sometimes not. My rhythm guitarist runs our sound, it used to be his full time job for touring bands for a number of years, he's never had an issue with the bass sound with me playing either two fifteens or a fifteen and two tens. I trust his opinion. 

Regardless of what is or isn't superior, I preferred the sound of two fifteens and one day hope to be back set up like that. 

[Stub Mandrel]

I think there's a lot of snake oil going on here.

If speakers are properly phased and position on on top of the other the only practical differences are going to be thinks like volume and frequency response, which you can choose to suit your preference.

Issues like room resonances, combing, dead spots, feedback are just as likely to occur with a 'matched pair', because they are the result of a mismatch between the venue and the rig (or the rest of the signal path), not the parts of the rig.

One possible issue is directionality/beaming issues but these will be down to the design of the individual units and using a matched pair of speakers which happen to be more directional than the usual might actually be worse than a mix and match. I am highly sceptical that ANYONE really sells a 15" cab that is carefully designed to be as directional as their 10" units.

[mcnach]

On 01/08/2019 at 16:24, Stub Mandrel said:

I think there's a lot of snake oil going on here.

If speakers are properly phased and position on on top of the other the only practical differences are going to be thinks like volume and frequency response, which you can choose to suit your preference.

 

 

The point is that predicting whether two different cabs will work well together or not is not straight forward, no matter how much you stare at the frequency response curves and try to take into account different beaming etc. If you use two of the same, you will remove that uncertainty. That's all, and that's no snake oil.

 

[SpondonBassed]

This reminds me of a lesson I learnt having read loads of HiFi magazines in the seventies.

Enthusiasts would follow an upgrade path that whilst satisfying the need to improve one aspect of music reproduction at a time would, at each stage of upgrade, identify a new weak link in their systems.  There is no end to this upgrade cycle once you are obsessed with the search for perfection in sound.  At a certain point though, specs become irrelevant.  It's whether you like the sound that counts.

Also, there is a danger that you start listening more to the equipment than to the music coming out of it.

What's different about this discussion is that the sound systems we use are generally expected to perform well in a variety of different conditions depending on the type of venue.  I'd argue that it is futile to expect to find one product that satisfies all conditions absolutely.  Good as the quality of equipment is these days, live music is still not HiFi anyway.

[dmccombe7]

I remember going round the hi-fi shops in 70;s doing just that. Could never afford the top of the range kit tho. Mate had a Linn deck with Tannoy cabs. Can't remember what amp he had but he had the installation contract for Tannoy and owned a record / CD shop back then plus his wife at that time was a Sales Manager in Tower records. 

Some sound but he did have a big detached house to enjoy with a huge bass sub cab. He had a dedicated room for his albums and hi-fi gear.

I still have my old Sony deck from 76 and NAD amp using Bose and Mission speakers and it still works a treat.

Dave

[TrevorR]

On 29/07/2019 at 18:58, steantval said:

My bass set up is just used as backline and does not go through the PA.

I did use two Markbass 15 inch cabs, one on top of the other.

I now use one Markbass 15 inch cab and a 2 x 10 Markbass cab on top, the sound is miles better with this combination IMO.

Same here!

[Dan Dare]

The only way to find how a combination will work is to try it. The science may enable you to eliminate gross mis-matches, but in the end, your ears must decide.