New Barefaced comparison video

[fretmeister]

 

 

Two10 -v- Super Compact -v- Big Baby 2

 

I was thinking about the SC as my next cab, but this vid is making me think more about the BB2 - especially if I can turn the tweeter off when I want to.

[Al Krow]

If I had to choose between my BB2 and my SC, I'd keep the BB2 no question.

The SC is amazingly portable at just 21 lbs and I love that about it, but topping out at 4kHz means it loses some of the upper range harmonic richness which is present in the BB2. It's probably true that no one would notice the difference in a band mix other than me, but hey - that still counts!

Edited June 20, 2020 by Al Krow

[fretmeister]

Have you got a pic of the tweeter control on the BB2?
There isn’t one on the BF site.

Will it go fully off?

[Al Krow]

Here you go:

The control goes from 10/10 (max) clockwise to 0/10 (bottom pic). I tend to have it on at about 8/10.

Will need to set up with an amp to remind myself what dialling down to 0/10 does...

Edited June 20, 2020 by Al Krow

[Al Krow]

Ok just had a quick rig set up: signal chain - Ibby SR Premium (quite a bright sounding bass) -->  DG AO900 (set flat) --> BB2

Points to note:

1. The dial is not a tweeter control and there is no tweeter hiss to speak of at all! Which I guess you would expect as there's a hf horn rather than a tweeter.

2. From the BF website - what the dial is doing is adjusting the "complex crossover takes you from old school bass cab smoothness to uncompromising studio monitor accuracy" - to my ears it sounds a little flatter aka more vintage with the dial on 0/10

It was very good to have it set up for a little blast again - so thanks for the excuse. It sounded great!

Edited June 20, 2020 by Al Krow

[fretmeister]

That sounds like a much better idea than just a tweeter control.

 

I need to sell some other stuff now!

[JohnDaBass]

Well I enjoyed that.  It was quite revealing in my mind.

I normally use 1 or 2 x SC with a Mesa Subway D800 or Fender Rumble HD800 a rig that I'm really comfortable with. I use a One 10  at home and I have been considering moving to Two10 in place of the SCs but having heard that comparison I think I'll stick with the SCs. The BB2 was the most musical and articulate and to me stood out with its delivery. BUT I don't need all that top end range nuance . The Two10 was exactly what I desire but I can achieve the same olde school dynamic with the EQ on my amps thro the SCs so for me the SCs have sufficient range so provide enough flexibility. BTW my 2 x Basschat v2 Beyma SM 12s match the Two10s any day. I would love to hear the New Basschat v3 FRFR Faital loaded cab compared to the BB2. Maybe possible at the South West Bass bash? 

[Al Krow]

23 minutes ago, JohnDaBass said:

...The BB2 was the most musical and articulate and to me stood out with its delivery. 

That's spot on in terms of comparing the BB2 and SC. 

[MartinB]

It's really interesting as a demonstration of how the different cabs respond to the same input. I think using it to draw a conclusion about which one you prefer is missing the point a bit, since that depends on whether you like the sound of that particular bass to begin with 😆

[grandad]

5 hours ago, MartinB said:

It's really interesting as a demonstration of how the different cabs respond to the same input. I think using it to draw a conclusion about which one you prefer is missing the point a bit, since that depends on whether you like the sound of that particular bass to begin with 😆

A P or J would have been a better choice for a demo I would have thought.

[Cuzzie]

Quite like his videos he has been doing, all very very good cabs, but this reminds me exactly of why I like the 12 XN driver on its own - you get out of it exactly what you put in.

I get the thoughts about a P or a J as a better choice, but in the P and J world there are a myriad of choices on pick ups, even within the Fender range for example, Custom shop, Yosemite etc.

With a Ray, relatively few have The aftermarket ones or circuits that are available good as they are.

I may suggest some riffs for him, see if he fancies them!

[Chienmortbb]

17 hours ago, Al Krow said:

Ok just had a quick rig set up: signal chain - Ibby SR Premium (quite a bright sounding bass) -->  DG AO900 (set flat) --> BB2

Points to note:

1. The dial is not a tweeter control and there is no tweeter hiss to speak of at all! Which I guess you would expect as there's a hf horn rather than a tweeter.

2. From the BF website - what the dial is doing is adjusting the "complex crossover takes you from old school bass cab smoothness to uncompromising studio monitor accuracy" - to my ears it sounds a little flatter aka more vintage with the dial on 0/10

It was very good to have it set up for a little blast again - so thanks for the excuse. It sounded great!

Tweeters do not hiss. Amps do.

 

[yorks5stringer]

46 minutes ago, Chienmortbb said:

Tweeters do not hiss. Amps do.

 

and snakes.....

[chris_b]

14 minutes ago, yorks5stringer said:

and snakes.....

. . . . . . . . and me when I try to stand up too quickly!

[chris_b]

I listened to the whole video on good headphones and I think I preferred the Two10. That's weird, as last year I sold my 2 Two10's because for the last 3 years I've preferred to gig the 12" cabs, SC's and SM!

[Al Krow]

Just now, chris_b said:

I listened to the whole video on good headphones and I think I preferred the Two10. That's weird, as last year I sold my 2 Two10's because for the last 3 years I've preferred to gig the 12" cabs, SC's and SM!

Probably because the Two10 is the most coloured of the three and with that combination of gear, the coloration worked well in a solo context?

But if you've preferred the SC/SC combination playing with bands over 3 years, that's gotta be a MUCH better test of what works for you!

[Al Krow]

21 hours ago, Chienmortbb said:

Tweeters do not hiss. Amps do.

Strange, I've switched my amp on many a time and not gotten any sound from it all without a lead connection to the cab. So it must be the lead 😁

Edited June 22, 2020 by Al Krow

[chris_b]

5 minutes ago, Al Krow said:

Probably because the Two10 is the most coloured of the three and with that combination of gear, the coloration worked well in a solo context?

But if you've preferred the SC/SC combination playing with bands over 3 years, that's gotta be a MUCH better test of what works for you!

I agree. A good amp would have got "my" sound from all 3 cabs. I found I liked 99% of all these cabs, with my prference being just the1%.

Edited June 21, 2020 by chris_b

[Geddys nose]

Pity no one was playing the drum kit to show what frequencies would disappear from the mix.

[chris_b]

1 hour ago, Geddys nose said:

Pity no one was playing the drum kit to show what frequencies would disappear from the mix.

But that's the point of these cabs. Their clarity and definition is so good that nothing "disappears" from any mix.

[fretmeister]

I'm giving serious thought to selling my pair of One10 cabs to fund a BB2.

As we're in lockdown not having a cab for a while won't really matter as I can keep playing at home with my Helix and studio monitors.

 

MrsF would certainly like the idea of swapping 2 cabs out for 1 cab in.

[chris_b]

I took delivery of my BB2 just before the lockdown. It sounded great on the 2 gigs I got out of it, but I wouldn't sell my 2 One10's. I do gigs where the One10's work better than the BB2 so I'm keeping both.

[fretmeister]

18 minutes ago, chris_b said:

I took delivery of my BB2 just before the lockdown. It sounded great on the 2 gigs I got out of it, but I wouldn't sell my 2 One10's. I do gigs where the One10's work better than the BB2 so I'm keeping both.

Ooo!

What are the different gigs? That might help me decide.

[chris_b]

At the moment I'm playing with an old fashioned Chicago blues band and a jazz funk, soul and blues band. Smaller gigs with less volume involved, so I find the One10's work well. I use a P bass on some of these gigs. The Jazz is my go-to for everything else. So far the Super Compact is paired up with a Super Midget for the cover bands and for the even louder, foundation shaking, rock blues stuff I'm intending to put the BB2 and SM together.

[NancyJohnson]

The things that hit me immediately and observations are (just talke these as a whole, not individual points):
i) I didn't like the Two Ten (but...),
ii) I really wanted the Super Compact to 'win' this, but the Big Baby 2 sounded better when Alex switched to it, although as the BB2 pieces went on, I felt there was little to distinguish between the Super Compact and the BB2.  My feeling was that in a band context, the nuances that make the cabinets what they are would maybe be lost on the mix,
iii) I would have liked Alex to perhaps change the rotation of cabinets.  It's feasible that had he played through the Super Compact, then gone to the Two Ten, my ears would have registered what the cabinet was doing differently.