Hartke HD210 / HL210 anyone used 'em

[Prime_BASS]

Having a bit of a crisis in wanting the sealed tone back behind me and having a vertical stack of 2x210s is appealing to me.

 

I ain't got much experience of Hartke gear and have used Markbass exclusively for best part of a decade now. Loved my classic 104, but wrecked the house moving it in and out. I also used two traveller 102p vertically for a bit too. Now I just have a 1x15 but thinking I want something sealed again and noticed these Hartke cabs were.

 

From what I can the HD and HL are the same but the HL is more expensive cause they weigh less... And also looks like no one stocks them at a decent price so I guess finding used ones is out of the question.

 

But my question really is, has anyone used the Hydrive Stuff or the HL stuff at all for rehearsals and gigs. And used in particular the setup I'm looking at or at least one 210.

 

Another factor for me is I can get around 40 percent of Fender kit so been tempted by the 210 rumble but feel that would be an definite step backwards in tonal quality.

[Undertone]

Hi. I see no response for this thread yet. Sorry if mine is lengthy.

I've used Hartke XL series consistently since the 1980's and during the original longer lockdowns I started checking out recent models from HX onwards (and other brands). There's no discussion above of music type nor playing style but for me, I like their clarity, punchiness, transient response translating to definition (vs just brightness), rock solid build, projection, minimal cabinet impact on colour (particularly in the larger cabs), and while colourless is still a colour, I find them pretty neutral. Not as neutral as TC Electronic (too neutral for me), much more neutral than Aguilar.  That neutrality allows me to more consciously construct my sound, and renders them more versatile, which for me is important as I run a number of different amps through them (Eden, Aguilar, Trickfish, even Trace) for different gigs and music styles (jazz-funk-R&B-indie rock-pop). They look neutral too I suppose. Plenty of great playing and great sounding guys play / have played the MarkBass too, so it's great too - it was a candidate when I was in my search. Love Randy Hope-taylor, Richard Bona et al.

 

I couldn't find any and speaking to the UK distributor (teenagers) was frustrating, Hartke USA answered almost no emails and gave incorrect information when they did. Nevertheless, the product is good and I ended up buying from Bax (HD & HL 210's had never come up used), who show availability on their site so I didn't get order cancellations. They even called me directly to discuss a small shipping delay and arrange delivery. They occasionally have sales and one can achieve a modest reduction - this was before recent market-wide increases. I run HL210 + HL115, or HL210 + HD112 (picked up used), or 2 x HL210, occasionally 1 x HL210 or 1 x HD112 for very small applications. As they're very different, I also purchased 2 Aguilar SL112's (used) at the time (for my Aguilar amp) - time will tell if I keep / upgrade these.  I'd love a 410 if I've got someone else to carry it for me (I'm late forties).

 

So having gigged both HD and HL 210's they sound and perform virtually the same. The baked finish on the HL is tougher and more scratch resistant than the coating on the HD's. The single HL handle is just a slot - they save weight there. The HL is lighter but to be honest that's more pronounced in the 410. Both sealed and punchy as hell. Both plenty of definition. In the 112 I prefer the HD as it has the 4 / 8 Ohm switch which was dropped in the HL, but the HD is the heavier (same as the HX so you could pick one of those up used cheaply). I think finding HD/HL210's used is going to be tough for quite a while but keep an eye out. I run 2 x 210's stacked horizontally (raised), hadn't thought of vertical.

I think if you're buying new, makes sense to go HL since the price differential isn't large. But if it's between used HD vs new HL with a significant price difference, I'd go the HD's if you're looking to save funds and can deal with just a few extra kilo's.

 

By the way, I get no kickbacks from Hartke, nor Bax, nor do I use them just because Victor Wooten does. Haven't tried Fender cabs so can't comment there.

Hope this helps. Regards