Floorstanding 4x10 or table standing 2x10

[51m0n]

Do you go through the PA?

If so stick with what you are doing, its effectively a really good bass monitor, and not adding anymore bottom end rumble is a very good thing for the sound guy.

If not then the vertical stacked 210 is the 'ultimate' solution.

Otherwise vertical and tilting back will give you boundary reinforcement from the floor.

Or on a table and less than 1' from the rear wall gives the same boundary reinforcement, but gets the cab up where you need it. Keep it vertical if you are one of those who finds comb filtering an issue...

[Rumble]

Comb filtering; what's that?

I don't go through the PA so really need to be able to hear what I'm playing as well as project outwards. I guess my only concern with putting the cab on the floor and tilting it back is that some of my projected sound might be lost.

[51m0n]

Comb filtering occurs when two sources are close to each other. So two drivers, or a driver and a reflection.

The particular frequency that the filtering occurs at is a product of the distance apart of the two sources (its more complex than that but you get the idea).

If your drivers are arrayed vertically the filtering is supposed to be less obvious to more of your audience.

[LawrenceH]

[quote name='fatback' post='874435' date='Jun 22 2010, 02:20 PM']I asked Alex (barefaced) about those Yamaha stands, and he pointed out that you would reduce the reflections from the floor, losing maybe as much as 3db of certain low frequencies normally boosted by the floor.

I shouldn't have hassled him with the question, as I later found the info is very clear here:

[url="http://barefacedbass.com/technical-information/stage-or-floor-coupling.htm"]http://barefacedbass.com/technical-informa...or-coupling.htm[/url]

Alex suggests tilting the cab upwards using auralex blocks as wedges.[/quote]

I feel this is somewhat misleading - the overall effect is going to be negligible in the 'real world' since the Yamaha-type stand doesn't raise the speaker up all that much, and it's distance from the floor rather than mechanical coupling that is the critical factor for bass reinforcement, quoting from the page you link to:

'So what happens if you put your cab on a beer crate so you can hear it better and/or to stop some boomy sounding mechanical coupling with the stage - does that mean you lose all of that 6dB of acoustic LF coupling? Fortunately the answer is no - what happens is you still get the 6dB gain but the cut-off frequency goes down, so rather than you getting the gain below about 250Hz you might only get it below 100Hz.'

The vastly improved speaker angle in relation to your ear is going to make far more of a positive difference to audibility in the mid-range up than the loss in a relatively narrow bandwidth caused by using the stand.
In actual fact those upper bass frequencies are often the ones that are most difficult to tame in smaller spaces, so in a lot of places a modest loss there will if anything tighten up the bottom end. If the OP likes the sound he gets from putting his cab on a chair then it will not be an issue - he'll be losing at least as much doing it that way or more if the chair's higher.

I'd really suggest trying the stand or a similar DIY fix temporarily first, since it's by far the cheapest (possibly free) option and involves negligible extra gear to cart around. Just make sure with a 2x10 that the centre of gravity is going to be ok with whatever design you go with. If it's a micro amp the velcro option should be fine, or you could bung a rubberised wedge under the head to bring it back to level, or just run the head to one side!

[LawrenceH]

[quote name='Rumble' post='874482' date='Jun 22 2010, 03:19 PM']I don't go through the PA so really need to be able to hear what I'm playing as well as project outwards. I guess my only concern with putting the cab on the floor and tilting it back is that some of my projected sound might be lost.[/quote]

There are alternative amp stands (Quiklok?) that bring the cab higher and put less extreme a tilt on - you'll lose more of the mid-bass reinforcement, but again no more than you would on an equivalent height chair. As long as the venue doesn't have a really high ceiling then I've not found this to be an issue in practice though. If I was playing a cavernous space or outdoors then I'd be more concerned.

[chris_b]

[quote name='Rumble' post='874394' date='Jun 22 2010, 01:44 PM']....But trading my 2x10 for a 4x10 is a virtually no cost option. Buying a second 2x10 has a definte cost associated with it and if I want comparible quality, sensitivity to my Berg 2x10 then it's quite a considerable cost....[/quote]
If trading a Bergantino 2x10 for a 4x10 is a "no cost option" then you must be trading down and I think you'll be trading down your sound as well.

I don't know how a 410 will be any nearer to ear level than a 210! A 4x10 can be viewed as 2 vertically stacked 2x10's side by side, so I don't understand how this will be more audible than 1 2x10 vertically stacked.

[chris_b]

I can easily hear my Bergantino 2x10 cabs when they're stacked horizontally, ie 410 like. Maybe the problem is with your amp or your EQ? What amp are you using?

[Rumble]

I'm using the 2x10 with a LMII.

I think I'll try leaning the speaker up against a wall tilting it towards my ears and see what that does. Whilst not understanding the detail about the coupling, it does make some sense.

Thanks for all the suggestions and comments so far.