So 3 years ago I got a smoking deal on an SVT CL. I had always viewed them as kind of an end-game tier amp so I couldn't resist. I had graduated and got my first actual job, so I figured I'd treat myself - so I did. I fell in love with the sound immediately but quickly learned 2 things:
1) My rig is now way too heavy
2) My rig is now way too big and doesn't fit in my car
I first found out about Eminence Kapalites 2 years ago when I was still humping 2 410s with ceramic speakers around (because my SVT410HEs were 8ohm each) so the idea of having that much power in a tiny neo package became super appealing. I decided I wanted a modular rig that could work separately with the CL, or alone. I had great experiences with 10's and 15's by then so I figured that's what I'd go with. I sold off the 410s to finance my latest bout of gas.
There's a great emerging cab builder in my area (Greenbased Design in Halifax NS) who I asked to design a compact cab that'd work well with a Kappalite 3015lf (4ohm). Based on his own experience with adding Kappas to the old Ampeg vr215 (which I think he modded two 10's into as well) and the generally popularity online thanks to fEARful, he came up with the bottom cab below. 3/4" Baltic birch, rear loaded and front vertically ported (the dimensions escape me, however). That cab immediately made my gigging life wayyyyyy more efficient, and gave me an incredible 15 sound I was used to from a Mesa Diesel 215 I had owned prior (sold because so so so heavy/awkward). So that was a win.
I'm not going to lie and say I know exactly what it is about 10's that I like, but I will say that whatever it is, my ears were missing it with a 15. I decided that I'd give the Kappalite 3010lfs (8 ohms) a shot. At the time there weren't really any reviews of the 10's in a bass context, so I decided to throw caution to the wind. I went to the same builder and asked him to design a cab similar to the previous but tailored to 2 3010lfs. The end result was the below top cab. 2" shorter and horizontally ported than the original. To this day if I have to pick between one of these cabs live I usually go for the 210, typically in the context of a metal mix.
Now since having these built I've read a lot of articles on here concerning both mixed speaker configs and the suitability of 3010lfs for a bass cab. In my totally not quantitative very situational opinion, the Greenbased 210 and 115 are better together and the 3010lfs are very well suited to bass.
I have not noticed any acoustic or electrical polarity/frequency cancellation issues. I haven't noticed any unexpected dead spots (the cabs are pretty directional by design, however). I admit that using the same super knowledgeable builder on both designs was likely a huge part of making this setup work, so if you're considering a retrofit project with these cabs maybe consult with a tech or manufacturer still. The only two shortcomings of this setup I found are of my own choices: though you can build each in 8ohm, my 4 ohm is specific to the SVT and makes it tough to share for back line (is that really a bad thing though ) and the stack is short, so try and put some distance between yourself and the rig when using.
The average cost per cab was $600 CAD for the build and speakers. So each cab is less than retail, smaller than about 80% of bass cabs, and together easily louder than a fridge. I know that this is a longggg read but if someone is looking for any info regarding the Kappalites in a bass cab context hopefully it can help!
TL;DR:3010lf and 3015lf Kappalites, even mixed, seem to work great for my custom cabs. I'd recommend working closely with a trusted builder though.
1) My rig is now way too heavy
2) My rig is now way too big and doesn't fit in my car
I first found out about Eminence Kapalites 2 years ago when I was still humping 2 410s with ceramic speakers around (because my SVT410HEs were 8ohm each) so the idea of having that much power in a tiny neo package became super appealing. I decided I wanted a modular rig that could work separately with the CL, or alone. I had great experiences with 10's and 15's by then so I figured that's what I'd go with. I sold off the 410s to finance my latest bout of gas.
There's a great emerging cab builder in my area (Greenbased Design in Halifax NS) who I asked to design a compact cab that'd work well with a Kappalite 3015lf (4ohm). Based on his own experience with adding Kappas to the old Ampeg vr215 (which I think he modded two 10's into as well) and the generally popularity online thanks to fEARful, he came up with the bottom cab below. 3/4" Baltic birch, rear loaded and front vertically ported (the dimensions escape me, however). That cab immediately made my gigging life wayyyyyy more efficient, and gave me an incredible 15 sound I was used to from a Mesa Diesel 215 I had owned prior (sold because so so so heavy/awkward). So that was a win.
I'm not going to lie and say I know exactly what it is about 10's that I like, but I will say that whatever it is, my ears were missing it with a 15. I decided that I'd give the Kappalite 3010lfs (8 ohms) a shot. At the time there weren't really any reviews of the 10's in a bass context, so I decided to throw caution to the wind. I went to the same builder and asked him to design a cab similar to the previous but tailored to 2 3010lfs. The end result was the below top cab. 2" shorter and horizontally ported than the original. To this day if I have to pick between one of these cabs live I usually go for the 210, typically in the context of a metal mix.
Now since having these built I've read a lot of articles on here concerning both mixed speaker configs and the suitability of 3010lfs for a bass cab. In my totally not quantitative very situational opinion, the Greenbased 210 and 115 are better together and the 3010lfs are very well suited to bass.
I have not noticed any acoustic or electrical polarity/frequency cancellation issues. I haven't noticed any unexpected dead spots (the cabs are pretty directional by design, however). I admit that using the same super knowledgeable builder on both designs was likely a huge part of making this setup work, so if you're considering a retrofit project with these cabs maybe consult with a tech or manufacturer still. The only two shortcomings of this setup I found are of my own choices: though you can build each in 8ohm, my 4 ohm is specific to the SVT and makes it tough to share for back line (is that really a bad thing though ) and the stack is short, so try and put some distance between yourself and the rig when using.
The average cost per cab was $600 CAD for the build and speakers. So each cab is less than retail, smaller than about 80% of bass cabs, and together easily louder than a fridge. I know that this is a longggg read but if someone is looking for any info regarding the Kappalites in a bass cab context hopefully it can help!
TL;DR:3010lf and 3015lf Kappalites, even mixed, seem to work great for my custom cabs. I'd recommend working closely with a trusted builder though.
Attachments
Last edited:
