I Mixed Cabs Last Night

#21
bassfran said:
I done do'od it. Was great. Turned the master down a smidge and let the amp (GB Shuttle 9) do it's thing @4ohms. The usual fat, full sound I aim for most gigs only moreso.

I even put the 15" on top of the 2-10's !!! (Bag End S-15 I and D10B-D). Filled both the room and dance floor without breaking a sweat.

Crazy, huh? :woot:
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I’ve been using mixed cabs for years, however the last 12 I’ve been using two 210 cabs from the same manufacturer with different tonal characteristics. I have a stereo power amp as well as an integrated amp. When the cabs are powered with the power amp the difference in more profound that using an integrated amp because I can balance the output of each cab for optimum results.

As I’m sure you’ve found the sound while not that much louder the sound is much fuller. Congrats.
 
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#23
lol, you guys are funny. There’s nothing to say mixing does not work. It’s just not a practical solution when shopping for equipment unless you already know the pieces will work nicely for your specific application. The most straightforward answer to “I need two cabs” is to buy two of the same. That doesn’t mean it’s the only thing in the universe that will work, but most of us can’t afford to just wardial cabinets until we chance upon two that work nicely together.
 
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#24
If my FrankenStack showed the slightest sign of not sounding awesome or being able to cover the gigs I do, I'd make it a priority to invest in a better solution.

franken-stack-volcanic - 1.jpeg

Bit it doesn't, so I haven't. :woot:
 
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#26
I build my own, and all three are different designs and speakers. My 15/6 cab I use by itself, but my 115 Faital loaded and my 112 Dayton cab I use at practice all the time. Both these cabs sound very different and good, but together, they just compliment each other for some reason. I did order the speakers and parts for my Christmas gift from the wife to build a matching 112 cab; it should work pretty good .

20240207_204939.jpg
 
#29
Some designs work well together, some do not. The problem is not knowing which combinations work well together… before acquiring them.

Some are designed to work well together, the results are more predictable and consistent. This reduces the risk of an unhappy outcome.
 
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#31
Hyperbole

NO ONE realistically says it's GOING to be bad.

It's good advice to consider mixing might be sub-optimal and work against you. The OP's example .... isn't that two cabs from the same brand and line? Ummm. Not "really" the point some of us discuss when advising against mixing.

Glad it worked. Happy for those cases where it works and continues to work.

Just consider there are times when it doesn't, often resulting in wasted money.

Thats generally the root of advice to the contrary. Doubling up with a second cab same as the first WILL work as expected. It's just that simple.
 
#34
i mean, it's a pretty low bar to clear:

as long as the two cabs aren't actually out of polarity with each other and won't blow up or damage the amp, it's a safe bet that the stack will sound more powerful than each individual cab and that the second cab being higher up will be easier to hear

more powerful + easier to hear = "better"
 
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#38
The reality is that two cabs move more air than one cab, and more air moved is generally perceived as an improvement / increase when compared to less air moved.

So, comparing two mismatched cabs to one cab, the listener usually picks the two cab tone / sound.

If a person compares two mismatched cabs against two matched cabs, the comparison is much more subtle. That’s where matched cabs usually outperform mismatched cabs, but it really depends on the type / quality of the mismatched cabs & the type / quality of the matched cabs. The difference between the pairs can be obvious, undetectable, or somewhere in between.
 
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#39
Hi everyone, thanks for you opinions so far. I'm dealing with an issue relating to this in my church, about this time last year an ashdown 800w amp head was purchased on ignorance of cabinet matching, ohms etc. It was an 800w 4ohm head powering a 400w 4x10 cab (both ashdowns), tried getting the powers that be to get an extension to fix the issue to no avail. The inevitable has now happened, I'm pretty sure all the 4 drivers popped on the cab.

Now we're trying to remedy the situation, I like the idea of a 4x10 on a 115, but not for the sake of it. I've seen the views of those with better knowledge that two 4x10s are better, not just for loudness (which is not the issue here) but can also provide more bottom end, and that you can pop the 115 in that combination, amongst other problems.

My question is this, since the amp head is 800w, if we were to get 8ohms 400w 4x10 and a 8ohms 400w (or more) 115 that produces more lows than the 4x10 in terms of frequency response, would the issues still be there? like the danger of busting the 115 (which on paper should be prevented by having sufficient power rating) or the phasing etc that were raised? I'm not adamant on getting that combination by the way, just looking to educate myself on these.


A lot of the questions I've seen don't seem to have a balanced 50/50 power rating factored in, or maybe even a slightly more powerful 115 hence my question.
 
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#40
Daveyj said:
It was an 800w 4ohm head powering a 400w 4x10 cab (both ashdowns), tried getting the powers that be to get an extension to fix the issue to no avail. The inevitable has now happened, I'm pretty sure all the 4 drivers popped on the cab.
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good lord, what kind of slayer concert volumes does your church band play at? that single 4x10 cab should have gotten way too loud for a sane stage mix before blowing up anything.

also, that "800 watt" head would only be doing 400 or 500 watts into a single 8Ω cab, it's actually a good match. if you're not getting any sound at all, chances are it's something besides all 4 speakers being blown. have you tried a different amp or a different cab? different cables?
Daveyj said:
a 8ohms 400w (or more) 115 that produces more lows than the 4x10 in terms of frequency response
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that would be hard to find
 
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