So, I had the day off and decided to drive down to the metro area and visit some music stores that had the cabs I was considering: MESA Subway 15 and 12, Genzler 210-3, and the Bergantino HDN 210. I was able to play through all of them both my amp (MB LM2) as well as their respective amp options. I used a passive Fender Jazz for all of my comparisons. Before I unveil my decision, here are my impressions:
Subway 15 - Everything you read here is accurate. Solid and responsive, with just a little bit of the classic "woolly" sound of a 15. Very sturdy and well-built. Reasonably efficient and held together well when pushed hard.
Subway 12 - Much like the 15, with a bit less fundamental lows and a more pronounced midrange.
Subway 15+12 - The result is more than the sum of the parts, very very nice. More articulate than either cab alone. Smooth, solid and powerful. Not inexpensive, though.
Amp note: I a/b'd the cabs with a D-800 and my LM2. The D-800 was set flat. As expected, the D-800 is more powerful, with a deeper voice. Interestingly, I was able to dial in a very similar tone on the LM2 using settings I've never tried before.
Genzler 210-3 - A very different sound. Clearer throughout its range than the MESA cabs, but with less authoritative bottom. Efficient. Very articulate and "accurate" sounding, but with some emphasis in the upper midrange. The array concept delivers - the cab sounded very similar even when I was off-axis by 10 feet. I did note that it would start to break up and get a little rough when pushed hard by either amp.
Amp note: Again, I a/b'd the cab with the MG800 and my LM2. The MG800 was set flat. The MG800 is more powerful and warmer and the dual channels are a nice thing, as are the more flexible tone controls. Again, I was able to dial in a very similar tone on the LM2, though that result lacked the clarity of the MG-800.
Bergantino HDN-210 - I was surprised by how small and light this cab was. Then I was further surprised by its tone. Very solid, with a warmer, "faster" bottom than any of the others. The mids and high end are more restrained than the Genzler and warmer sounding than the Subways. Extremely articulate and noticeably less efficient. The tweeter control produces very obvious differences with comparatively small adjustments and the tweeter sounds very smooth - no grit or edge to the sound. Probably the closest to the sound of my old EA VL-110, but smoother and more of it.
Amp note: I a/b'd the Berg B/Amp and my LM2. The Berg was interesting but I didn't have the time to really learn how to get the best out of it. It sounded very smooth and warm. I know that DSP is the future, but I found myself thinking the B/Amp would probably be a better tool in the studio than in a bar. Maybe I'm a Luddite, but I like having individual controls for everything without having to navigate layers of functionality.
Conclusion: It turns out that I like the LM2 more now than I did this morning. I will still replace it with something nicer and more powerful, but I'm less of a hurry to do so after today's experience. That means that what I was unhappy with was my current cab.
The cab? Yeah, that...
I am now the happy owner of a Bergantino HDN-210.
Now I can sell some gear and start dithering about a new amp!
Subway 15 - Everything you read here is accurate. Solid and responsive, with just a little bit of the classic "woolly" sound of a 15. Very sturdy and well-built. Reasonably efficient and held together well when pushed hard.
Subway 12 - Much like the 15, with a bit less fundamental lows and a more pronounced midrange.
Subway 15+12 - The result is more than the sum of the parts, very very nice. More articulate than either cab alone. Smooth, solid and powerful. Not inexpensive, though.
Amp note: I a/b'd the cabs with a D-800 and my LM2. The D-800 was set flat. As expected, the D-800 is more powerful, with a deeper voice. Interestingly, I was able to dial in a very similar tone on the LM2 using settings I've never tried before.
Genzler 210-3 - A very different sound. Clearer throughout its range than the MESA cabs, but with less authoritative bottom. Efficient. Very articulate and "accurate" sounding, but with some emphasis in the upper midrange. The array concept delivers - the cab sounded very similar even when I was off-axis by 10 feet. I did note that it would start to break up and get a little rough when pushed hard by either amp.
Amp note: Again, I a/b'd the cab with the MG800 and my LM2. The MG800 was set flat. The MG800 is more powerful and warmer and the dual channels are a nice thing, as are the more flexible tone controls. Again, I was able to dial in a very similar tone on the LM2, though that result lacked the clarity of the MG-800.
Bergantino HDN-210 - I was surprised by how small and light this cab was. Then I was further surprised by its tone. Very solid, with a warmer, "faster" bottom than any of the others. The mids and high end are more restrained than the Genzler and warmer sounding than the Subways. Extremely articulate and noticeably less efficient. The tweeter control produces very obvious differences with comparatively small adjustments and the tweeter sounds very smooth - no grit or edge to the sound. Probably the closest to the sound of my old EA VL-110, but smoother and more of it.
Amp note: I a/b'd the Berg B/Amp and my LM2. The Berg was interesting but I didn't have the time to really learn how to get the best out of it. It sounded very smooth and warm. I know that DSP is the future, but I found myself thinking the B/Amp would probably be a better tool in the studio than in a bar. Maybe I'm a Luddite, but I like having individual controls for everything without having to navigate layers of functionality.
Conclusion: It turns out that I like the LM2 more now than I did this morning. I will still replace it with something nicer and more powerful, but I'm less of a hurry to do so after today's experience. That means that what I was unhappy with was my current cab.
The cab? Yeah, that...
I am now the happy owner of a Bergantino HDN-210.
Now I can sell some gear and start dithering about a new amp!
