Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
Welcome to TalkBass! Want to remove ads? Register an account and login to see fewer ads, and become a Supporting Member to remove almost all ads.
The guy selling the EVM18B for cheap doesn't reply to mails. I could give it a chance, just 'cause it's cheap and I know for sure it will sound killer, even if it could not be what I'm looking for.
In alternative, sent a "best offer" to a big seller who carries Faitals (they're harder to get locally, in Italy, than in the rest of Europe).
According to WinISD, the Kappa Pro 18LF and the Faital 18FH500 will perform in a pretty close manner in the BigBen (150lt/5.3 cu ft.).
In alternative, sent a "best offer" to a big seller who carries Faitals (they're harder to get locally, in Italy, than in the rest of Europe).
According to WinISD, the Kappa Pro 18LF and the Faital 18FH500 will perform in a pretty close manner in the BigBen (150lt/5.3 cu ft.).
Regarding ultra lows or lack thereof, the 18B models very respectably in a box just large enough to contain it, in a huge box, and anywhere in between.
As for the first case, you can get it to match the response of @fdeck's single 12-inch (Deltalite II) small box (IIRC 32 liters tuned to 40 Hz) in just double the airspace of the latter (and half the tuning frequency), and being more sensitive it would beat it by 2dB across the spectrum with as little as 100W vs. ~150 (sine wave figures), and not fart out in the process. Granted, no ultra lows in sight with these arrangements (not to mention the little point in comparing a very light 1-cf box vs. one that would have to be at least as wide and deep as to physically contain the driver, and couldn't be less than 10kgs + wood, at the lightest): my point is, you'd still get a bottom profile that works for many bassists - for example, those who rock (or, um, "jazz") the venerable GK aluminium combos. I suspect @Michael Vee's Micromini is something similar, size-wise.
On the opposite hand, in a big cabinet like the EV TL-405 plans (12 cubic feet tuned to 36Hz) the same eighteener we've been discussing becomes a low-end beast, which models flat at 65~70Hz, -3dB at 38Hz and -7.5dB at the fundamental of open low B! Of course, mechanical power handling plummets in this case, and Xmax is hit at around the low-50s (Hz) area with just 36W sine. (The cabinet would do 114dB - pistonic, not considering the big treble bump - with that power, same as the above-mentioned Deltalite with 70W.)
The Big Ben being 150lts, it looks like a promising candidate for a happy medium.
@Triad: pity that the seller hasn't answered. There is also this other fellow who's been trying to sell one used for quite some time, but note that the ad is very short on pics: I'd at the very least request a complete photo set to be reassured that the driver at least looks in working order.
WOOFER EV PER AMPLI BASSO - #2441659 - su Mercatino Musicale in Amplificatori - Testata / Cassa per Basso
At this point I'm sure I'm sounding way past the casual fanboy stage, which is all the more weird since, again, I've never (that I know of) even seen nor heard the driver!
I'll definitely keep following the thread with interest no matter which woofer you decide to go with.
As for the first case, you can get it to match the response of @fdeck's single 12-inch (Deltalite II) small box (IIRC 32 liters tuned to 40 Hz) in just double the airspace of the latter (and half the tuning frequency), and being more sensitive it would beat it by 2dB across the spectrum with as little as 100W vs. ~150 (sine wave figures), and not fart out in the process. Granted, no ultra lows in sight with these arrangements (not to mention the little point in comparing a very light 1-cf box vs. one that would have to be at least as wide and deep as to physically contain the driver, and couldn't be less than 10kgs + wood, at the lightest): my point is, you'd still get a bottom profile that works for many bassists - for example, those who rock (or, um, "jazz") the venerable GK aluminium combos. I suspect @Michael Vee's Micromini is something similar, size-wise.
On the opposite hand, in a big cabinet like the EV TL-405 plans (12 cubic feet tuned to 36Hz) the same eighteener we've been discussing becomes a low-end beast, which models flat at 65~70Hz, -3dB at 38Hz and -7.5dB at the fundamental of open low B! Of course, mechanical power handling plummets in this case, and Xmax is hit at around the low-50s (Hz) area with just 36W sine. (The cabinet would do 114dB - pistonic, not considering the big treble bump - with that power, same as the above-mentioned Deltalite with 70W.)
The Big Ben being 150lts, it looks like a promising candidate for a happy medium.
@Triad: pity that the seller hasn't answered. There is also this other fellow who's been trying to sell one used for quite some time, but note that the ad is very short on pics: I'd at the very least request a complete photo set to be reassured that the driver at least looks in working order.
WOOFER EV PER AMPLI BASSO - #2441659 - su Mercatino Musicale in Amplificatori - Testata / Cassa per Basso
At this point I'm sure I'm sounding way past the casual fanboy stage, which is all the more weird since, again, I've never (that I know of) even seen nor heard the driver!
I'll definitely keep following the thread with interest no matter which woofer you decide to go with.
Last edited:
With my veeeeery limited WinISD knowledge, I see the EV (guess it's the same, slightly different name) isn't as good as the Faital or the Kappa Pro LF.
The BigBen is about 150l (5.3cu ft).
I guess the big advantage of the EV would be its "full-range" voice... but this isn't very interesting at this point, since I also have an Alpha 6CBMBRA on order (hope it arrives, sooner or later).
The thing is, when the fundamental or the note/string is lower than 20hz, things get pretty serious LOL.
Those are 20 years old woofers... even if they are in good conditions, and the guy is able to make them arrive in one piece (the heavy magnet easily moves and ends up rubbing against the moving parts), no idea of how long they could last, to be honest. For sure I'd like to try it, anyway. But even if I usually play a 4, I build basses that go both very high and very low... and definitely want a cab able to reproduce the whole spectrum without big problems.
I know 150lt isn't much for that kind of stuff but... well, the whole story started when I found the sale ad for the damaged Ben.
Always with with WinISD I see that a 15" (Kappa Pro), in that 150lt enclosure, could perform better on the lows than the 18"s. Of course this only shows SPL.
The BigBen is about 150l (5.3cu ft).
I guess the big advantage of the EV would be its "full-range" voice... but this isn't very interesting at this point, since I also have an Alpha 6CBMBRA on order (hope it arrives, sooner or later).
The thing is, when the fundamental or the note/string is lower than 20hz, things get pretty serious LOL.
Those are 20 years old woofers... even if they are in good conditions, and the guy is able to make them arrive in one piece (the heavy magnet easily moves and ends up rubbing against the moving parts), no idea of how long they could last, to be honest. For sure I'd like to try it, anyway. But even if I usually play a 4, I build basses that go both very high and very low... and definitely want a cab able to reproduce the whole spectrum without big problems.
I know 150lt isn't much for that kind of stuff but... well, the whole story started when I found the sale ad for the damaged Ben.
Always with with WinISD I see that a 15" (Kappa Pro), in that 150lt enclosure, could perform better on the lows than the 18"s. Of course this only shows SPL.
Last edited:
I liked the way the 18B sounded ten years ago, and folks, people are still getting off on the way the Ampeg B-15 combos sounded 40 years ago. That is my take on the way the 18B sounds in that very small Sonic cab. At this rate, I may be persuaded to get it out of storage and see how it sounds with the Quilter Bass Block 800. That, in all likelihood, will be a first pairing. I bet Pat Quilter would approve. I'll write him tonight and say so. I may also just keep the Sonic cab and reinvent my sound!
Last edited:
Careful not to cook it with that lil beast of a head!
(Same goes for Triad's Retroglide...Watch it, guys, and not just with old woofers!)
I'm always pretty gentle with my amps, no worries. The cab will probably never leave my house, so wouldn't expect to really put anything at risk (but my hearing).
What do you guys think of the SPL chart I posted? The red line is a Kappa 15lf, if I remember correctly.
What do you guys think of the SPL chart I posted? The red line is a Kappa 15lf, if I remember correctly.
agedhorse
Commercial User
- Feb 12, 2006
- 52,447
- 176,650
- 14,248
- Disclosures
- Development Engineer-Mesa Boogie, Development Engineer-Genzler (pedals), Product Support-Genz Benz
Shorten the port about 1" and it will improve the performance.I'm always pretty gentle with my amps, no worries. The cab will probably never leave my house, so wouldn't expect to really put anything at risk (but my hearing).
What do you guys think of the SPL chart I posted? The red line is a Kappa 15lf, if I remember correctly.
agedhorse
Commercial User
- Feb 12, 2006
- 52,447
- 176,650
- 14,248
- Disclosures
- Development Engineer-Mesa Boogie, Development Engineer-Genzler (pedals), Product Support-Genz Benz
Then increase the size slightlyFunny you mention it... just noticed the ports are just two big round holes
agedhorse
Commercial User
- Feb 12, 2006
- 52,447
- 176,650
- 14,248
- Disclosures
- Development Engineer-Mesa Boogie, Development Engineer-Genzler (pedals), Product Support-Genz Benz
If you're not going to use it with a drummer, ever, but just for fun and to test extended-range basses, then you don't have any particular volume performance targets to meet. In this case IMO Xmax is immaterial and so is sensitivity. (As well as treble extension, as you said, if you've decided to go with the midrange driver. And again, if you tilted back the cab towards you even dispersion would become moot.)With my veeeeery limited WinISD knowledge, I see the EV (guess it's the same, slightly different name) isn't as good as the Faital or the Kappa Pro LF.
The BigBen is about 150l (5.3cu ft).
I guess the big advantage of the EV would be its "full-range" voice... but this isn't very interesting at this point, since I also have an Alpha 6CBMBRA on order (hope it arrives, sooner or later).
The thing is, when the fundamental or the note/string is lower than 20hz, things get pretty serious LOL.
Those are 20 years old woofers... even if they are in good conditions, and the guy is able to make them arrive in one piece (the heavy magnet easily moves and ends up rubbing against the moving parts), no idea of how long they could last, to be honest. For sure I'd like to try it, anyway. But even if I usually play a 4, I build basses that go both very high and very low... and definitely want a cab able to reproduce the whole spectrum without big problems.
I know 150lt isn't much for that kind of stuff but... well, the whole story started when I found the sale ad for the damaged Ben.
Always with with WinISD I see that a 15" (Kappa Pro), in that 150lt enclosure, could perform better on the lows than the 18"s. Of course this only shows SPL.
View attachment 1154570
Definitely go with the woofer which does best in the "Tranfer function magnitude" graph - you don't need the Spl one (nor you do the excursion plot unless Xmax is so low that you're afraid to blow the woofer at even practice volume, but I doubt it's the case with your candidates) - even a 15", yes.
Only possible caveat is if the driver you've chosen is more problematic to cross over to the mid at your desired frequency, for reasons of impedance profile and/or spikes in the response, but I know near zero about this stuff, and it's not your first rodeo in crossover design so I guess you'll be able to iron out possible kinks.
The chances of using it OUTSIDE my house are... well, I'd say 1/1000. But it may happen, sooner or later.
I'm honestly set on the Faital HP1010... 4" motor, 9.25mm xmax, fairly priced, 1000w. Even if I went for the "cheap" solution (having the BagEnd reconed) I wouldn't save much... maybe 50 bucks or so.
I'm honestly set on the Faital HP1010... 4" motor, 9.25mm xmax, fairly priced, 1000w. Even if I went for the "cheap" solution (having the BagEnd reconed) I wouldn't save much... maybe 50 bucks or so.
agedhorse
Commercial User
- Feb 12, 2006
- 52,447
- 176,650
- 14,248
- Disclosures
- Development Engineer-Mesa Boogie, Development Engineer-Genzler (pedals), Product Support-Genz Benz
Great driver BUT it's unusable without the mid driver as it's really dark. It's also not all that efficient, you can expect an average sensitivity of around 93.5dB/1W/1M which is one of the tradeoffs that are necessary with the extended power handling and heavy moving mass.
Its intended application is as a subwoofer, or low frequency section in a 2 or 3 way PA cabinet actively crossed over. Not suitable for bass guitar even using a tweeter due to the HF rolloff.
I have an Eminence Alpha 6CBMRA on its way and a good tweeter (Ciare). My plan is to make it a 3ways cab. Also it's close to being 8ohm at the 500hz crossover point, my Eminence crossover should work pretty well (500/5000hz).
Do you think I should go for the FH500 instead?
Do you think I should go for the FH500 instead?
Trying to figure out the cabinet tuning. It's got two 15cm (6") holeso on the back, that it's 1" thick (2.5cm). According to WinISD, this makes me think it's tuned very very high... don't think it's possible for a subwoofer to be tuned to 70hz or so. It should be 150lt or so, but I also tried to play with the box dimensions a bit as it might be inaccurate... it always ends up with a high tuning.
I ordered the Faital 18FH500, but of course the seller didn't state it's currently out of stock... my usual luck.
I ordered the Faital 18FH500, but of course the seller didn't state it's currently out of stock... my usual luck.
As for the question, no idea. Regarding the observation, the 18 indeed seems to be backordered or only available upon request in most places. Cheapest Price I've found is here, but the waiting time also points to it having to be ordered from the manufacturer. Only vendor I've seen (at a cursory search) that claims to have it in store is this other one.