Tried out a bunch of powered cabs today...

L

LordOVchaoS

Member
Ended up with a Yamaha DSR115.

Tried:

DSR115 and 112
Behringer B1520DSP and B1220DSP
QSC K12 and KW122
Mackie HD1531

K12 = fail. I was seriously disappointed for such a talked about speaker :(

Contrary to popular opinion, I found that a 15" is MUCH better at replicating the "amp behind you" feel. None of the 12's came close.

The HD1531 was GREAT but I've heard a lot of reliability issues and I couldn't justify the extra $300 over the Yamaha. The Behringers were AWESOME!!! Sounded just as good as the Yamaha and better than the QSC's. I may end up with two of these for my band's main speakers. Don't know why I spent the extra here, just did. DO NOT overlook these Behringers, namely the 15", if you're looking for an affordable, full-range solution.

Both of my real guitar cabinets are now for sale locally :) Could not be happier!
 
What did you like about the DSR115 over the DSR112? Looking for a FRFR solution for my Axe. Was thinking about the QSC, Yamaha, or JBL if I went powered. Interested in your thoughts? What kind of music are you playing?

Thanks,
Ed
:?:
 
Yes, they are wood.

The best I can describe it is you can hear the DSR112 behind you and you can FEEL the DSR115! I come from many years of 4x12 cabs and tube amps and my rig yesterday was an Axe-FX, SLA-2, and a Vader and Avatar 4x12.

I play in 3 bands. One death metal, one rockish (Lacuna Coil like), and one blues. Tried all my patches and the DSR115 delivered! Well worth the 100 bucks over the 112.
 
Thanks for the description and info. Been looking at the DSR112, maybe I should look at the DSR115 a little more seriously. Never thought of a 15" for guitar, but then again I never thought I would be looking at powered P.A. cabs for guitar either.

Thanks,
Ed
:cool:
 
weathertite1 said:
Thanks for the description and info. Been looking at the DSR112, maybe I should look at the DSR115 a little more seriously. Never thought of a 15" for guitar, but then again I never thought I would be looking at powered P.A. cabs for guitar either.

Thanks,
Ed
:cool:
Click to expand...

I guess it's all about the air it pushes. Think about the surface area of 4 12's, it's not going to be matched with 1 12 and a tweeter.

In this community, one that praises the unorthodox, I wish people would think outside the norm and try new things.

I get SO tired of the same ol' "Guitar r teh midrange instrument, don't need teh lowzz or teh highzz Use teh 12 and cut all lowzz and highzz wit teh global". IMO a 15" sounds and feels better, and I haven't touched the global EQ. My mission was to use cab impulses and make it feel like the amps and cabs I've used all these years.

Please do try before you buy if possible!
 
Hey Lord,

I big thing I'm looking for in a FRFR cab is a wedge design so that it faces me directly, unlike traditional cab designs. The Yamaha isn't a wedge design, is it?
 
LordOVchaoS said:
I guess it's all about the air it pushes.
Click to expand...
SPL at low frequencies is a function of a parameter called volume velocity.

Think about the surface area of 4 12's, it's not going to be matched with 1 12 and a tweeter.
Click to expand...
You're thinking about only one of two essential parameters. Piston area is one, maximum displacement is the other. A high-output woofer of the sort used in good monitors can indeed generate higher volume velocity than four 12" guitar speakers, unless those guitar speakers are themselves high-output woofer designs (e.g, EVM-12L). While there are some 4x12 cabs with this kind of woofer, the vast majority of them come with guitar-specific speakers with much lower maximum displacement capacities.

IMO a 15" sounds and feels better,
Click to expand...
The difference is not in bandwidth so much as in coloration and poorer directivity of the 15" speaker. A 15" woofer is a particularly poor choice for use in a 2-way speaker, because there is no possibility of executing a crossover frequency that is low enough for the 15 not to beam severely without endangering the high frequency driver.

You may prefer the sound of a 2-way monitor with a 15" woofer, but that preference is for added coloration and/or much more uneven directivity, not for greater accuracy. It is indeed a personal choice. Many of us prefer accuracy in our monitors and create the desired colorations inside the Axe-Fx.
 
Interesting insight, Jay. Many pedal steel guitarists prefer 15" speakers for some reason, often using an amp with a semi-parametric tone control set to cut around 800 Hz. (They also use pickups that measure high in terms of DC resistance, around 17K ohms.)
 
claxor said:
Hey Lord,

I big thing I'm looking for in a FRFR cab is a wedge design so that it faces me directly, unlike traditional cab designs. The Yamaha isn't a wedge design, is it?
Click to expand...

Yes it is. Both the DSR112 and 115 can be used as a wedge or stand-up cabinet.

Jay Mitchell said:
LordOVchaoS said:
I guess it's all about the air it pushes.
Click to expand...
SPL at low frequencies is a function of a parameter called volume velocity.

Think about the surface area of 4 12's, it's not going to be matched with 1 12 and a tweeter.
Click to expand...
You're thinking about only one of two essential parameters. Piston area is one, maximum displacement is the other. A high-output woofer of the sort used in good monitors can indeed generate higher volume velocity than four 12" guitar speakers, unless those guitar speakers are themselves high-output woofer designs (e.g, EVM-12L). While there are some 4x12 cabs with this kind of woofer, the vast majority of them come with guitar-specific speakers with much lower maximum displacement capacities.

IMO a 15" sounds and feels better,
Click to expand...
The difference is not in bandwidth so much as in coloration and poorer directivity of the 15" speaker. A 15" woofer is a particularly poor choice for use in a 2-way speaker, because there is no possibility of executing a crossover frequency that is low enough for the 15 not to beam severely without endangering the high frequency driver.

You may prefer the sound of a 2-way monitor with a 15" woofer, but that preference is for added coloration and/or much more uneven directivity, not for greater accuracy. It is indeed a personal choice. Many of us prefer accuracy in our monitors and create the desired colorations inside the Axe-Fx.
Click to expand...

I don't really care about the science behind it, I just picked the one I thought sounded best. My last few guitar cabs have all been oversized, maybe that's why I prefer the thump of a 15?
 
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LordOVchaoS said:
I don't really care about the science behind it, I just picked the one I thought sounded best.
Click to expand...
Absolutely the best choice for you. Now go forth and conquer! :)
 
LordOVchaoS said:
"I don't really care about the science behind it, I just picked the one I thought sounded best. My last few guitar cabs have all been oversized, maybe that's why I prefer the thump of a 15?
Click to expand...

[attachment=1:3su8dag8]Supreme.jpg[/attachment:3su8dag8]
That is illogical, humanoid.
[attachment=0:3su8dag8]Scienceguy.jpg[/attachment:3su8dag8]
Umm, science rules.
 

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Interesting. I've got a couple of Fratomics on loan and have tried several powered monitors and still I am unsold on anything other than my Randall RP2/200 (laugh you may but it's great with the Axe-FX).......an ISP Vector sub and two guitar cabs. And you say the QSC K-12 is not good? I haven't tried one but it was the cat's pajamamies around here for a while the way people talked about it...
 
shred-o-holic said:
Interesting. I've got a couple of Fratomics on loan and have tried several powered monitors and still I am unsold on anything other than my Randall RP2/200 (laugh you may but it's great with the Axe-FX).......an ISP Vector sub and two guitar cabs. And you say the QSC K-12 is not good? I haven't tried one but it was the cat's pajamamies around here for a while the way people talked about it...
Click to expand...

Why would I laugh? I hear those are KILLER power amps! Up until this purchase I was using an SLA2 and a 4x12 cab.

No, I did not like the K12 :( I found it to have really loose, farty bass. It sounded pretty good with bluesy patches in standard tuning but for metal in drop-A the low end just fell apart.
 
LordOVchaoS said:
I don't really care about the science behind it,
Click to expand...
Then you'd be better off not speculating on "the science behind it." You didn't just say, "I like the speaker I played with a 15" woofer better than the one with a 12," you said, "Think about the surface area of 4 12's, it's not going to be matched with 1 12 and a tweeter." That's completely off base, and that's what I corrected.
 
Jay Mitchell said:
LordOVchaoS said:
I don't really care about the science behind it,
Click to expand...
Then you'd be better off not speculating on "the science behind it." You didn't just say, "I like the speaker I played with a 15" woofer better than the one with a 12," you said, "Think about the surface area of 4 12's, it's not going to be matched with 1 12 and a tweeter." That's completely off base, and that's what I corrected.
Click to expand...

Ok, I'm wrong.

I don't wanna be right, because this cab sounds and feels great!
 
LordOVchaoS said:
Jay Mitchell said:
LordOVchaoS said:
I don't really care about the science behind it,
Click to expand...
Then you'd be better off not speculating on "the science behind it." You didn't just say, "I like the speaker I played with a 15" woofer better than the one with a 12," you said, "Think about the surface area of 4 12's, it's not going to be matched with 1 12 and a tweeter." That's completely off base, and that's what I corrected.
Click to expand...

Ok, I'm wrong.

I don't wanna be right, because this cab sounds and feels great!
Click to expand...


:lol:
 
shred-o-holic said:
Interesting. I've got a couple of Fratomics on loan and have tried several powered monitors and still I am unsold on anything other than my Randall RP2/200 (laugh you may but it's great with the Axe-FX).......an ISP Vector sub and two guitar cabs. And you say the QSC K-12 is not good? I haven't tried one but it was the cat's pajamamies around here for a while the way people talked about it...
Click to expand...
 
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