How much does cab design affect volume?

[Quencho092]

I plugged into my dad's Yorkville 400w PA speaker with my bandmaster and the walls were shaking with the volume at 4. It's your standard tightly closed PA speaker with that horn thing on top and carpet covering.

Just wondering how much having a kick ass cab affects your volume. Let's just say it's a fender head running into the same speaker model, but in 3 different cabs: Open back, Closed back, or one of those "tone-ring" cabs like the old fender piggy backs.

 

[Quencho092]

Re: How much does cab design affect volume?

help?

 

[Hellion]

Re: How much does cab design affect volume?

I haven't noticed a big difference in volume as far as cabinet type goes, however, there is a big difference on how the sound is projected. My open back amplifier, for instance seems to have a much "airier" tone than my 212 closed back cabinet, which is comparable to standing in a light beam. The shape of the cabinet will also affect the amount of bass response. A deeper cabinet, or at least one that has more volume in it, will produce more low end frequencies. Does that help?

With your situation, your dad's PA system of 400 watts is a lot of power behind a set of speakers. It's by no means a huge PA system (my small system, for example, runs about 3200 watts), but I think the difference you perceived is the result of a fair amount of power pushing more speakers, and it's speakers, not wattage, that makes it loud.

 

[Quencho092]

Re: How much does cab design affect volume?

let's just say volume when standing 10 feet in front of the speakers, if this is so then closed backs are actually louder when you stand in front than an open back?

 

[GuitarStv]

Re: How much does cab design affect volume?

What about speaker sizes? From what I understand, 2 10inch speakers are roughly equivalent in volume to a single 12 . . . I figure that the 12 would have more base since it is a bigger speakers, but does anyone know for sure? Would mixing 2 10s with a twelve (in a spare cabinet) be a good idea to get a more even sound? Does anyone know?

 

[Hellion]

Re: How much does cab design affect volume?

let's just say volume when standing 10 feet in front of the speakers, if this is so then closed backs are actually louder when you stand in front than an open back?

I can only speak from experience, but I haven't noticed a huge difference in volume between open and closed back cabinets. The difference is in the way the sound is dispersed. An open back cabinet at full bore is loud pretty much anywhere you stand. A closed back cabinet isn't all that loud until you get 15 feet in front of it, then it rips heads off.

 

[Hellion]

Re: How much does cab design affect volume?

What about speaker sizes? From what I understand, 2 10inch speakers are roughly equivalent in volume to a single 12 . . . I figure that the 12 would have more base since it is a bigger speakers, but does anyone know for sure? Would mixing 2 10s with a twelve (in a spare cabinet) be a good idea to get a more even sound? Does anyone know?

I'm not really sure of the equivalency. I think two 10 inch speakers will move more air than a single 12 inch. There's just more area there. As to whether there is more bass would depend on the type of cabinet. I've heard some amazing Hartke cabinets that used a 210 configuration. At the same time, it's not really that "chest thumping" bass that you get with a 15" speaker. As far as mixing speaker sizes to even out the response, I don't think this is a new idea. I seem to remember a boutique amp manufacturer that made some amps a few years ago with one 10" and one 12" speaker in them.

 

[Quencho092]

Re: How much does cab design affect volume?

I have a spare high quality insulated EV bass cabinet that's sealed up and is really sturdy. I'm thinking of putting one of my d130f's in it, and keeping my modified peavey cab with it's back open.

Would 2 15 inch speakers, one in each cabinet, one cabinet sealed and insulated, the other open backed give a good sound? I figure it will fill the area i play in, and rip heads off.....