Ported cabs vs sealed .....

[Dr. Tweedbucket]

I've always been a fan of the sealed cab because they seem more punchy and dynamic, but lately have been dabbling with some ported cabs and have taken a liking to them.

In particular, the Hiwatt SE4123 4x12 has a small slot at the bottom of the rear panel and that cab pumps out a ton of bottom end !! ..... and it still sounds punchy! I'd love to hear two of these stacked.

Another good little cab is Mesa's 2x12 metal grill open / closed back. The bottom is ported and the top is just open back. It's a very loud and in your FACE cab !! Nice bass and a pretty tight tone.

Finally, Mesa's Thiele 1x12 cabs. Pretty good sounding cabs for a small package.


Ported cabs, Yay or Nay ?

 

[Dave]

Depends on the amp and speaker(s). I have sealed, open back, ported and detuned cabs. I don't think any one of them is best for everything.

 

[Ken]

The Pure 64 1x12 ported cab sounds big and has very good spread and at only 33 lbs, its the real deal.

 

[ryhlick]

+1 on this!

The Pure 64 1x12 ported cab sounds big and has very good spread and at only 33 lbs, its the real deal.

 

[mprvise]

I've used open backs almost exclusively for all of my 25 years playing, and have several at the house. Recently picked up a Port City 2X10 and I'm absolutely loving it (and getting great tone compliments from other players and the crowd at large). A Pure 64 1X12 is probably the next cab on my list.

 

[pfflam]

Would 'ported' also stand for 'Detuned' . . . which seems to be all the honeymoon-maker these days . . . or should you add that option too?

 

[voojo]

Would 'ported' also stand for 'Detuned' . . . which seems to be all the honeymoon-maker these days . . . or should you add that option too?

I would say that detuned cabinets are just ported cabinets that aren't designed to emphasize any certain frequencies. They just let "more" of it out.

 

[soli528]

Port City Wave 1x12OS ended my search.

 

[bosstone]

I would say that detuned cabinets are just ported cabinets that aren't designed to emphasize any certain frequencies. They just let "more" of it out.

They not only let more of the frequencies out, but because of their longer dimensions they enhance more frequencies and extend the range of the bass without unnatural exaggeration, unlike closed cabs that are tuned to a particular range of bass frequencies. Of course many people love the sound of exaggerated bass and may not like the sound of extended bass that is flatter. There is no right way. Its personal preference. There is a heavy price to pay for detuned cabs; few companies make them, mostly because they would have to bang their head against the wall and pay to reeducate and advertise. They are much more expensive to build and ship and most people want smaller cabs, not bigger ones. There is no reason for them to rock the boat.

 

[Ken]

ryhlick,
Thank you for telling me about the Pure 64 cab!

 

[bobotwt]

Port City Wave 1x12OS ended my search.

What do you think of the 1x12OS with your Fargen? I have a 30w Blackbird and want to try a 1x12. I am debating between the Port City 1x12OS, the Pure64, the Hermida ported 1x12, and the Fuchs mini 1x12. What speaker are you using? Thanks

Josh

 

[clamdip7714]

Semi open back (ported)?

 

[Free]

None of those - OVAL back is IT.

 

[fuzzyguitars]

port city os 2x12

 

[soli528]

What do you think of the 1x12OS with your Fargen? I have a 30w Blackbird and want to try a 1x12. I am debating between the Port City 1x12OS, the Pure64, the Hermida ported 1x12, and the Fuchs mini 1x12. What speaker are you using? Thanks

Josh

Hey Josh-
Thanks for asking- I really can't say enough about this cab. FWIW, my Fargen is a 30W Bordeaux, so the clean channel is the same as your 4x6V6 Blackbird. That providing a pretty solid basis for comparison, I can say that the cab provides a certain immediacy to the response that actually startled me a bit when I first used it. It's still very warm and round which seems to me the signature tone of that amp, but the sound just jumps out at you and sounds much bigger than you expect. A good deal of that comes from the front port being angled up at the player, and the fact that every bit of sound that speaker is putting out (front of cone, rear of cone, etc...) is all funneled out in a very tuneful way. That said, it is quite a bit louder than any other 1x12 I've heard.
I'm using it as an extension cab as the amp is a 1x12 combo. The combo has a Scumback H75, and the PC has an anniversary G12h30. I may try swapping the speaker in the PC to something less efficient as I hear the PC cab louder than the combo speaker. I'm thinking something a little darker, like a Scumback M75. Even as is, the cab sounds great. I jumpered the 4 Ohm tap to another jack (Ben even sent me the parts to do this...) and when using both speakers (both 8 Ohms) the amp just sees an 8 Ohm load. When using one speaker or the other I just use the 8 Ohm tap.
The PC 1x12OS is the same width as my combo, so the combo sits on top, and makes for the effect of a vertical 2x12, but as I mentioned, due to the angled port, it's like a portion of the bottom speaker's output is coming out of a slant cab. Sounds awesome.
Probably more info than was asked, but hey it's Friday afternoon and I'm at the office...

 

[fusionbear]

Port City 2x12, OS2x12, and OS1x12 are my faves.
Mesa 1x12 EVL loaded thieles are my second faves
Mesa older vertical 1/2 backs are my third faves.