Author Topic: Acme Flatwound - Anybody? (Read 462 times)

Bradley Young · « **Reply #15 on:** October 09, 2010, 09:16:58 PM »

If this cab is of interest, and you have moderate DIY skills, the fEarful design on talkbass is pretty sweet.

Make that really sweet. With 350 watts from my GK MB500, it gets stupid, stupid loud while being about as accurate a bass cab as I've ever seen.

bassman10096 · « **Reply #16 on:** October 10, 2010, 06:42:07 AM »

Joey: I guess I tend to agree with your caution about running really significant power through neos in a live situation (at least to regard doing so as relatively risk free). It seems notable to me that there don't seem to be an enormous number of PA builders creating compact 118 sub bins around the silly light weight of neo 18s (Carvin might be the only exception (with their neo PA line - but the lack of others illustrates the point). On the other hand, Mesa's neo-driven 212 (nice and light) regularly receives rave reviews without any reports of failures. In a similar light, I played out for a year and a half with a Dr Bass 212 loaded with standard neo Kappalite 3012lfs (1100w peak, driven by various preamps and a QSC 2402) and found it the most reliable piece of my rig. I'm currently abusing neo Kappalite 15s in several applications with no problems.
Shifting gears slightly, I think my biggest remaining point of skepticism on Andy's Flatwound 12s is more about efficiency/power consumption (I'm a rocker) than the durability/reliability/fire safety of neo cabs in high power, demanding, live applications. I love the compact, clean, but still very deep low end 12s produce. As a former Acme guy, I'm still in awe of how much low end extension Andy squeezed out of his 10s. But the need to pour inordinately high power into a stack of, say - 4 112 Flatwounds to reach sufficient volume for the music is a source of frustration. I suppose I've become accustomed to seeing a typical 2500 level power amp as delivering lots of extra headroom - rather than just being adequate (hopefully) to the application. Still interested in trying out the Flatwounds, and willing to take the leap of faith on the neos. But just saying...

Bradley Young · « **Reply #17 on:** October 14, 2010, 09:29:42 PM »

Bill,

The Eminence 3012LF and 3015LF (this is what the fEarful design uses) will handle silly amounts of power, and get very loud. 500 watts into a 3012LF == 120dB. 1000 watts into a 3015LF == 126dB. There is a 2x3015LF design, and it's just absurd.

I don't think that the neo designs have issues per se, but there may be some designs that have issues.

Bradley

benson_murrensun · « **Reply #18 on:** October 21, 2010, 11:15:22 AM »

I just heard from Andy Lewis at Acme; I asked him if his Low B series cabinets could approximate the sound from the new Flatwound cabinets. He said if you attenuate the tweeter totally and attenuate the midrange 5db you would get close.

edwin · « **Reply #19 on:** October 21, 2010, 02:52:05 PM »

I own a B2 and have played the Flatwound and I think they are very different. While there might be a similarity in frequency response by attenuating the mids and highs, there's still a very different feel. The Flatwound feels a lot more smooth throughout the different registers. The B2 is a great cabinet and has a very nice flat frequency response, but there is something about no crossover and having everything reproduced by one driver in a well tuned cabinet that just feels different. It really makes the bass feel like the same instrument all the way through its various registers. I know what I say probably doesn't make all that much sense, but I think there is something about the idea that the fewer items you have between string and ear, the better. This includes multiple drivers and crossover components. I would love to get a Flatwound or three someday, but I still need to recover from my Series I.

YMMV, etc. etc.

benson_murrensun · « **Reply #20 on:** October 22, 2010, 08:43:44 AM »

Edwin,

I guess I need to do an A/B test.

edwin · « **Reply #21 on:** October 22, 2010, 11:00:42 AM »

Yeah, I'd love to try a pair of Flatwounds on a gig. It's definitely not a real world test to try it out in Andy's living room!

bassman10096 · « **Reply #22 on:** October 23, 2010, 09:02:20 AM »

Bradley: Didn't mean to overstate any caution on my part about neos. My go to cabs tonight are a Mesa Road Ready 115 loaded with a 3015HO stacked on top of a homegrown (built to BagEnd S15B-D specs - the big, deep one), powered by a Mesa M-Pulse. I have been very impressed with the 3015/3012 series'. Till recently I had a 3012LF-loaded Dr Bass 212 in my rig - silly loud is a good way to put it. I was just highlighting the concern that drove me out of Acmes a few years back - the need for so much power to attain good rock volume. Not insurmountable, but I have sort of enjoyed leaving my rack home sometimes.