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Recent lowdowner shootout between Acme and Epifani cabs?


Gruuve

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Hey guys:

 

I saw a thread recently were a couple of lowdowners got together and I could swear they had an Acme LowB and an Epifani cab between them and did some A/B'ing with the two. I can't seem to find this thread though...does this ring any bells, or did I just imagine it? :freak:

 

Dave

Old bass players never die, they just buy lighter rigs.

- Tom Capasso, 11/9/2006

 

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Thanks Alex! Interesting...so the Acme didn't appear to be any quieter than the Epifani, even though the Epifani has a much higher sensitivity rating, eh?

 

Dave

Old bass players never die, they just buy lighter rigs.

- Tom Capasso, 11/9/2006

 

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No, the Acme was marginally louder than the Epifani. However the Acme was receiving twice the power as it's 4 ohms and the Epifani is 8 ohms, so that adds 3dB of sensitivity (per volt) to the Acme. Still, that doesn't fill the gap between 93dB @1w1m and 100dB @1W1m!

 

Other shootouts between Acmes and more typical cabs have consistently confirmed this - that although Acmes are slightly less sensitive than most, there's a serious discrepancy between the sensivity specs quoted by most manufacturers (usually because it's quoted @ 1kHz which is both useless for bass and in the vicinity of the typical sensivity peak for a pro-sound woofer) and the much more real ones that Acme quote, so the difference is only a few dB, not the up to 10dB that Eden, SWR et al's specs suggest.

 

With enough power behind it, I think the Acme Low-B2 would max out at a similar SPL to the UL-112, maybe a smidgeon quieter, assuming both are driven with the EQ flat. Throw some low-cut filters into the mix and/or EQ out some of the Acme's extra lows compared to the Epifani, and the Acme will go louder because of the greater cone excursion and speaker area. However, if you have a very bright slap tone, the UL-112 will handle the loudest peaks a bit better, due to the sensitivity of the compression horn compared to the Acme's 5" mid and dome tweeter. I've reached that limit when pushing 900W of slap power into one cab vs an obnoxiously loud (ear defender wearing!) drummer - mind you, the flashing cone surrounds look very cool!

 

Alex

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Originally posted by C.Alexander Claber:

...mind you, the flashing cone surrounds look very cool!

Well there ya have it...the most important part of all. :cool:

 

Dave

Old bass players never die, they just buy lighter rigs.

- Tom Capasso, 11/9/2006

 

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Yup, no doubt on the weight difference. I'm not after extreme portability in my particular case though. I work up great sounds through my Berg HT-322 cab, then I find that my tone sounds totally different through studio monitors and through the church PA. I keep thinking about how having a flat cab would really remove some of the guess-work...a few more gentle nudges and I may find myself ordering an Acme LowB4.

 

Dave

Old bass players never die, they just buy lighter rigs.

- Tom Capasso, 11/9/2006

 

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(nudge)

 

...I say why not. It'll be nice to have a backup cab that's a little bit lighter. Nobody is saying you'll have to sell the berg, and it will probably still prove very usefull. As I understand that is one LOUD cab. IIRC the acme's are very reasonably priced as well. If you like it alot you might even venture into selling the berg and maybe using the fund to get some more power to open it up a bit, although, as I stated, that probably won't be needed.

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Originally posted by Dave Sisk:

I keep thinking about how having a flat cab would really remove some of the guess-work...a few more gentle nudges and I may find myself ordering an Acme LowB4.

I'd like to provide a gentle nudge - towards getting a Low-B2! One Low-B2 with 900W behind it will go loud enough to really upset vocalists and soundmen. Keep the Berg to deal with excessive drummers and guitarists whilst the Low-B2 can handle everything else.

 

Although two Low-B2s are noticeably louder than one, a Low-B4 doesn't have the same benefit - you don't get the extra mid/high drivers which are what gets you heard in overly loud situations, and you don't get the 4x1 line-array of woofers for improved projection and dispersion.

 

Originally posted by ArwinH:

...I say why not. It'll be nice to have a backup cab that's a little bit lighter.

Exactly. And a Low-B2 is a lot lighter still, and one of the most compact 2x10"s available, to boot. And cheaper!

 

Alex

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Having used both on a range of gigs, I would definitely go for the Acme Low-B2 on sound (very poweful low end - otherwise very flat response and clear; and cost. I played a range of music through it, including jazz and reggae and I was never found wanting bottom end.

 

I prefer the Epifani only because I need something ultra-lightweight (it's a great sound too, though). I am accessing some gigs using public transport and the Epifani plus Focus rig is incredible for that.

 

The sounds are remarkably similar, just with that extra low-end depth on the Acme. I guess the Acme is cheaper too (plus I had to wait months for the Epifani cab to arrive).

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