yanto Posted June 2, 2014 Share Posted June 2, 2014 We use a pair of Mackie SRM 450's that we are happy with(so far) but need to replace our Mackie 15" sub which has been rubbish. Any recommendations? Needs to be a 15" or 18" with HPF and possibly adjustable crossover. Budget £600 max. What's everyone's experiences? Thanks Iain Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Acebassmusic Posted June 2, 2014 Share Posted June 2, 2014 What were you not happly with the Mackie sub - sound, volume, clarity, punch? Does it need to be powered or are seperate speaker / amp an option? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JTUK Posted June 2, 2014 Share Posted June 2, 2014 I'd see if you could get a s/h RCF 705 on e bay ... or try a DSR12 sub in the short term with a view to getting another asap. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spacey Posted June 2, 2014 Share Posted June 2, 2014 For a band, think bass bin, subs are too low, you need thump and punch, Subs are for Discos Any bin thats 2x15 will thump that bass and kick drum out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leftybassman392 Posted June 3, 2014 Share Posted June 3, 2014 Not trying to be overly picky, but if you're having trouble with Mackie active subs (assuming it's set up and working ok), then it might be an idea to explore spacey's suggestion. IME the Mackies are as good as anything out there for remotely sensible money. More to the point they're optimised for the system they're part of (SRM450's). I ran a Mackie active system for some years both in a band and for hire, and I never got any complaints about the sound. (My mixing however, well that's a different kettle of cod... ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xgsjx Posted June 3, 2014 Share Posted June 3, 2014 Why does it need to be a 15 or 18"? If you can build things out of wood, have a look at BFM plans for something like a Titan 39. I agree with Spacey, that if you're playing rock based music, a sub may be too low. I don't agree that any 2x15 will do the job though. Diameter doesn't = lows. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yanto Posted June 3, 2014 Author Share Posted June 3, 2014 The SWA1501 always gave trouble and eventually died, so I was basically looking for a replacement of decent quality. It needs to be powered with the same features Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr.Dave Posted June 3, 2014 Share Posted June 3, 2014 We use a Db Sub-15. 800w job. Mostly because I didn't have to pay for it and some other luckless sod gets to carry it ! It is very good , none of this flappy kick sound I've heard from some. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spacey Posted June 3, 2014 Share Posted June 3, 2014 By defenition Sub Means Sub Sonic, in that you can not hear it, but can feel it, a normal band does not produce that many sub frequencies and without a bass bin, you will have very little bottom thud. Logic make some nice powered bass bins that can knock out some thud. The Sub word has become a bit of a trend, they never were intended to be used as bins, more of something to stick under a bin for a bit of low rumble. See loads of bands with Sub bins and tops and very poor kick drum and bass guitar sounds. Unless it's dub step dance, go for a bass bin set up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leftybassman392 Posted June 3, 2014 Share Posted June 3, 2014 (edited) [quote name='spacey' timestamp='1401792409' post='2466828'] By defenition Sub Means Sub Sonic, in that you can not hear it, but can feel it... <snipped> [/quote] Actually, at the risk of being a bit more picky, subs produce plenty of audible sounds. IIRC the Mackie subs have a tuneable X-over at around120Hz. Most people can actually hear (as opposed to 'feel') audio down to around 20Hz. This means the subs are producing the bottom 2-and-a-bit octaves of the audio spectrum (plus the subsonic stuff). For reference, the low B on a 5-string bass has a fundamental at around 30Hz. The character/colour/punch (call it what you will) of the instrument comes from the first few overtones The other main benefit of subs (as with bins of course) is that they take the VLF strain away from the tops (meaning you can run them harder - read 'louder' - without distress). I agree with your idea about trying out bins (which normally reach a bit further up the spectrum than subs do), but I thought it important to have our facts straight. Sorry if this comes over as a bit geeky; but, well, physics is physics. Edited June 3, 2014 by leftybassman392 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yanto Posted June 3, 2014 Author Share Posted June 3, 2014 Every day's a school day I'm finding it pretty hard to differentiate between powered subs and bass bins though, looking at online sites. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leftybassman392 Posted June 3, 2014 Share Posted June 3, 2014 (edited) [quote name='yanto' timestamp='1401808784' post='2467096'] Every day's a school day I'm finding it pretty hard to differentiate between powered subs and bass bins though, looking at online sites. [/quote] Not quite sure what your question is here, but... Actives are self-contained. They only need a mains cable to work. Generally they are more versatile since they often handle the x-over side of things as well, not to mention having their own level control so you can adjust for the room (a very handy feature!). Downside is that the electronics can go wrong (rare but it does happen - as you probably know already ) Operating frequency is generally from around 120Hz downwards. Passive bins will need a separate (BIG!) amp and x-over components to work at their best, so more kit + cables to organise at each gig. Upside is that there's not much to go wrong, and they tend to cross over a wee bit higher (160 - 180Hz seems fairly typical - doesn't sound like much but at that end of the frequency spectrum it can make a difference). Cost-wise you'd need to budget for a broadly similar amount - the bins would be cheaper but you'll need a very powerful amp to get them working properly - about the same as the combined o/p from the tops (in your case around 800 - 900W) is a pretty good rule of thumb - which of course will drive the cost up. Unless they have x-over circuitry built in (unlikely with that much power to handle) you'll need a x-over box as well. Personally I would always favour active unless there's a very good reason not to, but that's just my opinion. Your best bet would be to see if you can get your hands on some kit to try out before parting with your cash. I'm wondering if your thoughts aren't perhaps a bit coloured by your bad experience with the Mackie, but again it's just my opinion. Edited June 3, 2014 by leftybassman392 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cameltoe Posted June 3, 2014 Share Posted June 3, 2014 We have a SWA1501 which we don't use anymore due to upgrade and it ran beautifully with the SRM450's and sounded great, loads of thump. Heavy though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moonbass Posted June 3, 2014 Share Posted June 3, 2014 Not sure which Mackie sub the OP has been using (they seem to do loads of different ones now) but we use the HD 1501s and find them great. Two of them with SRM 450s as tops is probably overkill, and I'm sure one sub would be enough (1200W, and £568 from Thomann). I think sometimes you need to get the phase of the tops and subs right to get the best out of them? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spacey Posted June 3, 2014 Share Posted June 3, 2014 The Problem with Mackie is they had a well made reliable product with good drivers, then like all companies decided to make them in the far east and boom, kaput. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monckyman Posted June 7, 2014 Share Posted June 7, 2014 In my experience the 1501s had insecure capacitors on spindly legs and weren't supported by glue etc, so when a leg failed it would take out the power amp. Zillions of posts about them being expensive to repair and most people de amped them and ran them passive. I quite like their sound, and of course they are lighter with no amp. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Les Posted June 7, 2014 Share Posted June 7, 2014 Yanto, we use a couple of active peavey pro sub mk2's. They have a variable crossover and a level control. Think they are 400 watts. We origionaly bought 1 second hand for a hundred quid, then we dropped on another for 80 quid. Have to say I'm rather pleased with them and one is certainly enough for a small pub, 2 are great. Not sure if "sub" is not the new "bass bin" in marketing hype but evrything seems to be called a sub these days. They do come up regularly second hand and are a reasonable lift, you can carry one on your own but we usually 2 man them. Les Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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