How gigable is the MINIMARK 802 N 300?

[LombardPhill]

Howdy all,

 

Does anyone have any experience of using the current MINIMARK 802 N 300 for small gigs? I've read a few things on BC and elsewhere about the old version ( Minimark 802 ) but nothing on the new MINIMARK 802 N 300. Basically I'm looking for a compact lightweight allrounder for £600 ish mainly for home use, but possibly for occasional gigs. The older version seems to struggle with bottom end in larger venues, which I guess shouldn't be a surprise, but the new one is slightly bigger and more powerful (at least at 4 ohms - not sure about 8 ohms) so I wondered if that counts for anything?

 

The type of scenario I'm thinking about is un-mic'd drum kit, small PA for vocals, audience of 50-100 people, in a range of styles.

 

In the past I've used a couple of Peavey rigs with 15in main driver, (mainly a Peavy TNT 150 combo, playing blues and jazz) but that was a loooong time ago. I'm intrigued by the idea of using 8's, and really value compact size and low weight. As an alternative I'm thinking of a Warwick Gnome (200) and 2x TE 1x10 cabs for slightly more money.

 

Cheers!

[Dan Dare]

This is one of those "how long is a piece of string?" questions. It might do the job, but then again, it might not. The only way to find out is to try it, but that would mean buying one. Two 8s in a small cabinet are only going to shift so much air. May be fine in certain bands/styles, but if you play music that requires you to push the bottom end a bit and venue acoustics are less than ideal, perhaps not.

 

I've used a MB 1x12 combo in similar circumstances to those you describe and it worked surprisingly well, although it didn't shake the room (as you would expect) and it was in a soul band, so volume was not very high.

 

I wouldn't imagine the difference between the older and current version is that great. MB gear is surprising in that it projects well and sounds good in the room, however. Any chance you could hire one and try it out at a gig? That would give you a better idea.

[Beedster]

On 22/01/2026 at 10:40, LombardPhill said:

The type of scenario I'm thinking about is un-mic'd drum kit, small PA for vocals, audience of 50-100 people

 

Then the answer is no 

[Downunderwonder]

On 22/01/2026 at 23:40, LombardPhill said:

As an alternative I'm thinking of a Warwick Gnome (200) and 2x TE 1x10 cabs for slightly more money.

Far more likely to not leave you embarrassed for oomph than the oversize practice amp.

[BassAdder60]

The TE Elf is also a good choice into a decent 4ohm cab 

As a rig for £600 it’s possible 

[Phil Starr]

On 26/01/2026 at 20:52, Dan Dare said:

This is one of those "how long is a piece of string?" questions. It might do the job, but then again, it might not. The only way to find out is to try it

Unfortunately this is the answer and only you can really decide yourself. I've been regularly using a single 8" cab with a 130W amp at rehearsal and it's been fine, a 2x8 should be better. I've gigged small venues with a 1x10 too, so it can be done. To an extent it depends upon the drummer, some are more controlled than others and the difference in volume can easily be 10db playing the same songs. It also depends upon your 'sound'. I tend to roll off the bass below 80Hz and use HPF at 50Hz to keepthe bass clean. I try to leave space for the kick drum in the lower frequencies. This alll makes it easy for the speakers.

 

I love the space ship @Dan Dare Dan Dare should always have a ship

Edited 4 hours ago by Phil Starr

[chris_b]

A 2 x 8 cab wouldn't be enough for me. I did a duo restaurant gig last month, with a guitarist singer, and I took a 110. With a drummer the smallest rig I'd use would be 2 x 110's or a good 112. I also use one or two 110's at home.

 

You can always turn down, but turning up doesn't always work.

[Dan Dare]

2 hours ago, Phil Starr said:

I tend to roll off the bass below 80Hz and use HPF at 50Hz to keep the bass clean. I try to leave space for the kick drum in the lower frequencies. This all makes it easy for the speakers.

 

Same here. A lot of bass players make the mistake, imho obviously, of pushing too much LF. If you let the kick drum supply the oomph and  concentrate on providing the notes on the bass, the result is much tighter and more musical. It does depend, of course, on the bass and kick drum being in sync.

[LombardPhill]

Thanks for the replies guys!

 

Problem is I'm getting serious gas for the Minimark. I've never tried 8in drivers, and am just really curious as to how they would work. 

 

I'm in a weird position in that my health has been bad recently, but finances fairly good, so I'm looking at the present and future in a "hope for the best, prepare for the not-so-great" type of spirit - ie a year or two down the line I could be in better health, but may have less money. Things are uncertain on both counts, but am itching to play more. Currently I can afford to splurge a bit, and my Fender Rumble 30 has a knackered speaker (damn looper pedal!), so now seems like a good time time to look at options.

 

I've been thinking about the https://www.markbass.it/product/new-york-121/ as an alternative to the Trace 10in option - a single cab with the Gnome. This cab seems to get a lot of love on the internet, is fairly light and compact, and could form the start of a small stack in the future, so I wouldn't be wasting my money. 

 

But still can't get the Minimark 802 out of my head!

[Phil Starr]

Stop worrying about the diameter of the speaker, it's only one of many things that affect the sound. Smaller speakers are less directional so easier to hear if you are playing close to the cab. Bigger speakers are more efficient all else being equal, Any speaker can be made to go low at the cost of reduced efficiency and most of the sound of an instrument speaker is about the midrange not the bass.

 

In terms of cone area a 2x8 is bigger than a 1x10 and nearly as big as a 12 so I'd expect a 2x8 to give a similar maximum output to a 1x12 all ese being equal again. In fact Markbass have the 2x8 as 99db/W and the 1x12 as 100db/W so youd barely notice the difference in sound level. The NY121 is smaller but heavier and the 2x8 an easier shape to carry. The 2x8 has a less powerful amp.

 

The only way to resolve this is to try them both. 

[Linus27]

As an alternative and what I do is buy a TC Electronic 208 cab and run a Warwick Gnome 300w head. I've used this many a time and it has been plenty loud enough. The TC in particular sounds fantastic and the Warwick Gnome is a superb clean amp head. There is also a well known mod where you upgrade the speakers in the TC cab to Fane Sovereign speakers which will give you a 4ohmn 450w cab. They are a direct fit so just a case of unscrewing the speakers and fitting the new ones. You'll then be able to get the full 300w out of the Warwick Gnome amp. 

 

TC Electronic 208 - £170

Warwick Gnome 300 - £215

Fane Speakers - £100

Total: £485

 

MarkBass Minimark - £625

 

So quite a saving, a lot louder and a smaller footprint.