Harley Benton BB210T speaker upgrade ?

[sifi2112]

Has anyone any experience upgrading the speakers in the Harley Benton BB210T cab ? 

I’ve read a great thread on Talkbass (see below) about upgrading to a 4 Ohm cab (Oberton speakers) but I really need an 8 Ohm cab as both my power amps don’t go lower (bridged) .. 

 

https://www.talkbass.com/threads/harley-benton-bb210t-driver-upgrade.1163109/

 

 

[Bill Fitzmaurice]

Upgrading is possible, if you have a basis for comparison. At a minimum that requires testing your speakers for frequency response, and knowing their T/S specs. 

[Elfrasho]

i had this exact cab and i replaced the speakers with Kappalites, and in my opinion, it elevated it to a proper pro level cab. This was over 10 years ago and have no clue what driver model i went for, so this is an almost pointless post, but I think they were about £60 each. I did go to 4 ohms too.

 

I did disconnect the tweeter though!

[sifi2112]

Thanks .. no idea re T/S specs  ?

[Bill Fitzmaurice]

https://www.midbass.com/how-to-understand-ts-parameters/

[Phil Starr]

Since you are based in Bingley maybe you should use Fanes, a West Yorks speaker

 

It's quite possible to use a ready made cab as the basis for a new cab if you don't want to go to the trouble of building yourself. I'd think of it as giving you the fun of having a unique cab rather than an upgrade though. The problem is that you won't have the free choice of any driver you want as not all drivers will give their best in that cab, each driver has a cab size and tuning that will work best with it and cab design is about choosing the right driver for the outcome you want and then designing the ideal cab to match. Choosing to go for an 8ohm cab is limiting as many 10" speakers aren't widely available in 4 or 16 ohms, finding ones that also match that cab is even more limiting so it's likely you won't have a lot of choice.

 

Even the idea of 'best' and 'upgrade' are tricky. Which aspect of your speaker's performance do you want to improve? Is it power handling, overall volume, extended bass, general tone, weight and portability?

 

However the cab is likely to be better finished than most of us can achieve by a home build and it could be a lot of fun. The outcome could be a cab you love and you can always refit the old speakers if you aren't happy with the changes and you can probably get half your money back on the replacement drivers by selling them on. You do need to think of cost though, the Kappalites mentioned above are now £170ea. 

 

If you think the risk is worth it and see it as a fun project there are plenty of BassChatters who will help with technical advice, so perhaps start with deciding upon a budget and by identifying what aspects of your speaker you want to change/improve.

 

 

[sifi2112]

Thanks all for your comments ..

I’ll certainly give it some more thought & read up on Thiele/Small parameters etc