Why doesn't anyone make a vertically aligned 3x10?

[Wil]

I've been thinking - considering that it seems to be good practice to have vertically aligned speakers, why do no manufactors make a vertically aligned 3x10 (or maybe 3x12) cab? It would be just about the right height to have your head, handy for making adjustments, would have a small footprint, wouldn't be excessively big (should fit on a car back seat I would think) and I would think it would be loud enough for most real world applications besides massive stages.

The performance of such a cab is speculative as I don't think anyone makes one, to my knowledge, but is it just me that finds this an appealing idea? We all know good things come in 3s, after all!

Edited April 30, 2010 by Wil

[Stylon Pilson]

Most manufacturers make things that will sell well. Your average bass player will be scared by the sight of a vertically-aligned 310 and will tend to go for something nice and safe and familiar instead.

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S.P.

[Beedster]

[quote name='Stylon Pilson' post='823892' date='Apr 30 2010, 11:55 AM']Most manufacturers make things that will sell well. Your average bass player will be scared by the sight of a vertically-aligned 310 and will tend to go for something nice and safe and familiar instead.

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S.P.[/quote]

Yep, and seriously unstable. I loved standing my two 2x10s end to end, but sh*t myself on a couple of occasions when I almost pulled the whole thing over. If you need 3x10 with a speaker at ear height stack a 2x10 vertically on a 1x10 or simply put your conventional 3x10 on another cab/beer crate.

C

[Wil]

[quote name='Beedster' post='823906' date='Apr 30 2010, 12:09 PM']Yep, and seriously unstable. I loved standing my two 2x10s end to end, but sh*t myself on a couple of occasions when I almost pulled the whole thing over. If you need 3x10 with a speaker at ear height stack a 2x10 vertically on a 1x10 or simply put your conventional 3x10 on another cab/beer crate.

C[/quote]

I used to stack a 2x12 and 1x12, which did work ok, but I always thought it was a bit uneven in that the single 8ohm 1x12 was drawing as much wattage as the 2x12 cab that was also rated 8ohms, despite having half the number of speakers. Not sure if there is any way around this with seperate cabs in the common wiring configurations?

I know what you mean about the instability, but I don't think a single cab of this sort of height would be quite as bad as two 2x10s stacked vertically. I think. Hard to say, as there aren't any about

Edited April 30, 2010 by Wil

[thebassman]

[quote name='Beedster' post='823906' date='Apr 30 2010, 12:09 PM']Yep, and seriously unstable. I loved standing my two 2x10s end to end, but sh*t myself on a couple of occasions when I almost pulled the whole thing over. If you need 3x10 with a speaker at ear height stack a 2x10 vertically on a 1x10 or simply put your conventional 3x10 on another cab/beer crate.

C[/quote]

+1 on the unstable front, especially with an amp sat on top. you often get some clumsy Guitard on stage in a rush to tune his 3rd spare guitar.

[Low End Bee]

I use a TC RS210 sat on top of an RS112

[Wil]

I love the slim footprint of those TC cabs. If only they were joined together in one, slim, smooth unit, I'd blow my wad*.

*Of cash

[Mr. Foxen]

Anything with 3/6 speakers ends up with a pain in the nuts impedance. It will upset valve amp owners, people who want 'the most watts' from their SS amps and people who want to use multiple cabs. Not good for marketing.

[Wil]

Damn valve amp owners. Always ruining my fun.

[Doddy]

Euphonic Audio used to make a the CX-310 which is a vertically alligned 3x10.
I don't think it sold well,so it was discontinued.
[attachment=48656:7081cx310.jpg]

[Wil]

Wowzers! That looks just the ticket.

[Dood]

I seem to remember someone doing some winisd calculations and worked out that most cabinets are waaaaaay to smallfor their drivers so maybe having 3 vertically alligned 10" speakers in a 6x10 box might actually be a really good idea. Unfortunately, it blatantly won't sell, because it 'doesn't look right'. Find me a cabinet with 3 vertically alligned 3015LF's in!!!! Monster!!

[JTUK]

because most of us would run a mile from having to revert back to the old PA columns for bass.

It just looks total cack... and I'd be thinking the variable of the room has far more influence between sounds than how you stack them.
Since I run 2 single 12's I beat it either way plus it creates room off the ride cymbal in a tight space

[Alien]

[quote name='Doddy' post='824070' date='Apr 30 2010, 02:02 PM']Euphonic Audio used to make a the CX-310 which is a vertically alligned 3x10.
I don't think it sold well,so it was discontinued.
[attachment=48656:7081cx310.jpg][/quote]

Didn't that have 2 of the tens acting as woofers, and the third a coaxial mid/high?

A

[deepbass5]

[quote name='Alien' post='824247' date='Apr 30 2010, 04:37 PM']Didn't that have 2 of the tens acting as woofers, and the third a coaxial mid/high?

A[/quote]
I have also thought a vertical system works best, well it is proven hence the old column PAs (WEM). I have fancied having a split 4x12 angled cab down the middle, ported so the you can alter the frequency like the old trace cab holes. They would also have tapping options for impedance changes So these can be used side by side virtically either side of the drummer. Or altered by porting to lay on their side so the angle projects the sound across the stage and one cab becomes the bass and the other the top. If you are into bi amping as i was once.

Just a thought, but go find one of those EA cabs if thats your bag.

[Phil Starr]

Ooh I love a technical question.

most speakers are designed as 8 Ohm units so a 3x8ohm will be 24ohms in series or 2.666ohms in parallel. so not good for most amps.

secondly a line array speaker has two characteristics that dominate their performance. They reinforce each other in the horizontal plane and cancel in the vertical plane giving a broad flat radiation pattern. This is ideal for PA as controlling the direction of radiation this way helps you reach the back of an auditorium which is why in the seventies it was a dominant design. The disadvantage is that speakers mounted close together interfere with each other if the distance apart is a multiple of the wavelength of the sound they are radiating. This is in the mid frequencies and you can get lots of lumps and bumps in the frequency responce and some 'interesting' phasing effects as you move your head around. Of course any multiple driver cab will suffer this effect a little.

So the design of such a speaker could be challenging and you could get similar results with say a 2x12 which would have the same cone area and could be made with a lighter cone to achieve similar results. Alternatively you might well get a better result with 2 better quality 10's costing the same as 3 lesser quality speakers without the problems.

However all speaker designs are compromises and there is no reason why you couldn't design a successful 3x cab albeit with strengths and weaknesses.

[fretmeister]

The Hartke Pro 2200 is a vertical 2x12 with the top angled back a bit (like half a guitar 4x12).

Damn fine cab it is, might be just the thing for you.

[Bill Fitzmaurice]

[quote name='JTUK' post='824144' date='Apr 30 2010, 10:25 AM']because most of us would run a mile from having to revert back to the old PA columns for bass. [/quote]In the late '60s I used a Kustom Tuck and Roll 4x12 PA column, it had as much output as a Fridge, with better tone to boot.

[quote]It just looks total cack... and I'd be thinking the variable of the room has far more influence between sounds than how you stack them.[/quote]And that's why no one sells them. How you stack them has more influence over the sound than the room. Your not knowing that isn't the exception, it's the rule, unfortunately.

[JTUK]

[quote name='Bill Fitzmaurice' post='825262' date='May 2 2010, 12:31 AM']In the late '60s I used a Kustom Tuck and Roll 4x12 PA column, it had as much output as a Fridge, with better tone to boot.

And that's why no one sells them. How you stack them has more influence over the sound than the room. Your not knowing that isn't the exception, it's the rule, unfortunately.[/quote]

Well, crap gear back then was crap gear..we all prorbaly had it at some time.

Got to disagree with the stack influence factor though...
Same rig, different room has had a massive effect on my sound from time to time. That is why I say it is a bigger influence.

[Bill Fitzmaurice]

[quote name='JTUK' post='825908' date='May 2 2010, 04:23 PM']Well, crap gear back then was crap gear..we all prorbaly had it at some time.

Got to disagree with the stack influence factor though...
Same rig, different room has had a massive effect on my sound from time to time. That is why I say it is a bigger influence.[/quote]
Room modes are problematic for sure, but one way to minimize their effect is with vertically aligned drivers, which have far more uniformity from room to room, and basically just sound better no matter what room you use them in.

[4-string-thing]

I'm toying with the idea of using both of my Acoustic cabs together (a 1x15 and a 2x15) this would give me 3 aligned 15's and 2 ohms. My Acoustic 220 head runs at 2 ohms ok (according to the Acoustic forum) so, the only problem I can see is that I may need a step ladder to alter my settings.

[witterth]

may be its my ocd, but odd numbers?!! NOooooo!!!