1x15's slowly going out of style. Smaller speakers have become so much more efficient and can handle a lot more power these days!
I agree. I have blown a few 1x15 cabs in my time and I switched to a 2 x 4x10 setup for quite a few years now. Speaker technology has improved so much over the past 10 years. Neodynum speakers are becoming very common in a lot of cabs. There are indredibly robust and very powerful. The Baby Goliath cab that SWR produces uses 8" drivers and you can still get a powerful, fat low end from that cab...it's very impressive. You can now buy 4x10 cabs that are more powerful than a full rig these days, so that cuts a lot of cost, easier to transport and saves stage space.
As far as what is the best 4x10...that's really down to your own preference. There are several things that you may judge about a 4x10 cab:
- Power handling
- Weight
- Size
- Tone
- Tweater option
- Front or back ported
- Construction
Don't be fooled into believing a powerful cab is going to do the job. I have only ever played through a handful of powerful 4x10 cabs that I thought were actually worth the money. Some cabs are not constructed to handle all that air movement, so you have to get some info about the quality of the wood, glues and structure of the cab. If any of those things are not up to scratch the cab can actually undress itself due to the sheer volume. Building a good quality cab to match a good quality amp has sometimes been an after thought on a couple of occasions for even the best manufacturers in the market. Some companies take it very seriously.
I believe quality, not quantity. My favorite cabs for very solid and versatile tones are David Eden, EBS, Hartke, Epifani, Aguilar and Euphonic Audio (though they don't manufacture a 4x10
). All those cabs have something special about them, but they are also very different from each other. Not all of those cabs have ground shaking volume, light weight or pretty to look at, but the build quality and tonal versatility is second to none. I have to say that Hartke cabs have great tones, but the aluminium speakers are not the most reliable. I have blown many in the past. I spoke to a Hartke salesman about this at the BMF show in the UK about 4yrs ago (shortly before I changed over to Warwick) and he said that the alumium cones cracks with humidity and change in temperatures (stage lights). Because they are made from metal material they are prone to air condition and heat up and cool down very quickly, which causes a lot of stress which normal paper, kevlar etc..speakers don't experience .
Anway, I'm babbling (as usual!). The only advice I would give is to play as many cabs as you can. You will find one that will suit your every need, but spend a little time researching to get to know the product before passing your credit card over the counter.
