Why a 15 inch Speaker?

Donny Hinson · Post by **Donny Hinson** » 17 Jul 2003 5:42 pm

Without getting too technical, David, I'll see if I can answer your questions. Smaller speakers are better at high frequencies because their cones are smaller (lighter). High frequencies require a fast response time, and small speakers can just react faster due to the reduced dynamic mass. Larger spreakers move more air, and their size is closer to the wavelength of low frequencies. This is what makes them more efficient with the low frequencies. Conversely, at high frequencies, larger speakers are not as efficient, due to the fact that their large cones are heavier and stiffer, and just can't move as fast.

Polar response of speakers (the way the spread sound waves) changes dramatically with frequency, and while it can be pretty even at low frequencies, it's more focused as frequencies increase, such that at frequencies over 1khz, they can become extremely directional. Small tweeters (made to propogate highs effectively) usually have flat, or even convex, radiators to combat this "focusing" tendency of cone radiators.

The beamwidth of larger speakers is usually better than that of smaller speakers, but it still goes down as frequency goes up. Along with such factors as cone material and geometry, the beamwidth can also be modified by changing the enclosure design. Ported bass-reflex design cabinets tend to increase the efficiency of a speaker (as well as low-end response) by focusing the sound, and not letting part of the audio be "wasted", going out the back of the enclosure (as a standard open-back cabinet does).

Paul Graupp · Post by **Paul Graupp** » 19 Jul 2003 1:43 pm

I just came from a Curly Chalker tribute in another part of the Forum. They reminded me about how he used two Fender Bassman amps back in those days. Now I'm wondering; 8 ten inch speakers.....did he know something we are now talking about ?? No doubt about it, he certainly had that bottom end filled in completely.

For Donny: since speakers in combinations, act as a single entity; would using two amplifiers like he did, change anything ??
And I'm wondering why this question never occured to me before.

Come to think of it; when I went to see Gary Hogue with Marty Stuart, Marty was using four Twin Reverbs. That would make 8 twelve inch speakers. I don't think it was for power. The PA they had with them could have given him that. So maybe it was the low end he was after as well. And I can see now that my earlier question for Donny; would be as valid for four amps as it was for two.

Anyone got an e-mail for MS ??

Regards, Paul

Bob Hoffnar · Post by **Bob Hoffnar** » 19 Jul 2003 8:37 pm

I am happy using 12's. A good cab can get you all the lows you want even with 12's.
Sometimes it seems that all those lows that steel players like on stage is for there own personal enjoyment. The stuff the audience hears is usually the more directional highs and mids anyway.

Bob

Pete Burak · Post by **Pete Burak** » 19 Jul 2003 9:42 pm

How come a 15" speaker in a rectangular cab (Session 400, Fender Twin Reverb, and all the rest) sounds so much better than a 15" speaker in a square cab (Nashville 400, Session 500)?

Bob Hoffnar · Post by **Bob Hoffnar** » 19 Jul 2003 10:01 pm

Pete,
Your Email is no bueno. I'm coming to your town soon and maybe we can finally solve the 15" speaker controversy if you are around.
Get in touch !

Bob

Brett Cookingham · Post by **Brett Cookingham** » 19 Jul 2003 10:49 pm

BLAH BLAH BLAH!

Paul Graupp · Post by **Paul Graupp** » 20 Jul 2003 8:38 am

C'mon, Brett ! According to your profile, you have more to offer than that.

Regards, Paul

Brett Cookingham · Post by **Brett Cookingham** » 20 Jul 2003 2:06 pm

Sorry 'bout that Paul,I must bave been a little tipsy when I wrote that last night!
Fifteens sound better in pairs! is what I meant when I wrote "BLAH BLAH BLAH!"

B.C.

Nicholas Dedring · Post by **Nicholas Dedring** » 21 Jul 2003 8:08 am

What I had been wondering for a while was coming at this question from the opposite side: if 15s give you lows, why do I rarely see a bass player playing through one?

Well, I asked a couple of them, and got a number of different responses, but two were pretty consistent: the smaller cones are more responsive... and most importantly, the ones who had tried using fifteens had blown out a fair share of speakers, and it got too expensive for them. Since steel doesn't have that same thunderous depth, you don't have to worry about blowing the cone out, so you can go big. The guys who mentioned blowing speakers, by the way, were not noise-band kinds of guys; two different dudes who played upright through their amps, with the pickups on the bridge. Just found that interesting.

Stephen Gambrell · Post by **Stephen Gambrell** » 21 Jul 2003 11:26 am

Good point, Nicholas. The best bass rig I ever heard was the Ampeg SVT, with 8-10's per cabinet. Seems like as much time as E9 players spend on the higher end of the fretboard, smaller speakers, with their quicker response time, would be the way to go. I know that is not true, of course--don't kill me.

Paul Graupp · Post by **Paul Graupp** » 21 Jul 2003 6:28 pm

I got to listen to the Bobby Flores album at a friends house the other night; the new one mentioned somewhere else on the Forum. There are 5 or 6 fabulous steel guitarists on the album including BF himself and our own Herb Steiner. Others were Randy Reinhart, Ric Price and Jim Lossenberg (Jim; hope I got the spelling right....) The voicings on each of these players was very bright and very high.
You might even say, extremely so.

And yet if I were a betting person, I'd bet each of them used a 15 inch speaker.

Bob Hoffnar makes a valid point about dispersion of lows in a room but the other side of that coin is when they are being recorded. Then a microphone is placed almost directly in front of the speaker and perhaps, a bit off center of the cone either up or down or left or right. So we might suppose there would be plenty of lows in a recording effort. However, when these players went to the lower strings on this album, the sound was still very bright and crisp; very Emmons-like in delivery.

There was a cameo appearance by Ray Price on one of the cuts and it would have been a landmark effort if BE had been included as well. Looks what's happening when we heard he was coming the ISGC.

Regards, Paul