2x10 vs 1x12

[chipaudette]

Hi All,

I've spent a lot of my life playing on an open back 2x10. I play rock and hard rock. It wasn't until recently (couple years ago) that I got my first open back 1x12 when I got a deluxe reverb reissue. The 1x12 took some getting-used-to. I'm having difficulty putting my finger on exactly how it felt different...I'm looking for your thoughts...

Are there others out there with 2x10 vs 1x12 experience? How would you describe the difference?

What situations/styles are better for one cab and what situations/styles are better for the other?

Also, has anyone done a 2x10 closed-back?

Chip

[Enzo]

Aside from the different size and number of speakers, I suspect there are other differences. The internal volume of the cabs are probably different. I bet the speakers are of different models - aside from just size. Possibly even different brands. The efficiencies of the two types of speaker may be different. And I am assuming the magnet formulation is the same type on both cabs?

In other words it is tough to pin all that you hear on that one difference.

[Steve Conner]

A big part of what gives speakers their character is the midrange peaks and dips caused by cone breakup. By this I mean that at high frequencies, the cone doesn't vibrate as a single mass any more, but different parts of it flap different ways.

The result is quite a distinctive sonic fingerprint that depends on a lot of things, such as whether the cone has ribs, what kind of paper it's made from, is it conical or bell shaped, and so on. But overall the size of it is what matters. Compare the muffled roar of a cranked guitar amp through a 15" woofer, to the nails-on-blackboard screech of the same amp through an 8". In other words, a 10" will have its character in a higher frequency band than a 12".

I think it taps into the same primal part of your brain that decided what size an animal was, and whether to catch it for your dinner, or try to avoid being its dinner, based on the noises you heard coming from the dark outside your campfire.

[black_labb]

there is very little sonic differences that can be pinned to the size of the speaker. the 2x10 will have a bit more speaker cone surface (not much, but a bit) so it is likely to be a bit more sensitive, but there are many more things that effect sensitivity. it really comes down to the individual speakers.

alot of people think that larger speakers=better low end reproduction but worse treble. this isnt really true. larger speakers will have some cancellation of higher frequencies when you are off axis (the speaker isnt pointing at you). this is because the wave coming from one side of the cone reaches your ear before the the wave from the other. this also happens when you have 2 speakers, as they act as 2 parts of the same cone more or less.
i do think historically speakers had sounds linked to their sizes due to limited materials/design (probably cone material as a big difference). i dont think you can categorise speakers based on their size these days unless its a vintage design speaker, but then again if you want your greenback's you want the sound of a greenback, not any 12" speaker which could sound like anything.