Mesa Boogie M9 Carbine - Cab Suggestions?

[etymabass]

I just acquired a 900 watt (yes, the old 900 watt) M9 Carbine head, and now I'm wanting to pair it with transportable Mesa cabs (so no 6x10, 8x10, 4x12, or 2x15). I was thinking of going the Traditional Powerhouse 4x10 and 2x10 route, but what about mixing cabs and going the Standard 2x12 and Standard 2x10 route? I know, I know, a lot of people frown upon mixing cabs, but would this be any different, maybe? Any other suggestions?

[WRGKMC]

There's nothing wrong with mixing cabs so long as the impedance matches and there isn't a big SPL imbalance. Speakers are rated in watts of course. The total RMS value has to at least match the head or be higher. SPL is important in getting the same loudness from the cabs.

 

The biggest problem you'll have is getting drivers that even come close to handleing that head. I don't know of any 10's that will handle 450W each so a single 2X10 cab isn't going to happen. 10"s are normally rated up to around 200W max. If you used two Celestion Model BL12-300S 12" speakers they would be light and a pair could handle 600W. The speakers alone without a cab will cost you $400. You could then choose something like a pair of Celestion BN10-200X for an additional $280 (without cab) which will handle an additional 400W. This would give you a total of 1000W which gives you a 100W safety factor against spikes.

 

Both are also lightweight Neo speakers which will help with the weight factor.

 

Just keep in mind that small cabs have small speakers which produce a small foot print. Doesn't matter how loud it is, its still coming from a small cab which sounds small. Some manufacturers do a good job with porting small cabs to make them sound bigger then they are but Larger cabs with larger drivers usually produce a "bigger" sound at any volume.

 

Its much easier to find a single 15" with higher wattages. If you buy a single 15" that can handle 500W it can be a similar size to the 2X12 cab. Then you'd just use the 2X10 cab for the mids and highs. I think you'd have a much better balance then using 12's for lows.

[R2-Pazuzu]

All the powerhouse cabs are great quality. As far as a 210/212 stack, It'll sound ok, it's not a typical choice...I would prefer either similar cabs--a 212 stack--or two with a bigger difference speaker size, like a 210/115.

 

btw...I had a chance to try the powerhouse 1200 (now 1000) and you REALLY need to try that sucker...if only for giggles.