Tonal Diffrences Between 5150 and XXX Cab

[OldSkin]

I asked in a related thread about XXX cabs before.......im currently running a XXX thru a 5150 straight........the 5150 is kinda mushy....saggy....and when i change the damping switch, i just dont like the sound(i do run it on the loose setting which i know gives the saggy bottom end)......dont get me wrong.....the 5150 cab sounds really good when the amp is cranked, but im wondering what the tonal differences might be between it and the XXX cab......i cant try one locally....theyre only carrying XXl cabs........so what could i expect to be different between the 2 from you guys that have played both???

[Metal|Boy]

bump

[Sordid1]

The XXX cabs to my ears have an exagerrated midrange quality to them that I don't like, I haven't tried a XXX through the 5150 cab but a couple guys on here (m-III, Ranalli) do and they like them. IMHO of course the Genz Benz G-flex cab is the perfect match for the XXX. I have tried Mesa, Marshall (had a 1960b for years) Peavey and Carvin cabs and none match up nearly as well as the G-flex with the XXX. It's really turns it into a fire breathing beast with those cabs, I have the 4x12 but the 2x12's are cheap and sound great as well.

[M-III]

Heed Sordid1's advice, go with the Genz-Benz if you can. It's the best match with the head IMHO. The 5150 cab has nothing to do with the amp being mushy or saggy, sounds like it needs a retube to me. The Triple XXX, while not the most aggressive or tightest amp, can do a good job with the 5150 cab in those areas, especially with some JJ tubes and a EQ in the loop. Only at near ear bleed volumes does the cab have any real drawbacks in my experience, as the Triple XXX seems to have more bass response than the 5150 cab can handle at high volume. The Triple XXX cab may handle the bass a bit better due to higher wattage speakers and offer more available scooping of the mids due to it's more midrangier nature. Aside from that, there's not alot of difference between the two when I demoed the Triple XXX cab with the Triple XXX some time ago.

 

The 5150 cab is good,(75 watt greenback clones) the Triple XXX cab is decent(albiet more midrangey, but with higher wattage speakers, 100 watt V30 clones), Marshall 1960A is kinda harsh with it,(due to the V30's I assume) the Mesa oversized cabs are better(definately a Mesa cab with the C90's) and the Genz-Benz is best IMHO.(ported is the way to go if you like bass and play metal!)

[Sordid1]

m-III your 5150 cab should have no issues handling the bass, what kind of issue are you having? When I had the Marshall 1960b cab it used to fart out till I took it apart and tightened everything up. The Marshall cabs are gt1275's btw, and the v30's sound great with the XXX just not as good as the Genz Benz Eminence speakers.

[M-III]

 

Originally posted by Sordid1 m-III your 5150 cab should have no issues handling the bass, what kind of issue are you having? When I had the Marshall 1960b cab it used to fart out till I took it apart and tightened everything up. The Marshall cabs are gt1275's btw, and the v30's sound great with the XXX just not as good as the Genz Benz Eminence speakers.

 

 

Dunno exactly dewd, I attribute it to the speakers though... The Sheffield 1200's are great speakers but when pushed in the bass registers really hard they tend to loose it compared to other high wattage speakers it seems... I don't really run my rig that hard or use gobs of bass and rarely run into that situation for that reason. But I have noticed this for some time.

 

This in turn lends to my opinion that the Triple XXX works better with high wattage speakers and a good reason why Peavey created a matching cab with the 100watt Triple XXX Sheffields, aka the X30's. FWIW I have taken my cab's backcover off and tighted the speakers in place as well as the back of the cab. It helps to do this periodically,(as with any cab I feel) but not alot due to the issue being more with the speakers than the cab.

 

Yea, I figure Celestion GT75's would work pretty good with the Triple XXX(as that's what the Sheffield 1200's remind me of, as well as having Greenback characteristics) as well as Eminences. The Mesa V30s equipped cabs are pretty dark to offset the V30's midrangy voicing and seem to work well with it due to the cabs design. Despite that small drawback the 5150 cab, I still feel it's a good, affordable alternative next to the Triple XXX cab if you can't swing or find a Mesa or Genz-Benz cab.

[jabps]

cabs...well, they're pretty much my favorite cabs. I just bought a Mojave 4x12 with GH30's and the 5150 hangs right in there. Handles pretty much anything I throw at it and frankly I'm not sure I like the Mojave better. I will say this much about the GH30's...without a doubt they're my favorite Celestions followed by Greenbacks. I a/b'ed the Mojave against a stock Marshall with 75's and a Recto with 30's and the Mojave won hands down...my opinion grant you. The Mojave just has massive low end and punch...bit more than the 5150 but not by much. Both cabs are very tight sounding and both sound great...again I feel the 5150 cabs are great deals.

[OldSkin]

 

Originally posted by M-III The 5150 cab has nothing to do with the amp being mushy or saggy, sounds like it needs a retube to me.

 

 

 

 

Re-tube eh??? I've only had it since March or April........i have swapped the pres out with JJ's already.....liked the results alot.......but it is the cab.......i played thru a Behringer and it was totally different......way tighter and more bite........not saying the Behringer is what im looking for, but it was a big difference.