QUESTIONS ........ SUNN 215SH 215RH 215BH BASS CABINETS

[bigbottom1967]

I have read all the posts, havent found answers to these questions, so any help would be greatly appreciated..... - I recently bought a 215 SH cab off of ebay being sold locally here in NY. It is EXCELLENT. Using it with a Fender Jazz Bass, one side of a Crown Micro Tech 1200 and an Audioarts EQ . It has the original Magna 158B speakers, and is all black with a black/silver logo plate. I like the similarity to the Acoustic 301, having that punch in the 125-250hz range providing cutting articulation of bass notes in the band.... But it seems to operate better in that range, rather than the ultra-low bass range of say 30-60hz. FIRST question..Will putting say JBL or other speakers capable of more bottom end output actually improve the sound, or is the design of the folded horn more suited to lower wattage less bassy drivers, and not capable of big lows?? Should I even bother changing the speakers? I already have one vintage JBL E145 -8, which goes very low (35hz.)  Would that be a good choice, to find another  E145?  SECOND question.... Is it OK to put ONE jbl in there, and leave one Magna 158 B, or would the cab not operate properly??  THIRD Q.. Would a SUNN head, like the Coliseum, be a better choice than the Crown? Will it sound better ??  FINALLY  are the 215 SH  and 215 RH identical cabinets, the RH being later with more red accents but the same exact cab??  AND>>  WOULD THE 215-BH BLOW BOTH OF THEM AWAY?  Any replies would be great...Thanks for reading!!

[Isaac]

IMO, and according to what I've read, the cabinet is responding exactly as it should. All horn speakers have a band of frequencies they can produce efficiently, with a low cutoff and a high cutoff. In essence, they act as bandpass enclosures. The low cutoff is determined by the area of the horn mouth. To get efficient production of frequencies lower than what it's giving you is likely more an area issue than a driver issue. Try laying it down, with the curve of the horn curving up. Placing it in a corner would be even better.

The 215BH, being a similarly sized cabinet, would likely have a similar response.

[bigbottom1967]

Thanks Isaac for the reply, and you are right..the 215SH sounds twice as good on its side on the rubber bumpers with the flare curving upward from the ground (apparently the way Sunn intended it to be positioned). I guess the horn mouth couples with the floor, extending the area and bottom end. I also found the answer to the 215sh vs 215rh..according to catalog print, the later rh was larger, same box size as 215BH (46x27x20) whereas my SH is more compact at (40x26x18). It is frighteningly loud in the crucial tone area of the bass, from 100-300 hz, and exciting to play through. Thanks to a friend helping me out, I won the cab on ebay and am glad to have it!

[dheizer]

Just try two of those puppies on their sides....   You'll be grinning a looonnnnggggg time.

[Isaac]

They're also good with two of them standing up, side by side, with one upside down, so that the flares point out from each other. That arrangement also improves the horizontal polar response in the midrange.

And bigbottom, you're exactly right. The floor acts as an extension of the horn, making it both longer and larger.