I just had to buy it :)

[cold]

Stoped by the local music store monday. Mostly just to dream away some hours. Ended up with me driving away with this in my car



Monday I just took it home to test it, for fun, with the rest of the band... Today I went back and payed for it...

It's a Ampeg SVT 610

[Bluesbob]

I've been looking to go with a 6X10, but don't need it now that the summer (outdoor gig) season is winding down. I had the SVT HLF610, the Bergantino HV610 and the SWR Goliath Senior on my short list. I kind of eliminated the Ampeg due to some criticism at TalkBass. They seem to really love the Berg, but I'd like as many opinions as possible, at least before spring . Anybody else feel free, just keep it about 6X10 cabs please.

[Nazman]

Save your $ and get an Avatar 2 x 12 or 4 x 10..Or for what that cost you could get both..and they sound killer

[cold]

Bluesbob: What did they say at TalkBass?

[4mal]

There are significant design differences between the Berg NV610 and the 'peg. The Ampeg is ported and had s a tweeter. That makes it a broader frequency range cabinet. For some of us - myself included, that isn't a good thing. The Berg is closer to the classic 70's SVT bin. That cab is sealed with no tweeter. A big part of the appeal of that cab and of the NV610 is a strong bump in the mid bass 60 to 80 hz coupled with a very smooth roll off in the low's - it's gone way before 40hz - and again in the hi's. at say 5K. It's a real forgiving cabinet. For classic rock or a really freakin' loud blues band the NV-6120 is a killer cab.

I've heard the nv610 a few times at TB get togethers and it's a great cab. Like most of Bergantino's stuff. His HT-322 is my benchmark for broad range cabinets. Nothing better out there that I've heard. It is too big and too heavey for me though... and I don;t really need the low end extension and the uber-crisp tweeter. Still that HT-322 is a marvelous sounding cab.

So the NV-610 addresses the 'classic' crowd and the 610 hlf addresses the more modern crowd.

Another cab available in the EU if you want big volume is the Schroeder 410 or 21012. I run the 410 and it's got the punch of an 8x10 - the impact it can produce is almost silly! The 21012 goes deeper, the 410 is more in the SVT / NV610 realm. Either cab will keep up if not smoke a 610 ... so while it's not a 610 - it's worthy of a look. There is a Manhattan dealer (Matt ?) IIRC - He has a page over at BABP for the Long Islanders among us

This rig can do a very convincing SVT or it can morph into something more modern sounding. Looks like a 2x10 with a big port - inside the 'port' are 2 'side-firing' 10's so it's a 4x10. Kind of like a 2x10 and tweeter combined with a band pass box. The 21012 has a 12 inside rather than the 2x10. A friend has one fof those and it blew me over so when this one became available I jumped on it. I'm down to 1 gigging rig a this point (from 3) and this one size really does appear to fit all - although were I to show up to my old restaurant/lounge jazz gig with this - I'd get a few looks like wha ?

[Dave W]

Originally Posted by cold

Bluesbob: What did they say at TalkBass?

I'm not Bluesbob but I read a big thread at Talkbass that got out of hand.

LOUD Technologies, the parent of Mackie, bought St. Louis Music (Ampeg, Crate, Alvarez). Almost everyone seems to agree that service has suffered, at least in the transition. That's a legimate criticism, assuming it's true.

Ampeg and Crate were getting creamed by the competition in most price ranges and its owners couldn't have survived without either moving production to Asia or selling to someone else who would. So they sold to LOUD who took Ampeg's manufacturing from the US to China. Unfortunately that just provoked hysterical responses about "corporate greed" from imbeciles who would rather Ampeg be Made In America and go out of business than move to China and survive.

The ironic thing is that the real Ampeg went bankrupt 20 years ago, and it was saved by being bought out of bankruptcy by St. Louis Music -- which had built its business on importing and selling cheap Asian guitars. Go figure.

[4mal]

Loud has made more than a few missteps in the transition. They basically gutted the engineering and service departments and the New Viet line has been slower to come up than it sounds like they anticipated. I don't see where that would really be an issue with a bought off the floor speaker cab though. Pretty much a cab like that 610 - if it plays loud and doesn't get abused - ought to last a long, long time

[Bluesbob]

I believe the main negative considerations were loudness and tone. I've never heard the Berg, so I can't say anything. There was also some pretty harsh criticism of the Goliath Senior. But that was nothing compared to the putdowns of the Warwick 611. Very tough crowd. So how is it, cold?

[4mal]

Originally Posted by Bluesbob

I believe the main negative considerations were loudness and tone. I've never heard the Berg, so I can't say anything. There was also some pretty harsh criticism of the Goliath Senior. But that was nothing compared to the putdowns of the Warwick 611. Very tough crowd. So how is it, cold?

Not Cold but - it's a modern sounding cab. If you're expecting classic 'fridge - the 610 isn't it. That's what the NV-610 is for. The 610 hlf is more like a 410 hlf on steroids. Think Vic Wooten as opposed to Bill Wyman.

[cold]

Played it for one week now, sounds great. I use it for modern rock, and this cab generate just the sound and punch I'm looking for, and it's LOUD!!!
I really love the tweeter also, it "cleans up" the sound nicely!
Had to play a little the EQ and tweeter settings before this cab really hit my sweet spot, but when it did :)

But... As 4mal says, I'm not sure this would be a great choise for the more "classic" rock/blues music.

[cold]

Blew the tweeter during rehersal tonight :( why? why?? WHY???

[4mal]

Originally Posted by cold

Blew the tweeter during rehersal tonight :( why? why?? WHY???

suggestion ... bypass the cross over, run the 10's full range and see what you think. You can always hook up the cross over again if you don't like it. Do remember to tag the wires, eh ?

[broadcaster]

LET'S ROCK!

[martini]

You probably know by now that you havent actually blown the tweeter but you have blown the tweeter protection bulb. (This is soldered onto the attenuation switch PCB).

In my experience, a five minute repair job preceeded by a five week wait for the spare bulb to arrive....

LOUD are doing the best they can to keep Ampeg rolling but from my dealings with them, their customer service is poor at best.

All that aside, I used a 610 for my last recordings, using an SVT2 PRO, a Classic and a Boogie Bass 400+ for power.

It performed great with all three heads, it is a touch more refined then the SVT 410 and BSE 410 HLF cabs I've used but was more capable of providing the classic Ampeg Bass sound than the BXT range. (Which you would expect).

I've not read any of the TalkBass threads but I just think that if you think it sounds good then it most likely is.

[cold]

Originally Posted by martini

You probably know by now that you havent actually blown the tweeter but you have blown the tweeter protection bulb. (This is soldered onto the attenuation switch PCB).

I did not understand a word of what you wrote here

I got a cracking sound in the cab, and it went away when I turned the tweeter off. Ergo(in my head): I blew the tweeter...

[4mal]

Martini is talking about a speaker protection circuit that shunt's excess voltage into a little light bulb inside that cabinet. The light bulb lights up and 'burn's off the excess energy. Ever see a bass cab with a light that flashes in the port on occaision ? Popular in the 80's and still around. If the bulb breaks or get's cooked, circuit depending the twweter can just go off or stay running but becomes subject to the voltage that cooked the bulb ...

It sounds like the tweeter diaphragm is cooked. It is probably replaceable but you might want to consider upgrading the tweeter instead. Pull the tweet and post a pic. Maybe we can identify it and help you source a replacement - if the Ampeg dealer gives you a hard time ...

Tweeters in bass rig's don't get smoked often - there generally isn't a lot of energy up there - pull the speaker jack plate - the crossover is probably mounted to it - see if it has the bulb and if the bulb is intact. Replace it if it is not ...

I replaced the foster horn in a 2x12 with a mid-hi driver that sounded a lot better to me than the horn a while back. The mid-hi driver is cone based and goes 150hz to 18K! IIRC it's about 5" round. I had to cut a little relief into the cabinet to mount it but the original horn 'flare or flange' would cover the extra size so the cab could appear stock again if necessary.

[cold]

Thanks for the info 4mal.
But, no I really don't understand anything. I went to the dealer with the cab today. Plugged the cab in, and started to hammer it. The tweeter played like a charm, nothing wrong with it.
I guess it's my amp that is broken then?
hmmm, a new amp = spending more money

[4mal]

hmmm... what are you running for an amp ?

[cold]

Right now I use the Hartke HA3500, and it's a couple of years old :(

Any suggestions for a new head?
I can get the Ampeg B-4R Solid State for 50% off...

[4mal]

Originally Posted by cold

Right now I use the Hartke HA3500, and it's a couple of years old :(

Any suggestions for a new head?
I can get the Ampeg B-4R Solid State for 50% off...

I own a B2R but it's a spare and really - never get's used. Tonally that series is pretty generic sounding. I prefer an amp that brings something to the party. Eden and GK would be viable choices. I'm not personally into them by the MarkBass LM II might be worth a shot. Being made in the EU it might be more available to you and at a better rate than they are over here.

On the other hand, with the US dollar sinking at the moment - your Kroner probably makes US Product look pretty good. The Eden/QSC rig I run is nothing short of amazing to me. It will do a very credible SVT and it will also do a very hifi thing as well. It may be the best preamp/power amp setup that I've ever worked with... I have about a grand USD in that rig. Used pre, used power amp and used rack. Dual voltage as well... although on the Eden it takes some work... you could do it with a lot less power amp than mine too...