Help with speaker selection

[Rkorn]

The guys from the store told me by phone they have no Compact Widebody. Only have the compact 1x12 closed back... isn't it the same? Can't find a 1x12 closed back that isn't closed back.

Also, can anyone explain what is the difference between a normal and thiele cab?

 

[screamingdaisy]

The guys from the store told me by phone they have no Compact Widebody. Only have the compact 1x12 closed back... isn't it the same? Can't find a 1x12 closed back that isn't closed back.

Compact cabs are 19" wide and designed to fit under a Mesa short head while Widebody cabs are 23" wide and designed to fit under a Mesa medium head. I know they're all listed under the "Compact" category, but they're different cabs.

Also, can anyone explain what is the difference between a normal and thiele cab?

On a technical level, "Thiele" cabs are a closed back/front ported cab where the cab and port are specifically designed using Thiele and Small parameters for a specific speaker. When Mesa started using the Electro-Voice EVM-12L speaker it came with a cab design that was created using the Thiele and Small parameters. Mesa used this design and named it a Thiele cab.

The Widebody Closed Back/Front Ported cab isn't technically a Thiele cab because it wasn't designed using Thiele and Small parameters. They basically expanded the original Thiele cab so that it would be wide enough to fit one of their medium heads on, then fiddled with the size and shape of the cab/port until it sounded good.

The advantage to a front ported cab is that the front port is tuned to accentuate bass frequencies, plus the closed back design still offers some suspension for the speaker and which helps slow the cone down, thus increasing the bass response further. What this does is it gives you a 1x12 cab that produces a tone that's more in line with a 2x12 closed back cab than a 1x12 open back, and, since you're hearing the sound from two separate sources (the speaker cone and the port) it eliminates the boxy sound characteristic of 1x12 cabs.

 

[Rkorn]

Ok, learn something new everyday.
Unfortunately there are no cabs like this in Portugal and i'm not willing to wait 2 months minimum for a cab... I'm going with the engl 112 with v30 which fits under the V perfectly and has some good reviews...

 

[heru]

Made my selection. Got a fantastic deal on a THD 212.

 

[bradg]

The Bogner oversized 2x12 is where it's at. I wish I wouldn't have sold mine. :x