Cabs and Speakers questions: Vox V212BN or 70s Hiwatt with Rola? Input needed.

[k o y l]

Good news I found a hi-res pic on some forum:


Speakers are 8 Ohms... So I'd be able to wire them in parallel 

Is there a difference in the sound or power between parallel and serial ?

[danoisefactory]

Good news!

No there is no noticeable difference in sound between parallel and serial wiring.

The cab will only sound very good (depending on how you play). 

It is possible to install a switch so you can change the cabinet from 16 ohms (serial) to 4 ohms (parallel).

I can't find the exact wiring at the moment, but if you're interested i can try to find out (i did once scribble some notes down on how this can be done). Or maybe someone else has the wiring lying around?

I have some idea, but i'm not sure yet, need to check.

I did find some more info on wiring speaker and calculations:
http://www.termpro.com/articles/spkrz.html
http://www.installdr.com/TechDocs/999016.pdf

But all in all good news, i'd say.

You got me gassing over Laney's now!

Let us know how you get on.

[k o y l]

I was decided to buy the Vox V212BN but I have the occasion to buy an Hiwat 2x12" cab from 69/70 with Rola speakers

I like the sound of Hiwatt amps but I don't know what to expect from a cab alone...

If you have some input about those cabs & speakers please let me know..    (quickly would be very nice !)

[mjet]

HiWatt cabs from that era will be great - strongly built, heavy etc. I'm not even going to speculate about the tone as I think people who say "oh, a HiWatt from 1973 will have crushed high ranges" and other such silly comments.

They are unfortunately quite expensive - combo amps can go for EUR 1750+, even more than some Marshalls from the same era.

They made great things, though...

[k o y l]

Can you give me a clue about what these rola speakers are close to ?

HiWatt cabs from that era will be great - strongly built, heavy etc. I'm not even going to speculate about the tone as I think people who say "oh, a HiWatt from 1973 will have crushed high ranges" and other such silly comments.

They are unfortunately quite expensive - combo amps can go for EUR 1750+, even more than some Marshalls from the same era.

They made great things, though...

I'm not sure to understand... Do they have the reputation of having piercing trebles or the opposite... ?

...and please, yes speculate ! 
I need guidance here.. and you're the amp and cab wiseman here.. 

Edit: I'll plug a Tiny Terror in it... and a HH because the speakers in this cab can handle more than 100W

[mjet]

Sorry - should have been more clear. I don't know any of the tonal characteristics of old HiWatt cabinets off the top of my head. I only mentioned that little comment about the highs as a kind of caricature - when it comes to discussing cabinets on online forums, there always seems to be lots of comments that make my eyes roll a bit. 

Anyone who dismisses an old HiWatt cab on name is, in my opinion, an idiot. All cabs are different, but the 70s UK stuff (including Marshall, Carlsbro, HH, Laney, Simms-Watts, Orange/Matamp, Burman and others) is generally regarded as high-quality gear. If you can put 5 side-by-side you can surely pick favorites but it's hard to say that any of them is better or worse than another without playing a specific amp through it with specific speakers etc.

Can you get the HiWatt for a good price?

[k o y l]

Yes ! It's 50 euros more than the Vox V212BN.

[mjet]

Yes ! It's 50 euros more than the Vox V212BN.

Assuming it's in good shape I'd definitely buy the vintage piece. The resale value (if you don't like it) will surely be much higher for the vintage piece, and as I said before, the UK made stuff from the 70s is a lot more solid feeling to me than new stuff which all seems to be made of particle board/OSB.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oriented_strand_board

[k o y l]

The thing that's worrying me about this cab is the seller just says he think it's from 69/70.. He also say it's in very good shape and the speakers are 75w rola with yellow "shell" (not sure it's the good word..)

[mjet]

The thing that's worrying me about this cab is the seller just says he think it's from 69/70.. He also say it's in very good shape and the speakers are 75w rola with yellow "shell" (not sure it's the good word..)

I think you're talking about the "frame" - like this 50w model from the 1970s...

[k o y l]

Did they only made speakers with yellow frames in the 70s ?
In other words, is the yellow frames prroves it's from this era ?

[k o y l]

For the records:
I didn't win the Hiwatt amp (it was actually a 1969 one) and ordered a Vox V212BN a few days ago... I'm waiting for it.. 

[k o y l]

I can't believe it !
I had a message from the store on my answering machine saying they won't receive the cab before January ! 
It took them 1 whole week to tell me this ! 

I'll call them tomorrow to know if I can cancel the order and get my money back...

I've already mailed dolphin music to know if they actually have one in stock as written on their website and know about the shipping costs... if so I'll order it there.

If you know some UK shops that have it in stock and ship abroad, please tell me.

[mjet]

Still looking at eBay?

http://cgi.ebay.fr/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vie ... 0004164644

This was a PA cab apparently, but from what I've seen that usually just means that the speakers are wired up different (for higher ohmage). This might be worth looking at, and he'll ship outside of the UK...

[k o y l]

Thanks for the link Michael but I was pretty set on the Vox cab (The Hiwatt interested me mainly because it was a Hiwatt..)

I ordered it one week ago (thanks to Mezcalhead who helped) and it will be here tomorrow ! 
I ordered some speaker cable and a redbox that will arrive next week so I'll have to wait before being able to try both the cab and the Tiny Terror... 
...no big deal, I'll drown my impatience in alcohol and fats the whole week end!