Speaker Enclosures

Don Olson · Post by **Don Olson** » 10 May 2001 4:56 pm

I have always played through open backed Speaker Enclosures and I have always wondered what closed back Speakers would sound like.Give me your opinion,
ZUM STEEL FOREVER

Terry Downs · Post by **Terry Downs** » 10 May 2001 5:23 pm

Don,
I wrote some stuff on this a few months ago. See http://nightshift.net/ported_openback.htm

I hope this helps.

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Terry Downs
http://nightshift.net
terry@nightshift.net

Paul Graupp · Post by **Paul Graupp** » 10 May 2001 7:20 pm

Terry; If he is looking for an infinite baffle, a reflex enclousure would be something different. For stage reasons, I have had to go to infinite baffles and the first weekend like to killed me. I had never heards such sounds before. The character or timbre, whatever you call it, was a whole new world. But before I could get into something else, several friends told me I "had a good new sound: What was I doing to get it ?"

Someone else posted a method whereby they used a long cord to get out where the audience heard the steel and listened to himself that way as he tweeked out the EQ.
I didn't do that but instead took my friends
advice and stuck with it. Now I wouldn't use
anything else in this playing situation. Some
other club maybe but right now it's what I need. A real shocker at first but you can learn to manage it. Best Regards, Paul

Gene Jones · Post by **Gene Jones** » 11 May 2001 3:53 am

For what it's worth, I started playing through closed back speakers about two years ago and what I hear behind me on stage beats anything I have ever used.

The other side of the story though.......my wife, who has always been my best critic, and has heard me play through everything imaginable, maintains that out front in the audience, nothing has ever sounded as good as the old open backed Session 500.

Now, if I could only get her to load and unload it for me! www.genejones.com

Jack Stoner · Post by **Jack Stoner** » 11 May 2001 6:27 am

I built a pair of 12" cabinets - sort of clones of the Peavey Nashville 112E cabinets with partially closed back (there is a 6" opening in the back) but I made them so I could close the back and port the front if I wanted to.

The speakers sound so good the way they are, and I get nothing but complements about the sound so the closed/porting is a dead issue with these speakers.

jerry wallace · Post by **jerry wallace** » 11 May 2001 7:29 am

Don,its been many years since I played PSG threw a closed back system..but as I recall,I like the tone the closed back cabinet gave me But I couldnt hear myself on stage..I feel like thats the "trade off" with closed backs , better tone and frequency response,but hard to hear on stage unless your directly in front of it..

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Jerry Wallace- "98 Zum: D-10,8+8, "96 Zum: D-10,8+5,Nashville 1000,Session 500 ,Tubefex,ProfexII, Artesia, New Mexico

Donny Hinson · Post by **Donny Hinson** » 11 May 2001 7:46 am

You will notice several things with closed-back cabinets. First, your steel will seem louder...open back cabinets are not very efficient. Second, your sound will be a lot more directional...closed-back cabinets tend to "focus" the sound more. Third, you will have a lot more bottom end in your sound...low frequencies are reinforced in a closed-back cabinet.

And yes, they are a little heavier!

Jim Smith · Post by **Jim Smith** » 11 May 2001 8:56 am

I love the sound I get through my Stereo Steel amp with closed back speakers. The cabinets are very small, just big enough to hold the speakers. They have four small (2"?) holes in the front, which I guess means they are front ported?!?

jerry wallace · Post by **jerry wallace** » 11 May 2001 9:15 am

Donny,I have heard talk about cabinets with an adjustable back where you can control or adjust the amount of closure..
Will this work to try to reach a compromise and the best of both worlds so to speak..

With Like a sliding back baffle,I can see where it could be possible to gain the better sound of the closed back but like in my case ,not so much as to where I cant {or the drummer} cant hear me..

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Jerry Wallace- "98 Zum: D-10,8+8, "96 Zum: D-10,8+5,Nashville 1000,Session 500 ,Tubefex,ProfexII, Artesia, New Mexico

<FONT SIZE=1 COLOR="#8e236b"><p align=CENTER>[This message was edited by jerry wallace on 11 May 2001 at 10:15 AM.]</p></FONT>

Don Olson · Post by **Don Olson** » 11 May 2001 3:28 pm

Thanks guys,I play in a few places that have no carpeting on the stage and paneled walls,needless to say a lot of echo.I thought maybe a closed back speaker would help relieve some of the echo or overtones from the steel.
ZUM STEELFOREVER

Donny Hinson · Post by **Donny Hinson** » 12 May 2001 2:43 am

Sorry Jerry, you can't have it both ways! The back's either closed, or open. On a cabinet with an "adjustable" back, by the time that hole in the back is big enough to help the dispersion characteristics, the sound of a closed-back cabinet is long gone!

The easiest way to improve the dispersion with closed-back cabinets is to used multiple cabinets (usually two) which are on opposite ends of the stage.

Dennis Detweiler · Post by **Dennis Detweiler** » 13 May 2001 6:11 am

Hi Don....enjoyed hearing you at the Quad Cities Show.
I have a pair of cabinets that I used to use. I built them with ports at the top on the front. The backs are enclosed but have a panel on the back that is tongue and groove on the bottom and a suitcase latch on the top edge. I can take the back panel off for open back or leave it on for front port exit. I haven't used them for a while, but used to power them with a session 400 head and put a cabinet on each side of the stage. I always like the sound with back enclosed. It required less tweeking with different stage acoustics. Sometimes I had to open the back if the drummer couldn't hear me well enough. I've been using two session 400s with LeMay kits for the past 2 yrs.
Dennis

Don Olson · Post by **Don Olson** » 13 May 2001 5:17 pm

Hi Dennis,You always make that ZUM sound good.I am using two session 400 cabnets with the heads removed,I am thinking about makeing a back panel for them that I can remove when I want.Someplace I saw the formula for speaker cabnets but I don't remember where.
I saw Fred King today,told him I didn't see him at the steel show and he said he went in for Prostate surgery the next day.
ZUM STEEL FOREVER