Awww, thanks guys, I could use a round of sleep right about now.
We took our vote and the six cabinets moving on are:
Danley Sound Labs TH-215
BassMaxx Z5000
JTR Growler
EM Acouctics EMS-215
EM Acoustics Quake
Outline Subtech 215
The BASSMAXX Trip missed by one vote and everybody quickly asked for a seventh candidate. Seven it is.
Given time, we'll also do some listening to the other subs.
My take so far:
The EMS215 was the biggest surprise to me. Compact box, very loud, very accurate. Better sounding than it's bigger brother, the Quake which to me, sounded like a typical horn box.
The Growler did very well given its size. It might be a good box for those small gigs.
The Outline was very good for a front loaded dual 18 however, it did have some pronounced air noises.
The Danleys faired very well, up there with the top runners. They are a bit smaller than I'd imagined. EZ to move around.
The EONA self powered single 18 sounded good during sweep tests but didn't do very well with music.
The L-Acoustic didn't do very well compared to the big subs, I think we were all a bit disappointed in them. Hokey jack setup, one NL4 per driver. No way of going in & out.
The EV was good and loud but doesn't do much below 45 Hz. Loud box here.
McCauley MS3. Good box, not a sub. A bass cabinet for flying. I'd say they wisely designed a bass cabinet for free air use where a flown sub bass cabinet would be lost anyway. Rated -3 at 52 Hz, -10 at 35Hz so they did spec it right.
The Z5000 went loud and low, almost as loud and low as it's big brother the Trip. The Trip I think so far was the biggest performer but due to it's size and weight, some folk'll shy away from it.
The Lab Sub on hand is a modified version, shorter horn and open driver cavities. We all feel the original Lab Subs are a better box.
Mr. Prescott announced that the EONA 6X18 sub has arrived in New Jersey and will be delivered tomorrow. We'll toss it into the fray.
Still MIA is the Meyer and JBL cabinets. Let's hope they wander in tomorrow also.
David Lee and I discussed the sound of all the cabinets. We know how the BASSMAXX cabinets are supposed to sound and David has noticed some things when using various amplifiers. Now, without making this an amplifier issue, we'd like to hear the Z5000 and Trip on a QSC 9.0. It's been mentioned earlier in the shootout thread that the 9.0 should be there. We'll hook one up tomorrow just to see if the sound is any different.
It's been suggested to me that we take a more accurate vote in the morning with the folks who'll be there for day two. Also, it should be a paper vote. We'll discuss it in the morning.
On to the listening tests!
Paul Bell