[guitarman2]

I have an Allen Old Flame Head with a 2X12 cabinet and an Accomplice 1x12 combo. I am selling the Old Flame with the 2x12 and have ordered a 1x12 extension cabinet for the accomplice. I'm just using the extension cabinet for bigger gigs.
Just to get a sense of how a 2X12 cabinet would sound with the Accomplice I plugged in the 2X12 cabinet, selected the appropriate impedance and gave it a whirl. It was amazing how much bigger the Accomplice sounded. Both the Accomplice and Old Flame are set up with 6L6's. I was surprised how much the Accomplice sounded like the Old Flame through the 2x12 cabinet.
My question is, is it a good baseline as to how the Accomplice will sound with the 1X12 extension cabinet or will it sound much different than a 2X12? The extension cabinet will have a completely different speaker so thats going to make a difference but just the big sound of the 2X12 if the 1X12 with the combo speaker could get 75% of that I'd be happy.
I'm considering loading the 1x12 cabinet with a Celestion Gold. The combo currently has a G12V-70 and the 2x12 cabinet has a greenback and a G12H30. So tone wise will be much different.

 

[RBlakeney]

I have a bunch of 112s a 212 and a 412 and have played with different combos but if I use 2 112s with similar speakers to the 212 it is very comparable.

 

[guitarman2]

I have a bunch of 112s a 212 and a 412 and have played with different combos but if I use 2 112s with similar speakers to the 212 it is very comparable.

Thanks. Thats what I was hoping.

 

[sulphur]

Ya, I feel that it's pretty well the same. You're moving the same amount of air.

I used a back breaking Twin for years, but came to appreciate the two 12" speakers.

My last band rig was a YGL1 with a Darkhorse 1x12 cab loaded with some Webers.
Great mix of speakers with the Blue Dog and Silver Bell, yet a more portable setup.

 

[mhammer]

Cone surface certainly counts. But although cone surface, impedance, and power dissipation can be summed across speakers, unfortunately cabinet volume cannot be summed. A pair of 12s will generally require a larger cab volume than a single 12. The resonance created for each 12 in individual cabs of, say, 16x16x10, is not the same as a 2x12 cab of 28x16x10. That's not to say one couldn't have a single-twelve cab that was a little larger and encouraged more bass, but a 2x12 cab will, in many instances, be of a volume that it will have more bass.

 

[guitarman2]

Cone surface certainly counts. But although cone surface, impedance, and power dissipation can be summed across speakers, unfortunately cabinet volume cannot be summed. A pair of 12s will generally require a larger cab volume than a single 12. The resonance created for each 12 in individual cabs of, say, 16x16x10, is not the same as a 2x12 cab of 28x16x10. That's not to say one couldn't have a single-twelve cab that was a little larger and encouraged more bass, but a 2x12 cab will, in many instances, be of a volume that it will have more bass.

Yes I've been thinking about this quite a bit and I've heard the cabinet for the 1X12 would make a difference and possibly be more boxy sounding than a single cab with 2 12" speakers. I'll be stacking the combo on top of the 1x12 cabinet so it will be on the floor for better coupling. I was originally thinking I'd put a celestion gold in there but I think I'll stick with a ceramic with good solid bass and thick lower mid range to compensate for the lack of bass a smaller cabinet might have.

 

[sulphur]

I found my combo on its own boxy, the amp just through the ext cab too dark, but together they filled the spectum.

I used the Silver Bell in the closed configuration of that covertible cab.
That covered all the bottom easily. The beauty of mixing speakers.

 

[High/Deaf]

One of the biggest differences will be due to going from a 212 horizontal to a 212 vertical (if you stack you amp on the cab). The interference patterns are horizontal with the speakers arrayed that way, they are vertical with speakers arrayed that way. So you hear the horizontal interference more moving around at floor level - the 212 vertical will have more even horizontal dispersion but will have interference patterns as you go up and down (like climbing a ladder or stairs).

You may enjoy the comb filtering in the horizontal axis, you may not. With separate 112's, you can choose how you orient them (horizontal or vertical). You can also choose to arrange most 212's - either horizontal or vertical.

 

[mhammer]

Yes I've been thinking about this quite a bit and I've heard the cabinet for the 1X12 would make a difference and possibly be more boxy sounding than a single cab with 2 12" speakers. I'll be stacking the combo on top of the 1x12 cabinet so it will be on the floor for better coupling. I was originally thinking I'd put a celestion gold in there but I think I'll stick with a ceramic with good solid bass and thick lower mid range to compensate for the lack of bass a smaller cabinet might have.

Hi-fi and P.A. speakers can be designed with appropriate ports to enhance bass, despite lesser internal volume. It starts to get a little involved, in terms of the math and the construction, and can likely add to weight, but the dimensions and location of the port/ports can enhance bass, conserve speaker efficiency, and keep outside measurements comparatively small. Your average 8" or even 6.5" woofer in a bookshelf speaker can be pretty dang loud and have impressive bass when the cab is designed right. Certainly the properties of the speaker itself play a big role, but they simply provide the "raw material" that can be productively shaped by good cab design.

I realize the goal here is not bass specifically, but simply a "big" sound. That said, conservation of bass is part of what allows a speaker/cab to have a bigger sound.

 

[guitarman2]

Hi-fi and P.A. speakers can be designed with appropriate ports to enhance bass, despite lesser internal volume. It starts to get a little involved, in terms of the math and the construction, and can likely add to weight, but the dimensions and location of the port/ports can enhance bass, conserve speaker efficiency, and keep outside measurements comparatively small. Your average 8" or even 6.5" woofer in a bookshelf speaker can be pretty dang loud and have impressive bass when the cab is designed right. Certainly the properties of the speaker itself play a big role, but they simply provide the "raw material" that can be productively shaped by good cab design.

I realize the goal here is not bass specifically, but simply a "big" sound. That said, conservation of bass is part of what allows a speaker/cab to have a bigger sound.

I think you hit the nail on the head there. I'm looking at some Weber speakers that have been recommended by Weber for good bass extension. But also the fact that the cabinet will be open back should allow the speaker to move sound all around and get that airy big sound and not be as confined as if it were a closed back. Although a closed back would tighten up the bass but thats not necessarily my goal either as long as the bass isn't flubby.