Omni 10 versus
OmniTop 2x12 for bass guitar. Curiosity got the better of me, so I thought I'd do more comparison.
First, I lifted the SPL charts, cut them off at 200hz, and stretched them, in order to get a better look at their bass response...
They're neck and neck from about 60-75hz. At 50hz, the O10 has about 4dbs advantage. At 40hz, the O10 has about 1db advantage. At 30hz, they're neck and neck again. This means that the O10 does not have better bass extension than the OT12, it just has a few more dbs in the 45-50hz area.
As far as the difference in drivers, here are the charts...
Comparing the 10s, the 2510 is consistently stronger than the S2010 by 1-2db, from mid-bass all the way down. The mids of the 2510 are obviously much better.
Comparing the 12s, from 250hz and down, they're virtually identical. Again, obviously, the mids of the 2512 are much better.
So, what's it all mean, Eugene? It means I was wrong. Slapping a "bass guitar neo" in an Omni instead of a "pro neo" isn't going to give you any extra extension or bass-end sensitivity. In fact, if you use S2010s in an O10 instead of 2510s, you'll lose a little sensitivity. The S2012 and the 2512 will have almost identical low end in an OT12.
In an O10, the 2510 is the hands-down winner. It has better bass sensitivity, better mids, handles more power, plus has greater Xmax and Vd. IMO, it's worth the extra cost.
In an OT12, the story is a little different. The 2512 has better mids and greater power handling, but the S2010 has just as much bass sensitivity, plus it has greater Xmax and Vd. For $25 less per driver, the S2012 isn't too bad by comparison.
In the "shootout", I think the added natural warmth of the 12" drivers, compared to 10s, was part of what influenced your ears. Specs don't lie, but they don't tell the whole story, either, which was the reason for your tests.
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