Omni 10.5 for Bass - the cab keeps on giving!

[joelc1319]

So I finalllly finished my first BFM build, an Omni 10.5 for bass (with airhead for my rackmount amp). I can't help but just go ahead and echo everything anyone has ever said about BFM cabs - wow!!

I play two different bass guitars, both 4-strings, so I can't comment on 5-string usefulness for this cab. I built my cabinet with the recommended Deltalite II 2510 10" driver, and I used an 8-piezo melded array with switchable options. I'd like to go into the features and sound of this cab, and as I go will be comparing it to none other than my trusty (albeit soon to be replaced) Ampeg SVT15E with a 15" driver (ported). I am using an Ampeg B2-R head, all solid state, with 200W of output at 8 ohms and 350W at 4 ohms. The basses are a 2006 Warwick Corvette which has Active electronics, and a passive Fender Jazz, for which I wound the pickups myself.

I must begin by saying that the second I turned my amp on and played one note on the Warwick, I could already tell that it was louder than the SVT15E. I don't even have that cabinet at home to compare right now, but I'm confident that the Omni 10.5 is louder! I also immediately noticed how dry and incredibly organic the sound was. My dad (the master carpenter of the project) and I used a mattress topper (as per instructions) to dampen the inside of the cabinet. Dad had the great idea to not even glue the pieces into place, since they was snug to begin with. He noted that I could move the pieces around later on with no problem if I felt it needed fine tuning. The dryness just made the cabinet sound warm and accurate, no matter what frequency was going through it.

That brings me to my next point - clarity. My SVT15E is notorious for muddying up certain select notes on the neck, no matter what bass I use. The Omni 10.5 does not do this at all. Every note, from the low E up to the high G (24th fret) is clear, distinct, and is reproduced at the same volume. I know a lot of people say that this cabinet lacks some low end, and it is certainly true that everyone's idea of "enough low end" is going to be different. This cabinet, at least at the volume I was using it at (not very high yet), has plenty of low end for my needs. I play in a trio (guitar, bass, drums), and my guitarist heavily favors his midrange. Since I also favor my midrange, the low end provided by the Omni 10.5 is perfect for my needs. I would say that yes, it does not have oodles of low end or enough low end for a 5-string (however I don't have much experience with a 5 so I can't say for sure). Also, it's very simple to just bump up the Bass EQ knob on my amp if I ever needed more output on the low E, F, F#, and G.

Speaking of midrange, oh, there it is! My SVT15E pretty much has no midrange compared to the Omni 10.5. That probably explains why I can't hear myself usually. I recently used a GK 2x15 at a gig and that had a much tighter and mid-rangey sound (go figure). Luckily, the Omni 10.5 has the punch that I liked about that cabinet, AND the extended upper mids/highs. That's pretty much all I have to say about the midrange of this cab - if you have a commercial cab, listen to the Omni 10.5, and realize what you've been missing in what is arguably the most critical and defining section of the bass guitar's frequency spectrum.

And now, the highs. I built mine with the melded array, and while I have not heard a straight array, I would like to say the following: USE A MELDED ARRAY. It sounds so good, and the dispersion is fantastic. I also used a switch which let's me choose between no tweeters, 4 tweeters, or 8 tweeters. I found that my default sound (the one that is "in my head") warrants using just 4 tweeters. For songs with two-handed tapping, I see myself using no tweeters, since my Warwick has a lot of treble to begin with and loves to accentuate its fret noise. I think I'll reserve the 8 tweeters for PA duty, or for applications where the audience is farther away and might lose the impact of the treble.

In conclusion, I'd also like to point out that this cabinet sounds great from ALL angles. I played a few riffs and walked around it, got down near it, stood up, etc. No matter where I stood, everything sounded clear and precise, there was no mud to be found, and even the "zing" from the tweeters was pleasantly (but not overbearingly) audible. Also, standing directly in front of the cab was not harsh at all. I thought it would have been because of the horn projection, but it is very pleasant.

Bill, THANK YOU for enabling me to find MY tone, and thanks to everyone on the forum for their help and guidance (especially with the tweeter configurations). I'm going to build another one to use for larger gigs, but that will have to wait until the appropriate funds become available... To everyone else, if you play bass guitar, look no further than the Omni 10.5!

Oh, and I'll update this review with pictures of the cabinet and also with thoughts on playing in different live situations!

[David Carter]

Glad you like it! Thanks for sharing your thoughts. Looking forward to the pics!

[joelc1319]

Thanks David! I just need to locate my camera...I also realized before I went to bed last night that I FORGOT the 4-ohm resistor for the tweeters Gonna put that in later today!

[joelc1319]

...and here are some pictures.



The trippy looking grille is just the flash from the camera...I only used a screen as a grille there!



The back.



The rear control plate. I have a 1/4" locking jack, a Speakon jack, and a DPDT center off switch (0-4-8 tweeters). The other object is just a bolt to close up the extra hole!


There were several leaks somewhere in that control plate, but I managed to use a piece of leftover cabinet carpet as a gasket on the back of the actual plate. I also opted for a separate Tweeter Box, and used hot glue to make sure there were no leaks where the wires passed through back into the cab (thanks David Perry for the idea).

This thing is LOUD. However, I have a minor concern. The "chuffing" I hear so much about is definitely present at loud (albeit absurd) volumes on the low E string (E, F, F#, G, G#). How do I know if there are any other leaks in the cabinet other than the opening of the port? Is there any way to test this, or do I just have to listen all around and feel for air? I just want to make sure this "chuffing" is normal, and that it won't damage my speaker!!

Also, I fully intend to build a second Omni 10.5 to use as an extension cabinet, and have the two Omni 10.5's be my do-it-all rig (I can have PA support at some places, so it should be adequate). My question is, will the chuffing occur less with two cabinets at the same volume as I had them with one cabinet? Also, does anyone have any experience mic'ing an Omni 10.5 either for recording or a live setup?

Overall, I'm VERY pleased with this cabinet. It's certainly a miracle-worker for a 1x10, and I'm eager to hear two of these together!

[Bill Fitzmaurice]

The chuffing is a warning that you're pushing the cab too hard or with too much bass EQ. When I built the original I took it to safe levels with no chuffing. Chuffing doesn't mean you're in immediate danger of blowing the woofer, it's just a 'friendly reminder' not to expect your 1x10 to reach 2x12 levels, even though it might seem willing to do so. With two boxes output will go up by 6dB, so the chuffing will only be heard at totally silly loud. Leaks are not a huge concern with this box, anything that's severe enough to compromise performance will be easily heard with a 30 Hz test tone at low volume.
The tweeters should have been mounted on the upper half of the cab.

[joelc1319]

Thanks for the advice, Bill. I'm going to try running it with a 30Hz tone soon. The reason I put the tweeters on the bottom half was because I figured when I stack this one on top of another cabinet, they will be more towards the center of the stack...am I compromising anything here? Obviously there's nothing i can do about it now, but would it have been that drastically different on the top half of the cabinet?

[Bill Fitzmaurice]

...am I compromising anything here?

Vertically arrayed tweeters have a very narrow vertical beamwidth, so the further they are below ear level the more difficult it is to hear them.

[MYork]

tweeters on the bottom half Obviously there's nothing i can do about it now, but would it have been that drastically different on the top half of the cabinet?

Why can't you turn it upside down? The tweeters will be on the left, but on top. MY

[joelc1319]

Bill: understood. Hopefully having this on a stage will make it at perfect ear level... I would like to thank you again for designing such an efficient box!

MYork: I would, but the airhead would be on the bottom...making it an Airfoot?

[MYork]

Airfoot?

I forgot about the airhead (my school computer won't show pics), but it would still work as a foot.
Since you like the 10.5, perhaps your next build should be an Omni15. I just had a local bass player try out my new 10.5 (Deltalight II 2510, 12 melded piezos), Tuba24 (HL-10C), and OmniTB15 with his iAMP 500 and Marchlewski custom bass. We tried the Omni10.5 alone, with the Tuba24 (passive crossover), and then the TB15. By itself, the Omni10.5 sounds nice; the Tuba24 really adds "oomph" to the sound. Although not as deep as the Omni/Tuba combination, the TB15 was much fuller sounding, and less compressed. More open? Rats, now I have to build a Titan39 to see how an Omni10.5/Titan sounds. It's always something! I tried the DR250/Tuba on another occasion, and that was closer to the TB15 (but more "punch"). OTOH, I was crawling around the bass cart yesterday [Titan48 (2xhl-10C)/DR250], and boy, does it sound nice. Comparing the OmniTB15 to the bass cart is like being in a nice V-8 truck when an semi pulls along side.

[joelc1319]

MYork, it's funny you should mention the Omni 15 TallBoy. I was actually contemplating building one of those in the future, after I finish the second Omni 10.5. That way, I'd have the two 10.5's as great cabs for places with PA support and for stage monitoring, while the 15TB could be reserved for outdoor venues. And since Bill's cabs are always an affordable build, I may do just that!

[joelc1319]

So, I had my first gig with the 10.5 at a small bar. I finally got the one complaint from the audience that I've NEVER gotten -- the bass was a little too loud!! I only had my volume on half, as usual, and nothing else in our trio was mic'ed except the vocals. Naturally, the vocals weren't loud enough, as seems to be the trend anywhere (not a good thing).

Luckily I was able to record the gig with our band's Zoom H2. I listened back, and noticed the bass sounded just a little thin. That doesn't worry me too much, since I've been running my amp with the EQ flat while I get used to the cab. Now that I'm a little bit more used to using the cabinet, I'm going to start using the EQ to fill out the sound a bit. Once again, I'm thrilled with the performance from a 1x10...I'm already getting countless compliments on the cabinet!

[Mark Coward]

Luckily I was able to record the gig with our band's Zoom H2. I listened back, and noticed the bass sounded just a little thin.

I wouldn't be terribly concerned about that, recording a live band via one mic location it would be difficult to get an even mix. It's doubtful that those little mics in the zoom unit will have much LF response.

[Harley]

...and noticed the bass sounded just a little thin. !

Wait until you've done 20 hrs gigging with it

[crockettnj]

Joel- Sorry I couldnt make it to the gig. I was looking forward to a good beer and some fine BFM bass tone!

Great to hear its working for you.

I'll catch you guys next time.

Greg