Ok, here's a question that came up when someone was buying one of my cabs. Do you think it makes a difference if the speaker is mounted from the front or from the rear of the speaker hole?
Here's an example of speakers being mounted from the front:
http://www.nwdreamer.com/Pics/For-Sale/Avatar2x12greens/Avatar2x12-3a.jpgObviously, in this case, you would drop the speaker into the hole before screwing it in. The other way would be to first put the cab face down and then load the speakers in from the back. I never thought about it before, but I had one guy who said he prefers the sound when they're mounted from the back.
Is there really any difference? (Needless to say, it's pretty easy to remount them either way.)
The main difference is ease of access. I always mount mine from the back. (Sounds like porn!) ;D From what I've read when you rear load them they get more of the baffle involved so it supposed to sound better, louder, thicker, etc.
cgtrox 8-)
this is interesting.... Chris, if you have a link to anything you've read in that regard, I'd like to check it out.
I have cabs that are both ways. From the cabs I have, it seems that they decided which way the mounting would be, based simply on how the cab was built. The open backs are back mount, the closed backs are front mount. Admittedly a small sample (4 cabs).
One of the areas of concern for me is that my Alnico Blue is front mounted and the screen is really in there tight. My other Avatar 1x12's have relatively easy to remove screens.
I'm just wondering if there's any real sonic differences.
CraigBert — Aug 21, 2009 My other Avatar 1x12's have relatively easy to remove screens.
I discovered how easy the screens on their 2x12's are to remove... with a razor blade. slash, slash... removed!
afterwards, I still had this pesky frame stuck on there... so I get a crowbar. the thing breaks apart as I wrench it off and what do I see? oh yeah, some m'f'n screws were holding it on. hmm, maybe there was an easier way to remove the screen? lol.
Man, I don't remember where I was reading that debate Howie, I wanna say the Gearpage? When I was building my 2x12 I was looking for all kinds of stuff on this very subject. I think the consensus was there wasn't a major sonic difference Craig. I did mine back loading for ease of access.
cgtrox 8-)
Here it is guys... http://www.thegearpage.net/board/archive/index.php/t-133837.html
cgtrox 8-)
Chris,
Not to go too "audiophile" on you, or anything ;) but given the frequencies involved in a guitar speaker, I'd say the main difference would be the difference in the gaskets on the front and back of the speaker. This absolutely COULD make a difference. I say this because, every speaker I have or have had, has a thick "cardboard" gasket on the front, and a thin foam gasket on the back. This WILL affect cab coupling differently.
How audible is that? Same rules as our discussion about insulating the inside of your cab... the louder it is, the more difference it makes.
General rules in higher end speakers (best reference would be for woofers and midrange speakers only) is that if the cab front is super dead (marble, or other) you want a tight coupling with little "insulation." But if it's anything "looser" (regular wood) you want something thicker with more damping.
In a typical guitar cab, clamping the speaker down tight would minimize the difference, but it's still PROBABLY audible in careful listening. SO, I'd guess that since we put our mics up close, there is an audible difference, but mainly do to mounting gasket difference.
