Adding a Second 2x12 to My ENGL E212VH Pro + Fireball100 setup

[krankenstein]

Welcome to Yet Another “This or That” Thread

I've been thinking about getting another 2x12 cab for a while now. I have a horizontal 212 engl pro cab, loaded with chinese v30, a Fireball 100 sitting on top; very modern voiced, tight and aggressive together which I enjoy a lot.

So why another cab?

-To balance/smooth overall frequencies when pairing speakers across separate cabs
-To get more tonal options, especially something with ’80s heavy metal stuff (especially when I get a marshall head in the future)
-For dual-amp setup experiments
-To be able to place cabs right and left or just stack to at least spread the sound/fill the room little bit better.

1. Marshall MR1936V (G12-Vintage)
I like the sound of G12 Vintage speakers, more balanced than Chinese v30. I'm not sure how they would blend with Chinese V30s. There’s tons of advice online, pairing v30 with million other speakers, but I’ve never seen someone pairing these two specifically. I’d enjoy this cab even by itself.

2. Marshall MR1936 (G12T-75s)
These speakers get a bad rap, but they pair well with V30s. The downside is they can sound fizzy and harsh at low volumes, which sucks, because I play at reasonable volume levels. Otherwise, these could be my first pick.

Both of these Marshalls are rear loaded and the engl cab is front loaded.

3. Harley Benton G212 Plus (w/Creambacks)
Another fav speakers and good pair to v30's, just don't trust Harley Benton’s build quality. The features look great on paper, but resale value would be poor compared to a Marshall cab, which matters if I want to offload it later. I added HB to my list because of Creambacks and its cheap price.

4. Marshall 1960BV
In case if you (still) strongly think a good 4x12 beats any number of 2x12s, whether at low or high volumes just to piss off friendly neighbors. Future-proof, better option for speaker swaps (in X-pattern).
Big cons: twice the price, twice the size (looks better tho), can make my engl cab useless (not going to sell engl).

Amp I have: Fireball 100 as i mentioned before.
Amp I will have one day: JVM410. Maybe next week, maybe next decade lol.
Guitars: Jackson dk2 with JB pup
Jackson fusion with TB5 pup
Gigging: No
Moving: Rarely
Recording: Yes
Playing loud: No

What do you think? Am I on the right track or is it just another stupid GAS?

 

[AFKAEjay(retired)]

I really like using 2 cabs, live as well as in the mancave…stereo time efx as sugar on top.
Its a “bath of sound”, and especially worth in in dead rooms.
I prefer having a bigger cab and a small cab. (Over 2 big cabs). That way the volume between the 2 becomes a toneshaping device on it’s own. Also, for me, one big cab is plenty to carry to low end, which carries in all directions anyway. So for me…2 2x12s would be overkill.

Personally I don’t like to “speaker chase” for more tonal options. If the ones I have work for me…I stick to them. More options is more work, more cable switching, more thinking..doesn’t pay back imo.

 

[krankenstein]

I really like using 2 cabs, live as well as in the mancave…stereo time efx as sugar on top.
Its a “bath of sound”, and especially worth in in dead rooms.
I prefer having a bigger cab and a small cab. (Over 2 big cabs). That way the volume between the 2 becomes a toneshaping device on it’s own. Also, for me, one big cab is plenty to carry to low end, which carries in all directions anyway. So for me…2 2x12s would be overkill.

Personally I don’t like to “speaker chase” for more tonal options. If the ones I have work for me…I stick to them. More options is more work, more cable switching, more thinking..doesn’t pay back imo.

Engl cab definitely does its job but mind that I'd also use the new cab alone for specific old school stuff. Engl 212 has lots of mids, bass and low-mids, just doesn't fit to every style. Different voiced another cab may fix that problem (alone or/and paired). I don't know, to me speaker chase sounds quite fun. I'd love to do experiments as long as I have time and budged for that.

How do you place your cabs btw?