I preferred the smaller cabs when micced up as a sound that seems like it would fit well in a mix. The room mic made it apparant that the 4x12 fills the room better in person though.

I prefer the 2x12. The 1x12 sounds a bit too thin to me and the 4x12 lacks punch and mids.

Always loved my Marshall 4x12" but as my life situation changed, I needed a smaller cabinet. But I really didn't want to lose tone. So I bought a Zilla Fatboy Oversized 2x12. It sounds absolutely amazing. I compared it to many 4x12" cabinets and always prefered my Zilla. So happy with it.

1x12’s are where it’s at for recording. Focused, direct, balanced. In-person may be a different story of course - 4x12’s are great to play solo guitar with.

Did not expect to like the 1x12 the best

One of the best test/comparison videos I’ve ever seen.

Seems to me that an oversized 1x12 is the way to go. With a speaker that doesn’t break up quickly. Keep headroom. Think of it as getting close to an ISO cab.

Funny, i liked the 1x12 the most! I did not expect that.

This was interesting in the way that they can sound so different depending on the mic placement and choice of mic. Very hard to tell which one is better or worse ... In some settings I liked one and then in others I didn't like it! Overall very educational!

Your videos are always so ridiculously helpful, clear, and informative. Thank you!

Oddly enough, when you started with the 4x12 in the room mic part, I thought "This is how a guitar is supposed to sound", but after you came back around through the 2x12 and 1x12, it sounded muffled. 2x12 all the way for me.

Благодарю за то, что заморочились и сделали такой информативный и показательный обзор. Мне очень понравилось.

Yup, still a 212 fan. And if you build them oversized, you'll get more depth to go with that definition.

Some of the greatest tracks ever laid down in rock ‘n’ roll history were done with a small combo amp 1x12.

I like the 1x12 and now that I don't gig anymore and play only at home I like my 20watt amps thru 1x12 cabs.

The 1X12 sounds best to my ear.

2x12 is plenty loud and sounds best to me. an as far as moving storing and using at home the 2x12 is king imo

Your videos are really well made and top notch quality! It's not the first I've seen, but each time it strikes me. Qualitywise, contentwise, nothing is being left over, and they are quite satisfying for the gear nerds like us! You must be really hardworking. Hat off mate! You deserve even more attention!

Great video Max! To add to the variables on this, I'm also would love to hear the differences between a closed back and open back cabinet on the same speaker. Seems that would have as great or greater impact than the impedance.

One more time - very interesting. I like the 1x12 and 4x12. The 2x12 sounds to sharply for my taste

Very exelent video Max, as always! It's important keeping in mind of the difference in impedance between the 212 and the other two, in fact this affects both volume and tonal properties of the sound, besides this... thank you very much for the test!

Interesting test 4x12 for live but 1x12 seems to be the most versatile. It’s interesting to note that the likes of jimmy Page preferred to use small amps for recording. Good video 👍

Just traded my 4x12 for a mesa boogie 2x12 both have the v30s not much difference but visually I miss the 4x12 already as I could see my amp clearly hell I had a stack of heads almost to the roof now I cant even see my amp hiding in the corner. Don't miss lugging that 100lbs + cab up the stairs at all though.

It seems to my ears that the 1x12 is bit more muddy, which is not bad. Muddy tones serve their purpose, especially if you're going to play specific styles of music like dirty blues or certain alternative styles of music. In metal though, 2x12 and 4x12, in my opinion, are better to use because not so much air is being compacted through a speaker, giving tone more room to breath through the cabinet. It sounds cleaner. The speaker cabinet choice is preference in regards to genre of music. I myself like 2x12, because it's a balance between affordability, sound, and ease of transportation!

i am pleasantly surprised, the 1x12 sounded waaayy better than its BIGGER BROTHERS. i did not expect that at all. but again it all comes down to preference

Great and thorough video Max... Some time back Phill from 'Know your gear' did a comparison between 16 and 8 ohms speakers of the same type, and there was a quite distinct difference between the two. It may offer some explanation why at times your 2x12 also sounded like the odd one out. Be that as it may I felt that the 4x12 on lead channel while sounding 'thicker' and 'bigger' also sometimes gave the impression of being somewhat like a stiff cardboard box, while the 1x12 lacked any real 'meat in the bottom end', so my preference overall as a youtube listener would in this case be for the 2x12 as it seemed to give the flattest or most even frequency response .... That preference could easily all change if I were in the room with the cabs... Also, when you did the room test with the cabs behind the mic the 2x12 was the only one which sounded like it was actually 'behind the mic' and in the dead notch of the cardioid pattern of the mic. the other two had considerable 'spill' as they were not in the notch. To correct for this one test the cabs should have been stacked above each other.

I think the test would have worked better, or been more of an effective comparison if you just mic'd one speaker with the 2 mics like you did on the 1x12 or just used 1 mic on one speaker.(that is if you wanted to hear what effect the cab has!) Also every speaker will sound abit different usually in a cab with multiple speakers(even if they are the same speakers) so it would help to first find out which one sounds closest to the character of the 1x12. So basically make everything on 1 speaker as even as possible so you can then hear what the cab difference is doing!

The 2x12 sounded really good with the high gain. The 1x12 sounded best for some things. The 4x12 sounded by far the best with the room mic. I think the 2x12 is the best compromise between all three. Go figure, the middle option offers the middle-compromise performance. Even with the room mic, though, the 4x12 seemed like it would be the most likely to be lost in the mix.

Really excellent work you have done there!!

Great shootout, very interesting results. Thanks for sharing!

Interesting how the differences got more visible with the higher gain settings while the clean channel sounded almost the same among all three

The power output of the amp running into the cabs is being split among all of the speakers. 50 watts going into a single 12 means the speaker is receiving 50 watts, the 2x12 is receiving 25 each, and the 4x12 is receiving 12.5 each. This means the max power input for the cab is greater the more speakers available. Speakers tend to sound better the more power is being run to them, which might explain why the single speaker cab has a lot more brightness and somewhat clearer tone than the 2x12 or 4x12, but they can get much louder and handle more wattage due to having multiple speakers in the circuit.

The best test I have seen so far and I know that 2x12 closed back is my top one but... ...I like 1/3 open back 1×12 and 2x12 cabs the most

1x12 close miced in the studio sounded the best .....but Live the 4x12 can't be beat .

Thank’s for the test dude the 2x12 is sick

am i the only one that thinks that 1x12 it's way better?

Im torn I have both 112 cabs and 212 they both have pros and cons alot depends on the driver ,frequency response and box design oval back , half open, front ported , and sealed . I have many speakers and a single sealed 12 is more focused tight and directional while my open 12 is more airy . My 212 has more dispersion open ambiance. The efficiency also makes a big difference of the sound . I use celestions , eminence, and Jensens what a world of difference in each . G12K 100 is my favorite for price and performance. If money is no object EVM12L .

1x12 or 4x12. The best 2x12 cab I've heard demos of is the Bogner 212cb though. Sounds almost identical to the 4x12.. Maybe slightly better. Gotta be careful though. Any individual speaker can sound wildly different from one another... As close to fair comparisons as possible can only really be done transplanting the same exact speaker from cab to cab, and mic'ing them exactly the same.. And being exact is pretty tough.

Hmm. I'm under the impression that the 1 x 12" cabinet would be best for recording, while the 4 x 12" would be best for live playing. Not sure yet what I think about the 2 x 12".

This is very interesting how even when close miced, the cabs effect the direct sound from the speaker. I never would have suspected honestly. Personally I went back and forth between the 1x12 and 2/12 in terms of being my fav, the 2x12 just being fuller on the bottom and more relaxed. The 1 x12 being the most focused. However this is useful, but not a comprehensive comparison. What we need to acknowledge is that we are not hearing the room sound here, which is all the speakers and cab resonance working together (the whole point of multi speaker cabs), and how we would hear the differences between the cabs then, would be all together different, and that might balance out, or change our preferences all together.

I'm a size queen...I prefer 4x12 because it sounds bigger... Oversize 4x12, in fact. To my ears, it's got a wider frequency range. More bass, more treble, more scooped midrange sound. Just sounds FAT. I LOVE THAT GIRTH.

Very Helpful test- my takeaway from this is … either go 1x12 or full bore 4x12 - and for me at home - looks like 1x12 for the win on cost vs benefit for my use

Back when I bought the only cab I own, I went with 2x12 because it was much smaller and lighter than the 4x12 but could still handle a 100 or 150 watt head. That was literally all I considered beyond the brand, which was Engl, same as my amp at the time (well, that and the impedance matching). If there were a 1x12 that I knew would be safe with a big tube head, I'd have bought that. That said, now that I've compared it with a couple other cabinets, I'd still never consider a 4x12, but I'm ok with holding onto the 2x12 because the size does make a difference in the low end. But my next cabinet will be the smallest I can get. It's hard to argue with portability.

The Leech Channel. My Favorite!!!

I think this shows the qualities of all when miced/recording. If you were going out to a PA, the 1x12 sounds a bit tighter, but for room practice I always prefer 2 speakers, gives a bit more "space"(?) to the sound, without having a huge 4x12 cab next to your bed! I have a Laney GC-30V 210 which is a KILLER amp, not huge, but with 2 speaker loveliness for home use. I think open and closed back has a huge impact on tone as well, whether 1x12, 2x12 or 4x12 (Can you get 4x12 open back cabs??)

That 4x12 sounds like rock and roll, whether it's the best or not.

Man, I have a 2x12 with Mark V 25 but I think it's too loud for my apartment sometimes. If I play through a 1x12, will it serve as an attenuator and ill be able to get good tone at lower volumes?

2x12 rules

OK, is it just me or does that 2x12 in the room tests (at about 5:45) sound like a crappy AM radio compared to the other two? 4x12 sounded rich and full as expected but the 1x12 sounded quite good too, the 2x12 sounded thin and terrible to my ears (listened through headphones)

There are things I like about all of them. Why can’t we just have all three at once?😭

Thank you so much for making this!!!

1x12 in this demo. But if course in a live setting the tone would be felt differently.

please compare combo vs cabinet amps

1x12 are so underrated, the drawback is that if they're not well made they're gonna suck ass but if the construction is on point you really have the character or you speaker and some resonance from your cab, highly controllable with a mic and the EQ of the amp. 4x12 just sound boomy and dull for me, defined mid range yet not much character. get a g12k100 and a v30 in two 1x12 you have a nice and defined tone, controllable bass response. 2x12 are just weirdos in the scope although I can feel some similarities between the 1x12 and the 4x12, the 2x12 sounds like something else (not bad but just not the same)

I Like 1x12 a lot!

I liked the 2x12 the best.

If your playing clean to semi overdrive and you like reverb and delay type of affects the stereo type of tone from the 2x12 cabs are the way to go

The comparison is flawed because you're not pumping the same wattage into every speaker. When you use the same amp settings for the 1x12 and 4x12, which have the same impedance, you're putting the same wattage into the cabs. So the 4x12 speakers are only working 25% as hard in terms of wattage. If the speakers are driven to exactly the same loudness or "sound pressure level", then a 2x12 should be 3dB louder than 1x12, and 4x12 another 3dB louder than the 2x12. And then a full stack another 3dB louder than the 4x12. You have to pour in the wattage into all the speakers to keep it equal. Like the point where the speaker starts to "break up" will be way louder for the 4x12 than the 1x12, but the amp will have to work harder to get there. This is the one reason you get the brightness from the 1x12; it's not just the smaller cab size, and the lack of phase cancellation between multiple speakers, but that it's closer to break-up, since one speaker is getting all the wattage; it's not distributed among four. If we run the amp at the same setting into an 8 ohm 1x12 and 8 ohm 4x12, it's an entire valid and interesting comparison in a different way. We have roughly a wattage-matched sound comparison. If we want to compare the "wallop" from the different cabs though, we have to pour four times the amp wattage into the four-speaker one.

For crunch tones and high gain, I prefer the 2x12. it's in the Goldilocks zone for me. The 1x12 has a bit of a harsh attack and sounds too tight for my taste, while the 4x12 has so much cabinet resonance that it sounds like it's emphasizing the bass freqs too much and drowning the upper mids.

Miked I don't think there would much difference so long as the speakers are the some, In the room the more speakers the more full the sound. 4X12's rule even if they break your back!

great demo.

The most important factor to me regarding cabs is physical weight. Lugging around gear is a pain!

The error here is, you shoud put all mic position on the same as the 1x12 to all the cab in one speaker too then they all sound the same in the mix. Except in actual in front of the cab, you can hear the accoustic reponse of each cab of course.Another error is, you should put the mic on top of each speaker cap on the room test.

IMHO such differences might be because of the speakers and not the cabinets. The only way to perform a real comparisson would be moving and recording the same speaker in the different cabinets. Even speakers of the exact same model can sound different. Cheers

I was surprised that the 1x12 read as louder than the 2x12. I wonder if that's accurate

Great video!! I'm currently saving up for the AMT Stonehead 50 watt head and would absolutely love to get one of their 412's one day too!! Not sure I'll be able to save up for that as well though :(

1x12 so high, so fizy. 4x12 many low, 2x12 its more balanced, perfect!

Where can i buy a "True Box of Ampsomeness"?

I like the 2x12 best for high gain as it sounds more mix friendly.....but in amp sim impulse land, 4x12s are best....I have a cheap seismic audio 2x12 cab, with an eminence governor and cv75 and I get great sounds micing one speaker with a Sennheiser 609 in the cap edge and the other with an sm57 off axis using a Randall thrasher, and 6505 mini

Get four of the 1x12 and get a Brian May sound! Perhaps, the 2x12 for me.

Mad props on a meticulous and thorough video. Your attention to detail is greatly appreciated from our point of view. It lets everyone who's curious gain insight. The problem is not in your guitar skills or recording skills.... The problem is with your banana peeling skills; YOURE PEELING BANANAS UPSIDE DOWN!!!! Bro.... Where'd you learn banana peeling? 😂 for real tho, thank you for the video.

В очередной раз убедился, что звук в микрофон и звук в комнату - совершенно разные звуки! Люди, не выбирайте комбики (да, и все остальное) для дома по обзорам, где звук снят студийным микрофоном. Дома звук будет совсем другой. Ну, вдруг, кто не знал🙃

Very good job!

Hi, do you know if a 12x10 is a lot louder than a 2x12? Meaning one cab has a 12 inch and a 10 inch and the other has 2x12. Is the 2x12 a lot louder?

I liked the crunchier tones on the 2x12 the best

God dammit now i need to save for a 4x12

4x12 had more punch but tone wise I liked 2x12 the best and as you said the 1x12 was more different in the recording. You say in the room they were not that much different really... so what did you like best and why?

16ohm v30's sound different to 8 ohms by themselves, so I think the real big difference here is 1x12 vs 4x12. But even then, you have to think about how the 4x12 is wired. I am assuming that the total impedance of the cab is 8 ohms though, in which case it's a good 1:1 comparison.

2x12 Holy shit that's so good

2x12 for me

I much preferred the 2X12 cabinet.

Oh wow that greenamp is cool

First time viewer. Hooked. Love the methods you test with. There is always someone who wants it done a little more this or that. But your doing an awesome job at being as fair as you can with what you got. That 2x12 disappointed me. I wonder what a 2x12 mono 8ohm cab would sound like. Im assuming it was 16ohm stereo? I couldnt watch the whole thing.

I don't know anything about recording but if you are comparing through 1x mike only should not you centre the mike so the 2x12 and 4x12 are not at a disadvantage?

What were the bananas for? It seems like it was ....... OHHHH

Size DOES matter... when it comes to bananas!

boy in a band?

1x12 is the best for clean sound. 2x12 in distorted and overdrive. For crunch both are good. Just 1x12 gives more direct, while 2x12 more bell like sound. 4x12 is the worst in every case. I seriously don't understand why to choose them in xxi century, when we dont need realy loud stuff cause they are not required on smaller gigs, and everything on a big concerts is taken by mics or by line speaker simulations. In my opinion we don't need 4x12 in xxi century no more.

1x12 sounds like shit. 2x12 sounded the best to me. Update: december 2022 Man that was an immature coment I did hahahaha I am rewatching this after 3 years and currently I can say I have better trained ear for these things and I still think the 1x12 sounds like a toy hahahaha anyway 1x12 may fit better in certain genres than the 2x12 but overall I would say the 2x12 is the best sounding cab and also most versatile. However, if the sound guy is good enough with the eq, you could make sound any of those very similar. If not, you should start training your ears with a nice eq pedal or maybe a recording in your computer. When you discover how limited you are with the three band eq in your amps, the game changes. At least a 10 band eq will help you get the best out of your tones. Trust me, you will learn how to sound bright and deep without sounding harsh and muddy.

First off, this was a awesome test! Thank you for doing it! I'm partial to the 2x12. The 4x12 sounded a bit muddier to me, maybe it's my speakers? The 1x12 is certainly bright. Man, each has their place. I can't move around a 4x12 though hahaaa......

1x12 open back or closed back ?

отличный обзор! не знаешь где скачать\купить импульсы этих трех кабинетов?

Thanks for this There is no substitute for a 4x12...

That 16 ohm V30 sounds way more scooped....Its not just the cab size.

wtf, the difference is hugeee, although i didnt feel any difference between the mics

Емко и полезно

Are we talking about bananas here?

Are these all closed backs?

been looking for an amp and cabinets for a few months the more i learn and listen the more indecisive i am. if anyone has an amp and speaker they love let me know. lol im clueless

Amazing!!!!