Hartke Hydrive HX 810

Big, Sealed 8*10" hydrive & 1" Titanium-horn Basscab, with built-in casters, handles and horn attenuator.
Built in 2008, USA ? :-).
It'll be used in any setting, where I need power to spare and a complete, full and linear sound.
Mostly concerts with 300-1000 guests.
This cab is my proud return to Hartke cabs, It really can take anything from Rock/metal to funk, soul & fusion, and it does so at ear-bleeding levels.
When the horn is on, it sounds a bit separated from the other drivers, but the two other options(-6 db, Off), really makes for a couple of good, interesting sounds.
It's VERY light for a 810 cab, but that does not make it a one man cab :-).
Almost 80 pounds lighter then the competition, and with a higher power rating (2000 watt, RMS).
I'll use it for reggae, rock, funk, my Solo-bass project : Funky Midnight, RHCP Cover : The Chili Machine, Level 42 Jam and a lot of other genres.

The sound is what every hifi-bassplayer could dream of : Firm, strong bass response that really kicks, smooth mids that have a cool bark to them when you dig in, and the top end is nicely extended into the upper parts of human hearing :-).
The 10 inch drivers have a nice top end definition (sounds like they go up into the 6-7 kHz area on their own). The horn makes for the last, funky hiss, but it does not share the other drivers musical sound (this might be my general opinion on HF-drivers).
I think the -6db setting makes the cab sound bright without sounding like a HF-loaded cab, and that's a good thing.
Turning the horn off makes the HX-810 sound like the ampeg SVT-810 on steroids.
The design explains alot : 4 individually sealed 2*10" cabs stacked in one big cab, makes for a VERY tight sound, even tighter then the ampeg SVT-810, at the same time it's more sensitive to dynamics then the old classic as well. The dynamics comes from the neodymium speakers, and the aluminium -inner- cone makes for a more pleasent and present midrange. All in all it can play all the rock that you've come to expect from the oldies, but also fire up funk and experimental bands at concert levels.
I drive this cab with a 650 watt swedish bass amp, and it plays well. The HX-810's smooth personality is present even at club levels.
It actually sounds like a VX-810 & 810XL played at the same time, only tighter and lighter.

I've only had it for one week, and it seems solid, but not unbreakable.
I can't find any weak spots, but I would prefere it to be 10 pounds heavier and have even stronger hardware (a la MESA), but that's just me..
I'm sure it'll last for many years.
The high power rating should also keep the long-term stress on the drivers at a minimum.

It has a 3 year warranty, haven't used it.
Delivery was a bit late, but that might be because of the local importer.
No one knew where my cab was, until I wrote Larry Hartke, he soon responded with reassuring news - cool guy.
I hope that I'll never have anything to do with customer support, unless we're talking 'bout endorsement :-).

I've been playing bass for 8 years, 5 years as a professional and I've played Ampeg, EBS, Marshall, Trace elliot and many more.
This cab is the best I've ever played and I'll play it for years to come.
I've choosen this cab because it's stronger, smoother and more precise than anything else on the market. Neodymium has been around for many years, but finally Hartke has used it's powers to create the ultimate cab.
If it was stolen, I would buy another.