Help me out with bass rigs

[HCL]

My bands are looking into getting a new bass rig as we're reliant on DI at the moment. We have ~£600 to work with, which I understand is really stretching the limits of getting something quality. From what I can tell, there are plenty of ok-sounding options in that price range, unlike guitar which tends to be shit until you hit ~£1000 new.

What's your experience with wattage and speakers? We're after 4x10 at a minimum, how much difference do you hear across paper speaker brands? Will a cheaper plywood 4x10 drastically underperform alongside an expensive one?

What's the minimum wattage for running a 4x10 cab? Will 500 cut it? 250?

 

[wishtheend]

300 watts in a tube amp is more than enough to power an 8x10 but if you are going solid state than yeah you are probably going to want move head room. 500 is a good starting point for a 4x10. In my experience I would invest in a good cab first, and then maybe find a cheaper front end like a preamp paired with a poweramp (I ran a Tech 21 VT bass preamp with a Crown xti1000 for years with good success). Cheaper cabs just sound cheaper, and you can be more convincing with a cheaper preamp option into a good cab versus a good head into a bad cab. And then later you can always upgrade just the head.

 

[HCL]

300 watts in a tube amp is more than enough to power an 8x10 but if you are going solid state than yeah you are probably going to want move head room. 500 is a good starting point for a 4x10. In my experience I would invest in a good cab first, and then maybe find a cheaper front end like a preamp paired with a poweramp (I ran a Tech 21 VT bass preamp with a Crown xti1000 for years with good success). Cheaper cabs just sound cheaper, and you can be more convincing with a cheaper preamp option into a good cab versus a good head into a bad cab. And then later you can always upgrade just the head.

Thanks, what do I look for in a cab other than 10" speakers and good construction? I can't find any info on speakers like guitar cabs have, with the difference in tone between say a GT12-75 and a V30.