Gear Reviews
Bergantino HG410 Loudspeaker Review
From the minute I saw large Bergantino box in my driveway, I knew I was in for a treat.
Every time I’ve plugged into one of Jim Bergantino’s cabs, it has brought a smile to my face and struck me as an expertly designed, thoughtfully executed, great sounding bass cabinet. Anticipation levels were high as I unboxed the new HG410 cabinet, and equally high were my expectations. Thankfully, those expectations were exceeded.
The first thing one might notice about the HG410 is its unusual speaker arrangement.
With 3 forward facing and 1 rear facing driver, to say that it has a unique speaker layout may be a bit of an understatement. The HG410 is the second cab in Bergantino’s “HG” series, which (taken from Berg’s website) is a“series of lightweight speaker cabinets [that] break the barrier of 2-dimensional sound. The HG410 offers the benefits of a sealed design, for immediate and accurate bass response, our high quality, Reference tweeter for airy and transparent highs, and a rear firing woofer to create a 3-dimensional sound field.” Jim offers 3 cabinets in the HG line, the HG310, its newer big brother the HG410, and the newest master blaster, the HG412; all incorporating rear firing drivers that allow for a smaller footprint and enclosure, light weight, and a sealed design.
The HG410’s impeccable form factor, high quality construction and lightweight easy-to-schlep ergonomics are immediately impressive.
At 47 lbs. and with well-placed comfortable handles, I was able to one-hand the HG410, which is a new experience for me carrying a 4×10 cab. With a narrower footprint than a conventional 4×10, it made getting in and out of tight spaces a whole lot easier. As always, the Berg cabs look sharp, with clean aesthetics and modern classic looks, not to mention this series sports a new badge/logo with the Bergantino script logo prominently featured.
I’ll admit that sealed cabs have always been a bit of a mystery to me.
I am so used to the way that front ported cabs behave, it took me a minute to wrap my head around the sonic presentation of the HG cab. Whereas Bergantino’s CN and HDN series cabs are front ported, projecting the sound out of the cabinet via triangular ports on the front baffle, the HG with its sealed design and rear firing 4thdriver fill the stage with sound, making the cab more audible to those not standing in front of it.
Tonally speaking, the HG410 was big, balanced and clear sounding, with lots of presence.
The low end was big and full, but has the characteristic tightness of a sealed cab, especially in the bass region. One thing I noticed was how quick the low end was. Playing staccato fingerstyle lines, notes started and stopped on a dime, giving the HG410 a very controlled yet big sound. The treble response of the HG410 is nothing short of stunning; the seamlessly integrated tweeter produced a bright but never harsh high end. Similarly, the midrange speaks with awesome clarity and cohesion. One of my favorite things about Bergantino cabs in general is how well the midrange always speaks so well, and the HG410 seems to exemplify this as well as any of Jim’s cabs. Full, punchy and clear but never boxy or honky, my basses all sat very nicely in a mix with the HG410.
The HG series is a winner in a number of ways.
It sounds fantastic, is REALLY easy to move for a 4×10 cab, has great sound dispersion, and is incredibly quick and punchy. The HG410 sells for $1,599 and you can find out more, read the full list of specs and watch demo videos on Bergantino’s website at bergantino.com.