KEY FEATURES
PRICE €419
DESCRIPTION Solid tulipwood open-back
1x12" cabinet. Made in Portugal
POWER RATING 50W
SPEAKER Jensen C12N (as reviewed)
DIMENSIONS 500 x 450 x 280mm
WEIGHT 11.5kg/25.3lb
CONTACT daribeira.webs.comH
and-made in Guimarães in northern
Portugal with dovetail-jointed solid
swamp ash or tulipwood, daRibeira
cabinets are available with all the
regular speaker configurations. Rather than
tweed or vinyl coverings, the bare-wood
cabinets are sprayed with thin lacquer coats
before being fitted with Switchcraft jack
sockets and faux-leather handles.IN USE
The challenge when reviewing this
attractive 1x12 cab is assessing the
Salamandra independently of the speaker.
Jensen describes its C12N as having
aggressive mids, bright highs and loose lows.
Here, the lows sound focused, punchy and
deep, while the midrange isn’t aggressive.
Compared to our Princeton-style cab,
which has a Fane A60, the Fane has
extended treble and high sensitivity, yet
the supposedly less sensitive C12N sounds
brighter and louder. It has a bigger tone, too,DARIBEIRA
SALAMANDRA R112TW
WORDS HUW PRICEIf you like the tone of a speaker cabinet that’s free to resonate, or you
prefer the look of solid wood to tweed or tolex, this might be just what
you’re looking for...LIKE THIS? TRY THESE...
Zilla Cabs solid-pine 1x12 cabinet £400,
GLB Micro €980, Victory V112C £374It’ll need to be treated carefully, but
9 /10 this cab sounds as fantastic as it lookswith a midrange response we associate with
solid-wood cabinets. Merely tapping the
Salamandra produces clear notes; the cab is
clearly contributing to the overall tone, and
it projects impressively.
Although we hear a slightly papery rasp,
experience tells us it’s a speaker thing – the
cab itself is buzz and rattle free. Besides
a slight kink in the speaker cloth in the
upper-right corner, it’s beautifully made.
The lacquer offers the wood little
protection and great care will be needed to
maintain the Salamandra’s looks if used for
gigging. As a home or studio cab, these
concerns don’t apply; we appreciate its light
weight and cannot fault the sound.REVIEWS124