I've looked long and hard for a forum or review comparing the actual sound of the Powercab 212+ to the 112+, haven't been able to find much, so I thought I'd share my experience.
I'm a helix user, play a variety from Grohl to Gilmour to Mayer. I have an 80's American Strat and a 2012 339. I'm coming off a Mesa Boogie Lonestar Special 1x12, which I love but children have made it impossible for me to turn it on. I really like the Helix, and I like the built in Cabs but they are just missing a particular je ne sais qoi that's hard to describe, but for me it comes down to low end punch. Funny a $3k Mesa Boogie just sounds better than reference monitors or headphones. The Lonestar is a particularly low end - punch in the gut - amp, and I like that. I play in my studio and not live and perhaps that's why I don't understand why anyone these mid-range infested "speaker sims" in Powercab. In my studio they sound like crap when compared to even the free Alure IRs, let alone some of the others.
Enough background.
I read a lot of great things about Powercab coupled with Helix and I wanted to have a $800 speaker that could compete with my Mesa, so I bought a 112+ used to try it out. It's good. It's still a closed back 12" speaker cabinet though so it was really missing the low-end punch that I was hoping for, and was used to compared to my Mesa. Even the Lonestar modeled through the Powercab 112+ sounds good, but it leaves me wanting more... And the low-end punch is nowhere close to the real thing in straight A/B tests, even after a lot of menu diving.
I also found myself wanting the Stereo routing that comes with two 112+s or a single 212+ for plugging into my board / DAW, so I was considering buying another 112+, but I was nervous that wouldn't solve this lack of low-end punch issue that I had... So, I bought a 212+ used, just to see if the bass port at the back + the two speakers would give me the missing punchy bass.
I can happily report that the 212+ nails it. WAY fuller sound, WAY more low end, tight, controlled bass. I actually find myself preferring it to my Lonestar Special that I've been so reluctant to sell over all these years. AND you can pull off really good sound at low volumes (both models, but the lighter bass of the 112+ rolls off to a higher degree at lower volumes).
I now have a 112+ and a Lonestar Special for sale. Way too much gear over here, but I've found my zen in the 212+, zen that I couldn't find in the 112+.
Long story short - if you're wondering if there is a 'same-volume' sound difference between the 112+ vs 212+, there is - it's actually a BIG difference, IMO, particularly on the low end. I know, I know - it's a 2x12 cabinet what did you expect... I'm just trying to fill the void of missing information on this topic for the next person trying to 'forum' their way through this riddle, pre-purchase.
If you have the cash, go 212+ all day long... If not, I've got your 112+ sitting here waiting for you...
Cheers,
