Speakers; How under-estimated are they in an amps sound?

[VHTJay]

Re: Speakers; How under-estimated are they in an amps sound?

I didn't realize how big of an impact speakers and cabinet construction had on tone until I bought another cabinet. My mainstay for years was a Mesa 4x12 with vintage 30's. Pretty typical and sounds good IMO. Then I bought a front loaded Diezel 4x12 with 100W Celestions. The cabs sound night and day different. I still have my Mesa cab, but for hard stuff, those Diezel cabs are the truth!

 

[dr. ad]

Re: Speakers; How under-estimated are they in an amps sound?

here's a heap of different speakers doing the same thing; good for comparative purposes:
http://www.watfordvalves.com/soundfactory.asp

 

[Stratman]

Re: Speakers; How under-estimated are they in an amps sound?

I changed stock fender Jensen

[FONT=open_sansregular]P10R[/FONT]​

speakers in my Super Reverb with 2-10 inch Eminence Ragin Cajun and 2-10 inch Eminence Copperhead speakers.

Major change in quality of the tone out of that amp.

 

[Jack_TriPpEr]

Re: Speakers; How under-estimated are they in an amps sound?

some have mentioned that quality of the cabinet construction/design being a factor. can anyone explain but keep it at the 10,000 foot level - a.k.a. keep it to only two or three common/major factors?

 

[Dr. Vegetable]

Re: Speakers; How under-estimated are they in an amps sound?

Speakers are the cause of all amplifier noise and I can prove it. Just disconnect your speakers and your amp will be perfectly quiet!

That is why all my amps are heads.

 

[Jack_TriPpEr]

Re: Speakers; How under-estimated are they in an amps sound?

Speakers are the cause of all amplifier noise and I can prove it. Just disconnect your speakers and your amp will be perfectly quiet!

That is why all my amps are heads.

yes, it's true! It also has the side benefit of detoxing your transformer! I do it that twice a month for optimum transformer health!

 

[Aceman]

Re: Speakers; How under-estimated are they in an amps sound?

This thread is enlightening....

 

[Jolly_Rancher]

Re: Speakers; How under-estimated are they in an amps sound?

some have mentioned that quality of the cabinet construction/design being a factor. can anyone explain but keep it at the 10,000 foot level - a.k.a. keep it to only two or three common/major factors?

The study of acoustics - the materials and shape of the space that a sound wave is within is what determines the reflection frequencies and resonances (stuff you can hear besides just the direct sound source). Different cabinet materials, i.e. plywood, MDF, pine all vibrate at different frequencies, and the length, width, depth of the wood all change this, as well. And yes, you can hear the sound waves that are inside the cabinet, from the back of the speaker cones.

 

[Diego]

Re: Speakers; How under-estimated are they in an amps sound?

I was dissapointed with my Tweaker 15 head when I first bought it. Flabby bass and a flat tone. Lovely highs and definition though, that's why I persevered.
Thought "well, maybe the tubes are too tiny, maybe 15 watts is not enough, I think I need a Dual Rec, etc."

I thought that until I was informed that the Eminence Legend 125 speaker in my cab was, for my goals, useless.
Replaced it with an Eminence Wizard and the difference is monumental.
The bass got bigger and tighter, the mids became much more present, it became much punchier and the louder it goes, the better it gets, unlike before.

IMO the wrong speaker will ruin your tone in ways a crummy pickup can't think of.
It's absolutely critical that the speaker fits the job.

 

[Myaccount876]

Re: Speakers; How under-estimated are they in an amps sound?

I suspect this sequence of questions will be asked quite a bit now:

Alnico 8 speakers???

Are they true-bypass???

Will it be "my sound"???

Are they active or passive???

:banghead:

 

[post toastie]

Re: Speakers; How under-estimated are they in an amps sound?

has this one been done ?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jWK0sa7tlfI

 

[Jack_TriPpEr]

Re: Speakers; How under-estimated are they in an amps sound?

The study of acoustics - the materials and shape of the space that a sound wave is within is what determines the reflection frequencies and resonances (stuff you can hear besides just the direct sound source). Different cabinet materials, i.e. plywood, MDF, pine all vibrate at different frequencies, and the length, width, depth of the wood all change this, as well. And yes, you can hear the sound waves that are inside the cabinet, from the back of the speaker cones.

Sorry, I meant two or three points to "look for" when one is shopping cabinets and trying to gauge the design as "good" or "bad"... e.g. pine sounds dead - avoid it, etc. etc. (<- that's just a totally hypothetical example - fyi)

 

[Jolly_Rancher]

Re: Speakers; How under-estimated are they in an amps sound?

Oh... well, different materials just sound..... different. Pine is more resonant, plywood less so, and MDF even deader. They're all good for certain applications. My "metal - hard rock" cab is MDF closed-back. My "fusion" cab is baltic birch plywood open back. Next I want an open-back solid pine 1x12 for a blues inspired sound.

But, even the way the speaker is mounted changes the tone. Rear-mounted sounds different than front-mounted (rear of the baffle vs. front of the baffle)

 

[Markk]

Re: Speakers; How under-estimated are they in an amps sound?

Well, in my experience, exchanging the wolverine I had in my Marshall for a V30 (I'm pretty sure V30) helped tighten up the bass and bring out the mids. I recall the high's being tamed a bit too. Overall I really enjoyed the change.

In terms of tone, I think amp choice (then speaker choice in amp) probably has the biggest impact on tone right after humbuckies vs singles (ignoring pedals and add-ons like that).

 

[p4vl]

Re: Speakers; How under-estimated are they in an amps sound?

Recently changed my 2x12's v30's to 2 Eminence v12's. I've been through quite a few knick knacks to get the fizz out of my Peavey XXX and Engl Screamer. The speakers haven't even been broken in and my tone is much better. I don't think most rock and especially metal guys give enough thought to what speakers are best for their amp. I think they buy a Mesa cab or a 5150 cab to go with their 5150 head and assume the speakers that big companies use must be the best, right?

Oh, and my local shop only charged me 60 bucks a piece for the Eminence speakers. Everything's coming up Milhouse!

 

[IMENATOR]

Re: Speakers; How under-estimated are they in an amps sound?

yeah, I think it is understimated. I got a new amp this year moving from 8 in to 10 in speaker, big difference, never going back.