aluminium dome vs. normal dome

LaFleur

Joined: May 20, 2009
Posts: 525
Leipzig
Germany

Posted on Aug 16 2013 04:37 AM

What do you prefer: aluminium dome or normal dome on speakers?
What are the advantages and disadvantages on both?
The distortion(not speaker distortion) point of view is really interesting for me.

—

http://www.reverbnation.com/bangmustang
http://www.facebook.com/bangmustang
https://soundcloud.com/bang-mustang

Last edited: Aug 16, 2013 04:42:33

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eddiekatcher

Joined: Mar 14, 2006
Posts: 2778
Atlanta, GA
1 News Pin

Posted on Aug 16 2013 08:53 AM

You have to admit that the aluminum dust caps look really cool and are considered to be the surfy thing to have but a lot of people (including myself) find them a bit harsh in some amps. In the blonde series Fender amps they are pretty cool but in others sometimes a bit too brittle.

I have found that you can spray them with clear Krylon to add mass and deaden most of the raspy bite. I mask off the paper cone and slowly build up layers of clear Krylon until I get them sounding a bit smoother. About five coats on Peavey Black Widow steel guitar speakers and JBL E-120's seems to do a good job, and still retains that cap through the grill look. Make sure the coats dry well before adding more to avoid a milky appearance.

ed

—

Traditional........speak softly and play through a big blonde amp. Did I mention that I still like big blonde amps?

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Hammond101

Joined: Feb 22, 2013
Posts: 342
SoCal USA

Posted on Aug 16 2013 11:41 AM

I like the aluminum dust caps in an amp with lots of clean headroom, like a Showmwn and the other high power blackface Fenders. I have Weber Neo 15s with no dope and aluminum caps in my Showman. In somthing Brown or Tweed they are not so good. They can be very harsh with icepick highs in an amp that distorts naturally. Same goes for using OD pedals at high volume. I tried a pair of Neo 12s in my tweed Twin and don't like them.

They sure look cool shining through the grillcloth!

—

Keep it Drippy Brothers and Sisters!

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so1om

Joined: May 10, 2012
Posts: 492

Posted on Aug 16 2013 10:12 PM

technically, it has nothing to do with sound. it is literally, a dust cap to prevent dust getting between the coil and the magnet. I have a few speakers without them that sound decent. I've never noticed a difference.

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morphball

Joined: Dec 23, 2008
Posts: 3324
Pittsboro, NC
United States

Posted on Aug 19 2013 05:18 PM

I've been watching this thread since I was planning to have a light 1x15 pine cab built to extend my MP200 later this year, and was specifically looking at the Weber NeoMag 15 to keep it at around 30 pounds. For this rig (would be using single coils and light round-wound strings if that matters), it looks like I should just be on the safe side and get a paper dome from what I'm reading. Does the cone's dope really make a difference, or is it just period-correctness?

—

Mike
http://www.youtube.com/morphballio

Last edited: Aug 19, 2013 17:19:59

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SanchoPansen

Joined: Jan 04, 2011
Posts: 1588
Berlin L-Berg
Germany

Posted on Aug 20 2013 02:47 AM

IMO it makes a lot of difference. The aluminium caps don't seem to handle overdrive that well. I just swapped the speakers of my Quad Reverb - had 2x12 Celestions in it. Great british sound, lots of beef, sweet overdrive. Changed it to a 1x15 JBL D140F. More headroom and clean sound. But when I engage the overdrive it's ear-piercing. I'd love to compare it to a non alu cap 15" speaker.

—

The Hicadoolas

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morphball

Joined: Dec 23, 2008
Posts: 3324
Pittsboro, NC
United States

Posted on Aug 20 2013 07:46 AM

Cool, paper it is... I like some grit, and a jag with 1M pots probably wouldn't help with the brightness.

—

Mike
http://www.youtube.com/morphballio

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LaFleur

Joined: May 20, 2009
Posts: 525
Leipzig
Germany

Posted on Aug 20 2013 02:15 PM

After doing intense "research" in the web I also came to the conclussion that it will be better to choose paper dome. If you don't play clean on aluminum dome you will get some wierd frequencies which will distort in a bad not good sounding way. @Michael I also ordered the 15" NeoMag with cloth surround cone and paper dome. I will let you know how it sounds when I get it.

—

http://www.reverbnation.com/bangmustang
http://www.facebook.com/bangmustang
https://soundcloud.com/bang-mustang

Last edited: Aug 20, 2013 14:17:52

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morphball

Joined: Dec 23, 2008
Posts: 3324
Pittsboro, NC
United States

Posted on Aug 20 2013 03:19 PM

Great minds think alike!

—

Mike
http://www.youtube.com/morphballio

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eddiekatcher

Joined: Mar 14, 2006
Posts: 2778
Atlanta, GA
1 News Pin

Posted on Aug 20 2013 04:12 PM

It may be a single coil issue with the aluminum domes. The Allman Brothers band had the smoothest overdriven guitar tones anywhere and they played out of Marshalls (50 and 100 watt) using JBL D-120's in the Marshall Cabinets with the backs removed. They blew a hell of a lot of speakers too.

Clear coating the cap takes the bite out of the speaker and still looks really cool. Trying that enabled me to load a pair of E-120's in a small Bandmaster cabinet. Prior to the extra mass on the dome, they made good boat anchors.

The Peavy steel guitar speakers will run with anything for bass or guitar and come stock in 4 ohms. Best kept secret since swiss cheeze on a ham sandwich. They are my number two choice behind EV's for which I truly believe there is no equal for lead guitar, be it surf or otherwise.

Basement full of speakers I've tried,

ed

—

Traditional........speak softly and play through a big blonde amp. Did I mention that I still like big blonde amps?

Top

JObeast

Joined: Jul 24, 2012
Posts: 2762
Finknabad, Squinkistan
Turkmenistan

Posted on Jan 27 2015 03:10 PM

So Fleur,
How have you been liking the 15 neomag you bought 2 yrs ago?

LaFleur wrote:

After doing intense "research" in the web I also came to the conclussion that it will be better to choose paper dome. If you don't play clean on aluminum dome you will get some wierd frequencies which will distort in a bad not good sounding way. @Michael I also ordered the 15" NeoMag with cloth surround cone and paper dome. I will let you know how it sounds when I get it.

—

Squink Out!

Top

dboomer

Joined: Jan 05, 2009
Posts: 262
Port Hueneme, CA
1 POTD Pin

Posted on Jan 27 2015 05:13 PM

Aluminum domes on speakers were added to increase "perceived" high frequency response. In practice they just ring like a bell, ringing at the same pitch regardless of what note you are playing.

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LaFleur Joined: May 20, 2009 Posts: 525 Leipzig	Posted on Aug 16 2013 04:37 AM What do you prefer: aluminium dome or normal dome on speakers? What are the advantages and disadvantages on both? The distortion(not speaker distortion) point of view is really interesting for me. — http://www.reverbnation.com/bangmustang http://www.facebook.com/bangmustang https://soundcloud.com/bang-mustang Last edited: Aug 16, 2013 04:42:33 Top
eddiekatcher Joined: Mar 14, 2006 Posts: 2778 Atlanta, GA	Posted on Aug 16 2013 08:53 AM You have to admit that the aluminum dust caps look really cool and are considered to be the surfy thing to have but a lot of people (including myself) find them a bit harsh in some amps. In the blonde series Fender amps they are pretty cool but in others sometimes a bit too brittle. I have found that you can spray them with clear Krylon to add mass and deaden most of the raspy bite. I mask off the paper cone and slowly build up layers of clear Krylon until I get them sounding a bit smoother. About five coats on Peavey Black Widow steel guitar speakers and JBL E-120's seems to do a good job, and still retains that cap through the grill look. Make sure the coats dry well before adding more to avoid a milky appearance. ed — Traditional........speak softly and play through a big blonde amp. Did I mention that I still like big blonde amps? Top
Hammond101 Joined: Feb 22, 2013 Posts: 342 SoCal USA	Posted on Aug 16 2013 11:41 AM I like the aluminum dust caps in an amp with lots of clean headroom, like a Showmwn and the other high power blackface Fenders. I have Weber Neo 15s with no dope and aluminum caps in my Showman. In somthing Brown or Tweed they are not so good. They can be very harsh with icepick highs in an amp that distorts naturally. Same goes for using OD pedals at high volume. I tried a pair of Neo 12s in my tweed Twin and don't like them. They sure look cool shining through the grillcloth! — Keep it Drippy Brothers and Sisters! Top
so1om Joined: May 10, 2012 Posts: 492	Posted on Aug 16 2013 10:12 PM technically, it has nothing to do with sound. it is literally, a dust cap to prevent dust getting between the coil and the magnet. I have a few speakers without them that sound decent. I've never noticed a difference. Top
morphball Joined: Dec 23, 2008 Posts: 3324 Pittsboro, NC	Posted on Aug 19 2013 05:18 PM I've been watching this thread since I was planning to have a light 1x15 pine cab built to extend my MP200 later this year, and was specifically looking at the Weber NeoMag 15 to keep it at around 30 pounds. For this rig (would be using single coils and light round-wound strings if that matters), it looks like I should just be on the safe side and get a paper dome from what I'm reading. Does the cone's dope really make a difference, or is it just period-correctness? — Mike http://www.youtube.com/morphballio Last edited: Aug 19, 2013 17:19:59 Top
SanchoPansen Joined: Jan 04, 2011 Posts: 1588 Berlin L-Berg	Posted on Aug 20 2013 02:47 AM IMO it makes a lot of difference. The aluminium caps don't seem to handle overdrive that well. I just swapped the speakers of my Quad Reverb - had 2x12 Celestions in it. Great british sound, lots of beef, sweet overdrive. Changed it to a 1x15 JBL D140F. More headroom and clean sound. But when I engage the overdrive it's ear-piercing. I'd love to compare it to a non alu cap 15" speaker. — The Hicadoolas Top
morphball Joined: Dec 23, 2008 Posts: 3324 Pittsboro, NC	Posted on Aug 20 2013 07:46 AM Cool, paper it is... I like some grit, and a jag with 1M pots probably wouldn't help with the brightness. — Mike http://www.youtube.com/morphballio Top
LaFleur Joined: May 20, 2009 Posts: 525 Leipzig	Posted on Aug 20 2013 02:15 PM After doing intense "research" in the web I also came to the conclussion that it will be better to choose paper dome. If you don't play clean on aluminum dome you will get some wierd frequencies which will distort in a bad not good sounding way. @Michael I also ordered the 15" NeoMag with cloth surround cone and paper dome. I will let you know how it sounds when I get it. — http://www.reverbnation.com/bangmustang http://www.facebook.com/bangmustang https://soundcloud.com/bang-mustang Last edited: Aug 20, 2013 14:17:52 Top
morphball Joined: Dec 23, 2008 Posts: 3324 Pittsboro, NC	Posted on Aug 20 2013 03:19 PM Great minds think alike! — Mike http://www.youtube.com/morphballio Top
eddiekatcher Joined: Mar 14, 2006 Posts: 2778 Atlanta, GA	Posted on Aug 20 2013 04:12 PM It may be a single coil issue with the aluminum domes. The Allman Brothers band had the smoothest overdriven guitar tones anywhere and they played out of Marshalls (50 and 100 watt) using JBL D-120's in the Marshall Cabinets with the backs removed. They blew a hell of a lot of speakers too. Clear coating the cap takes the bite out of the speaker and still looks really cool. Trying that enabled me to load a pair of E-120's in a small Bandmaster cabinet. Prior to the extra mass on the dome, they made good boat anchors. The Peavy steel guitar speakers will run with anything for bass or guitar and come stock in 4 ohms. Best kept secret since swiss cheeze on a ham sandwich. They are my number two choice behind EV's for which I truly believe there is no equal for lead guitar, be it surf or otherwise. Basement full of speakers I've tried, ed — Traditional........speak softly and play through a big blonde amp. Did I mention that I still like big blonde amps? Top
JObeast Joined: Jul 24, 2012 Posts: 2762 Finknabad, Squinkistan	Posted on Jan 27 2015 03:10 PM So Fleur, How have you been liking the 15 neomag you bought 2 yrs ago? LaFleur wrote: After doing intense "research" in the web I also came to the conclussion that it will be better to choose paper dome. If you don't play clean on aluminum dome you will get some wierd frequencies which will distort in a bad not good sounding way. @Michael I also ordered the 15" NeoMag with cloth surround cone and paper dome. I will let you know how it sounds when I get it. — Squink Out! Top
dboomer Joined: Jan 05, 2009 Posts: 262 Port Hueneme, CA	Posted on Jan 27 2015 05:13 PM Aluminum domes on speakers were added to increase "perceived" high frequency response. In practice they just ring like a bell, ringing at the same pitch regardless of what note you are playing. Top

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aluminium dome vs. normal dome