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hi,
can anyone give me some info on speakers? I've been offered two speakers for
a very reasonable price, but don't know anything about speakers.
they are 15" 150W ALTEC's. the thing is, they are 'high efficiency'
speakers, giving a lot more "volume per amp-watt", supposedly. 105Db, the
guy told me (to me this is al yabba yabba, though)
the way it works is that there is very little space between the magnet and
the coil, which results in higher output. they have alnico magnets (this
seems to be good?)
anyway, they were used in an old disco P.A. system, and they are in good
concition. The guy selling them is a friend of mine who is specialized in
tube hi fi equipment, but knows nothing about musical instruments. I don't
know about speakers either.
does anyone know whether these 'high efficiency' speakers would work for
guitar or bass amps, or would the little space between magnet and coil give
problems?
thanx, wannes
You might want to check out the Weber VST site (www.webervst.com). Ted
Weber wrote a lengthy explanation about speaker design. Basically,
many people feel AlNiCo magnets yield a warmer tone and better
harmonics than ceramic speakers. Ceramics came in 'cause they were
cheaper to make as the elements of AlNiCo became expensive. And they
remain cheaper today.
If these speakers were made for a PA or, God forbid, a monster home
stereo (2 15" speakers??), they won't really make it as guitar amp
speakers. Guitar speakers create their own tonal variation, while
stereo and PA speakers are meant to accurately reproduce sound without
altering it. While this may sound desireable, it's the way different
speakers handle sound that plays a big role in creating guitar tone.
The high-wattage of these speakers suggests a high-wattage amp.
They're built with bigger capstans to handle higher wattage. The
"fact" that they have tight tolerances does allow them to pump out
higher volume. Low watt amps won't drive them to breakup as early -
but most good distortion comes from an overdriven pre-amp, not from
the speakers themselves. These speakers would probably work with
anything over 40w power output.
In any case, the speakers you mentioned might be a good deal - if they
don't create the sound you want in your amp, you could always use them
for an extension cab.
More important than watts are ohms - make sure the Ohm configuration
of your amp matches the ohm configuration of the speakers, or you'll
be in for problems. It'll take a little studying, but if the speakers
are a good deal, it might be worth the trouble.
hey, thanx for the info and the link. I'll dive into it and try to learn all
this speaker stuff. knew about the ohm-thing. I never blew up a speaker
yet, i intend to keep that record.
as for the 'god forbid' part.... this guy has his audio stuff in his garage.
he uses two 60's PA cabinets as speakers. the cabinets are about 40" wide,
60" high and 40" deep. they have bass-reflex design and are indeed loaded
with 15"'s (new ones now, thats why he's selling the other ones)
obviously, these are "only" his woofers. on top of the cabinets he has two
20"X40" tweeter-horns.
The guy is a freak and he sometimes frightens me! in his living room he had
two 30" square speakers, some totally different system with flat speakers
and no coil. His girlfriend made him sell those. thank god, i think he has
suffered hearing loss.
something to start another thread on: rehearsal volumes and the fear of
ear-damage
anyway, thanks a lot!
>From: "windanseabeachboy" <>
>Reply-To:
>To:
>Subject: [SurfGuitar101] Re: speaker question
>Date: Thu, 26 Sep 2002 03:42:01 -0000
>
>You might want to check out the Weber VST site (www.webervst.com). Ted
>Weber wrote a lengthy explanation about speaker design. Basically,
>many people feel AlNiCo magnets yield a warmer tone and better
>harmonics than ceramic speakers. Ceramics came in 'cause they were
>cheaper to make as the elements of AlNiCo became expensive. And they
>remain cheaper today.
>
>If these speakers were made for a PA or, God forbid, a monster home
>stereo (2 15" speakers??), they won't really make it as guitar amp
>speakers. Guitar speakers create their own tonal variation, while
>stereo and PA speakers are meant to accurately reproduce sound without
>altering it. While this may sound desireable, it's the way different
>speakers handle sound that plays a big role in creating guitar tone.
>
>The high-wattage of these speakers suggests a high-wattage amp.
>They're built with bigger capstans to handle higher wattage. The
>"fact" that they have tight tolerances does allow them to pump out
>higher volume. Low watt amps won't drive them to breakup as early -
>but most good distortion comes from an overdriven pre-amp, not from
>the speakers themselves. These speakers would probably work with
>anything over 40w power output.
>
>In any case, the speakers you mentioned might be a good deal - if they
>don't create the sound you want in your amp, you could always use them
>for an extension cab.
>
>More important than watts are ohms - make sure the Ohm configuration
>of your amp matches the ohm configuration of the speakers, or you'll
>be in for problems. It'll take a little studying, but if the speakers
>are a good deal, it might be worth the trouble.
>
