Speaker comparison by Sweetwater

tonepoet · Oct 22, 2023

You may all have this from Sweetwater this morning in your email, but... if not, here's a link to a 26 speaker "shoot-out" they did with clean, dirty and heavy clips.

I haven't been through them all, nor have tried more than a half dozen over the years before I settled on a combination of Eminence Texas Heats and Eminence Swamp Thangs.

Enjoy.

Does Your Guitar Speaker Matter? - inSync

What has the biggest impact on your guitar tone? It could be the speakers in your guitar cab! Listen to dozens of 12-inch speakers to see what one you prefer.

www.sweetwater.com

Rocky · Oct 22, 2023

Choosing speakers can be a total rabbit-hole. I've gone through as many as a dozen speakers on a single combo amp, trying to find the right one. And what sounds great on a tweed Deluxe may not sound even good on a brown Deluxe or a Deluxe Reverb. There might be several "ok, but not great" speakers for that amp. Ferinstance, I have never played an amp that I like an "M" Greenback in, but millions of other people sound just fine with them. Ultimately, they make a huge difference on the sound.

Uke · Oct 22, 2023

Rocky said:
Ferinstance

A pun? (cf. ferrite magnets)? Maybe I'm just seeing puns where they don't exist

.

tonepoet · Oct 22, 2023

Rocky said:
Ultimately, they make a huge difference on the sound.

I agree Rocky. I first began experimenting with different speakers to find those that didn't have that high frequency "icepick-to-the-ears' beaming. Along the way I saw what a difference speaker choice could make to tone and volume. A "Tone Quest" of any kind is always fun.

GAD · Oct 22, 2023

That is a great article and I LOVE the way they set it up so I could click on a speaker and hear it. Well done, Sweetwater.

Rocky · Oct 22, 2023

Uke said:
A pun? (cf. ferrite magnets)? Maybe I'm just seeing puns where they don't exist .

Unintentional, but I'll take it.

walrus · Oct 22, 2023

That's a pretty impressive way to do a review! I'm gonna need better speakers on my PC!

walrus

GGJaguar · Oct 22, 2023

Neat sound clips! Should be helpful to speaker seekers.

tonepoet · Oct 23, 2023

It does seem a well set up demonstration. As always, your equipment with your settings will be the best example. However, this at least gives you an idea of which speakers accent which frequency range. Which speakers appear darker and which are brighter and that can be helpful.

RVBASS · Oct 28, 2023

For guitar, I use Tone Tubby speakers, not on their list. I combine a Red Alnico (a little warmer tone) with a Purple Haze Alnico (a little cleaner tone). I like the way they sound together. Both 12” speakers.

Rayk · Friday at 6:38 PM

tonepoet said:
You may all have this from Sweetwater this morning in your email, but... if not, here's a link to a 26 speaker "shoot-out" they did with clean, dirty and heavy clips.

I haven't been through them all, nor have tried more than a half dozen over the years before I settled on a combination of Eminence Texas Heats and Eminence Swamp Thangs.

Enjoy.

Does Your Guitar Speaker Matter? - inSync

What has the biggest impact on your guitar tone? It could be the speakers in your guitar cab! Listen to dozens of 12-inch speakers to see what one you prefer.

www.sweetwater.com

That was cool . Easy to pick out the likes but using them in your own setup would obviously be different. I kind of think if they’re decent speakers you might not notice so much but I’m thinking more within the average players , pros can tinker at will over let’s say me , one set and done no swapping and buying . lol

Walter Broes · Friday at 8:04 PM

All of them 12" speakers! 10's don't get enough love. I have a bit of a speaker problem - as in I've tried SO many of them I have a ridiculous stash of speakers, and I usually play 10" speakers.

Rocky · Friday at 9:25 PM

Walter Broes said:
All of them 12" speakers! 10's don't get enough love. I have a bit of a speaker problem - as in I've tried SO many of them I have a ridiculous stash of speakers, and I usually play 10" speakers.

Agreed. 12" speakers are the lions share of the market, but I think 10" speakers are gaining in popularity, along with the general downsizing of stage volume.

My favorite 10" speakers right now are the Celestion Gold and the Weber 10A150. They're quite similar sounding, IMHO, with the Weber having a stronger low mid, and the Celestion having a stronger upper mid. The Mojotone Anthems are quite impressive too, both the 10" and the 12", and they are at a very attractive price point.

tonepoet · Sunday at 3:51 PM

I once had a 1995 Fender Deluxe Reverb Reissue that I had converted to two Weber 10" speakers. The amp, unfortunately, went up in smoke in a fire about 9 years ago now. At the time of the fire I had two GWS 10" speakers in it, so the Webers survived, as I had them elsewhere.

I have a Crate TV-6210 that gets stupid loud that has two 10's in it. I know most guitarists roll their eyes when they hear the word "Crate" but this particular model is really a quite good sounding 6L6 tube amp.

My Fender DRRI that sadly went up in smoke....

My "Stupid Loud" Crate TV-6210 with 2 x 10 speakers. You seriously can't play this thing above "2" on the Volume control.

Speaker comparison by Sweetwater

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