Eminence BETA 15A 15" Speakers. Good replacement for vintage Ampeg cab?

[Fender4Me]

I picked up a vintage ampeg B25B cab that I am using with my V4 recently and one of the original speakers has a rattle in it. Instead of reconing, I was thinking of replacing both speakers. What do you guys think of the Eminence BETA 15A's ? I can get a new pair for $160.00 shipped. If someone has a better suggestion, please let me know but, I would like to keep it under $200.00 for a pair. Thanks!

[nashvillebill]

What about going up to the Gamma or the Delta 15A, I've used the Delta's and they sound nice. (the cast frame delta's are probably pretty awesome but they're more $ than the regular frame Deltas)

[Fender4Me]

I thought the Delta was more of a PA speaker.

[nashvillebill]

The older Delta spec sheet I've got says "for all high power bass applications including bass guitar"

They have 3 Delta 15's now, the Delta 15A, the Delta 15LFA which has a little more Xmax, and the cast frame Deltas.

[sickest beast]

I have a pair of Eminence Delta 15A speakers in my 70s Ampeg B25B 2x15. They sound great. I run them at 4ohms. Forget the Beta and get Deltas.

[Fender4Me]

Ok Thanks. I will give them a look.

[sickest beast]

oh. If you still have the original B25B speakers, KEEP THEM. If you can get them reconed one day they might be worth some cash.

I still have my originals, they aren't broken, I just didn't want to ruin them with a high powered amp. They are warm, sweet sounding speakers. I put them in the boxes that the Delta 15As came in to keep them safe.

[fuzzy beard]

Take a look on flip tops. They suggest speakers by wich cab you have.

[billfitzmaurice]

Originally Posted by nashvillebill

What about going up to the Gamma or the Delta 15A, I've used the Delta's and they sound nice. (the cast frame delta's are probably pretty awesome but they're more $ than the regular frame Deltas)

The Beta has more excursion than the Delta or Gamma. The Delta Pro is a totally different animal, and one not happy with a sealed cab if that's what the OP has. With a V4 the excursion is moot, but there's no particular advantage to spending more than what the Beta costs.

[Lowbrow]

Originally Posted by billfitzmaurice

The Beta has more excursion than the Delta or Gamma. The Delta Pro is a totally different animal, and one not happy with a sealed cab if that's what the OP has. With a V4 the excursion is moot, but there's no particular advantage to spending more than what the Beta costs.

Upshot is you recommend the Betas, correct?

[Fender4Me]

The B25B cab is vented. Fliptops does recommend the Beta for the B35B cab. I think that is what I may go with. There are several versions of the Delta 15A. I'm not sure which is which........

[will33]

He says excursion is moot because your v4 doesn't have enough power to need a lot of excursion. In this case the end result would be better to give up some xmax/deep lows for higher spl and output where it counts.

Bottom line is either a pair of 8ohm beta15's or regular stamped frame delta 15's would be a good fit and spending more on premium high performance drivers would be money wasted because you don't have enough power to take advantage of them.

[craig.p]

Actually the cab is "leaked," not vented. But, in fairness, you could consider it a reflex (vented) box except with port damping taken to a rarely-seen extreme.

[sickest beast]

for the record: I think Deltas in this cabinet sound great, not as nice as the original speakers, but good for a 2x15 configuration. Handles a 200 watt tube amp nicely.

Perhaps the B25B was designed for low wattage since the amp that goes with it was only 65 watts?

[Fender4Me]

I just ordered a pair of Betas. I am having the original speakers reconed next week and will A-B them and post the results.

[runmikeyrun]

I had betas in a mid-80s Randall cab and it sounded quite good. They'll handle way more power than your amp puts out, but that's nice if you ever want to power the cab with something else.

[JimmyM]

Originally Posted by Lowbrow

Upshot is you recommend the Betas, correct?

For Ampeg style cabs, yes he does. I have zero complaints about the Delta 15a's in my B-15 cabs, though. I have slammed them pretty hard with my SVT on occasion, and they take a considerable amount of juice before they fart. The SVT farts well before they do. Still, the Betas will take a little more because of the extra Xmax. But the Betas and Deltas are the recommended speakers for vintage replacements, especially in Ampeg cabs.

[JimmyM]

Originally Posted by Fender4Me

I just ordered a pair of Betas. I am having the original speakers reconed next week and will A-B them and post the results.

If yours are CTS's, they should sound pretty similar.

[snowblinder]

Sorry to briefly hijack this thread, but for a 70's B-15N (the one with the blueline lettering and the Thiele design cab), would a Beta 15A be an ideal match? Fliptops recommends it, but I wasn't sure if their recommendation was based on the older style B-15's or the one that I have, which have different cab designs.

I put a 400 watt EV-15L in mine just to test it out, as I love the sound of the 15L in other cabs I've owned, and it sounds really bad. Total mud, lots of rattle.

[JimmyM]

Fliptops' recommendation is based on what's available new. The Beta and Delta probably are the best choices out of new replacement speakers, but I thought the Delta sucked in the 77 B-15N I used to have. In the double baffle cab it's smooth and even, and in the Thiele it's upper mid-scooped. The 71 CTS in it was much less bright than the Delta, but it worked better because the lack of brightness played down the mid scoop, and I could EQ in some brightness if I needed it, although not to the level I would have liked.

So for that reason, it's generally accepted that THE speaker to have in a Thiele cab B-15N or S is the Altec 421a because it's got a boost in the upper mids. Only available used and not cheap, but it works better than the Beta/Delta in those cabs if you want more even response in the upper mids. It was also the upgrade speaker in those cabs.