Mixing non-neo speakers with neo speakers

[Funkmeister79]

Hey everybody - relative bass newbie here with a question.

I have an older Avatar B210 (not neo) 8 ohm cab that I plan to use at a bar gig next weekend. I'm entertaining the thought of adding another cab just in case. I've used this cab at a jam with a guitarist and drummer, with an Eden WTX-260 head, and I suppose it kept up ok in that setting. The gig next weekend should be bass, guitar, drums, and maybe sax. There will be PA support.

I've read many recommendations about sticking with the same brand, same model, same size when adding additional cabinets.

So let's say I'm looking at Avatar cabs for that second cab. Would I need to search used for an older, non-neo cab, or would a neo cab pair up well with my existing non-neo cab? I'm just thinking about the difference in speakers.

I know the issue of mixing cabs and speakers has been covered before, but I did a search and couldn't find anything specifically about mixing neo with non-neo.

Thanks!

[BassmanPaul]

I would ask Avatar for their advice. I would think that the two would mix fairly well. You will have to put the Neo cab on the bottom of the stack to prevent it from running away

[MuzikMan]

The magnet composition in itself will have no bearing on how they match up. You should probably think of the different drivers in question as just another pair of drivers, not neo mixed with ceramic.

[Eric Moesle]

Originally Posted by MuzikMan

The magnet composition in itself will have no bearing on how they match up. You should probably think of the different drivers in question as just another pair of drivers, not neo mixed with ceramic.

^^^^ This. ^^^^


There is no such thing as a neodymium SPEAKER, only speakers manufactured with neodymium MAGNETS.

Neodymium is just a lighter magnet. It by itself has no bearing at all on how a speaker sounds. The rest of the T/S parameters matter, though. Different models of speakers are designed to sound different, but the magent material is irrelevant to sound, only to weight.

[Vic]

Originally Posted by Eric Moesle

There is no such thing as a neodymium SPEAKER, only speakers manufactured with neodymium MAGNETS.

You're right, but I don't think it's a big deal for someone to say that, and I don't think that's the focus of the post you're responding to anyway.

IMHO, what he's really trying to say, which I agree with, is don't try to focus on one part of one component as a way to generally describe the different cabs.

They're gonna' be different for many reasons, so it should be a more general comparison simply as different sounding cabinets, and it's a good idea to go to the vendor and ask about the tonal blending of the two.

Neodymium is just a lighter magnet. It by itself has no bearing at all on how a speaker sounds. The rest of the T/S parameters matter, though. Different models of speakers are designed to sound different, but the magent material is irrelevant to sound, only to weight.

I would think at least some cab manufacturers would disagree. A Neo magnet is smaller... that means over the excursion of the voice coil, the magnetic field looks different than a larger ceramic magnet, which I would think would have an affect on its dynamic behavior. I have to believe that affects the sound of the speaker. IMHO it's over-simplification to simply look at a Gauss rating and view them as identical if that value is the same.

[billfitzmaurice]

Originally Posted by Eric Moesle

There is no such thing as a neodymium SPEAKER, only speakers manufactured with neodymium MAGNETS.
.

To be really precise drivers are manufactured with neo magnets. Speakers are what you get when you load drivers into an enclosure. But even driver manufacturers call them speakers, so you're forgiven.

IMHO it's over-simplification to simply look at a Gauss rating and view them as identical if that value is the same.

+1. The size savings with neo is what allows manufacturers to do things with them that weren't possible with ceramic or alnico. The flux density of the average neo pro-sound driver today is actually less than that of the alnico JBL D130 of 1949.
OP, don't go looking for old 210s, the Delta drivers they were loaded with pale badly in comparison to the neos Avatar uses today.

[IvanMike]

You get a very frustrated Agent Smith looking for "the one" like a needle in a haystack.

[Gotta P]

funny you should ask this question cause i currently play through an Acoustic neo 15 and a "regular" Fender 15 (powered by a Hartke LH 500) and they sound good together. It wasn't planned that way but i ended up doing a trade or two and that's what i got. i've never used Avatar so i can't give you any advice regarding mixing them but i would guess they would sound just fine. Can you try before buy? that would be the way to go. As long as the ohms are compatable w/ amp should not be a problem...

[Funkmeister79]

Thanks to all for the responses.

I sent Dave at Avatar an email and got a quick response - shouldn't be a problem to mix the two. That's all the detail I got.

[Vic]

Originally Posted by Funkmeister79

Thanks to all for the responses.

I sent Dave at Avatar an email and got a quick response - shouldn't be a problem to mix the two. That's all the detail I got.

...and... done.

[will33]

Originally Posted by Funkmeister79

Thanks to all for the responses.

I sent Dave at Avatar an email and got a quick response - shouldn't be a problem to mix the two. That's all the detail I got.

Mixing the 2 involves plugging them both in, that's all. As far as the resulting sound (or lack of it), it's always a crapshoot when mixing speakers, even if they are 2 different models from the same company, they're still different.

[Vic]

Originally Posted by will33

...it's always a crapshoot when mixing speakers, even if they are 2 different models from the same company, they're still different.

It's only a crapshoot if you do it without any information from a reliable source. He got feedback from the manufacturer... I think that's pretty reliable.

[JoshuaTSP]

I'm mixing speakers in a 2x15 and it's fine.

[countrybass007]

I use both types with PJB rigs and can't hear any difference between the two.