Tube Heads Through Neo Speakers; Yes? No?

etb67 · #1 11-18-2010, 07:25 AM

In a previous thread I posted that I'm not thrilled with the sound of my Mesa 400+ through my Schroeder 410BMF. After doing a little searching, I've seen a few posts with people saying that the Bergantino AE 410 would not be their first choice for a tube head.

Is anyone playing a tube head through a neo speaker cab with good results? Are neo speakers able to deliver the warmth that's normally associated with tubes?

What say you?

RCCollins · #2 11-18-2010, 07:29 AM

there is no reason a neo-based cab should be unable to "deliver warmth". I do tend to think that some of the more "modern" "hi-fi" cabs are wasted when you're cranking a tube amp thru 'em, but that's purely a matter of taste (and come to think of it, I bet my Mesa Buster would sound pretty sweet through a Bergantino...) and practicality.

ajunea3 · #3 11-18-2010, 07:39 AM

I remember when I was looking for a cab to match my SVT-CL, many of the ones I plugged into made my tube head sound exactly the same as any other SS head. Quite frustrating. Eventually I plugged into an Ampeg 810e, which I had played a few SS heads thru before, and I said "that's it, that's how a tube head should sound!".

I never plugged it into any neo cabs, but I can sure as hell say that some bass cabs in this world were just made for tube amps. Seems many people around here feel this way about the Berg NV series.

billfitzmaurice · #4 11-18-2010, 07:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by etb67

Are neo speakers able to deliver the warmth that's normally associated with tubes?

What say you?

The magnet material doesn't matter. This dead horse has been beaten enough already.

KJung · #5 11-18-2010, 07:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by etb67

In a previous thread I posted that I'm not thrilled with the sound of my Mesa 400+ through my Schroeder 410BMF. After doing a little searching, I've seen a few posts with people saying that the Bergantino AE 410 would not be their first choice for a tube head.

Is anyone playing a tube head through a neo speaker cab with good results? Are neo speakers able to deliver the warmth that's normally associated with tubes?

What say you?

IMO, not really a 'neo' thing but a voicing thing. Don Oatman of LDS has made some sealed neo multi 10 boxes that kill with the classic tube amp tone.

I agree though that many of the neo cabs are voiced for guys with more modern tone goals and smaller, modern solid state heads (like the AE cabs IMO). My guess is, that is due to the market and demand, where guys with 80 pound tube heads really aren't driving the lightweight cab business

RCCollins · #6 11-18-2010, 07:43 AM

the magnet is just one part of speaker design. most of the neo cabs out there just happen to be designed with a modrin full-range sound in mind. this doesn't always compliment the old-school tone of tube amps - but try it and see what you think! There's a wide variety of neo cabs available out there these days. I'll get one when i find one without a friggin horn!

KJung · #7 11-18-2010, 07:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RCCollins

the magnet is just one part of speaker design. most of the neo cabs out there just happen to be designed with a modrin full-range sound in mind. this doesn't always compliment the old-school tone of tube amps - but try it and see what you think! There's a wide variety of neo cabs available out there these days. I'll get one when i find one without a friggin horn!

Interestingly, Markbass had a line of sealed neo multi 10 cabs with defeatable horn that sounded really good. They just didn't sell and were discontinued. When you combine the IMO relatively low percentage of players using all tube heads, and also those player's obviously not caring much about weight, there isn't much of a market for a manufacturer to tap with a lightweight, vintage voiced cab.

Again, Don Oatman has made quite a few sealed neo 'vintage' boxes that seem to work pretty well. I'm not aware of anything else on the market. The Bergantino NV line is killer, and at least lighter than the fridge type cabs, but still in the 100 pound range.

stjohn1299 · #8 11-18-2010, 08:02 AM

I play a 400+ thru Avatar 2x12 and 2x10 cabs, which sound great. My only problem is I need to push more air to get in the mix with the two guitars.

kraigo · #9 11-18-2010, 08:11 AM

+1 to both RCCollins and KJung. Neo cabs are typicaly designed for a more hi-fi sound. If you're looking for something related to the Ampeg SVT sound, get a cab that is somewhat related to an SVT cab. I have a sealed 4x10 cab with the crossover disabled and Jensen Mod 10/50's installed for that very reason. I also have a Genz Benz NeoX212T.

Didn't MarkBass make a 8x10 Neo cab?

KO

kraigo · #10 11-18-2010, 08:13 AM

Seedokebass had a 4x12 Aguilar at the MN GTG on Monday. It would be a great match for a tube head.

KO

Datsgor · #11 11-18-2010, 08:21 AM

Yes. I play a 50 watt Carvin through my NeoX 212. It sounds great. I am not particularly picky though. My P-Bass through tubes is pretty hard to mess up. So, the speakers don't matter that much to me.

hdracer · #12 11-18-2010, 08:27 AM

I just picked up a Orange 115 with a Neo speaker in it to go with my VB-2. It sounds much better than the Eden cab with regular speakers in it. It's nice having a cab that weighs less than the head.

Illinimax · #13 11-18-2010, 08:30 AM

Sure, why not?

Just for grins, I ran my Matchless DC30 guitar amp (4xEL84 tube output section) into my 2 Berg AE112 cabs the other night. Holey moley did that sound good. Wow. Surprisingly loud. Thinking about tracking down a tube head now to compliment my LMIII.

billhilly66 · #14 11-18-2010, 08:34 AM

Mine sounds fine with neo's.

MooneyDriver · #15 11-18-2010, 08:58 AM

I can get a HiFi tone with my Hexavalve and Avatar 410/212 stack... It's all tooby goodness!

tombowlus · #16 11-18-2010, 09:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kraigo

Didn't MarkBass make a 8x10 Neo cab?

Yup, the CL108. That cab is from the line of sealed, neodymium driver cabs that Ken was referring to, above. These are my favorite Markbass cabs. They do have an element of that "modern tone" to them, but I think that is more from the design goals than the magnet material. This line, however, blends that modern tone with some vintage flair. If you want to know more about this cab, I reviewed it in issue #2 (wherein it was paired up with Markbass' 300-watt tube head, the Classic 300).

IME/IMHO, with my more powerful tube heads, I have had the best results using either sealed enclosures, or else ventilated enclosures with drivers that didn't exhibit a lot of cone excursion. It may be my playing style, but one of the problems I have had with some ported cabs is that when I drive them with my tube amps, the cones fairly jump right out of the cab. EQ can of course help, as does turning down (really, it can help!

), but with sealed cabs and/or very "controlled" ported cabs, I have not had similar issues. This generalization has held true, IME of course, regardless of magnet material (though I will say that most - but not all - of those "controlled" ported cabs have used ceramic drivers; the EA NM-410 is an exception).