GK Neo Speaker Issues - Anyone else?

[9M2E]

Hi my fellow bass players!
I am wondering if anyone else out there has had an issue with GK Neo speakers not lasting? Let me explain...

I have owned an MB212-1 which GK replaced the speakers in twice when i owned it, every time this happened the amp was with gain at 9 o'clock, contour on, eq flat, boost at 1:30/2, Volume at noon LIMITER ON - so lets say 30% of the amps potential. In the end i ended up putting eminence speakers in it which could take the amp wide open for 4 hours straight no problem...later sold because I wanted to go back to 10’s.

When we play large gigs i use my 700rb head and 410mbe-1 800watt and 410mbe-1 400 watt cab together to make an 8x10. well again at only about 30% power on the 700rb(which these cabs have never even seen 50%) and the 800 watt cab blows a 10, right after the 1 year warranty is up to the tune of $170 to get a replacement GK speaker to my door, no after-market 32 ohm neo replacements available.

I wanted a smaller rig for those more intimate venues so i got an mb210-2 which i use with a 115mbe-1 (400 watt) and with my settings just as i described for the mb212 right as the warranty is up BAM another (*%$*&#*($!# 10 blows. I don’t push these speakers by any means but at this rate I’m dang near the price of another combo/rig dealing with these speaker issues. It’s very disheartening and I have loved, played, and promoted gk gear for 15 years and feel like I’m just getting milked on special ohmage speakers at this rate that are blowing under conditions they should not be.

 

[Tunaman]

These aren't the NEO speaker line which are braced but they are neodynium speakers I believe... the MB line is NOT braced

odd though

 

[9M2E]

Correct they utilize the same speakers.

 

[CL400Peavey]

Knob position means nothing. You may have just been pushing them too hard.

 

[9M2E]

the fact that i leave the limiter on at all times and this still happens maters. Knob positioning i think does matter since boosting certain freq's too much at certain volumes could infact cause damage and booting all freqs will produce more overall volume. My point is they way I set up my amps and the amount of power im usuing vs what these speakers are rated to handle, this should never have happened period. I have owned plenty of GK gear over the years and in my younger, much louder years I was pushing my GK gear to the max all the time and never had any failures.

 

[CL400Peavey]

knob positioning i think does matter since boosting certain freq's too much at certain volumes could infact cause damage and my point is they way I set up my amps and the amount of power im usuing this should never have happened period. I have owned plenty of GK gear over the years and in my younger much louder years was pushing my GK gear to the max all the time and never had any failures.

Did you measure the power output?

 

[kikstand454]

I love Gk. My first amp was a gk 750rb. I love everything about them.

Recently I've been looking to downsize and tried the mb212-2, 210-2,115-2 and an older 212-1 at the local GC. The new ones were new....a week on the floor. Everyone of them farted out/ sounded blown at 9oclock. The salesman called a manager over and he yanked them all from the floor. These were new.

This past weekend I tried a new 210-2 there.....it held together and sounded awesome.

So I'm 1 for 5 on the MB amps. 20%.

I bought a genzbenz.

 

[orangejulius3]

Add a fdeck HPF to your rig.

I think somebody else posted an issue like this not to long ago.
The consensus from TB was mostly aimed on the EQ section.

I would also turn the contour off or if it's a knob, I would turn it down.

 

[9M2E]

No, but a 500 watt amp operating at 30% of it's potential would be around 150 watts which is why im so unhappy!

for example when the 10 just blew in the mb210-2 there was an extension cab hooked up so you can divide that 30% by 2.

Same thing with the 2 4x10's, the 400watt 410mbe uses traditional paragon speakers YET the 800watt cab usuing neos blew a 10 at the same volume only reciving about 15% of the amps total power potential at the time.

 

[9M2E]

Add a fdeck HPF to your rig.

I think somebody else posted an issue like this not to long ago.
The consensus from TB was mostly aimed on the EQ section.

I would also turn the contour off or if it's a knob, I would turn it down.

on the 700rb everything is at noon except gain at 9 oclock, master volume at 10:30, and Boost at 1:30/2.

On the combos there is a ton of mid range honk with the contour off.

 

[thebates]

I have a 210 neo GK cab that I use with either a 4-10 Hy-Drive or 2-12. All cabs are 8 ohm so I can use any two together for a 4 ohm load to my Genz shuttle 600. I find (found) that having the 210 sit on top was a nice size and moved a little more air for outdoor deck work. Well after one summer the GK cab is breaking up and probably ready to go. What I did on last gig was elevate the 4-10 on a piano bench. So I only have 300 watts from the amp but sounds better without the now unusable 210 GK neo cabinet. Would NOT buy another!

 

[gjbassist]

I have two Series 1 GK 112 Neo cabinets that I bought used. Both still have the original speakers and both still sound great. I've been using them for a couple of years now and have played several gigs. Currently driving them with a LMIII head and have had no issues with farting out.

 

[CL400Peavey]

No, but a 500 watt amp operating at 30% of it's potential would be around 150 watts which is why im so unhappy!

for example when the 10 just blew in the mb210-2 there was an extension cab hooked up so you can divide that 30% by 2.

Same thing with the 2 4x10's, the 400watt 410mbe uses traditional paragon speakers YET the 800watt cab usuing neos blew a 10 at the same volume only reciving about 15% of the amps total power potential at the time.

How do you know you were operating at 30%?

 

[9M2E]

How do you know you were operating at 30%?

That is my best educated guess given the eq settings and the combined settings of input gain and master volume. I would believe that if all levels were at noon and the input gain and master volume were at noon (which would be WAYYYYYY) louder than the settings i use/describe the amp would be operating at 50% of its potential. no? Is there somthing your getting at I dont know?

 

[dukeisdog]

That is my best educated guess given the eq settings and the combined settings of input gain and master volume. I would believe that if all levels were at noon and the input gain and master volume were at noon (which would be WAYYYYYY) louder than the settings i use/describe the amp would be operating at 50% of its potential. no? Is there somthing your getting at I dont know?

That's incorrect.

A lot of amps have a lot of power up until 12 o'clock but after that don't put out a lot more usable volume. The position of the knobs on your amp will not let you know how much power your amp is putting out.

 

[9M2E]

That's incorrect.

A lot of amps have a lot of power up until 12 o'clock but after that don't put out a lot more usable volume. The position of the knobs on your amp will not let you know how much power your amp is putting out.

Ok let’s wrangle it this way then …. You mean to tell me a 480 watt amp hooked to an 800 watt 410 and a 400 watt 410 should be blowing speakers ( the higher rated ones none the less) with the settings I described? I’m betting GK owners who are familiar with the gear and settings I described would disagree.

Or let’s address the MB210, GK manual advises to start off with the master volume at 3'oclock and input gain at 9'oclock everything else flat. I add a little boost and never pushed the master past noon or input past 9 and leave the rest flat. The manual is advising me to blow my speakers? I think not.

My inquiry was asking if anyone else had issues not to argue with me over amp settings or my rationale, again I’m betting someone who is familiar with the gear would agree with my complaints.

 

[CL400Peavey]

Ok let’s wrangle it this way then …. You mean to tell me a 480 watt amp hooked to an 800 watt 410 and a 400 watt 410 should be blowing speakers ( the higher rated ones none the less) with the settings I described? I’m betting GK owners who are familiar with the gear and settings I described would disagree.

Or let’s address the MB210, GK manual advises to start off with the master volume at 3'oclock and input gain at 9'oclock everything else flat. I add a little boost and never pushed the master past noon or input past 9 and leave the rest flat. The manual is advising me to blow my speakers? I think not.

My inquiry was asking if anyone else had issues not to argue with me over amp settings or my rationale, again I’m betting someone who is familiar with the gear would agree with my complaints.

With out hearing the rig, and the sounds of distress your cabs might be making, it is impossible for one to tell why your driver failed with out more information.

In *most* cases blown drivers seem to stem from over powering/equing by the user.

As a side note, those power ratings are thermal ratings probably around 1000 hz, they tell you nothing of the low bass power handling a cab might have.

 

[eriky4003]

9M2E,
I sympathize. My old rig was a Hartke 3500 which I was using (in the end) with a Peavey 1516 cab with a 500(!) Watt BW 15". That speaker blew when I had Master at 5, Tube @3 & SS@2. The guitarist in my band used a scope and measured at those settings (+ an aggressive eq admittedly) I was pumping out close to 350 watts.
I since switched to GK with an MB500, older GK 410 ceramic & 115iii Neo at our rehearsal hall. Popped the wire to the 15" twice, so replaced the speaker with a more robust 15". But also I purchased a compressor and eq'd the bass to about 10:30, mid about 1:30 and haven't popped a speaker in over a year and a half.
My lessons learned: amp output based on volume knobs is probably not linear and try to send only half the power the speakers are rated for.

 

[9M2E]

With out hearing the rig, and the sounds of distress your cabs might be making, it is impossible for one to tell why your driver failed with out more information.

In *most* cases blown drivers seem to stem from over powering/equing by the user.

As a side note, those power ratings are thermal ratings probably around 1000 hz, they tell you nothing of the low bass power handling a cab might have.

The only thing that was not included in the settings listed is I play stingrays but they are eq'ed flat on the bass as well. And I keep the basses volume at a level that keeps the clip light from comming on/ clipping unless its heavy and hard slap and even still u will only see a flash here and there. Thank you for the additional information on power ratings. But even so, Im matching manufactures gear so one would think the ratings would be realitive.

 

[Up the dose]

I replaced my blown GK neo speakers with Eminence deltas. It was cheaper than re coning the blown GK's. The cabs are heavier, but they sound better and I have never blown up an Eminence speaker. I have used them before in Cabs I have previously owned and they have been bombproof.