cheap speakers vs expensive speakers

[JDC]

found this on youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Ixs7TuZGj0

I know you can't trust anything on youtube because of mic quality and placement and etc, I prefer the original speaker in that video for the tone, but the EQ of the speakers is probably completely different and each suit different sounds and etc

but do cheap speakers sound better than expensive speakers at low volume or not?

[martinw]

In our experience at Matamp (where we have a speaker test rig on a rotary switch) we find that, when trying speakers blind, the most popular choice is the G12T-100, the Hot 100 as was. It's a cheaper speaker.

Time and again, and at any volume, people choose this in preference to all the rest of the Celestion range.

[Prawnik]

Correct me if I am wrong, but weren't Celestions originally cheap-O speakers?  

And Leo Fender chose Jensens, because more expensive (and more accurate) speakers sounded horrible, with too much midrange (in those days, the line between instrument speaker, hi-fi, and PA speaker were very blurred).

[JJretroTONEGOD]

It's not high enough quality to be able to judge.

[gwEm]

I've seen that video a few times and often wondered about it. I have a G10 Vintage and can believe theres speakers out there I'll prefer more. Its a 60w speaker after all.

[Roobubba]

Ties to what Martinw said, I have to say I prefer the sound of the Celestion G12K-100 to all of the other celestions I've heard (which will no doubt be fewer than Martin, though!!). That's also one of their cheaper speakers. Of course, if depends on the application as to what suits you best.

Roo

PS I also like the Hot-100 speakers though ;)

[Fourth Feline]

Ties to what Martinw said, I have to say I prefer the sound of the Celestion G12K-100 to all of the other celestions I've heard (which will no doubt be fewer than Martin, though!!). That's also one of their cheaper speakers. Of course, if depends on the application as to what suits you best.

Roo

PS I also like the Hot-100 speakers though ;)

Yes, 'Twinfan' has a pair of Hot 100s too - which sound lovely. I also took delivery of a Laney 2 x 12 cab recently,loaded with similarly 'budget' Celestion 'Seventy80's. I am very pleased with the sound, especially the clean sound. I can really hear ( in a nice way ) the true action of my amp's "bright" switch - and my '57 re-issue Strat has never sounded so sparkly !  This is not at the expense of bass or mids.

The Seventy80s also do a lovely warm clean or bright clean, without any percieved harshness.  As Twinfan so accurately observed, these speakers tend to put out exactly what the guitar and amp put in - without excessively colouring the tone with any particular flavour . That does not mean 'sterile' ( as for example the Seventy80s have a lovely 'lift' in the upper mids ) - but simply that they 'track' whatever you send to them faithfully.

I therefore think, that despite ( for example ) my love of the Celestion Greenback / Eminence speakers / Jensens - there is a goldmine of afordable tone in Celestion's £20 + mark speakers .

[hamfist]

It's all very amp-dependant sometimes, IMO.   And personally, I like some of the classic Celestion speakers which "colour" the sound significantly (eg, greenbacks and V30's).

  For Marshall-type sounds, and definately with my current Plexi, the best speakers I have tried have, unfortunately, been the most expensive !

Scumback H75 and M75.  They manage to have a sweet, pleasing treble response, without a hint of harshness, which I have not heard in any other speakers.

[Twinfan]

It can depend a little on the cab used, but as an all round speaker I'm loving the Hot 100.  Cheap as chips, yet lovely.  Just like chips in fact  :D

I have a 4x12 with a Heritage G12H / Vintage 30 mix which has a great character that I really love, but it does seem to suit rock more than a clean tone.  I'll be picking up another 4x12 in a couple of weeks that I will probably fit four Hot 100s in as a comparison to my current 4x12.

Not all cheap speakers are created equally, but the cheap Hot 100 is a reasonably priced little gem  ;)

[JJretroTONEGOD]

I've seen that video a few times and often wondered about it. I have a G10 Vintage and can believe theres speakers out there I'll prefer more. Its a 60w speaker after all.

I have just bought a G10 vintage for my Vox VR30 and it is the best one I have heard to my ears, very detailed and well balanced all rounder, it's funny how we all have different tastes. I find that getting better speakers than the stock ones will always make the biggest tone improvements, as it's the last thing in the chain, before we hear it.

[PhilKing]

I still like Celestion Sidewinders (I just picked up a set of 4 - thanks Will), but I have ordered 2 Scumback M75-LHDC's to go with my new amp - more on this later.  I spoke to Jim at Scumback for a while about the speakers and will be putting together a 4x12 with his speakers later this year.  In the US they are priced cheaper than the Celestion Heritage range.   When I was trying the Matamp wall of speakers for my MiniMat, I picked out the G12M heritage (though the Blue had a great sound too).  They have changed the speakers in the cabs since though (they had some Eminence's in there when I tried them).

[Pete24v]

Anybody here use the Fane AXA Alnico 12"? I have one in a 1x12 and another in a 2x12 paired with a Vintage 30, both sound fantastic. To my ears better than the Celestion Golds. Their not the cheapest of speakers and they take a fair few hours to break in, but when they do it's a superb sound.

[indysmith]

Technically guitar amps and speakers are all appalling quality, in a HiFi context. Amps distort ridiculously, whilst producing far from an accurate representation of the signal from the pickups (which is more often than not a flawed signal anyway, due to the pickups being designed to respond more to some frequencies than others), this complete mess is then sent out to some absolutely rubbish speakers made of PAPER!

Guitar tone is about what sounds good (in a historical context), and has very little to do with using high-quality components. Where live sound and studio sound and hifi sound are constantly evolving, guitar amplification has always been stuck in the 1940s/50s.
There's absolutely no reason that a cheap guitar speaker should sound any different to an expensive guitar speaker; none of the speakers are technically 'better', because their task is not to provide an accurate representation of the signal from the amplifier. The task of any guitar speaker is to mimic the guitar sounds we've heard on countless records since the 1940s.

[Roobubba]

Technically guitar amps and speakers are all appalling quality, in a HiFi context. Amps distort ridiculously, whilst producing far from an accurate representation of the signal from the pickups (which is more often than not a flawed signal anyway, due to the pickups being designed to respond more to some frequencies than others), this complete mess is then sent out to some absolutely rubbish speakers made of PAPER!

Guitar tone is about what sounds good (in a historical context), and has very little to do with using high-quality components. Where live sound and studio sound and hifi sound are constantly evolving, guitar amplification has always been stuck in the 1940s/50s.
There's absolutely no reason that a cheap guitar speaker should sound any different to an expensive guitar speaker; none of the speakers are technically 'better', because their task is not to provide an accurate representation of the signal from the amplifier. The task of any guitar speaker is to mimic the guitar sounds we've heard on countless records since the 1940s.

I don't think I agree with this sentiment. If you plug a guitar straight into a HiFi for amplification, it sounds rubbish. That's because it's the blending of overtones and distortion that you get from a guitar amp/speakers enriches the sound, making it more pleasurable to our ears.
Of course, if your argument is that what we decide is "pleasurable to our ears" is solely based on the historical context of guitar amplification throughout the last 60 years, then I see where you're coming from, but still disagree. Subjective opinions based on past experience are one thing, and very difficult to quantify or even qualify. However, objective opinions based on direct comparison (for example between a guitar amplifier and a HiFi amplifier), while they can never be separated from our subjective opinions, do in all cases I have witnessed lead to the conclusion that guitars sound better through guitar amps than HiFi amps.

Sometimes the best component for a job is not the most expensive!

Roo

[Will]

Hi Fi's give a pure sound ideally
Guitar ams give a coloured sound - we are used to the coloured sound, they were originally designed to give a clean sound, but got coloured by turning up and overdriving.
Either way, I like my Sidewinders, and they were pretty cheap