hi, what are the most common but high efficency 12" guitar speakers out there? I'm looking one for a 25W tube guitar amp project 🙂, i need a good sensibility speaker to get the most juice from it
thanks
thanks
All 12" guitar speakers are likely to have high sensitivity and 100dB is an achievable target.
Can you get Celestion speakers over there?
Guitar Speakers - 8, 10, 12 and 15 inch - Celestion
Can you get Celestion speakers over there?
Guitar Speakers - 8, 10, 12 and 15 inch - Celestion
hello printer, british tone would be good, it's for the el84 x 2 fixed bias amp we talked week ago
being more precise something with strong bottom and low mids
being more precise something with strong bottom and low mids
celestion is pretty common around here in chile, but i got interest on a Eminence GB128(101 db)i found in my local craigslist, sadly it was sold
celestion G12's , Seventy 80, and Eminence legend are the most common
celestion G12's , Seventy 80, and Eminence legend are the most common
The 55Hz bass resonance of the G12H 55 may satisfy your strong bottom end requirement and its sensitivity is 100dB.
Heritage Series G12H 55 - Celestion Guitar Speaker
Heritage Series G12H 55 - Celestion Guitar Speaker
So no $250 - 300 speaker. What is your range and what is the availability speaker manufacturers to you?
High sensitivity only needs ratty paper and plotting the peaks of the response curve.
High efficiency gets into Natural Law. No free lunch! It needs a very powerful magnet and very costly assembly tolerances. A couple hundred dollars is not unreasonable. When I was doing concerts in the parks, I figured a set of GOOD speakers more than justified the cost in better sound, fewer boxes to move, and fewer failures. However as with power, double the cost may be double the efficiency (2% to 4%) but is NOT "twice as loud".
Chile, eh? Cross the border into Argentina and ask JMFahey what he makes and recommends.
High efficiency gets into Natural Law. No free lunch! It needs a very powerful magnet and very costly assembly tolerances. A couple hundred dollars is not unreasonable. When I was doing concerts in the parks, I figured a set of GOOD speakers more than justified the cost in better sound, fewer boxes to move, and fewer failures. However as with power, double the cost may be double the efficiency (2% to 4%) but is NOT "twice as loud".
Chile, eh? Cross the border into Argentina and ask JMFahey what he makes and recommends.
oh, i wasn't aware of that, but after all both terms are based on loudness or i'm wrong?
that would be awesome, but rather impossible hehe
i'll buy a used speaker, and the most common speakers on sale i see on the sites are the replaced ones, u know, people buy cabinets and replace all the stock speakers with vintage 30's then sell them, those kind of generic models, i'm interested and see the most.. celestions g12t-75, eminence's.. because people sell them cheap, i'd even buy a rebranded marshall celestion speaker. if sensibility is good of course
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Most of the 12" speakers seem to be at least 98db/w, so I don't think sensitivity should be an issue.
jeff
97 dB efficiency. You won't find much more on a budget.
Celestion G12T-75 - 12 inch 75W Guitar Speaker
Since you are buying used just look up the speaker being sold (looking for Sensitivity 97-100 dB 1watt @ 1 meter), there is not much sense us giving options that may never come up. Well maybe one. I bought a Fender Special Design speaker out of a Blues Jr or something that the person replaced. As PRR said, large magnet. I used it in a 6V6 P-P variant amp which put out 15W, was darn loud although I don't know what it would do clean with a drummer.
Celestion G12T-75 - 12 inch 75W Guitar Speaker
Since you are buying used just look up the speaker being sold (looking for Sensitivity 97-100 dB 1watt @ 1 meter), there is not much sense us giving options that may never come up. Well maybe one. I bought a Fender Special Design speaker out of a Blues Jr or something that the person replaced. As PRR said, large magnet. I used it in a 6V6 P-P variant amp which put out 15W, was darn loud although I don't know what it would do clean with a drummer.
Funny but a Celestion Seventy 80 Speaker came up where I am for $29.99, or a case of beer or pedel or anything else you have. I am not short of speakers but I do not have a Celestion, thought I would look it up.
https://guitarspeakerguide.com/celestion-seventy-80-speakers/
Well, not much that draws me to it. It is fairly efficient 98 dB. With different EQ maybe it would be better? I found the clean more to my liking rather than the dirtier clips.
https://guitarspeakerguide.com/celestion-seventy-80-speakers/
Well, not much that draws me to it. It is fairly efficient 98 dB. With different EQ maybe it would be better? I found the clean more to my liking rather than the dirtier clips.
Which are same as Eminence "101dB"
Always substract 2.5 to 3dB to Eminence printed ratings.
SPL graphics/curves tell the truth , but most people never read (or understand) them, everybody just looks at "the number" and not much else.
Just my opinion, but while it is a laudable goal to maximize what an amp can do, a few decibels either way is not a big deal. All else equal, the difference between a 98db speaker and a 101db speaker is about the difference between 4 and 5 on the volume knob, if even that much.
97 or 98 dB is about as high as they typically get, if you go by half-space reference efficiency. Those 100+dB numbers are averages that include the contribution from the breakup peak, which can be +15dB. Speakers with a bigger breakup peak (more dB, covering a wider band) are going to sound louder than ones with a narrow or mild one.
You can get speakers with real 100 to 102 dB sensitivity, even in 8 ohm. The motors are extremely strong, and Qts values too low for typical open back guitar use. They make good true mid ranges, and work best on horns. Some people do use them for guitar, but the sound is a lot different than what most are used to - very little bottom end But LOUD and will eat a ton of power. EVM12L is one such driver, and B&C makes several suggested replacements for it that are easier to find.
Celestion has normalized sound files on its site, listen to them.
Speakers make a huge difference in sound.
Speakers make a huge difference in sound.
As yet said, high efficiency calls for a powerful motor, a stiff basket, sophisticated voice coil winding technology, hence $$$. Regarding musical instruments 12", JBL's D-120, K-120 and E-120 come to mind, also Electro Voice's EVM12-L, EVM12-S. Some of them no longer are in production, but can be found as used parts. Be careful, though, as especially the AlNiCo magnets in MI speakers (D-120, K-120...) are prone to partial demagnetization by prolonged heavy use.
Best regards!
Best regards!
I manufacture my own MI speakers from scratch (sheet metal, cold rolled iron bar, etc.) and am painfully aware of the effort and $$$ it takes to increase even 1dB efficiency.
From experience: 100/101 **true** dB takes HUGE magnets (think EV 190 mm to JBL 220mm), incredible precision machined parts, cast frames, edgewound voice coils, usually aluminum or sometimes copper ribbon if in woofer-only duty.
Same from stamped speaker plates, stamped steel baskets (which flex so make high precision useless), mid sized (130/150mm) magnets, round copper wire coils? FORGET IT.
I´m happy with my own 96/97 true dB speakers which I can make for very low cost and match Jensen - Eminence - Celestion performance to populate my own cabinets, no need for more, but IF pressed could also match the higher end ones too, all it takes is enough customers to justify the (heavy) investment .
It is not NASA technology by any means, already mature in the 50´s, go figure.
Only difference is higher temperature adhesives and former materials allow the exact same designs to stand > 200W RMS when originals were about 30W RMS, but nothing else.
From experience: 100/101 **true** dB takes HUGE magnets (think EV 190 mm to JBL 220mm), incredible precision machined parts, cast frames, edgewound voice coils, usually aluminum or sometimes copper ribbon if in woofer-only duty.
Same from stamped speaker plates, stamped steel baskets (which flex so make high precision useless), mid sized (130/150mm) magnets, round copper wire coils? FORGET IT.
I´m happy with my own 96/97 true dB speakers which I can make for very low cost and match Jensen - Eminence - Celestion performance to populate my own cabinets, no need for more, but IF pressed could also match the higher end ones too, all it takes is enough customers to justify the (heavy) investment .
It is not NASA technology by any means, already mature in the 50´s, go figure.
Only difference is higher temperature adhesives and former materials allow the exact same designs to stand > 200W RMS when originals were about 30W RMS, but nothing else.