Thoughts on these extensions cabs for the Iconic 5150 15w

[Stiman]

Ok, so I have the 5150 Iconic 15w combo. It has an internal 10" (16 ohms, 40 watts) speaker which sounds pretty good, but we all know more speakers == better. So I'd like to get a 1x12 extension cab to sit under it.

I think I'm mostly sold on the EVH 5150 III 112 cab. It's got a Celestion G12H 30w anniversary edition. From watching comparison videos, it sounds like a pretty good speaker. So given that, and the fact that aesthetically, it would look good being matched with the Iconic. It also being lower wattage, closer to the amp wattage and closer to the internal speaker wattage, I think makes sense/is a good thing?

I'm also considering the PRS Tremonti 112 (Vintage 30 speaker) or the PRS Archon 112 (Celestion V-type speaker). Both of these are 70 watts however. How big of a deal would that be, if the internal speaker is 40 watts. Would a 70 watts speaker be a poor match up?

Whatever I choose, it has to be a 16 ohms cab to match with the internal 16 ohms speaker.

Also, this is 100% for bedroom playing at low volume.

 

[Stiman]

Here's a crappy collage for fun:

 

[USMarine75]

5150III® 1x12 Cabinet, Black

The new EVH 5150III® 2x12 and 1x12 cabinets are the perfect companions for the new EVH 5150III® 50-Watt Head, delivering pure EVH sound and power in a compact package.

www.evhgear.com

I prefer the G12H to the V30 for that amp. Less bright and more smooth. I also think it sounds better (fuller) at lower volumes.

The Iconic has the ability to sound harsh / brittle especially with the presence up.

 

[Stiman]

Cool, I like less bright and more smooth.

And yeah, I keep the presence just below noon and it's good, but above noon it's too harsh for sure.

 

[MatrixClaw]

I put a V30 in my Iconic 40 and I've got the presence at like 3 o'clock and I don't find it overly bright. Actually, I find the amp pretty dark overall... Is the 15 really that much brighter?

 

[Stiman]

I put a V30 in my Iconic 40 and I've got the presence at like 3 o'clock and I don't find it overly bright. Actually, I find the amp pretty dark overall... Is the 15 really that much brighter?

That's interesting. A bit shocking actually, 3 o'clock!? Maybe it's the 10" vs 12" speaker at play.

I do like a darker tone generally.

 

[budda]

Is

I put a V30 in my Iconic 40 and I've got the presence at like 3 o'clock and I don't find it overly bright. Actually, I find the amp pretty dark overall... Is the 15 really that much brighter?

How far below your head/close to your body is the speaker?

 

[MatrixClaw]

That's interesting. A bit shocking actually, 3 o'clock!? Maybe it's the 10" vs 12" speaker at play.

I do like a darker tone generally.

Could be. Or the EL84s. I don't doubt it's brighter because of the smaller power section.

How far below your head/close to your body is the speaker?

I mean, it depends when I'm playing it. I've sat directly in front of it, off to the side, standing ~6ft back, I've also recorded it direct through my PowerStation. The presence doesn't really seem to do that much until like 2 o'clock

 

[Stiman]

Could be. Or the EL84s. I don't doubt it's brighter because of the smaller power section.

Every version of the Iconic amps uses 6L6 power tubes, including this 15w which has a single 6L6.

I mean, it depends when I'm playing it. I've sat directly in front of it, off to the side, standing ~6ft back, I've also recorded it direct through my PowerStation. The presence doesn't really seem to do that much until like 2 o'clock

Hmm, I think I vaguely remember James mentioning something about that regarding the presence control not doing much. But it could be different on the 15w, cause it's pretty drastic between 11 and 1 o'clock (4 and 6).

 

[Stiman]

Looks like a local store near me has the EVH 5150 III 112 for $50 off for boxing day. That might seal the deal for me.

 

[budda]

Could be. Or the EL84s. I don't doubt it's brighter because of the smaller power section.

I mean, it depends when I'm playing it. I've sat directly in front of it, off to the side, standing ~6ft back, I've also recorded it direct through my PowerStation. The presence doesn't really seem to do that much until like 2 o'clock

I think thats a 5150 presence knob thing - recently tried the experiment with my 90s model and not a lot til the tail end of travel. I keep it below noon nonetheless

 

[RevDrucifer]

I REALLY dig the EVH 2x12 I have and it’s because of the ability to translate at lower volumes. I don’t know how it sounds with an Iconic but it can’t be that far off base.

 

[Stiman]

I REALLY dig the EVH 2x12 I have and it’s because of the ability to translate at lower volumes. I don’t know how it sounds with an Iconic but it can’t be that far off base.

Does it have the Celestion G12H 30w anniversary speakers?

 

[MatrixClaw]

Every version of the Iconic amps uses 6L6 power tubes, including this 15w which has a single 6L6.



Hmm, I think I vaguely remember James mentioning something about that regarding the presence control not doing much. But it could be different on the 15w, cause it's pretty drastic between 11 and 1 o'clock (4 and 6).

Oooh interesting. One 6L6 for the power amp on the 15? That's different. I actually thought I read that the presence was different on the Iconic than the original 5150 and used a logarithmic pot, but maybe I'm remembering differently

 

[RevDrucifer]

Does it have the Celestion G12H 30w anniversary speakers?

Yeppers.

 

[Ambientmelodeath]

Every version of the Iconic amps uses 6L6 power tubes, including this 15w which has a single 6L6.



Hmm, I think I vaguely remember James mentioning something about that regarding the presence control not doing much. But it could be different on the 15w, cause it's pretty drastic between 11 and 1 o'clock (4 and 6).

 

[Stiman]

@Ambientmelodeath you didn't write anything in your post.

 

[youngthrasher9]

Cool, I like less bright and more smooth.

And yeah, I keep the presence just below noon and it's good, but above noon it's too harsh for sure.

While I wouldn’t call the H30 anniversary a bright speaker, it is not smooth sounding at all in my opinion. It’s one of my favorite speakers ever but I found it to have a nice crunchy old school celestion thing going on in the midrange like a normal greenback with a little less around 500hz and a little more going on between 1.5k-3khz.

Smooth sounding speaker what you want? Maybe try a cannabis rex.

 

[Stiman]

*** UPDATE ***

Ok, so I bought the EVH 112 on sale, but, it didn't have the speaker that it's advertised as having... Not sure exactly why that is, and the store said they would order a new one and let me just swap it when it comes in.

So the cab came with a Celestion G12H-EVH instead of the G12H 30w Anniversary. I thought it was fishy when I noticed that the backplate said 25w max instead of 30w. So I opened it up and saw this:

Anyway, this things sounds good. I would still rather have the 30w anniversary though. So I'll definitely do the swap. Here's a fun pic of the mini stack!!

 

[Stiman]

The angle that I took this photo at makes it looks like the amp is much bigger than the cab, but in reality the amp is just 2" taller... looks better in person.