Vintage 30 8ohm/16ohm

[glytch5]

Whats goin on?

I have owned quite a few different guitar speakers from different brands. I own a made in UK marshall 4x12 with the stock G12t 75s which I really like.
I recently decided to take my man o war 8ohm out of my 1x12 and try out a V30.

All my amps are setup for 16ohm, so I went with a 16ohm v30....
I must say I absolutely HATE this speaker... it just doesn't sound to my ears.
What I am wondering is, does the 16ohm V30 kinda suck? I know there are a couple vids showing the 8 ohm version does sound different.

Is this a common thing? The 16 ohm version just kinda sucks unless its mixed into a big cab? My 8ohm man o war is pretty cool, no idea if the 16 ohm version sounds any different. If I bought an 8 ohm v 30 would it sound totally different?

Or is it just that the new Chinese v30s don't sound good? Any advice is appreciated.

 

[KailM]

If the V30 is brand new it’s going to take a minimum of 25 hours of loud playing to break-in and start to sound like it should, with more improvements being noticeable even beyond 50+ hours.

The first time I installed an Eminence Governor, I almost sent it back after two days. It sounded very stiff, ice-picky, and harsh— with not enough low-end. After 25 hours though, it became an absolute raging beast...

 

[devastone]

If you don't like the 16 ohm version, you probably won't like the 8 ohm version. If there are differences, they will be subtle, the voicing will be the same. The V30 is the Tone Zone of the speaker world, lots of people love it and lots of people don't like it (hate is such an ugly word). It has a big midrange spike and can sound harsh. I'm in the camp of, it's not my favorite speaker, I like something a little smoother on the top end and without the spiky midrange.

Posting at the same time as KailM, maybe I didn't give the V30 long enough... If you want one already broken in, you might try an Avatar Hellatone.

 

[jc986]

They actually sound quite a bit different. Similar voicing, yes, but pretty much any 16 ohm speaker will have more high end fizz than the 8 ohm counterpart. I like my 8 ohm V30’s I have in my 4x12, but ultimately ended up replacing the 16ohm V30’s that were in my 2x12 (both cabs are Diezel front loaded) with darker speakers (currently have a Texas Heat / Swamp Thang combo.

I have recorded some a/b comparisons that I will try to post up here but there is definitely a difference.

Celestion only posts the EQ curve for its 8ohm version, but if you look at any of Eminence’s speakers that are offered in both 8ohm and 16ohm you can see there is a difference with consistently more high end with the 16ohm speakers.

In addition there are at least 5 different versions of the Vintage 30, and all sound a bit different.

T3903 Standard 8 ohm
T3904 Standard 16 ohm
T3987 Marshall OEM 16 ohm
T4416 Mesa OEM 16 ohm
T4335 Mesa OEM 8 ohm

 

[oneblackened]

16 ohm V30s are WAY brighter than the 8 ohm version. I don't like the 16 ohm ones much.

 

[MaxOfMetal]

What cab? The V30s, regardless of ohms, tend to like bigger boxes, or if a smaller cab, open/semi-open backs.

Small, closed cabs tend to be shrill, at least until you really break it in.

As has been said, put at least 24 hours of loud, stage volume, playing through it. If you don't have time for that consider one of the multiple "pre-broken in" options, or just buy used, which is what I tend to do with speakers.

 

[glytch5]

I have experienced zero evidence of break ins making much a difference at all with every speaker I have ever bought, so I am not expecting the tone to change much. It is definitely very fizzy sounding... I guess that is the 16 ohm thing? It is in a seismic luke 1x12. Sounds good with the man o war... just wanted something different. It is a closed back, I don't really do open back considering most of what I play is a lot of chugging high gain... open backed cabs can be extremely hard on you're speakers, and in many cases cause them to blow with low tuned chugs.
From the replies it sounds like there is a mix of thoughts on this... I guess I should really have grabbed the 8 ohm!
Does the same go for most guitar speakers? The 8ohms have better tonal ranges? Out of all the speakers I have bought, most of them were always 8 ohm so I never really thought about them being different... only other 16 ohm speaks were the stock marshall lead cab drivers.

 

[MaxOfMetal]

I have experienced zero evidence of break ins making much a difference at all with every speaker I have ever bought, so I am not expecting the tone to change much. It is definitely very fizzy sounding... I guess that is the 16 ohm thing? It is in a seismic luke 1x12. Sounds good with the man o war... just wanted something different. It is a closed back, I don't really do open back considering most of what I play is a lot of chugging high gain... open backed cabs can be extremely hard on you're speakers, and in many cases cause them to blow with low tuned chugs.
From the replies it sounds like there is a mix of thoughts on this... I guess I should really have grabbed the 8 ohm!
Does the same go for most guitar speakers? The 8ohms have better tonal ranges? Out of all the speakers I have bought, most of them were always 8 ohm so I never really thought about them being different... only other 16 ohm speaks were the stock marshall lead cab drivers.

The V30s specifically are known for needing some break-in time. Most speakers it doesn't really matter, but newer V30s can benefit, especially if the complaint is being "fizzy" or "harsh", which is why most speaker makers do a version of a worn V30.

It's not going to transform the speaker, but will subdue some of those maligned characteristics.

That said, it could just be that you don't like V30s, which isn't uncommon if you're going for more modern heavy tones.

 

[jc986]

I have experienced zero evidence of break ins making much a difference at all with every speaker I have ever bought, so I am not expecting the tone to change much. It is definitely very fizzy sounding... I guess that is the 16 ohm thing? It is in a seismic luke 1x12. Sounds good with the man o war... just wanted something different. It is a closed back, I don't really do open back considering most of what I play is a lot of chugging high gain... open backed cabs can be extremely hard on you're speakers, and in many cases cause them to blow with low tuned chugs.
From the replies it sounds like there is a mix of thoughts on this... I guess I should really have grabbed the 8 ohm!
Does the same go for most guitar speakers? The 8ohms have better tonal ranges? Out of all the speakers I have bought, most of them were always 8 ohm so I never really thought about them being different... only other 16 ohm speaks were the stock marshall lead cab drivers.

I wouldn’t say that 8ohm speakers have “better” tonal ranges than 16ohm. It really just depends on the speaker. I’m very happy with my 16ohm Texas Heat and Swamp Thang. They are darker speakers to begin with, so the bit of extra high end isn’t a negative thing.

 

[glytch5]

Okay so... in the future its not a matter of staying away from 16ohm speakers when running them in a 1x12, it is just this particular example?

I have never bought a speaker this expensive that I have been this un happy with!

 

[HeHasTheJazzHands]

I actually got curious and found this comparison and uh... It actually sounds like a completely different speaker.

 

[TheWarAgainstTime]

^beat me to the video

The difference is pretty clear in the clip here, plus the example mentioned above about the Eminence frequency charts should confirm that 16ohm speakers tend to sound brighter than an 8ohm version of the same model. Better or worse is up to personal taste, so it's just another factor in the chase for tone.

I would still give the V30 at least 24 hours of loud playing to break in. My favorite cab is a Mesa Traditional 4x12 that was heavily toured and recorded with, so the speakers are nice and smooth by comparison to my other cab of the same model, which has mostly been used by me at bedroom/shouting levels.

You might also look into the Eminence Governor, which has a big midrange hump like a V30, but less treble.

 

[skmanga]

hey guys!
I've got a 2x12 with 2x 16ohm vintage 30 speakers wired in parallel to equal 8ohm.

You guys say 16ohm speakers are brighter.
Are 16 ohm speakers wired together in parallel to equal 8ohms going to sound like 2 8ohm speakers wired serial.
Or will 16 and 8 ohm speakers sound the same regardless of their configuration in a cab?

 

[jc986]

Regardless of how they are wired, the speaker will still sound like a 16ohm or 8ohm (whichever the case may be).

 

[skmanga]

Regardless of how they are wired, the speaker will still sound like a 16ohm or 8ohm (whichever the case may be).

Thank you, that simplifies things

 

[glytch5]

Yeah I had seen that video as well... the thing with those vids for me, is they almost never hold true in real life... I guess in this case it did. Not sure what to even do with this speaker... I took it out of my cab though went back to the man o war... soooo much better sounding. Handles low end better, and is less fizzy.
Whats a good celection to match with a V30? Perhaps I will buy like a g12t75 in 16ohm and put it into a 2x12 with it.

 

[Alex79]

Okay so... in the future its not a matter of staying away from 16ohm speakers when running them in a 1x12, it is just this particular example?

I have never bought a speaker this expensive that I have been this un happy with!

I use the same speaker in an open back 1x12" and I like it a lot. It has a lot of high end shimmer, is very reactive to pick attack and has great mid range character for hard rock and metal sounds.
However, mine is more than 10 years old and I also run the amp a bit louder.
I guess it really depends on a lot of factors.

 

[laxu]

http://celestion.com/speakerworld/guitartech/3/104/How_to_break-in_a_guitar_speaker/

 

[D-EJ915]

hey guys!
I've got a 2x12 with 2x 16ohm vintage 30 speakers wired in parallel to equal 8ohm.

You guys say 16ohm speakers are brighter.
Are 16 ohm speakers wired together in parallel to equal 8ohms going to sound like 2 8ohm speakers wired serial.
Or will 16 and 8 ohm speakers sound the same regardless of their configuration in a cab?

Wiring can change what we call speaker damping for the amp. Parallel wiring makes the damping factor reduce flub where serial does the opposite and makes it more lively sounding.

It is not going to change the inherent tone to the speaker though.

Depending on the person though the V30 mid spike could sound like it is fizzy. The midrange spike really accentuates a sort of crunchy/fuzzy sound that would really be noticeable to a T75 user since that speaker is really clear sounding in that same area. If you really hate it then I don't see break in making a huge difference in your opinion.

This is one of those things where it comes down to personal preference.

Yeah I had seen that video as well... the thing with those vids for me, is they almost never hold true in real life... I guess in this case it did. Not sure what to even do with this speaker... I took it out of my cab though went back to the man o war... soooo much better sounding. Handles low end better, and is less fizzy.
Whats a good celection to match with a V30? Perhaps I will buy like a g12t75 in 16ohm and put it into a 2x12 with it.

The T75 is a good combo with it, I have a Bogner Ubercab and they use this combo in a 4x12 form factor.

 

[glytch5]

Yeah... I can't see a break in doing much at all. I agree. I guess it just is not the speaker for me. I went back to my man o war and am much happier. The question is... do I try and mix it with a g12t75 in a 2x12? I guess that might be fun.