Neodymium Speakers

[Casper]

Hi Folks!
My Blue Angel 112 is almost unbearable to lug around. I am going to replace the MC-90 with a NEO-speaker (they weigh 3-4 lbs) There aren't many on the market currently, but I wondered who had experience on this forum with them. The Blue Angel is 38 watts. I play in a variety band and cover many styles of music. I want something pretty neutral or as close to the MC-90s character without the weight. My choices so far are:
Celestion Century Vintage (60w)
Eminence Tonker Lite (125w)
Jensen Jet Tornado-(100w)
Eminence Lil Texas-(50w)
There is I think a few more emi's. There is also a company on ebay called "Atlas Modified" that is making hybrid speakers using Tone Tubby cones with Eminence Drivers and Neo magnets...looks intriguing!
Anyway, if any of you know about these speakers or have any experience with neo stuff in general, I would like to hear from you..
Thanks and Merry Christmas
Shaun

 

[thunda1216]

the Tonker Lite is going to be the most balanced sounding speaker (Low, mids and highs about equal).

 

[Casper]

Many thanks Thunda..I have heard this from other sources as well. Only question is..My BA is only 38 watts max...is the Tonker lite at 125w going to get its cone to even vibrate?

 

[thunda1216]

oh yes. you might even consider the Jensen MOD 12-35. A light weight speaker, low end focus, not as loud as the Tonker will be.

 

[Casper]

Had my first gig with the Celestion Century Vintage Neo last week. I must say, the mids and highs were quite enjoyable. This thing sounded great! The only thing I was missing is the bottom end that the MC90 was good for. I adjusted my monitor to compensate. Hopefully, I will be able to get some more low end once the speaker breaks in a bit..
I sure don't miss the extra 10lbs! Just thought I'd share..thumbs up so far..
Shaun

 

[nakedzen]

I have some experience with the Celestion Century and Century Vintage.

The Centurys sounded really smooth but very thin. No low end at all, sounded great for fluid leads though. The CV's sounded sort of similar to V30's but with less breakup/dryer.

Here's an old demo of my old band I recorded with the CV's:
http://tonefinder.com/?section=id&value=276

 

[Casper]

Wow! That's some heavy stuff! Thanks for sharing that with me. On the other hand I play in a regional top40 band..jazz, old R&R, Motown and Funk..kinda hard to see how we could compare apples to apples. I thought your tone was excellent for what you are in to? thanks again! I'll try to post some clean and dirty stuff myself in a while!

 

[MrMarkIII]

I had a Celestion Century (not the Vintage) in a Lonestar Classic, and blew it up first gig. Yup, 80 watt speaker in a 100 watt amp won't go.
And yes, it was thin sounding, no bottom.
I currently have two Eminence L'il Texas Neos in a Twin Reverb reissue and these speakers are da bomb. Definitely on the Fender spectrum with slightly scooped mids and they exhibit some nice earlier breakup.
Fat and not too bright, just like I like 'em LOL.
120 watts each (not 50 each), and 4.1 lbs each.
Super loud because they're super efficient at 101 dB, which is up there with EVM 12L efficiency. I was pleasantly surprised at the full sound these have without being shrill or flubby. Plenty of tight bottom end and nice mids.
At least, they work well with a high power, clean blackface amp.
I'm getting a Tonker Lite to see how it pairs with the L'il Texas. Who knows?
For a Blue Angel, I'd start with the L'il Texas, because with those EL-84 tubes, you already have a mid-heavy amp, and the Texas will tame that a bit. The Tonker Lite is supposed to have a more Celestion-like sound, so it may be more mid-focused.

 

[Casper]

That's good info mr mark-
I ordered an Eminence Legend thinking it would be lighter than the C90..but it was only a pound or 2. I toyed with the idea of the tonkerlite and the Lil texas as well. I guess I figured the amp is only 38watts and the C-Vintage is 65w (plus 101db like your eminence). Plus I got a helluva deal on the Celestion. Both of the eminice choices were $135 or more (at least where I looked)
The internet reviews say the Celestion Vintage is like the V30 without the mid-honk...I agree. I had a V30 in my PV for years.
I am really pleased with the mid and high-end so far..not icepicky at all. The only thing I miss is the bass response that I was getting with the C90. I am shopping for a really good preamp tube for V2 that I hope will bring some of that back (12ax/AY/AT or 5751...doing a lot of studying.
Thanks for sharing the info. If the celestion doesn't work out I know where to turn!

Shaun

 

[MrMarkIII]

Excellent!

 

[Casper]

I should also say that the Neo speaker shaved about 10-12lbs off of this "boogie-Heavy" beast...WORTH IT!