Orange 4x12 vs Mesa Traditional cab

[tomprs]

Hi!

I recently traded my Orange ppc cabinet for a Mesa Traditional (Stiletto) straight cab, and I must say that I couldn't be happier ! Both cabs are equipped with Celestion V30 speakers but sound quite different. With the Orange cab I've never been able to get a modern sound that I really liked out of channel 3 of my Dual Rectifier. The highs were unpleasants to my ears and in general the amp sounded very cold with this cab. The Mesa cab sounds soooo much better it's actually hard to believe that it comes with the same speakers as the Orange!!! The Dual Rec cleans sound wonderful through the Mesa cab, channel 2 is super smooth and warm in Vintage mode and channel 3 Modern punches like crazy, without having these ice-pick sounding highs.

Don't buy Orange cabs without trying them first. I know that they're hype and that they can sound very good with other amps, but they just don't get along with rectos. My own two cents

Tom.

 

[screamingdaisy]

The Mesa cab sounds soooo much better it's actually hard to believe that it comes with the same speakers as the Orange!!!

Even though both are called V30s they're not the same speakers.

I also own an Orange 4x12 and agree with everything you say. I liked it with a low-to-mid gain voicing, like on the Orange AD series amps, but I don't like it with any high gain amp I've tried it with. It's both harsh and brittle in the top end.

I've pulled the speakers out of both the Orange and Mesa cabs and although they're similar they're not the same. Diifferent metals, different construction techniques, different glues, etc. All the small changes add up to a significantly different sound.

 

[tomprs]

The Mesa cab sounds soooo much better it's actually hard to believe that it comes with the same speakers as the Orange!!!

Even though both are called V30s they're not the same speakers.

I also own an Orange 4x12 and agree with everything you say. I liked it with a low-to-mid gain voicing, like on the Orange AD series amps, but I don't like it with any high gain amp I've tried it with. It's both harsh and brittle in the top end.

I've pulled the speakers out of both the Orange and Mesa cabs and although they're similar they're not the same. Diifferent metals, different construction techniques, different glues, etc. All the small changes add up to a significantly different sound.

I didn't know they were not the same speakers!

 

[James Lugo]

Been there twice. I have owned 2 Orange 4x12 cabs. Hate them. They sound boxy and are insanely heavy and hard to deal with in the studio.