DavidMPires Posted February 8, 2008 Share Posted February 8, 2008 Which companies build cabinets with neodymium speakers? I can think of: Warwick Cheap if dont choose the Jonas H range, soundwise I never tried them EBS expensive, dont know about the sound Mark bass average priced, I tried the 4x10 but I would like to try the traveller 1x15 Epifani dont know the price, they seem great as per Phils review Accugroove expensive and sound great as per Steves review Avatar Eden Euphonic Audio Acoustic Image Any other that I have forgotten? Heavy basts. Mesa Boogie, Trace Elliot, Peavey and Ampeg. www.myspace.com/davidbassportugal "And then the magical unicorn will come prancing down the rainbow and we'll all join hands for a rousing chorus of Kumbaya." - by davio Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Daddy from Motown Posted February 8, 2008 Share Posted February 8, 2008 Avatar, Eden just about everybody. Or should we say, Eminence, Celestion, B&C. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mro Posted February 8, 2008 Share Posted February 8, 2008 Peavey's Tour series. I haven't heard them or any neodymium for that matter. I don't think Ampeg has. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil W Posted February 8, 2008 Share Posted February 8, 2008 Neodynium is the future. I'm sure almost all cab manufacturers are either looking into it or using it. http://philwbass.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcadmus Posted February 8, 2008 Share Posted February 8, 2008 How do they sound, in general, compared to conventional speakers And have they overcome the problem of the neo speakers wearing out over time -- something to do with heat degrading the magnets? Because I'm not particularly interested in replacing my speakers every two years. "Tours widely in the southwestern tip of Kentucky" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil W Posted February 8, 2008 Share Posted February 8, 2008 http://www.talkbass.com/forum/showthread.php?t=167954 http://philwbass.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcbn Posted February 8, 2008 Share Posted February 8, 2008 Genz-Benz - The reviews are great. Neo 212 is highly thought of. Gallien-Krueger - Not sure, a relative newcomer to NEO? Schroeder - I've got one and love it. Weight is good, sound is heavy in the low mids; lots of grind. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcadmus Posted February 8, 2008 Share Posted February 8, 2008 Personally, I think I'll wait a generation or two on this technology before I buy one. It rarely pays to be an early adopter on new technologies -- the price of entry is typically higher, and you become the test bed as the manufacturer works out the bugs. These may be the future, but the future isn't now. "Tours widely in the southwestern tip of Kentucky" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil W Posted February 8, 2008 Share Posted February 8, 2008 I've been trying to google how long neodymium has been used in speakers and failed. I think they've been around for a while though. I take your point. Personally I needed ultra-lightweight gear and was prepared to pay a premium. I've been very pleased with their performance so far. http://philwbass.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moot Posted February 8, 2008 Share Posted February 8, 2008 Carvin - Is longevity really an issue or is it just the old die hards saying it is? Another of their arguments is that you sacrifice sound quality for weight. I did hear that they burn up twice as fast a traditional drivers but, I have seen guys play through the same for 10 or 15 years so who really knows? 5 years doesn't seem so bad and with everybody and their dog putting them in cabs now the price is sure to come down. Isn't it just a smaller more powerful magnet? Are the theils the same? Can you just plunk them into existing cabs? Alex? robb? "He is to music what Stevie Wonder is to photography." getz76 I have nothing nice to say so . . . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcadmus Posted February 8, 2008 Share Posted February 8, 2008 Hey, Phil, if you like 'em, God bless you -- now you're MY testbed for these. And there's no question about that the weight differential on larger cabs -- a neo 4x10 weighs roughly half what a conventional 4x10 does. So that's pretty compelling. The new Markbass 8x10 got great reviews in Bassplayer this month, and it's a featherweight at a hair under 90 pounds. That's roughly what the average conventional 4x10 weighs. Less so on the smaller cabs, however -- a Markbass 2x10 only weighs about 10 pounds less than my Eden D210XST. "Tours widely in the southwestern tip of Kentucky" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Daddy from Motown Posted February 8, 2008 Share Posted February 8, 2008 Traditional Alnico and ceramic speakers last essentially forever. The cones and suspensions age because they are usually paper or cloth based. Heat can destroy the magnetism of neodymium speakers, but have you ever felt a hot speaker? I have seen speakers burst into flame, but that was the cones, that might hurt a Neo speaker. I suspect that we don't have much to worry about in a band situation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob Gollihur Posted February 8, 2008 Share Posted February 8, 2008 Which companies build cabinets with neodymium speakers? I can think of: Warwick Cheap if dont choose the Jonas H range, soundwise I never tried them EBS expensive, dont know about the sound Mark bass average priced, I tried the 4x10 but I would like to try the traveller 1x15 Epifani dont know the price, they seem great as per Phils review Accugroove expensive and sound great as per Steves review Avatar Eden Any other that I have forgotten? Heavy basts. Mesa Boogie, Trace Elliot, Peavey and Ampeg. Add Euphonic Audio (two single 12" cabs, a single 10" cab, a 2x10) and Acoustic Image (their combos, a single ten + midrange and tweeter) to your list. Disclaimer: I sell 'em (and gig 'em). 1000 Upright Bass Links, Luthier Directory, Teacher Directory - http://www.gollihurmusic.com/links.cfm [highlight] - Life is too short for bad tone - [/highlight] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yourlord Posted February 8, 2008 Share Posted February 8, 2008 Heavy basts. Mesa Boogie, Trace Elliot, Peavey and Ampeg. I take exception to the claim Peavey has only heavy cabs.. 85 pound 2x15 cab: http://www.peavey.com/products/browse.cfm/action/detail/item/116447/Tour%20215.cfm 95 pound 8x10 cab: http://www.peavey.com/products/browse.cfm/action/detail/item/116679/Tour%20810.cfm 55 pound 1x15 cab: http://www.peavey.com/products/browse.cfm/action/detail/item/116530/Tour%20115.cfm 66 pound 4x10 cab: http://www.peavey.com/products/browse.cfm/action/detail/item/116531/Tour%20410.cfm 45 pound 2x10 cab: http://www.peavey.com/products/browse.cfm/action/detail/item/116529/Tour%20210.cfm Though I hate that damn bar across the tops of those cabs.. granted my 810tvx is 158 pounds and my 215D-BW somewhere in the same ballpark.. Feel free to visit my band's site Delusional Mind Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeremy c Posted February 8, 2008 Share Posted February 8, 2008 You'll get lighter cabs and amps when you start doing four gigs in one weekend. Lace Pickups have neodymium magnets in them. Free download of my cd!. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yourlord Posted February 8, 2008 Share Posted February 8, 2008 Well, I have a trailer and a truck so getting them places is not an issue. Also, I broke my back when I was 19, so my band mates do all the lifting.. Feel free to visit my band's site Delusional Mind Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeremy c Posted February 8, 2008 Share Posted February 8, 2008 Well, I have a trailer and a truck so getting them places is not an issue. Also, I broke my back when I was 19, so my band mates do all the lifting.. It's not getting them places....it's getting them in and out of the truck, in and out of the clubs, on and off the stages, and in and out of your rehearsal space. I'll rephrase my response. You'll get lighter gear when your bandmates get sick and tired of carrying around your monster rig after a weekend in which you have four gigs. Of course at the rate your band is going, that day will come in a few hundred years, so you don't really have to worry about it. Free download of my cd!. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil W Posted February 8, 2008 Share Posted February 8, 2008 :grin: I lose count of the number of gigs I have to do up flights of stairs too! With no elevators http://philwbass.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yourlord Posted February 8, 2008 Share Posted February 8, 2008 Of course at the rate your band is going, that day will come in a few hundred years, so you don't really have to worry about it. Being an original band, we have to keep over saturation in mind.. No point in playing 4 gigs a weekend when all your fans only show up to the 1st one.. We don't typically play in "bars", we play at venues where the bands are the reason to go there, and not just an after thought while you get drunk and hit on the thing next to you.. that being said, I keep telling my band mates I'm buying a rack and getting another 8x10 and adding a 2x18 to the rig.. Just to remind em it's not soo bad.. Feel free to visit my band's site Delusional Mind Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rizzo9247 Posted February 8, 2008 Share Posted February 8, 2008 I was just at GC today and saw that the GK goldline 4x10 cab was on sale for $299. Being non-neodymium speakers, I gave it the ol' lift test, about as heavy as they come. (I saw it was 93lbs when I got home and checked). I could see the value in getting a decent cab for the $$$, but not at that weight. They do have a neodymium line of cabs, but they are rather expensive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
b5pilot Posted February 9, 2008 Share Posted February 9, 2008 I don't think speaker weight is that big an issue. A 10" speaker is like 5 lbs. What weighs is the cabinet. If they are made of that MDF or particle board they can be pretty heavy. Birch plywood seems lighter. Lydian mode? The only mode I know has the words "pie ala" in front of it. http://www.myspace.com/theeldoradosband Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
_Sweet Willie_ Posted February 9, 2008 Share Posted February 9, 2008 At this point I think you can have pretty good faith in neodymium drivers. Tons of speaker cab builders are using them now. Even Jim Bergantino, who is notable for being quite particular about what goes in his cabs and how they're built, now has a neo line. Okay, to piggyback a bit on b5pilot's comment, it's important to realize that there is some weight savings in the driver. When I visited Mark at AccuGroove a couple of summers ago I got to lift some regular drivers and some neo drivers, and the weight difference was noticeable and notable. However, the maximum weight savings really comes into play when combined with weight savings in the construction of the cabinet itself. As for sound...I'm hesitant to compare sound just based on the nature of the driver's magnet, given that so much goes into what the final product sounds like (cab materials, construction, dimensions, other qualities of the driver, etc.). Thus, I wouldn't generalize too much about the tone of neos vs the tone of traditional drivers. Peace. --Dub $$ spreadluv Fanboy? Why, yes! Nordstrand Pickups and Guitars. Messiaen knew how to parlay the funk. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TimR Posted February 9, 2008 Share Posted February 9, 2008 I'm going out on a limb and suggesting that the neos have greater Xmax. Your typical neo is 1/2 the weight of a trad magnet. So for 15" 10lbs become 5lbs and for 10" 6lbs become 3lbs. So not much of a saving there. I'd agree the cabinets seem to be thinner and lighter. Smoke and mirrors perhaps. I've always thought that cabs were made from 3/4" ply to lower the resonance frequency and wonder if manufacturers are now understanding bracing techniques better and using better internal sound insulation materials. Driven by consumer demand. 1/2" ply I'm sure would reduce the cabinet weight by a 1/3 and unless you really throw around your cabs on tour they're going to withstand what most of us use them for. I imagine most big tours put cabinets in flightcases now anyway. Feel the groove internally within your own creativity. - fingertalkin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul K Posted February 9, 2008 Share Posted February 9, 2008 One huge thing I noticed when I was constructing my kick drum cab is that although the neo speakers save weight in the magnet, their frame is also a whole lot lighter than the frame of the E.V. speaker I had on hand. I know that's comparing apples to oranges while trying to make lasagna. So from eminence's site, here's some 15" bass speaker information: Basslite weighs 5.7 lbs., magnet is 7 oz (0.4375 lbs), makes the rest of the speaker sans magnet weigh 5.2625 Legend CB15 weighs 17.3 lbs, subtract the 80oz (5 lbs) magnet for a sans magnet weight of 12.3 lbs. Same wattage, same sensitivity, same voice coil diameter. Ergo, the neo speaker frame minus magnet is just over 7 lbs lighter than the regular magnet version. I assume it's because a lighter magnet needs less to hold it in place and/or the engineers spent a little more time in engineering the frame (It's easy to over-engineer a frame; takes more time to engineer it to be strong enough but with as little metal as possible) So you're saving more weight than just the magnet. Add in some more intelligent cabinet engineering and materials, and you're talking big differences. My poly 12" cab weighs in at about 20 lbs. My kick drum cab 15" weighs 23.5 lbs even with the pot-metal kick drum legs. Now I would not call my Behringer poly cab "more intelligently designed" than others, but you get my point. What if a manufaturer took it seriously? I think Peavey should take the crossover/low pass filter out of their PR-sub and put a decent bass neo speaker in it; IMO that'd be a winner. Things are just the way they are, and they're only going to get worse. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dcr Posted February 9, 2008 Share Posted February 9, 2008 Peavey's Tour series. I haven't heard them or any neodymium for that matter. Yep. I have the 2x10. It is ridiculously light and sounds great. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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