Celestion's new speakers - A-Type and V-Type.

digitalscream

Nice comparison here:

I can't decide which I like best. I had a V-Type in a 1x12", but I didn't really use it much outside the home.

guitarfishbay

Cool comparison.

This video might also be of use to someone wanting to hear how they compare to other celestion speakers.

Nicked these time codes from a youtube post for solo'd tones (not my rankings)

1. V-type : 03:07 6. V30 : 05:01 2. GT-75 : 03:30 5. Lynchback : 04:39 3. G12M-65 : 03:53 7. G12H : 05:24 4. A-type : 04:16

Teetonetal

I put a V in my Laney Cub 12, improved it immensely, I'm rubbish at describing sound, but it made it less fizzy, warmer and louder.

FelineGuitars

Is the v type the same as the super V that George lynch used?

digitalscream

FelineGuitars said:

Is the v type the same as the super V that George lynch used?

Pretty sure it's not. I thought he used the G12L "Lynchback"?

digitalscream

It's worth noting that they're not particularly expensive either - £69 most places. If I get the Kraken at the weekend I'll most likely be looking for a pair of speakers for my cab (the Eminence speakers in it only seem to sound good with Jet City amps), and the shortlist is basically these two.

What I liked about the V-Type when I had it was that it's nowhere near as loud as the V30 while still having the good bits from it, but had a more balanced low end.

FelineGuitars

digitalscream said:

FelineGuitars said:

Is the v type the same as the super V that George lynch used?

Pretty sure it's not. I thought he used the G12L "Lynchback"?

Oh yes that's the one

normula1

I stuck an A type in my Mesa Studio 22 with great results

strtdv

I liked the Lynchback and the V-Type in that comparison, the V30 worked pretty well too

The A-type sounded awful to my ears.

If one guitarist was using the V-type and the other was using G12H30s I reckon that would be a good pairing that wouldn't occupy too much of the same sonic space.

fnpt

Is it worth it to change speakers if you only play at low volume at home? I have a Laney cub12 with the celestion rocket speaker and was wondering if it is worth the trouble of replacing it.

strtdv

fnpt said:

Is it worth it to change speakers if you only play at low volume at home? I have a Laney cub12 with the celestion rocket speaker and was wondering if it is worth the trouble of replacing it.

Depends

V30's need a bit of volume power pushing them to make them sound good, but IMO greenbacks and G12H30s sound very nice and "open" at all volumes.

ICBM

digitalscream said:

Nice comparison here:

[video]

I can't decide which I like best. I had a V-Type in a 1x12", but I didn't really use it much outside the home.

Interestingly, they *both* sound quite poor on their own, although the A-Type is much worse, but they sound good together.

guitarfishbay said:

Cool comparison.

This video might also be of use to someone wanting to hear how they compare to other celestion speakers.

[video]

Nicked these time codes from a youtube post for solo'd tones (not my rankings)

1. V-type : 03:07 6. V30 : 05:01 2. GT-75 : 03:30 5. Lynchback : 04:39 3. G12M-65 : 03:53 7. G12H : 05:24 4. A-type : 04:16

The A-Type is by a large margin the worst there too, followed by the V-Type and the Lynchback. I think the Creambacks sound the best overall, particularly the G12M-65. The surprise for me is that the G12T-75 sounded very good, and the V30 less so. I tend to find the other way round.

guitarfishbay

I liked the M65 a lot too. I think if I get another cab I'd go for M65s. I liked the EVH412 I had with M25s, but would rather have 2x12 cabs these days.

normula1

I agree that the A type sounds rubbish in those videos and I 'd never have bought one if I'd heard them first. 

Sounds great in my Studio 22 but then again I don't play metal

ecc83

Just proves to me that I should not chose peeps speakers! I cannot tell them apart.

I would like to see/hear a blind test though where the speakers are listed but no one knows which is playing until a couple of weeks have elapsed?

Dave.

ICBM

ecc83 said:

Just proves to me that I should not chose peeps speakers! I cannot tell them apart.

I would like to see/hear a blind test though where the speakers are listed but no one knows which is playing until a couple of weeks have elapsed?

The A-Type would be identifable after a couple of years . It just sounds awful. It has no top-end at all compared to any of the others.

But, mixed with another speaker that on its own doesn't sound great the result is actually pretty good - which means that it's not entirely useless, and could work well in a recorded mix too. (I also don't doubt it sounds better than the stock speaker in a Mesa Studio 22, which is not a good speaker in my opinion - even more boxy and nasal-sounding.)

The others are all distinguishable, but whether you could confidently name all of them in a blind test I'm not so sure - I'd have a go and expect to get most right, but probably not all.

normula1

My amp came with a Jensen P12N which was totally unsuitable for the amp, in fact I hadn't got an amp / cabinet I liked it in

ecc83

I am not really talking of people picking out specific speakers IC, more give each one a code and ask people to rank them in order of preference.

Just thought it might make for some interesting results re price V performance?

Dave.

ICBM

ecc83 said:

I am not really talking of people picking out specific speakers IC, more give each one a code and ask people to rank them in order of preference.

Just thought it might make for some interesting results re price V performance?

Yes, it might!

strtdv

At the price point I think the v type is pretty impressive for that kind of sound. My favourite speakers are g12h30s and greenbacks, but they don't do that tight modern sound as well as the v type.

If I was getting a dedicated high gain setup it'd be a contender.

I hate the sound of g12t-75s though. They were pretty well mixed in that demo but still the fizzy sound of the 80s IMO

Cirrus

The problem with speaker shootouts like this is that the first sound you hear normalises your expectations, then the subsequent sounds are influenced by the sounds that came before them. So the order you hear them in might influence your preferences.

Also, generally in an effort to be scientific the guitar part, settings and mic positions are unaltered. This is unrealistic because in practice you'll dial in the amp through the speakers you're using, chose a mic position that works best with those speakers, and the sound you hear will influence how and what you play.

This is why the most useful test of how much I like a speaker is also the most subjective... and this is true for anything music related; Get the gear, use it for a few months, then decide if in general it's making your life better or worse. Speaker shootouts are for me just an interesting little game - I don't take away much from them other than that yes, the speakers sound different.