Speaker change and amp "dirt"

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codedog
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Speaker change and amp "dirt"

Post by codedog »

Just as an experiment, I recently replaced the stock speaker in my Laney Cub10 with an Eminence Ragin Cajun. The RC has 8 ohm impedance. I have no idea about the original speaker. The RC has much bigger magnet. After replacement, it was damn hard to get a dirty sound out of the amp. Piling dirt pedals in front of it didn't work well at all. It just didn't sound good. Put the stock speaker back in and it sounds just great and dirtied up very nicely!

What is causing this? Is it due to impedance difference? Am I hearing the speaker itself breaking up? Combination of both? Or efficiency of the speaker? Or any particular combination of the above?

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Re: Speaker change and amp "dirt"

Post by jeremyb »

Pretty sure the original would have been 8 ohm too, thats really weird, can you check you had the polarity correct on the speaker terminals?
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Re: Speaker change and amp "dirt"

Post by codedog »

jeremyb wrote: Fri Oct 07, 2022 12:02 pm Pretty sure the original would have been 8 ohm too, thats really weird, can you check you had the polarity correct on the speaker terminals?
Hmm... I think I got it right, but can't be sure now. I don't think I can be arsed going through the experiment again.

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Re: Speaker change and amp "dirt"

Post by MikeC »

The Club 10 will (apparently) accept an 8-16 ohm speaker so your RC is right in the ball park. Is the "original" speaker actually original - perhaps it has already been changed? But I think your assumptions are correct.
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Re: Speaker change and amp "dirt"

Post by jeremyb »

codedog wrote: Fri Oct 07, 2022 12:09 pm
jeremyb wrote: Fri Oct 07, 2022 12:02 pm Pretty sure the original would have been 8 ohm too, thats really weird, can you check you had the polarity correct on the speaker terminals?
Hmm... I think I got it right, but can't be sure now. I don't think I can be arsed going through the experiment again.
You don't need to install it in the cab, just plug the cables in while the speaker is on a table :)
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Re: Speaker change and amp "dirt"

Post by MikeC »

codedog wrote: Fri Oct 07, 2022 12:09 pm
jeremyb wrote: Fri Oct 07, 2022 12:02 pm Pretty sure the original would have been 8 ohm too, thats really weird, can you check you had the polarity correct on the speaker terminals?
Hmm... I think I got it right, but can't be sure now. I don't think I can be arsed going through the experiment again.
"Polarity" doesn't matter with a single speaker. Speaker terminals are only marked "+" and "-" to ensure multiple speakers are wired in phase.
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Re: Speaker change and amp "dirt"

Post by Candeevr4 »

Probably that the Eminence has a higher power rating and sensitivity, therefore needing more power to get the speaker to break up vs the stock speaker.

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Re: Speaker change and amp "dirt"

Post by codedog »

MikeC wrote: Fri Oct 07, 2022 12:11 pm The Club 10 will (apparently) accept an 8-16 ohm speaker so your RC is right in the ball park. Is the "original" speaker actually original - perhaps it has already been changed? But I think your assumptions are correct.
Yup, it's the Laney HH speaker that comes with that model. I can't tell if it's the original that came with the amp new or been replaced with another identical model.

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Re: Speaker change and amp "dirt"

Post by MikeC »

codedog wrote: Fri Oct 07, 2022 12:42 pm
MikeC wrote: Fri Oct 07, 2022 12:11 pm The Club 10 will (apparently) accept an 8-16 ohm speaker so your RC is right in the ball park. Is the "original" speaker actually original - perhaps it has already been changed? But I think your assumptions are correct.
Yup, it's the Laney HH speaker that comes with that model. I can't tell if it's the original that came with the amp new or been replaced with another identical model.
I just wondered if the installed speaker (that you replaced with the RC) had been replaced by someone with (say) a 4 ohm one which was causing the earlier break-up (that you like)! But it's clearly not that.
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Re: Speaker change and amp "dirt"

Post by sizzlingbadger »

Have you tried the Eminence in anything else ?
Tube amp and guitar tones straight from 1958… amazing how believable the sounds were back then, even without the modellers...

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Re: Speaker change and amp "dirt"

Post by codedog »

MikeC wrote: Fri Oct 07, 2022 12:46 pm
codedog wrote: Fri Oct 07, 2022 12:42 pm
MikeC wrote: Fri Oct 07, 2022 12:11 pm The Club 10 will (apparently) accept an 8-16 ohm speaker so your RC is right in the ball park. Is the "original" speaker actually original - perhaps it has already been changed? But I think your assumptions are correct.
Yup, it's the Laney HH speaker that comes with that model. I can't tell if it's the original that came with the amp new or been replaced with another identical model.
I just wondered if the installed speaker (that you replaced with the RC) had been replaced by someone with (say) a 4 ohm one which was causing the earlier break-up (that you like)! But it's clearly not that.
Ah, I see. I'm just curious as I have never really thought about amp break up much before, not until Nik posted that awesome video about where the tone comes from in guitar amps.

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Re: Speaker change and amp "dirt"

Post by codedog »

sizzlingbadger wrote: Fri Oct 07, 2022 12:49 pm Have you tried the Eminence in anything else ?
Yup, I've had it in a cheap Fender 25R. It did wonders for that amp.

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Re: Speaker change and amp "dirt"

Post by jeremyb »

codedog wrote: Fri Oct 07, 2022 12:51 pm
sizzlingbadger wrote: Fri Oct 07, 2022 12:49 pm Have you tried the Eminence in anything else ?
Yup, I've had it in a cheap Fender 25R. It did wonders for that amp.
It probably has solid state germs now and needs to be disinfected!
Slowy wrote: That's the problem; everything rewarding is just such hard work. Regret takes much less effort.

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Re: Speaker change and amp "dirt"

Post by Bg »

jeremyb wrote: Fri Oct 07, 2022 2:45 pm
codedog wrote: Fri Oct 07, 2022 12:51 pm
sizzlingbadger wrote: Fri Oct 07, 2022 12:49 pm Have you tried the Eminence in anything else ?
Yup, I've had it in a cheap Fender 25R. It did wonders for that amp.
It probably has solid state germs now and needs to be disinfected!
*cough* says mr Katana in the corner ;)
So, is that low alcohol or no alcohol at all? mmmm, no alcohol, do you want to try it? Noooooooooo.

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