What Speakers Do You Use in 'The Shop'?

[Buddha's Guitar Tech]

Currently using a couple of 12" celestions, c.120W.

i'd like to use one 300W speaker, to take up less space. My main area is 49 square feet.

Having never been a speaker aficionado, i'm wondering if you have some tricks and speaker tips for working in a teeny tiny area.

[Cliff Schecht]

Go get an EV 12L or something similar. High wattage and relatively flat response (typical of EV's IME). I use an alnico SRO but good luck finding one, they're pretty expensive now.

[Milkmansound]

I have an old Twin cabinet with a couple of Weber speakers in it. Nothing special - but I can configure it for an 8, 4, or 16R load so its pretty useful.

[Buddha's Guitar Tech]

Yeah, i don't want anything special. It's not for serious nerdy eq/spectrum analysis, it's more for 'yeah, the tone controls work and it doesn't sound like suck. If an amp makes a bang, i won't have a wee poo thinking my speakers are in danger.

What's the general consensus on coupling power resistors with speakers? Just to get the impedance closer to the desired value.
If i have an 8R / 300W speaker, is it taboo to parallel an 8R power resistor to make 4R? (or series to make 16)

Making an iso-cab for it is also an attractive idea - pound on it without annoying the neighbours.

[Roe]

I'm using a 50w ceramic blue dog and an alex attenuator. amps are mostly plexis and fenders

[Travst]

I have a small stock of extra speakers. I made up a cable with a 1/4" male plug for the amp side and it ends in two alligator clips for pos and neg. I just clip in the appropriate speaker and save room on having a cab in there since I have a small space in the basement.

[jon]

A home built Thiele TL806 with a Eminence Delta Pro 12A. Good to 200W. I also have a Walmart 1ft3 rat fur car audio box with an old cts.

[sliberty]

Under my bench, I have a shitty little Fender combo cab sans chassis, loaded with a Mesa (Celestion) 90 watter. I rarely use it though. I mostly use a dummy load while an amp is on the bench. Maybe if the cab was better, I'd use it more - it really sounds like shit.

[dartanion]

Fane AXA 12s in old Marshall 1960A cabs, or Medusa 150 in a 112, or Studio 12Ls in a 212. I know all those speakers really well, so demoing amps through them gives a good frame of reference.

[TUBEDUDE]

After dummy load testing to insure the speakers aren't at risk, I try a weber blue dog 12 in a detuned cab, a 4 10 open back cab with. alnicos, a 2 12 cab with real jensen P12R's, or a single 12 greenback.
For bass amps I use an EV 15BX in a 7cu ft. Folded horn cab with a ribbon tweeter.
For repairs, after the dummy load I use the customers cab (if a combo).
After hearing the other speakers, my customers frequently request a speaker upgrade.

[El_Martin]

Hi there!

I mostly use a small cabinet w. an El Cheapo 10" 8 ohms 150W (approx. 92-95dB 1W/1m) PA Bass for testing. Surely lacks sparkle, but good enough for first impressions. No one needs the icepick-in-your-forehead feeling of a 103 dB speaker 2 ft. away on axis... Some additional resistors for matching or attenuating. Currently I don't own amps larger than 50W.
There are special matching transformers to use one speaker for all power outputs of an amp. No resistors, just transformer.

If space matters, go for 10". Use a speaker in a cabinet. Its annoying, to find out about excessive hum when first using an appropriate spaeker in a cabinet...

Ciao
Martin

[azatplayer]

I bought what looked like a good Alnico SRO last year on the bay.
The dude wasnt home so he had his wife pack it for him.
Well it arrived at my place with the frame hangin out the edge of the single box. I was not happy.
Was more that they are so darn hard to find, i felt sad for the speaker.
ANother emotion entirely for the seller..

[Buddha's Guitar Tech]

If space matters, go for 10". Use a speaker in a cabinet. Its annoying, to find out about excessive hum when first using an appropriate spaeker in a cabinet...

Yeah, i was thinking a 300W 10" in an iso-cab for maximum awesome-more-than-you-need-ness.
Need to make myself a proper dummy box; like you say, when measuring voltages or scoping a hum, you don't want to hear it constantly. And the pops from the DMM probe? That'll give you nightmares!

[selloutrr]

Ev 12L 100w - nice wattage hi treble
JBL 120K - fender
Celestion G12 75w - Marshall
Eminence square back 25/30w 12" - British low watt

all speakers are in single boxes.
Pulls from amps that have been scrapped on the bench.

I also keep a 90's Marshall 1960A 4x12 close by because of the impedance selector settings. It sounds good enough. It's on casters, and if it blows up. It's cheap and easy to replace.

[jelle]

Standing 2x12 open back cabinet on casters loaded with two EVM12L proline. Does not take up much space and I know this cabinet really well. I like the idea of 600W (2xproline) speakers when testing/starting up amps.

Imagine a 4x6550 amp with an oscillating NFB loop!

Or a 1x12 Fane Studio 12L front ported cabinet.

Both can handle a lot of power.