AlNiCo - Avatar A25 versus A50

Orange Amps General Forum

Moderator: bclaire

Post Reply
shedivineswater
New Member
Posts: 11
Joined: Tue Oct 11, 2016 3:25 pm

AlNiCo - Avatar A25 versus A50

Post by shedivineswater » Sun Oct 16, 2016 12:57 pm

I used to post under a different name but my login got screwy, but alas, I got in with this one...... she divines water from the Camper Van Beethoven album 'My Revolutionary Sweetheart' .......

Anyway, I've switched over to alnico speakers because they just sounded better to my ears and it's hard to play speakers when they don't sound as good as your favs. Anyway, after playing ceramics and then a host of AlNiCos, I was won over by Avatar's A25... it just sounded better than the Blue I had (whose low wattage was always a sticky area anyway) and I also liked it more than my 65 Watt Scumnico. So, I decided to order 2 of their 50 watt versions to make a cab to play my OR80 through. Now my tests are not totally AB, so please take this to heart, but, I wanted to share anyway especially since the speaker line is new and I haven't seen much info. So, I will probably update/elaborate on my findings in the future.

RESULTS:

A25 Alnico 25watt - I played these in a 1x12 and 2x12 setting, both in open and closed back scenarios. First of all, this is speaker that made me start to unload my other speakers.... fat (but decisive) low end and a tone that seemed to mesh with my voice like no other.... very balanced overall. My initial experiences were with a Fender Musicmaster and a Tiny Terror. Other speakers seemed not as rich or flat or even too vintage (is there such a thing, hmm) including: the ceramics I had any chance to AB (Scumback M's, Eminence Wizard). And, alnicos (though truly awesome sounding speakers) Celestion Blue and Scumnico 65watt. Yes, the A25 sound was swirly and tonally rich, but the way it seemed to mesh with my voice and how it made my amps sound was simply something different and honestly strange for my mind to understand. It's just hard to know how this is accomplished with one speaker over another.

... So, I bought the A50 in hopes of it matching what I had experienced with the A25, but I can't say it behaves or sounds the same.

A50 AlNiCo 50watt - I haven't played these in a closed back situation yet. I've basically played these mostly with an Avatar Traditional open back 2x12. Even though I don't have a true AB scenario yet, I feel these findings will hold (at least to some extent). This speaker breaks up easily. It's loose and rich. Strangely (am I nuts), I notice I'm having a bit of a harder time keeping the tune of my git from string to string when holding simple chords (which are the only ones I can play).... It's like the speaker has a rich breakup but smears the sound far and wide. So, though it may be contrary to reason, it seems the higher wattage speaker is breaking up at the same volume easier than the lower wattage speaker. Now, the literature speaks a Nomex voice coil employed to accommodate the higher wattage though the magnet size is the same.... I think these are the facts. So, it does stand to reason that these could indeed be two different sounding speakers by design, though I hadn't really considered that at the onset of my purchase. The high end of the A50 is more readily enjoyed (maybe because of the cab situation). The sparkly term seems to definitely apply - big jangly spacious rich. The low end isn't as big as the A25, I don't know any other way to put it... I just can't hear the fat low end register or presence that I did with the A25.

..... In conclusion: These are two different sounding speakers holding different characteristics. I think one can't get an exact replication of sound (hope as I might) with same type speakers from wattage to wattage while the magnet stays the same. For example, the Scumnico 65watt with neo tip just doesn't sound the same as the lower watt version - not to my ears. sidenote: I've enjoyed the Scumnico 25 watt PVC version as an alternate to an A25 in my Musicmaster (I appreciate and hope to capitalize/capture the differences) ....... finally this might be a sign of ear maturity.
So, if you want a loose and easy to breakup speaker that is quite rich and tonally diverse in the mids and highs, I think the A50 might be a speaker you should try. Personally, I think I'm gonna have to beef-up on the 'slam your heart' lows I experience with the A25. Maybe a 4x12 of A25's with a 2x12 of A50's... (now I've messed up my ohms configuration, oh my). Yeah, I'm selling cheap, my gear that seems to have no place in my arsenal anymore... OR15, AD30, Mesa Slant Cab 2x12....... all on the way out the door. PM me if interested.
*PSS- the keepers are the OR80, Tiny Terror, Musicmaster, Avatar 2x12 closed back contemporary, Avatar 2x12 open back traditional, Avatar A25 and A50's, Scumnico 65watt original and 25watt PVC, Altec 100 watt Alnico's that could use a reconing, and of course the Gibsons.

Post Reply

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 223 guests