Speaker Swap Advice

[Hammerheart]

After doing a side by side of all my amps through my Orange Jim Root #4 Cab I've come to the conclusion that the speakers in there are really not for me. They make everything too "dark(?)" sounding for my taste. I've tried it with my Rocker 15 combo, TH30, 6505MH, and my Marshall 1w JCM2000.

While the rocker 15 combo is not perfect and has a lot less bass (obviously with it being a 10" speaker), I much prefer the sweeter top mids and highs that this little amp has. The TH30 has a much nicer sound when plugged into the rocker 15 combo speaker also.

Rocker 15 combo is 10" voice of the world gold speaker.
Orange #4 Cab is 2x 12" voice of the world speaker.

I'm going to try a few speakers to get the sound I want in this cab but my question is, which speakers would you recommend to start with to get the Jim Root cab sounding more like the Rocker 15 combo speaker? Thats the kinda ballpark I want the top mids and highs to be in. Just not sure which to buy first. Vintage 30s and Creamback H were first on my list at present.

(If i get the chance I may try a few cabs in store at Andertons to get a demo first)

I'm also not against swapping the 10" speaker out of the Rocker 15 if there are recommendations for better alternatives out there. I just don't want to go muddy like the #4 Cab.

At the moment I just have no idea where my current speakers sit as a reference point in the Celestion range.

[Les Paul Lover]

So your TH30 is a combo woth celestion V30, right?

They're great speaker for sure, my favourite i think.

If you want more top end, you might want to try Celestion G12H30. I had a Laney cab with them, they're beautiful speakers. Certainly nicer cleans and sparkle than the V30, but they haven't got warm thickness the V30 exhibits. Still a great rock speaker mind you.

Pricey though, and not so common on 2nd hand market.

[Hammerheart]

No. It’s a TH30 head. The cab is a orange Jim Root #4 2x12.
I also have a rocker 15 combo.

I have zero reference in my setup of what a vintage 30 sounds like.

[Les Paul Lover]

I see.

It makes it more difficult.

Another part of the equation is that some speaker take a long time to break in. So you may try a cab and be disappointed, whereas the same cab with fully broken in speakers might be your holy grail.

The V30 is such a speaker, they take forever to fully break in. New they can be harsh, ear fatiguing, with spiky highs. Fully broken in, they are smooth, rich sounding, warm and thick and tight too.

If you can bide your time, I would buy 2nd speakers on eBay, try them for a while and then try another one. Best way to test them.

At least, if you buy them 2nd hand, you won't loose too much(or nothing) when you sell them.

[Ronnie Robinson]

I've never used a Votw speaker but it's a great idea swapping out speakers and they really can change your tone.

Buy second hand then we if you don't like them just sell them again for the same amount....plus you get a speaker that is already broken in which will make a big difference.V30s are a speaker that really do need breaking in well to sound at their best.

Vintage 30 have always been the main speakers put in orange cabs so it seems to make sense to try these. You could try a mixture I've used V30s for years in a 212 cab but now use a V30 and a Greenback, I've also used a V30 and a G12h anniversary or two G12m greenbacks, all combinations sounded good with Orange amps.

[Hammerheart]

I tried a rocker 15 combo into an orange 2x12 with V30s in today and I really liked it. I can see why these are popular. I also tried the upright Orange cab with Neo Creambacks in it. They were better than by current speakers it seemed to me, but side by side with the V30s it was definitely the V30s that left the bigger impression on me.

[Les Paul Lover]

I tried a rocker 15 combo into an orange 2x12 with V30s in today and I really liked it. I can see why these are popular. I also tried the upright Orange cab with Neo Creambacks in it. They were better than by current speakers it seemed to me, but side by side with the V30s it was definitely the V30s that left the bigger impression on me.

And don't forget.... if you went to a shop, the V30 were probably newish and not broken in. They get a LOT better....!!!!

If clean tones are what you mainly play, there are better speakers out there (G12H30 for example), but the V30 is capable of very sweet clean and thick warm tight tones.

[stargazer747]

I believe 50% of the tone is the amp head the other half is the speaker. I too feel that speakers have a time period of breaking in to get them fully flexed, don't know any other way to break them in other than just cranking the volume up and jamming out for hours at rehearsals.

I have 4 Orange Terror heads; the newest Rocker 15, Jim Root, Dark, and Micro Dark. I mix and match them thru my 4 cabs; custom Marshall 412 with Celestion Vintage 30s, a modified Blackstar HT112 also with a Vintage 30, an EVH5150III 112 which comes with a Celestion 70th Anniversary, and an Ibanez TSA112C with its Celestion Seventy 80. So far these Celestion models seem to sound perfect with my Terror heads, the amps are similarly voiced yet there are some differences between them and thru these speakers they rock. I bet other Celestion models like Greenbacks or Creambacks would do great as well.

I don't have any Orange cabs with their VotW speakers so I could not say anything about them. I was recently tooling around with the idea of building myself a 112 cab with parts I can order on amazon.com then buy a Warehouse Veteran 30 and an Eminence Patriot swapping them just to hear the tone it gives, I also plan to use both the EVH and Blackstar 112 cabs together as 212 config with each of the Terrors next couple of rehearsals with the guys and hear the tone I get with the V30 and G12H combined.