Avatar brand speakers, yea or neh?

[skoora]

Looking to populate a 4x12 and wondering if anyone had experience with the AV series from Avatar? Are the Hellatones just broken in Celestions with their label?
The price is right but is the tone there? FWIW my bread and butter speaker is one of the Avatar fanes, the F70 and before that always used greenbacks.
But I’ll be looking to put a different speaker in each position. Also open to the Mojotone speakers.

 

[DanTravis62]

This probably isn't going to be a popular opinion but in almost every single case, every mojotone or avatar speaker I've tried I thought the original it was based on was worth the increase in price.

I haven't tried everything from both ranges, but the anecdata is the anecdata.

 

[Klauth]

ya' get what ya' pay for. cheaper is...cheaper. however, denial is the expensive part.

 

[skoora]

In my other 4x12 I have a GB, G12H-30 (anniversary), Creamback 75 and a Fane F70. I know I want to get a V30 for the cab I’m reworking but drawing a bit of a blank on what else to get. Would dig getting stuff that doesn’t sound too much like the speakers I already have.
Pretty much playing surf rock, classic rock, punk to metal but nothing that I would call modern.
Curious about the AV75 as they say it isn’t as scooped as a G12T-75.
Was watching a Segeborn shootout vid of greenback like speakers and actually dug a Jensen mod 12-50 and a Supro BD12. A Scumback M75 also sounded pretty good but with shipping from Scumback it’s over $200.

 

[DanTravis62]

In my other 4x12 I have a GB, G12H-30 (anniversary), Creamback 75 and a Fane F70. I know I want to get a V30 for the cab I’m reworking but drawing a bit of a blank on what else to get. Would dig getting stuff that doesn’t sound too much like the speakers I already have.
Pretty much playing surf rock, classic rock, punk to metal but nothing that I would call modern.
Curious about the AV75 as they say it isn’t as scooped as a G12T-75.
Was watching a Segeborn shootout vid of greenback like speakers and actually dug a Jensen mod 12-50 and a Supro BD12. A Scumback M75 also sounded pretty good but with shipping from Scumback it’s over $200.

I'd spring for the M75 man

Especially if you want that sort of tone

You might be able to find an old vented T75 for cheap, too, if you do enough hunting

Besides those... a redback, 12L, K100, DV77, Karnivore? Those seem to be the usual suspects. I'd recc the Scumback BM75LD as it's fantastic for hard rock and 80s to thrash, but as you say the M75 is already on the expensive end.

I'm not a fan of Weber but I remember @MadAsAHatter likes the gray wolf, I believe

I'm not a fan of most eminence either but lots of people swear by the swamp things or hempbacks

If it was my cabinet, I would probably get an m75, 12L, and either a K100 OR redback, if I wanted the most diverse sound options possible - with the last spot as a wildcard

 

[Klauth]

In my other 4x12 I have a GB, G12H-30 (anniversary), Creamback 75 and a Fane F70. I know I want to get a V30 for the cab I’m reworking but drawing a bit of a blank on what else to get. Would dig getting stuff that doesn’t sound too much like the speakers I already have.
Pretty much playing surf rock, classic rock, punk to metal but nothing that I would call modern.
Curious about the AV75 as they say it isn’t as scooped as a G12T-75.
Was watching a Segeborn shootout vid of greenback like speakers and actually dug a Jensen mod 12-50 and a Supro BD12. A Scumback M75 also sounded pretty good but with shipping from Scumback it’s over $200.

If you don't already know, your definitely getting phase smearing with this setup so, you're not hearing the speaker's true sound. as well as uneven impedance loading that the speakers were not designed to see.

 

[DanTravis62]

If you don't already know, your definitely getting phase smearing with this setup so, you're not hearing the speaker's true sound. as well as uneven impedance loading that the speakers were not designed to see.

Yep, that definitely could be a factor. Some people like the smearing and phase stuff that happens. It can even be identifiable or endearing.
I'm not one of those people though, all my speakers are in "dedicated" cabs because that's just another variable to try and work around when under a mic.

 

[skoora]

If you don't already know, your definitely getting phase smearing with this setup so, you're not hearing the speaker's true sound. as well as uneven impedance loading that the speakers were not designed to see.

I use it for recording where I’m close micing everything. I don’t get why there would be any impedance issues. The speakers are all rated the same. Maybe you thinking of power distribution. I’ve had this cab this way for about 15 years and it’s always sounded great.
I don’t want to use IR’s and would rather have micing variety this way.

 

[Klauth]

I use it for recording where I’m close micing everything. I don’t get why there would be any impedance issues. The speakers are all rated the same. Maybe you thinking of power distribution. I’ve had this cab this way for about 15 years and it’s always sounded great.
I don’t want to use IR’s and would rather have micing variety this way.

Maybe I'm an engineer and I know more than you? I literally have all these cabs loaded with what you're interested in as well as cabs with mixed speakers and I have spent years of research on this in a studio/lab environment. your method of trying to figure out what is, "best" has been an ongoing failure of many (the cheap as possible crowd) that really doesn't have any idea of what true engineering is. your here because you want free advice, and you get what you pay for.

 

[7704A]

I don’t get why there would be any impedance issues. The speakers are all rated the same.

@Klauth might be referring to the fact that speaker impedance is not a single number, but a frequency-dependent curve that varies between different speaker models. The rated impedance is just the "nominal" impedance, which I think is usually taken from the lowest point on the curve. Different impedance curves mixed together in a cabinet will behave differently than if they were all the same, even if they're all "rated" the same.

 

[DanTravis62]

@Klauth might be referring to the fact that speaker impedance is not a single number, but a frequency-dependent curve that varies between different speaker models. The rated impedance is just the "nominal" impedance, which I think is usually taken from the lowest point on the curve. Different impedance curves mixed together in a cabinet will behave differently than if they were all the same, even if they're all "rated" the same.

Yep. It can 100% make the speakers sound a little different in some cases (even when close micing)

IME sometimes its a little difference and sometimes it's very noticeable

 

[RaceU4her]

I use it for recording where I’m close micing everything. I don’t get why there would be any impedance issues. The speakers are all rated the same. Maybe you thinking of power distribution. I’ve had this cab this way for about 15 years and it’s always sounded great.
I don’t want to use IR’s and would rather have micing variety this way.

i have multiple cabs with all different speakers for recording, works fine for me, but my ears are shit