troublehead
New member
Can anyone tell me what the fundamental tone difference is ? I want to try one of them paired with the V30 in my Orange 2x12. Thanks !
thegame
Well-known member
C90 = thicker, chunkier, slightly lower voicing
CL80 = glassier edge, flatter mids.
Subtle but its there. C90 is slightly better IMO.
CL80 = glassier edge, flatter mids.
Subtle but its there. C90 is slightly better IMO.
roadifier
New member
I ha\/e A cab with all C90s and a cab With all CL80. I like the CL80s better. They sound thicker to my ears, and not as fuzzy in the highs. But I think they are both great speakers. 
blackba
Well-known member
thegame":3iyrr1lp said:
That's a pretty good description of the 2 speakers. Most seem to prefer the MC90's, but I like the clarity of the CL80's over the MC90's. Both are great speakers, IMO.
ke2
Active member
I have 3 MC90s (I only have three 
) and an MS120 in a 4x12 cab. I just took out two GT1275s. Holy cow, that cab got fatter just by swapping two speakers. I really like the MCs, but my amp works really well with it. (Mesa Cal 50+) A bigger sounding amp (Recto?) might be too much for those speakers.
) and an MS120 in a 4x12 cab. I just took out two GT1275s. Holy cow, that cab got fatter just by swapping two speakers. I really like the MCs, but my amp works really well with it. (Mesa Cal 50+) A bigger sounding amp (Recto?) might be too much for those speakers.
threadkiller
New member
not to hijack, but has anybody tried the Warehouse Speakers version of the lead 80? Comparable to the celestions?
A
_actual time_
Member
yep, i've A/B'd the CL80 and the Warehouse clone of it, British Lead. it was a CL80 from ~2003 or so and so might have still been made in England. the CL80 had had some use but hadn't been used a ton, and the British Lead was new. both 16 ohm; A/B'd both in the same cab, driven by a Boogie Mark V.
with the amp set at the same volume, the CL80 was a notch louder sounding. i'm guessing maybe the British Lead is a slightly less efficient speaker, at least in my cab. the CL80 also had a bit more upper-mid bite and lower-mid crunch, compared to the British Lead which was smoother and flatter response and sounded a bit more "hi fi", cleaner.
they were definitely similar, the same ballpark tone to my ears, but with those differences coming through pretty clear, to my ears. FWIW.
with the amp set at the same volume, the CL80 was a notch louder sounding. i'm guessing maybe the British Lead is a slightly less efficient speaker, at least in my cab. the CL80 also had a bit more upper-mid bite and lower-mid crunch, compared to the British Lead which was smoother and flatter response and sounded a bit more "hi fi", cleaner.
they were definitely similar, the same ballpark tone to my ears, but with those differences coming through pretty clear, to my ears. FWIW.
droptrd
Active member
Was the BL broke in?
A
_actual time_
Member
not much, no. it had been played 5-10 hrs when i started (and 15-20 by the time i was done), so it wasn't right out of the box, but it wasn't well broken in either.
thiswaythatway
Well-known member
scottcrud":3glb119l said:
Maybe because the one's you've heard are older and broken in better? MC90's, CL-80's, i think they all sound great.
skoora
Well-known member
I have a 4x12 with the MC90, a Classic 80, a GH-30 and a greenback. I find the MC90 too bright and stiff for almost anything. But I'm also running a plexi through the cab. Pretty much my setup is 57 on the greenback and a 421 on the 80. I think the 80 is a pretty neutral speaker. Will handle volume and low end and not color your mids or treble a whole lot compared to others. I've liked the MC90 in some Boogie combo's I've tried though so it's a good choice for a darker amp. I like it when I'm recording Bass through my Plexi if I want a tight, percussive response. If I was playing a recto I would want MC90's over a V30 all day long. Help it cut and brighten up.
S
scottcrud
New member
The ones I hear/own are 4 from 1981, and yea, they're broken in. But I've also owned a old boogie halfback 4x12 with the 90's that were broken in and my G-12-80 loaded cab sounded 10x better.
thiswaythatway
Well-known member
skoora":11zq2ip9 said:
That's funny because i feel that MC90's are darker compared to a lot of speakers I've tried like Greenbacks, H30's, V30's, 75's. And i can tell this fact, a Scumback H75 is many many many times more brighter than an MC90.
skoora
Well-known member
It may just be my particular MC90 because they sound great with the lonestars I've demo'd, quite warm. My G12H30 is definitely the most obnoxious speaker I have. I don't use it at all.
some dude
Active member
danyeo":8v674mqq said:
I find the MC90s are brighter in an open back cab/combo, where they're brighter than a V30. Although I do agree that even in that case they're hardly a 'bright' speaker.
In a Thiele cab they're much darker.
I've never used them in a closed back cab.
droptrd
Active member
My first experiance with the 90s was in a F50 1x12 combo. I was absolutely horrible in that amp. Really the F50 sucked with an open back cab. But I tossed in an H30 in the cab and it was a million times better for that combo. A million times brighter too. I had the 90s in a recto 212 and they sounded great with my Dual rec at the time. I later traded one MC90 for a V30 and then I didnt like the cab as much. Still sounded good though. I still have a brand new MC90 in storage. Im gonna throw it in one of my EV 806/Thiele cabs Im building. Should be cool.some dude":19xp8mxy said: