MadAsAHatter
Well-known member
I’ve been swapping speakers around seeing which configurations worked for me. First, I want to share my experiences so far. And secondly want to get some advice on greenback style speakers.
Experiences thus far.
I had a few different types of speakers to work with:
Egnater Elite 100 (rebadged G12K-100)
Eganter Elite 75 (rebadged G12T-75)
Celestion badged G12T-75
WGS ET-65
WGS ET90
WGS Retro 30
Celestion 70/80
And my thoughts on the different speaker configurations I tried all in a 412 cabinet. I’ve listed them in the order of my liking from least to most:
I’ll get this one out the way first, the 70/80’s didn’t sound overly spectacular with any other speaker. They’re okay at best on their own, but seemed to add a brittleness that didn’t mix well when paired with anything else.
For each speaker by itself I liked the ET-65 (ET90) Retro 30 and Elite 100 the most. They were the most full and natural sounding to me. Each had its own flavor and when taken alone none sounded like it was lacking anything. But side by side comparison one made the other appear to be lacking something. For example putting the ET against the Retro 30… The retro 30 being so mid forward made the ET seem like it was missing mids. And conversely the ET made it feel like the Retro 30 didn’t have anything going in the lows and highs.
Elite 75 quad – on its own it sounded pretty good, though a little scooped in the mids. Basically it’s exactly how you’d expect a quad of G12T75’s to sound. But when compared to something with more pronounced mids if felt like it was severely lacking in that department; like it didn’t have enough body.
Elite 100 x G12T75 – This combo was fuller sounding than the quad of Elite 75’s. The Elite 100’s filled in some of the missing pieces that were lacking in the G12T75’s. Again on it’s own it sounded just fine, but comparatively still sounded like it needed more mids to fill out.
G12T75 x ET-65 (ET-90) – I’m included the ET-90 in my comparison here as it sounded near similar to the ET-65. Separating the comparisons would have been redundant. Both the ET-65 and ET-90 did a good job in trying to make up for the G12T75. The ET’s added in some much needed mids and made the highs and lows sound fuller, but I felt like the ET’s were being dragged down by the G12T75’s. It seemed like the T75’s were adding this sterility that I just didn’t like.
G12T-75 x Retro 30 – These 2 speaker types complimented each other rather well. Each filled in what the other seemed to be lacking and produced a well-rounded sound. I left this pairing in for a while to see how well I bonded with it past the initial impression. I could work with this. But… though not as pronounced, like when paired with the ET’s the G12T-75’s added that same sterility I didn’t like.
Elite 100 x ET-65 (ET90) – This was a really good pairing also. The ET’s filled in some of the midrange and complimented the Elite 100’s in the highs and lows. It produced a well bodied sound. It was slightly mid scooped but not so much where it wouldn’t cut and get lost in a mix. If I wanted a slightly scooped sound that would still cut I could have easily stayed with this combo. But I wanted something a bit more mid forward than this was.
ET-65 (ET90) x Retro 30 – Okay now we’re cooking with animal fat. I can see why as far as WGS speakers go this is a popular and recommended pairing. They complement each other almost perfectly and together they sound bold and full. One fills in on what the other seems to be missing. I do find that mid frequencies of the ET and Retro 30 do overlap some so the mids stay prominent without being so in your face. There’s a bunch of discussions on this speaker pairing floating around so I don’t think my thoughts will add anything that hasn’t already been said. Basically you can’t go wrong with this. This mix has found a permanent home in one of my cabs and is near my favorite, but one combo did beat it out.
Elite 100 x Retro 30 – This is the speaker mix that gave me that Holy Shit! moment. The instant that first chord rang out I knew this was where it’s at. To me these two speakers complement each other so well. The sound is just so organic, bold, and full of life. I don’t feel like either is trying to make up for the other one. Each speaker seemed to contribute its own flavor that landed right where it should in the frequency mix. It’s like they were in sync performing a well-choreographed dance. This is my favorite combo, is in my main 412 cab, and is there to stay long term.
Experiences thus far.
I had a few different types of speakers to work with:
Egnater Elite 100 (rebadged G12K-100)
Eganter Elite 75 (rebadged G12T-75)
Celestion badged G12T-75
WGS ET-65
WGS ET90
WGS Retro 30
Celestion 70/80
And my thoughts on the different speaker configurations I tried all in a 412 cabinet. I’ve listed them in the order of my liking from least to most:
I’ll get this one out the way first, the 70/80’s didn’t sound overly spectacular with any other speaker. They’re okay at best on their own, but seemed to add a brittleness that didn’t mix well when paired with anything else.
For each speaker by itself I liked the ET-65 (ET90) Retro 30 and Elite 100 the most. They were the most full and natural sounding to me. Each had its own flavor and when taken alone none sounded like it was lacking anything. But side by side comparison one made the other appear to be lacking something. For example putting the ET against the Retro 30… The retro 30 being so mid forward made the ET seem like it was missing mids. And conversely the ET made it feel like the Retro 30 didn’t have anything going in the lows and highs.
Elite 75 quad – on its own it sounded pretty good, though a little scooped in the mids. Basically it’s exactly how you’d expect a quad of G12T75’s to sound. But when compared to something with more pronounced mids if felt like it was severely lacking in that department; like it didn’t have enough body.
Elite 100 x G12T75 – This combo was fuller sounding than the quad of Elite 75’s. The Elite 100’s filled in some of the missing pieces that were lacking in the G12T75’s. Again on it’s own it sounded just fine, but comparatively still sounded like it needed more mids to fill out.
G12T75 x ET-65 (ET-90) – I’m included the ET-90 in my comparison here as it sounded near similar to the ET-65. Separating the comparisons would have been redundant. Both the ET-65 and ET-90 did a good job in trying to make up for the G12T75. The ET’s added in some much needed mids and made the highs and lows sound fuller, but I felt like the ET’s were being dragged down by the G12T75’s. It seemed like the T75’s were adding this sterility that I just didn’t like.
G12T-75 x Retro 30 – These 2 speaker types complimented each other rather well. Each filled in what the other seemed to be lacking and produced a well-rounded sound. I left this pairing in for a while to see how well I bonded with it past the initial impression. I could work with this. But… though not as pronounced, like when paired with the ET’s the G12T-75’s added that same sterility I didn’t like.
Elite 100 x ET-65 (ET90) – This was a really good pairing also. The ET’s filled in some of the midrange and complimented the Elite 100’s in the highs and lows. It produced a well bodied sound. It was slightly mid scooped but not so much where it wouldn’t cut and get lost in a mix. If I wanted a slightly scooped sound that would still cut I could have easily stayed with this combo. But I wanted something a bit more mid forward than this was.
ET-65 (ET90) x Retro 30 – Okay now we’re cooking with animal fat. I can see why as far as WGS speakers go this is a popular and recommended pairing. They complement each other almost perfectly and together they sound bold and full. One fills in on what the other seems to be missing. I do find that mid frequencies of the ET and Retro 30 do overlap some so the mids stay prominent without being so in your face. There’s a bunch of discussions on this speaker pairing floating around so I don’t think my thoughts will add anything that hasn’t already been said. Basically you can’t go wrong with this. This mix has found a permanent home in one of my cabs and is near my favorite, but one combo did beat it out.
Elite 100 x Retro 30 – This is the speaker mix that gave me that Holy Shit! moment. The instant that first chord rang out I knew this was where it’s at. To me these two speakers complement each other so well. The sound is just so organic, bold, and full of life. I don’t feel like either is trying to make up for the other one. Each speaker seemed to contribute its own flavor that landed right where it should in the frequency mix. It’s like they were in sync performing a well-choreographed dance. This is my favorite combo, is in my main 412 cab, and is there to stay long term.
