General Asylum: REVIEW: Celestion Vintage 30 Speakers by FRG7SWL

Model:	Vintage 30
Category:	Speakers
Suggested Retail Price:	$110-150
Description:	60 watt(120 watt peak) ceramic magnet replica of Celestion's legendary Alnico Blue
Manufacturer URL:	Celestion
Manufacturer URL:	Celestion

Review by FRG7SWL ( A ) on May 21, 2004 at 10:20:31
IP Address: 198.81.26.75

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Being sound producers, as opposed to sound reproducers, has always added a mystic charm to using guitar speakers as hi-fi sound sources. During rock's first decade of existence, many a group would hook up an a.m./f.m. tuner for playback through their Fender amps whilst taking a break. Those Jensen & Utah speakers sounded absolutely glorious,& seemingly larger than life. Almost to most bands' detriment(imagine gettin' booed when turning off the p.a. music). There was a cohesive bass-to-midrange tonal transition rarely heard from regular hi-fi speakers. If those amps were loaded with Celestion Alnico Blues, there was an added punch to that classic Fender twanginess which Jensen's only hinted @, & Utahs were incapable of. As rock got heavier, those Blues gave way to Greenbacks. They could absorb more power, but sacrificed bass for more midrange. It would take nearly two decades before Celestion's engineers created the Vintage 30, a ceramic magnet speaker emulating its Alnico Blue ancestor. Industrial heavy metalers & thrashiods now had a speaker with vintage alnico tone which could withstand Valkyrish volumes. Blues-n-jazz players also benefited from that Vintage 30's warm-n-woody tonality. It's that tight bottom, fat midrange, & harmonically rounded top which endears Vintage 30s to hi-fi playback, especially rockers who wish to replicate concert volumes with modest r.m.s.outputs(Marshall loads their 1960AV cabs with these beauties). Single coils sing & humbuckers howl, natch. Vocals are earthy-n-etheral. Percussion extremely propulsive. Add a simple 10uf non-polarized cap to thy choice of tweeter, & enjoy instant two-way faux-valvesque replication from any quality solid state amp. Wanna tame those vintage Cervin Vega's sloppy bottoms? Replace those stock 12" woofers with Vintage 30s. Then watch critics' jaws drop as they do a Roy Jones(vs. Antonio Tarver) impersonation! Vintage 30s aren't the nth degree in pristine soundstage presentation, however. Try-n-find Electro Voice Forces instead. A cheaper alternative would be Eminence's new Red, White, & Blues drivers. But, if you lust after a hint of raunch with your retro vibe, nuthin' beats Vintage 30s!!!

Product Weakness: Aint no bullit with butterfly wings; prolonged exposure known to induce cone-cry addiction
Product Strengths: 100dBs worth of tight bottom, fat midrange, & rounded top; warm-n-woody tonality ideal for blues, classic-n-oldies rock, funk, jazz-fusion, reggae, r-n-b, soul; vintage valvesque voicing from solid state amplification minus those thermionic headaches

Associated Equipment for this Review:
Amplifier:	Marantz MR-235; Pioneer SX-780; Sherwood 7100A; Sony STR-6800SD
Preamplifier (or None if Integrated):	Dynaco PAT-4
Sources (CDP/Turntable):	Denon DCM-450 cd player; Yamaha P-07 turntable
Speakers:	Electro Voice Forces; Jensen 1204s; Utah Cadences
Cables/Interconnects:	Radio Shack Monster Cables
Music Used (Genre/Selections):	blues, classic-n-auldies rock, funk, jazz-n-jazz fusion, reggae, r-n-b, soul
Room Size (LxWxH):	10 x 10 x 10
Time Period/Length of Audition:	Three years plus
Type of Audition/Review:	Product Owner

Product Weakness:	Aint no bullit with butterfly wings; prolonged exposure known to induce cone-cry addiction
Product Strengths:	100dBs worth of tight bottom, fat midrange, & rounded top; warm-n-woody tonality ideal for blues, classic-n-oldies rock, funk, jazz-fusion, reggae, r-n-b, soul; vintage valvesque voicing from solid state amplification minus those thermionic headaches