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Eminence Beta 15 (300w) or Beta 15a (600w) for Ashdown Mag 300?


guntherbuffalo
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Hi,

Replacing a speaker in a Mag 300 combo, I have decided to either go for the Emi Beta 15 or the Beta 15a

The amp puts out at the most 307w, so my instant thought would be the 300 watt Beta 15. But eminence to not specifically say this can be used for a bass guitar amp where the 15a does.

I have read loads about people using the 600w 15a, but will it sound any good with a speaker with such a high RMS seeing as I am never going to get anywhere near the 600 mark.

Thoughts?

Thanks :D

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You don't need to worry about a speaker being 'too many' watts, you can drive a 1000W speaker with a 1W amp if you want, it's the same as turning the volume down.

I'm not sure you have the speakers right, Eminence don't list a Beta just the beta A. Certainly a beta won't handle 600W. I suspect they are the same speaker and one advertiser is quoting its RMS power and the other its music power.

There's lots better speakers out there, though this may be a good enough match for the Ashdown speaker. Are you replacing to upgrade, or has the original blown?

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Thanks for your reply.

The original has blown, though I have heard lots of people complaining about the Ashdown Blueline speakers as being junk so would be looking for something different.

Also I have been reading that the speaker needs to be matched to the capacity of the cabinet, which I think is relatively small in this case.

Basically I am looking for a 15 inch speaker, with at least 300w RMS, 8ohms for between £50-70.

Would you know anything that would fit this spec?

thanks

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[quote name='guntherbuffalo' timestamp='1359707392' post='1958975']

Replacing a speaker in a Mag 300 combo, I have decided to either go for the Emi Beta 15 or the Beta 15a

[/quote]It's the same driver. The 'A' suffix denotes 8 ohms. The 600w rating is peak, which is meaningless. In any event inches and watts aren't how you choose a driver, you do so based on all the other T/S specs, using a modeling program like WinISD to match the driver and cab.

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If you want something that will work and not blow up, the Eminence 15 Beta will do that. As far as matching the cab is concerned, it doesn't really, but neither does the original Ashdown driver. My guess is that it will sound worse than the original Ashdown driver because it's been built down to a price for people who want cheap, cheap. (Hint - it's a pile of sh*t!).
You could probably get something much better on the secondhand market if you can watch and wait.

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[quote name='bremen' timestamp='1359732118' post='1959557']
I have one of these

[url="http://compare.ebay.co.uk/like/200825741619?var=lv&ltyp=AllFixedPriceItemTypes&var=sbar&adtype=pla&crdt=0"]http://compare.ebay....type=pla&crdt=0[/url]

very little use, any interest?

It's very heavy. Whereabouts do you live?
[/quote]

Nice! I live in Leamington near Birmingham. Yeah I am interested, what were you using the speaker for?

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[quote name='stevie' timestamp='1359754495' post='1960025']
If you want something that will work and not blow up, the Eminence 15 Beta will do that. As far as matching the cab is concerned, it doesn't really, but neither does the original Ashdown driver. My guess is that it will sound worse than the original Ashdown driver because it's been built down to a price for people who want cheap, cheap. (Hint - it's a pile of sh*t!).
You could probably get something much better on the secondhand market if you can watch and wait.
[/quote]

Yeah I want something that will not blow up but I don't want it to sound like someone farting into a PA system either, this is for the bass player in my band. we play pub gigs regularly so would need something soonish but will keep an eye on ebay/gumtree. Would you recommend the kappa speakers or are they not so good either?

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I wouldn't use a Kappa as a standalone speaker personally - it's got a huge peak in the upper mids and doesn't really go high enough. It's an LF driver (unlike the Kappalite, which is fine but pricey).

Grab yourself one of these if you can stretch to it: http://basschat.co.uk/topic/197764-faital-pr400-15-bass-driver-for-sale-x-2/. Not only is it neo (so it's light) but the price is half what you would normally pay in the shops - so you wouldn't lose any money if you eventually decided to sell it. Also, it is in a different league to the drivers you have been considering so far and will work fine in the Ashdown.

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[quote name='stevie' timestamp='1359803077' post='1960439']
I wouldn't use a Kappa as a standalone speaker personally - it's got a huge peak in the upper mids and doesn't really go high enough. It's an LF driver (unlike the Kappalite, which is fine but pricey).

Grab yourself one of these if you can stretch to it: [url="http://basschat.co.uk/topic/197764-faital-pr400-15-bass-driver-for-sale-x-2/."]http://basschat.co.u...-for-sale-x-2/.[/url] Not only is it neo (so it's light) but the price is half what you would normally pay in the shops - so you wouldn't lose any money if you eventually decided to sell it. Also, it is in a different league to the drivers you have been considering so far and will work fine in the Ashdown.
[/quote]
yep this.
I have a kappalite which sounds awesome but it cost an arm and a leg.

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The Faital will probably be a tad bigger than the Ashdown driver because it's a cast chassis. You can always widen the existing hole with a jigsaw but the best way of doing it is to get a piece of 1/2" MDF from B&Q and cut a spacer. I think there is somebody on eBay selling MDF spacers (for the car audio guys) if you don't want to go to the trouble.

Come back and tell us what you think. I'd be surprised if you are anything less than amazed at the difference :rolleyes:

Edited by stevie
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  • 2 weeks later...

[quote name='guntherbuffalo' timestamp='1359730614' post='1959529']
I have read on one forum that someone replaced their speaker with a Eminence Kappa 450watts and got good results. May be an option.
[/quote]

That was me, and I have to say I got a bargain. It was an Eminence Kappa 4 ohm speaker B stock from Blue Aran which cost me £40. I've played trough it quite a few times and heard other bassists play through it at volume too. Although it doesn't have the high frequency response of speakers like the Kappalite etc, it sounds excellent to my ears (not everyone wants to sound like Marcus Miller). And of course it should fit fine into your Mag combo as my cab is of a similar size.

I used to own a Barefaced compact, which many people on basschat say is one of the best 1x15 cabs you can buy. It cost me £540 and personally I don't think it sounded £500 better than the cab I own now.

Edited by gjones
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