Eminence Beta 15 - any good?

[phantasmagorovich]

Any word on the Eminence Beta 15"?

I played a 15" at a dudes house the other day and loved it. But those were some vintage drivers and probably much of the awesomeness came from the amp. I've seen a 1x15 cab relatively near me for the price of the speaker new. It's an old cab by a german budget brand so that doesn't seem shady, just like a good deal.
But it'd be a drive and I would like to know if there are any experiences on these?

Are they OK to be played with guitar and a guitar amp? I think the speaker takes 300W, would it sound shitty with a 50-100W head?

[skullservant]

I use a Delta Pro 12a and a Delta 12LFC, both bass drivers that I use for guitar/bass. I'd definitely take a look at usspeaker.com and check the frequencies of the speaker and what it can handle in that my 12LFC has nowhere NEAR the amount of high end/full range sound that the Delta Pro does, so I use it mostly for bass. If you want a good reference to what kind of sound to expect/if it would be okay for guitar, I'd compare the specs to the Delta Pro 12a for reference!

As far as sounding good using a low powered head with a high powered speaker, I do it all the time. I think it sounds just fine!

[skullservant]

Shit I just realized this was about 15"s. Now I feel kind of dumb

[phantasmagorovich]

Totally a valid reply though.

Beta 15":




Delta Pro 12":




Peak with the Beta at 2K Hz, Rolloff starting right after that. At zilch by 5k. I still don't have much of a clue but it does not look extremely promising.

[skullservant]

And for reference the 12LFC:

[skullservant]

Looks like the Beta is a good mix between the 12LFC spec and the Delta, and from my experience it seems like it would be a nice guitar speaker with a SOLID low end without as much high end loss as the 12LFC!

[Ancient Astronaught]

Any word on the Eminence Beta 15"?

I played a 15" at a dudes house the other day and loved it. But those were some vintage drivers and probably much of the awesomeness came from the amp. I've seen a 1x15 cab relatively near me for the price of the speaker new. It's an old cab by a german budget brand so that doesn't seem shady, just like a good deal.
But it'd be a drive and I would like to know if there are any experiences on these?

Are they OK to be played with guitar and a guitar amp? I think the speaker takes 300W, would it sound shitty with a 50-100W head?

I have 2 Em DeltaPro15LFC's in my Emperor 2x15 and love them. These are the extended low range at the sacrifice of high end 15's, but Ihave used the Beta 15's before which are similar in design and output. Eminence 15's in the beta and delta range are designed as all purpose pa/bass speakers but they work amazingly for guitar as well, AS LONG as they are paired with some 12's or 10's. For guitar, alone powered by an amp they can seem not as loud, as they have a perceived lacking in upper mids and highs. They perform amazing for bass though, the lacking high end helps remove any harshness in dirt pedals, while outputting a low mid and low end heavy tone that is tight and focused. As far as the 300w powered by a 100w head that should be fine, you'll never have to worry about blowing the speaker! My 2x15 is 1000w and I've used a 450w SS amp and a 225w tube head with them and its still loud as balls, and even dimed the speakers don't seem strained or on the verge of blowing up.

[phantasmagorovich]

@ skully: What makes you think that?

The 12LFC does boost the lows even more, maybe it'd get muddier than the Beta, but the roll-off looks similar. Or did I misunderstand your first post, where you said you prefer the LFC for Bass?


@ ancient-a:

So you think I should pair them with more speakers? Seems I could use this as a supplementary cab for my 2x12 combo amp, but I was actually thinking of using it on it's own...

[skullservant]

I got confused haha. But I do agree that the curves look like the Beta would be a little less muddy

[Ancient Astronaught]

All though the LFC's have more low end they are also a stiffer speaker allowing them to output more bass yet retain a tighter character, I find themt o not be muddy in the low end at all.

I personally would use it in tandem with other speakers, or as one setup in a stereo rig. 15's are usually perceived to have a mid scoop due to the boost in lows over a 12 and the smoother high end that 15's tend to have. For bass using 15's by them selves is no issue, but for guitar it can be an uphill battle to being happy. I usually foolow a strict 2:1 rule, 12's:15's, and havent had any issues other then complaining neighbors and broken glass ware from falling off shelves in my house.

[skullservant]

Yeah I TOTALLY dig the sound of the 12LFC with the Delta Pro. It's a perfect balance.