Speaker replacements

[caspercody]

I am thinking of replacing the speakers in my amp, and was wondering what would you recommend?

I have a Peavey Transfex 208s. It has (2) eight inch Peavey Blue Marvel speakers in it. Both are rated at 8 ohms.

[Paul Marossy]

Hmm... 8" speakers are not that common. You're going to be very limited in terms of what is available since the guitar amp world seems to be centered around the 12" guitar speaker.

You're probably looking at either a Jensen or a Eminence speaker. There are a few other manufacturers, too. Also, you might want to check ebay for some up for sale.

It's hard to recommend a guitar speaker since it is such a highly subjective topic. It's like asking "what's the best distortion pedal?" Ask 20 guitar players that and you'll probably get 20 different answers... 

[BAARON]

I think part of your difficulty may be finding 8" speakers that can safely handle 25 watts each... Jensen recommends that your speaker wattage be double the output wattage of your amp to ensure speaker longevity, so you'd probably be searching for speakers that can handle at least 30-40 watts each.  Jensen's 8" speakers (Mod 8-20 and Vintage C8R, for example) usually only handle 20-25w each, so you might need to look somewhere other than Jensen.

[Paul Marossy]

I think part of your difficulty may be finding 8" speakers that can safely handle 25 watts each... Jensen recommends that your speaker wattage be double the output wattage of your amp to ensure speaker longevity, so you'd probably be searching for speakers that can handle at least 30-40 watts each.  Jensen's 8" speakers (Mod 8-20 and Vintage C8R, for example) usually only handle 20-25w each, so you might need to look somewhere other than Jensen.

Yeah, I didn't think of that. Good points.

[doug deeper]

see what weber has!
tedweber.com

[Dragonfly]

see what weber has!
tedweber.com

+1

[MikeH]

A lot of vintage jensen type speakers were made in 8ohm versions with decent power handling.  Of course Ted specializes in vintage jensen reproductions...

[BAARON]

Weber offers the 8" NeoMag in 25 watts and 50 watts.  All his other models top out at 25 watts, if even that: some only handle 10-15 watts.  That said, his NeoMag is the only 8" speaker I've found so far that could handle even 50w, so that might be the way you'd have to go.

If they sound anything like the Jensen Neos he's probably trying to copy, they'll sound good.

[Paul Marossy]

You can't go wrong with Weber. Those are good speakers.

[Meanderthal]

 Just a gripe here- it really bugs me that when ya search for replacement speakers, wattage is almost always listed but often spl effeciency is often omitted or in some cases where I've asked even unknown(by the merchant). If it handles 25 watts but the spl is 104db it's going to be capable of getting loud as hell, but if it's more like 85db, it's going to be relatively wimpy because more energy becomes heat and less becomes movement of the cone...

[liquids]

Another +1 for Ted Weber.

I'm not familiar with you amp, but if there is any possible way to rig up an external cab, it's probably a better choice; from experience, an 8" guitar speaker will always sound like an 8" guitar speaker....two tens or a single 12 on up is more of a 'standard' speaker config to work with for good tones, with plenty of wattage to spare.

You might also have fun messing with 8' hi fi speakers, though, depending on price point, that may make sense more for experimentation than practicality 

Just a gripe here- it really bugs me that when ya search for replacement speakers, wattage is almost always listed but often spl effeciency is often omitted or in some cases where I've asked even unknown(by the merchant). If it handles 25 watts but the spl is 104db it's going to be capable of getting loud as hell, but if it's more like 85db, it's going to be relatively wimpy because more energy becomes heat and less becomes movement of the cone...

That's because most consumers don't understand SPL ratings.  Lets assume all amps are telling the truth about their true wattage 'dead clean.'  They aren't, but lets say they are.  Let's put this in perspective - double your power amp wattage (go from 50 watts to 100 watts) and you only get 3db more volume.  It's considered the first threshold of being 'noticably louder.'   It takes 9-10db to percieve that volume has doubled.  to get double the volume of a 50 watt amp, you need 50x2=100 watt (+3db from 50 watt) 100x2=200 watt (+6db louder than 50 watt) 200x2=400 (+9db from 50 watt).  You need 400 watts to double it. 

Lets do the reverse.  I have a ~40 watt super reverb, and a champ which is rated at about ~5 watts. How much different are they in volume?

5 watts x 2=10 watts (+3db from 5 watts); 10x2=20 watts  (+6db from 5 watts) 20x2=40 watts (=9db from 6 watts). 

So, that little 5 watt fender champ, all else being equal, is only 1/2 as loud as my super reverb, all else being equal.  I can testify...

Go look at eminience site, and check speaker SPl which they call "sensitivity."  If you have speakers that are rated 100db, find some that are rated 104db (or visa versa), and you've got the volume increase/decrease.  Speakers are  fundamental part of any tone, frequency, and certainly your volume, and I think their part to play is often neglected in the equation.

The 10s in my super--the CTS alnicos-are not only lightweight and tonally just right for me, but they are noted for their low SPL rating.  I can work the amp a little harder, and no one yet has ever told me my amp isn't loud enough.  It all depends on what you want. 

Last but not least, make sure you check the speaker impedance - and be careful not just to note the impedance of the speakers, but in the case of multiple speakers, know how they are wired, which will also effect the load the amp sees.  You can really damage an amp and speaker with a bad mismatch, and at best, a slight mismatch will get less than 'optimal' results for volume and tone.

[caspercody]

Thanks for all the replies. It does have a speaker output, and I am going to look around to try to plug into an external cab first.