Neo speaker weight

[chrisanthony1211]

I know this will depend upon the size of the speaker, but is there any generalisation about how much lighter neo speakers are?
I'm thinking about picking up something like an SWR redhead and making it a little lighter! Would swapping out the speakers make much of a difference?

[grandad]

Several years previous I swopped to a neo in a Roland CB100 & it sounded aweful. Had to put the original back in. I think it's a case of try it and see - cab and speaker design!

[JTUK]

I did the same with a Goliath Jnr cab..but not out of choice as the PAS drivers were not replaceable with PAS
so I went Deltalite 2510 and the weight save was very noticeable. I didn't like the sound of the NEO's in the cab tho
so I sold it...

[Guest bassman7755]

Swapping drivers in a cab has always struck me as an illogical thing to do since the cab has to be designed around the driver, most likely outcome is that you end up something that sounds worse and is worth a lot less money than what you started with. If you want a lighter neo loaded cab then buy one.

Edited November 7, 2015 by bassman7755

[Dan Dare]

There is flexibility - drivers with similar characteristics are interchangeable. In the end, though, you have to suck it and see.

[shizznit]

I switched from EBS Proline Cabs to Neoline cabs 3yrs ago. I did notice some difference. The Neo speakers have a lot more natural upper mid range focus than the conventional ceramic speakers. Its much more noticeable at loud volumes and I have to make a couple of small tweaks on my amp to compensate, which I didn't have to do with the Proline cabs. I think the ceramic speakers are more consistent when cranked. I wasn't sure if I liked the Neo's at first, but I got used to them after a while and I'm very happy them. They do sound good, but they behave quite differently.

[Bill Fitzmaurice]

[quote name='shizznit' timestamp='1446986886' post='2903900']
they behave quite differently.[/quote]The particular neo drivers you have may behave quite differently from the particular ceramic drivers you had before, but that has nothing to do with the magnet material. Flux is flux, no matter the source, be it neo, ceramic, alnico or field coil. If there was a characteristic neo sound, or ceramic or alnico, then all neo driver would sound the same, as would all ceramic, etc. That's no more the case than all tens sounding the same, or all twelves, or all fifteens.
[quote]Swapping drivers in a cab has always struck me as an illogical thing to do since the cab has to be designed around the driver, most likely outcome is that you end up something that sounds worse and is worth a lot less money than what you started with. If you want a lighter neo loaded cab then buy one[/quote]+1. Besides, not only do all neo drivers not sound the same, they don't all weigh the same, nor do all ceramic drivers. For instance, Orange uses Eminence Beta 10 ceramics, which weigh 3.1 kg. The most common neo ten is the Eminence Deltalite II 2510, which weighs 2.1 kg, so with four you'd only save 4 kg. OTOH there's the Kappalite 3010MB, and it weighs 3.2 kg.

[stevie]

If you want a rough guideline, using neo magnets will cut the weight of a speaker by around 50%. You'll save more on heavier, more powerful speakers (10kg down to around 4kg for an equivalent driver) and less on more modest drivers. 4.5kg down to 2.5kg, for example. My neo speaker weighs 3.7kg and the manufacturer produces a direct ceramic equivalent weighing 9kg.

[Phil Starr]

[quote name='chrisanthony1211' timestamp='1446887181' post='2903127']
I know this will depend upon the size of the speaker, but is there any generalisation about how much lighter neo speakers are?
I'm thinking about picking up something like an SWR redhead and making it a little lighter! Would swapping out the speakers make much of a difference?
[/quote]
I'd think you'd be looking to save a couple of kg per speaker looking at Eminence 10's, actually about a 50% reduction, somaybe 5lbs overall. The Redhead weighs in at 96lb so it is still going to be pretty heavy.

The other problem is that speakers may not be a direct swap, in fact probably won't be, so you will get a different sound from the original Redhead. In an extreme case you may even get a sufficient mismatch between cab and speaker for the bass performance to be so compromised the speakers could be damaged. If you decide to go ahead then ask someone here to check for you.

[chris_b]

This kind of modding can work and might work, but if it doesn't you're back at square one, and you've bought some speakers you don't need, and a Redhead is going to be heavy no matter what you do to it.

If you want a lighter combo I'd get a lighter combo.

[Jazzjames]

A redhead is going to be damn heavy with the original speakers, or with neo ones. If you want something light, look elsewhere. However, if you can deal with the weight, they sound great.