Neos (Jensen, Celestion, Eminence) - who's tried 'em?

I've seen very few reviews of the 12" Neos currently on the market. I know some of you have tried most (if not all) of them. I'm looking for something to add some musical chime (not ice-pick) and to reduce the bassy flub of a HRDx. I'm leaning towards the Tonkerlite, but am worried it may be too "british" sounding, and wanted to hear feedback on the Lil' Texas and the Jensen Neos. The Celestion Century Vintage is a bit pricey, but if anyone can say it is better that either the Eminences or the Jensen, I may take a look.

I'm currently running a Weber ceramic blue dog, and while I like it, I find the mids/lower mids a bit overwhelming for the HRDx circuit.

I vote this "most ironic post of the year" for someone named "Al Nico" asking about neodymium speakers :mrgreen:

That out of the way, I'd really like to hear about this too. I've got a health issue that prevents me from lifting as much as I'd like to, so I've been looking into the neo speakers too.

One thing I've heard is that people seem to think that they sound a little "sterile" which I suspect may have a bit to do with people hearing what they expect to hear from a high-tech new material, and also from making observations about a new speaker before it's properly broken in.

I'd love to hear some real-world experiences though.

I vote this "most ironic post of the year" for someone named "Al Nico" asking about neodynium speakers :mrgreen:
I'd love to hear some real-world experiences though.

HA! I didn't want Sir Ramic to get the honors...


Seriously, I've heard they respond quicker and have a more flat and extended frequency range. Maybe that was just for the Celestion Centuries - I've also heard that the Jensens have a rounded top end.

I've had one in a Deluxe Reverb. After it broke in it was very smooth and had good bass responce and a sweet top end. I just tended to get a little lost on a gig. But i think if I had elevated or tilted it back it would have been better. I've since gone back to a Reverend All-tone since its a bit more agressive. Its a sweet speaker and I wont sell it for now. I was thinking of getting another and trying a 2x12 set up for a Tremolux and Bassman. Having a super-light rig was pretty cool too...I like them.

Is this what the "Neo-dog" speakers are in the Vox amps?

I was looking at the Valvetronix as a live amp (ability to use a foot switch, for an array of cover song sounds, as opposed to an array of effects pedals,) and noticed that still offer the 60 and 120 watters in a closed back, plywood cabinet with "Neo-dog" speakers at a much more "premium" price.

I was thinking to myself, "are they that good to warrant a doubling in price?"

I've had one in a Deluxe Reverb.

Which speaker did you have in there?

Sorry Al Nico...had the Jensen.

Johnny has to chime in soon.........

I have Jensen Neos in my Reverend Kingsnake combo and in a 2x12 cab. They have a sweet and definitely not shrill top end and decent bass response too. They're very hi-fi sounding and articulate but not harsh. I do love the light weight too. I do think they're a bit "Brit" sounding overall.

...I haff played threw all of em and the worst wons were the Celestions.

...Noe life in the sound and very non-responsive.

...The Jin-sins are the bess of the three yew listed.

...Weber makes good speakers fer the getus.



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(deranged internet-based alter ego, with my own lexicon and all.)

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My experiance is differant from Fuzzys.I put a celestion neo into an SJB Ant (15w 6v6) so as to use it unmiked with a fairly loud pub band(where I normally use a Peavy classic 50).

It was able to hold up fine.Another friend of mine uses one in a tweed deluxe and definitly made it more giggable.


Of course.unlike fuzzy I wasnt looking for a twin reverb clean sound from it.

Johnny has to chime in soon.........

Hell, I'd like to but I still haven't built the cabs for my two neos! Doh!

The two neos I have are still sitting in boxes in my closet :(

I'm planning on using a Jensen Neo12-100 for a 6L6 Princeton Reverb I'm building and an Eminence Tonkerlite for a Marshall 18w modded for 6V6's I've finished building (still needs a minor tweak or two).

I finally started college (how sad at my age), so time has been slipping away, but I hope to build these two combo cabs within the next few weeks... hopefully I can finish the Princeton by then and give you my thoughts on both the Jensen and the Eminence :)

On a similar note...

Neos tend to sound a tad brighter than their traditional magnet'ed counterparts. Same stuff that applies to cone shape and material still applies to the Neos, but the neodymium lends itself to a brighter (some say "harsher") top end.

I think this would help tame your "flubby" bass and low-mids. The top end is easier to tame with your tone controls though, so don't let the Neo's treble characteristics scare you away.

The Jensen Neo 12 and 10 are very efficient and loud speakers with a very balanced and neutral tone. I've tried the Neo 12 with my '54 tweed Fender Deluxe, and it sounded great but louder than I wanted with that amp. I just bought a Neo 10 for my '59 Gibson GA-18T Explorer (similar to a tweed Vibrolux or brown Princeton) -- it translates the sound of this amp very well at a much higher volume. As a result, there is more headroom and the amp is very loud at the point of breakup. These speakers have a very quick and percussive attack, whether due to the neo mag motor or the efficiency (I think it's the latter more generally). That can be good or bad, depending on your tastes and style.

Anyway, this little 1x10 combo is now a very transportable and giggable amp (within reason and with a mic). In addition, it responds much better to my boost (Bad Bob) and OD (BB Preamp) pedals than it did with the previous Gibson/Hepner ceramic speaker.

On a similar note...
I think this would help tame your "flubby" bass and low-mids. The top end is easier to tame with your tone controls though, so don't let the Neo's treble characteristics scare you away.

I've got my treble dimed and my bass and mids cranked down right now with the Blue Dog, so I think the Tonkerlite might work well. I'm gonna go fer it, and will report back.

...Weber makes good speakers fer the getus.

Weber was the first place I looked when I decided I really wanted some new speakers, but I don't think they make any neodymium models. Otherwise, they'd be my easy choice if I were to take the plunge.

I think Ted will add a neo booster to some of his regular models if you ask him nice.

The advantage of Neo speakers is their lightweight... and they are friggen light as a feather!

I think Ted will add a neo booster to some of his regular models if you ask him nice.

The advantage of Neo speakers is their lightweight... and they are friggen light as a feather!

What is the potential benefit of adding a neo booster?

Tonal character more like one's other favorite magnet type, and tonal/performance benefits of a large (heavy) magnet, but at reduced weight? Tone like one of the famous JBL models without being a boat anchor?

The neo booster adds energy in the gap. It will increase the speaker's sensitivity. I think he only does it to ceramic speakers.

FYI,

If anyone wants to experiment with a neo speaker and has a REALLY dark amp, this guy is selling a Century for $55. I was really tempted to get it just to experiment and compare with the Tonkerlite.

http://good-times.webshots.com/album/553965400kKnXnf

I love the Neo in my Reverend Goblin. It has a really unique, strong bass sound. The speaker is bright too, but not harsh. I really haven't heard anything else that sounds the same. If I had the cash, I'd be really curious to experiment with them in some of my other amps.

[QUOTE=Kelsey]The Jensen Neo 12 and 10 are very efficient and loud speakers with a very balanced and neutral tone. I've tried the Neo 12 with my '54 tweed Fender Deluxe, and it sounded great but louder than I wanted with that amp. I just bought a Neo 10 for my '59 Gibson GA-18T Explorer (similar to a tweed Vibrolux or brown Princeton) -- it translates the sound of this amp very well at a much higher volume. As a result, there is more headroom and the amp is very loud at the point of breakup. These speakers have a very quick and percussive attack, whether due to the neo mag motor or the efficiency (I think it's the latter more generally). That can be good or bad, depending on your tastes and style.

Anyway, this little 1x10 combo is now a very transportable and giggable amp (within reason and with a mic). In addition, it responds much better to my boost (Bad Bob) and OD (BB Preamp) pedals than it did

Interesting, Kelsey. I weighed my Ga-18 and those 23 pounds don't bother me too much. Not enough so that I would pull the original Jensen P10R out of it. If I am going to mic this amp, I would want to hear the original Jensen Alnico, and I dont' think the weight savings can be that much. Maybe a pound?? The magnet on a P10R is not a big weight.
I do know that compared to a TR with Alnico Altec Lansings..heavy Alnicos,
the Jensen Neo shaved 17 lbs from 74 to 57. That is considerable enough to warrant consideration...maybe. The on ly time I consider Neos is when there is a considerable weight savings to be made.....and the owner of the amp can't carry the amp comfortably as it is. I personally am not a believer in Neos solely for the sonics.

My '59 GA-18T had a replacement Gibson-branded Hepner speaker in it that dates back many years, and there was some murky noise in it that I wanted to clean up. The amp was never heavy, so I'm not sure that it's significantly lighter with the Neo in it. However, it is MUCH LOUDER now with the Neo 10 than it was before, and it's now significantly louder than my tweed '54 Deluxe with a new P12Q. I had the GA-18T cranked up (vol at 2:00, tone at 2:00) this morning and the tone was excellent with a remarkable low end response -- the low end really increases noticeably as you get it cranked past half way on the vol. It delivered amazing singing tweed distortion with the Strat vol on full, nice crunch at 8 on the Strat vol, and a nice warm clean tone with the Strat vol at 6-7. On the other hand, the amp still delivers a nice warm clean tone at lower volumes as well (amp vol at 9:00 to noon).

My reference to transportable was in comparison to my Bad Cat Cub, which weighs around 50 lbs. I had been considering the purchase of a new amp to take out of the house -- one that would be lighter than the Cub, less valuable than the Deluxe, and still capable of delivering nice tone and good volume. This amp now satisfies that need very nicely for the cost of a Neo 10.

Okay, I understand the portability issue now, Kelsey.
The Neo probably is a bit more efficient than that JEnsen RI Alnico. The Neo compares favorably with a real C12N in the efficiency department. I
I love my Gibson's too. I have way too many of them.

Wally,

After hearing several speakers side-by-side with similar or slightly higher efficiency ratings on paper, I have to say that the Neo's specs are on the conservative side. What is really unusual is how the Neo 10 and Neo 12 have the same efficiency rating -- and they sound like it, too. That makes the Neo 10 one of the most efficient 10" speakers around.

Okay, I understand the portability issue now, Kelsey.
The Neo probably is a bit more efficient than that JEnsen RI Alnico. The Neo compares favorably with a real C12N in the efficiency department. I
I love my Gibson's too. I have way too many of them.

Sorry Wally, I have a 1966 dated C12N. It sounds good, great even. But it's really not very efficient. Bummer. Weber's 12F150 blows it away on efficiency.

A fellow member (skip62) has a pair of neo speakers. Can't remember the brand. He put them in a 2x12 cabinet. That sucker is SUPER light weight in comparison to other 2x12 cabinets.

The tone? Not bad at all when paired with his Budda 30W or any of the Marshall combinations the we tried. Of coarse, I am going for a more bluesy presentation - raspy, yet articulate and responsive. These have faired well against any of the Celestions in the room. I love my Greenback Celestions with Marshalls. But these neo speakers got me rethinking about my prejudice.

I cannot speak for how well they sound paired with Fender amps or in a twang-town setup.

I built a 1x15 cab and stuck in a 150w 8ohm Jensen Neodymium 15, to be used for bass along with a Crate PB, and it really works quite nicely - lotsa good low end, and can handle the power and aggressive playing very well.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v82/rfdee/cabs/1x15cs.jpg

However, the JenNeo 15 is Excellent when I use it with a 25w Li'l Dawg D-Lux head amp I just got, and ditto's for the MMB head amp. I really like this speaker! I wanna get another for a soon-to-arrive 40w Winfield Super Rosco.

Got the Tonkerlite installed in my HRDx... VERY nice! Compared to the ceramic Blue Dog, it's got a leaner tighter bass and lower-mids, smoother sounding overdrive, and a slight roll-off of icepick trebles. The speaker response is noticeably quicker, which is an improvement given this amp's typically sludgy response. Nothing sterile sounding, just a well-balanced sound that suits this amp.

Overall, this would be a perfect light speaker for this amp, except for a increased upper-mid fizziness that I hope will go away with a little more break-in time. If it doesn't go away, I might try a Jensen Neo.

I'm running a pair of Deltalite II's in my bass rig. They have a fairly significant spike at about 2500 hz. There's plenty of low's in there as well but if left unattended to, that spike is pretty mean. Still, my last 2x12 (Mucis Man with B&C's) ran near 100 lbs. the current one (Avatar) runs a svelte 51. There is no way I'm going back to traditional speakers anytime soon ...