212s with Voodu Valve

1

Hello all,

 

I'm planning on making a purchase in the next week or so, and I'd like to get some feedback.

 

I have a Rocktron VooduValve running stereo into a Peavey Classic 50/50 stereo power amp running out to two ADA slant 212 cabs.

They're decent quality cabs made to look like a slant 412 when set side by side, but not give you a hernia when you have to move them around. ;O)

 

Currently I have them spread about 7 feet apart to get some stereo separation on the patches with rotary, or chorus effects.

The cabs are currently loaded with Celestion G12s... about 55-65 watts .

They’re a bit older and made in England, not newer Chinese-made ones.

 

My end goal is to have speakers that are better able to reproduce the wide range of sounds that the VooduValve can dish out, from very heavy/dirty tones, to some nice big round clean tones.

 

I have a couple of issues with the sound currently.

First, I'd like to be hearing more "dimension" to the sound...

The current setup just doesn't have as much breadth/depth as I would like.

I feel like the amp is capable of a wider range than what the speakers are letting me hear.

 

Second, the current setup sounds a bit harsh to my ears.

The VooduValve has a crazy amount of EQ, but generally seems to lean a bit to the bright side of the spectrum.

With all 8 tubes kicking, the Peavey Classic is a bit of a brute, but pretty clear and transparent... I don't hear a lot of tone coloration coming from it.

Based on these factors, my thought is that it's the speakers choking the tone.

 

My plan was to go with an ET65 and a Vet30 in each cab.

I was hoping that an ET65 might help mellow things out a bit and fill out the bottom end and that the Vet30s would allow me to retain some of that mid-range punch without being as harsh.

 

Assuming I'm on the right track with the ET65/Vet 30 combo, if I'm running the cabs separated should I look at running the speakers in an "x" like many of the 412 boys do, or does this not work so well in separate 212 cabs?

Is there a preferred location for the Vet30 in the cab?

I was thinking the speaker on the top might end up being the one that presents more

 

Any recommendations would be heartily appreciated!

2

I think the ET65/Veteran 30 combo would be your best bet.  It really is an incredibly versatile speaker set that should handle the wide range of tones the Voodu Valve is able to produce.  Personally, I would put the ET65s on top.  The Veterans might be a little overpowering with some sounds.  With the 65s on the top you should get a pretty good balance no matter where you are positioned.  I don't think you'll have much advantage from an x pattern running a separated stereo setup.

3

Hi Daniel,

Thanks for the input on type & placement!
What you've said was what I was considering trying first. Unfortunately my cabs don't come apart quite as nicely as Vaughn's Burris cabs. ;) Not a huge deal but having the recomendation up front is always nice.

I did want to mention that I've been really impressed with the stuff Vaughn has been putting out there... your speakers sound a lot more "musical" than what I've been dealing with... The G12s are nice and all, just not so much my thang, I think. Incidentally, I'm handing off my G12s tonight, they're going to a fellow headbanger in need, so they'll have a good home. I'll be dropping by the online store in the next few days!

4

Just echoing what Daniel said, the Vet 30/ET65 combo (or Retro 30/ET65) sounds perfect.  Put one of each in each cab - personally, I'd put the ET65 on the bottom because it's the warmer/bassier of the two.  I'm an audio guy from way back, and I always expect the lowest frequencies to be comming from the bottom ... just me and my little quirks ... Oh, and yes, the Burriss DC cab is a speaker-freak's dream!

5

Hey guys,

I just wanted to get back in touch regarding the speakers.  I got them installed and had a chance to get things re EQ'd over the long weekend, and I am absolutely loving them! They really opened up the sound a lot! Huge improvement in the detail across the board, from the heavy saturated tones to the cleans. The sound is so much bigger, more open and more dimesional now. I've been able to introduce a lot more treble and presence into the power amp settings, which is making everything sound better. Before it was so ice-picky and beamy that I had dumped most of the treble in an attempt to balance the overall sound. What I ended up with was a really narrow, choked down sound as a result of trying to rein in what ended up being a speaker issue.

For the record, the ET-65s on the bottom are definintely the way to go on this rig... they were a bit flubby when put on top. It took a few hours, but I tried the speakers every which way, just to satisfy curiosity... by themselves, and then mixed in both configurations. I would have always wondered if I hadn't tried it. :)  Anyhow, the Vet30 on top and the ET65 on the bottom was by far the combo with the most chocolatey goodness.

Those G12s were just choking the life right out of this setup... I'm finding dozens of factory presets that sounded terrible before (to the point where I never even used them, or tried tweaking them) that sound pretty okay right out of the box now, and with a bit of tweaking are sounding down right awesome.

Thanks again, you've got a devout follower in the WGS army in me!

6

Personally, I feel as though the speakers are actually the most important link in the tone chain - way more so than, say ... strings, guitar body wood, picks ... heck, even pickups!  Change your speaker and you'll change your world!