Ok.. let me start by saying that this speaker needs time to break in. What I am going to post below is the initial sound I had today and not the final conclusion of the speaker.
Got to band jam tonight, plugged in and main thing I noticed that this speaker is nothing like a V30. Yes, its darker, but overall tone wise it did not sound anything like a V30. It sorta of has "similar" characteristics to a V30, but i wouldnt say its a direct replacement.
When i first plugged into this speaker.. i wasnt impressed. it sounded dull and harsh. very little character. couldnt handle the low end. Overall it sounded like it had a more scooped sound.
2 hours goes by.. its starting to sound better. I can hear more character from the speaker. Mids are starting to shine and more clarity/sparkle is starting to shine. another hour passes by, i can hear alot more mid definition and speakers are starting to handle the low end much better than the initial plug in.
By the end of the 4 jam session, it definitly started to sound like a different beast. again, definitly not a V30 replacement. Coming from V30s, the V30s had a bit more open sound, perhaps due to the highend frequency. with the retro 30, It sounds a more "fuller" sound. These speakers LOVE mids. The more I cranked the mids, the thicker and more cutting it sounded (yes I am aware that's what mids do on a guitar).. but it just felt different than your typical "bump up the mids" type scenario. One thing I can tell you these speakers so far are doing better than a V30 (in my opinion and what my ears hear) is these can handle the low end MUCH better. once they got into that 4th hour territory, I can definitly chug on these speakers without going Mush. It actually had definition to the chug.
The retro 30 has a very "chewy" sound. I know there was a thread about weird words used to describe a tone/sound. Well here's one of those moments LOL. when playing single notes, it just had this nice tone that I felt the V30 lacked (at least with my setup).
The one thing I am find with the Retro 30 and I am hoping it'll loose in time is they have this "tubular" tone. Not sure exactly how to describe it or what the right word would be for it. Its almost like the tone is focused within a certain area and not spread wide. again, hoping the speakers will loose that.
Overall, first experience with WGS speakers, I cant say I am dissapointed. Time will tell. Gonna keep them in there for couple more jam sessions to see if they'll break in even more and tone will improve on them.
Will report next week further findings after jam session again. Until then.. Cheers