Anyone Else Falling Out of Favor with the Alnico Cream?

McLeanAB

McLeanAB

Active member
LOVED the 90 Watt Celestion Alnico Creams when I got them several years ago... sounded SO good...

But lately, since acquiring a little Avatar 1x12, and doing a lot of swapping speakers from cab to cab, I'm finding that in almost all my cabs, there's that unique and very alnico 'thing' going on that sounds so good... a little compression, tight, no eq setting actually sounds bad, etc. HOWEVER, it's just a little too much of that 'thing.'

Compared to the Greenbacks and V30, it just doesn't seem as 'open.' My little Boogie Mark V:25 sounds great with the Greenies in a 4x12, or my oversized 1x12.... (didn't like the Greenie in the smaller Avatar 1x12)... the V30 sounds good in the little Avatar 1x12, but NOT my oversized 1x12. And about the same in the 4x12 (not a huge fan of the V30... there's a 'flatness' to it that doesn't speak to me - not a flat eq, but that ever so nebulous quality of 'character').

But both the V30 and Greenies show off the Boogie very well... and given my other amps (ISP Theta and Egnater Rebel 30II), the Alnico Creams seems to make them all bend to her will... doesn't sound bad AT ALL, just doesn't open up...

Anyone else fall out of favor with the Alnico Creams?
 
They objectively sound "good" certainly

But I think theyre a bit overrated, even compared to some big name and very commonly available speakers - let alone the boutique or hard to find/vintage options

They're definitely a good sounding speaker but I feel like anything I would want out of the creambacks (high power handling celestion family) I would be better served by a million other things - my favorite at the moment being the scumback bm75ld

I still have v30s, I still have an EVM12L cab, but those are for other "purposes"

the scumback scratches that itch better than anything i've found, at least for me, personally
 
I like how they emphasize the highs. They have a crispy and clear sort of quality I don't hear in a lot of other speakers.
I don't know if I'd use them exclusively, if I did I'd probably get tired of them quick, thinking they're too strident, but they can be excellent when blended with other speakers.
 
Here's my favorite alnico cream

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braintheory said:
I find mine smooth and a bit bland for my taste, but they’re good speakers overall. Nothing like how Reza’s vids make them seem. For Alnico speakers my favorites are the old Altec 417’s and JBL’s
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Same. Celestions newer alnico speakers have always had a unpleasant high end thing to my ears/IMO/ymmv

It's not really bad or anything, but when it's compared to the best of the best you have to be nitpicky

Granted, with the right amp they might shine and be the best possible match I dunno, but it hasn't worked that way with most of the amps I prefer and use
 
I still like mine, only real complaint is that it's always my loudest speaker.

I run it in a 212 with a Scumback M75 100w which fills in the mids/highs super nicely while preserving the Creams low end. Really this is what a single speaker should sound like.
 
DanTravis62 said:
Same. Celestions newer alnico speakers have always had a unpleasant high end thing to my ears/IMO/ymmv

It's not really bad or anything, but when it's compared to the best of the best you have to be nitpicky

Granted, with the right amp they might shine and be the best possible match I dunno, but it hasn't worked that way with most of the amps I prefer and use
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I liked the Alnico Gold's I had. They're different than their other Alnico offerings for whatever reason (more aggressive/less smooth), but still didn't keep them ultimately. My Alnico Cream sounds to me more like a higher powered Alnico Blue. I don't get how Reza makes them sound not like that at all lol

I only have an Alnico Cream because it came in the matching cabinet of one of my Ronin amps (one of my best non-high gain amps). It worked pretty well in it and I get what he was going for with that choice, but him and I have similar speaker taste and agrees that Altec 417's really are the best for it and now uses them in his cabs when he can and occasionally vintage coffee can EV's
 
Alnico speakers all tend to have a similar thing in the highs, a 'chime' if you will that works great for cleans, but to me is speaker dependent for high gain. I don't hear much I like about the Alnico cream gain clips, but that's just me. I do like mixing old Altecs/JBLs with other speaker types for high gain, and the 1963 Alnico Blues I had also were killer with high gain but very loose, not good for heavy stuff.
But the cost of the Alnico Creams, for that cash I can usually find an older Celestion I like more anyway. So I've avoided buying them in the first place lol.
 
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Racerxrated said:
But the cost of the Alnico Creams, for that cash I can usually find an older Celestion I like more anyway. So I've avoided buying them in the first place lol.
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It's up there in vintage JBL price territory so if you are looking at a new Cream you can basically consider purchasing ANY alnico speaker out there on the market. Makes the cream a tough sell IMO.
 
I had a couple 2x12's with the Cream Alnicos. That lasted a couple weeks. Dull and flat until pushed hard. Then I mixed one with a Redback in each cab. It was a little more vocal and got along better with the amps. A month later, I found a pair of well-used/broken-in Tone Tubby Reds locally and put them in one of the cabs. The Creams went on the chopping block that night.
 
The Alnico Cream sounds great in the oversized 1x12 when I'm running the 4x12 with the Greenbacks as well. I did put the Cream in the 4x12 with the Greenie and it just didn't have that 'thing' I was hoping for. Very interesting speaker, for sure...

Thanks for all the info and anecdotes! Much appreciated!

(I really want some Creambacks to compliment the Greenies... and I'll be goddamned if I'm not leaning back toward the V30.... it's just a little 'flat' to me but has SO much space).
 
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Haven't tried them.

I have a pair of Celestion Century Neo speakers (not the Century Vintage) that were discontinued many years ago, still new in the factory sealed boxes.

Nominal diameter: 12 inch, 305mm
Power Rating: 80W
Nominal impedance: 8 or 16 Ohms
Sensitivity: 102dB
Chassis type: Pressed steel
Voice coil diameter: 1.75 inches, 44.5mm
Voice coil material: Round copper
Magnet type: Neo
Frequency range: 80-5000Hz
Resonance frequency, Fs: 85Hz
DC resistance, Re: 7 Ohms & 11.81 Ohms

Mounting Information

Diameter: 12.2 inches, 309mm
Overall depth: 4.9 inches, 124mm
Magnet structure diameter: 5.5 inches, 140mm
Cut-out diameter: 11.1 inches, 283mm
Mounting slot dimensions: 0.31 inches, 7.9mm
Number of mounting slots: 4
Mounting slot PCD: 11.7 inches, 297mm
Unit weight: 4.4lb, 2.0kg


I keep going back and forth 2 x 1x12 or 1 x 2x12 cabs, but I really don't need another cab, but I don't want these speakers to just sit unused forever...
 
I like them, but they are amp dependent and you have to watch the top end. The also seem rather sensitive to mic placement. I really dig them with my Carsten Grace & Plexi. They’re also cool with my EVH Stealth, but ultimately I like that amp better with V30’s.
 
rsm said:
I keep going back and forth 2 x 1x12 or 1 x 2x12 cabs, but I really don't need another cab, but I don't want these speakers to just sit unused forever...
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Those have some interesting specs, awesome efficiency. I wanted to afford a set of Neos but there is so little feedback out there on the various models I didn't wanna gamble my money on a complete unknown. A lightweight, good sounding gigging Twin would be awfully nice sometimes.
 
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