New Weber Neo Dog
Posted: Mon Jul 06, 2009 9:27 pmNot sure if you guys have checked out the new Weber Neo speakers which include Neodynum versions of the Blue Dog and Silver Bell, but having just installed the Neo version of the the Blue Dog, the Neo Dog (mine is the 75w version w/ pre-rola doping), I have to recommend giving them a shot. I replaced a Vintage 30 in my Rivera Quiana for the same reason a lot of people replace Vintage 30s- I wanted to lose that extra hair in the upper mids. The Quiana is a funny amp because it attempts to do the Brit and American thing in a single amp. I suspect designing the circuit is not nearly as difficult as finding an appropriate speaker that can handle both voicings. Anyway, I also wanted the amp to lose a little weight to make it less of a hassle to cart around NYC so I looked at the Neos.
Now the V30 sounded good in this amp. However it lacked some body for the American side, and on the Brit side, there was a threshold of gain that would start introducing some harshness that would rub me the wrong way. Enter the Neo Dog. This is a nice-sounding speaker period. Neo, ceramic, alnico... whatever, I don't care what it's made of if it sounds good. The Neo Dog has nice balance of body, well-defined lows, and articulate highs without harshness. It compresses sweetly without sounding too squishy and it also retains a little hardness that gives it nice punch. The harshness of the Vintage 30 is gone. The Brit channel sounds sweet and punchy. The American side has nice body and articulation. A lot of people like the Celestion Blue or Weber Blue Dog in 5e3 american circuits and now I understand why. Sweetness, body, clarity, and punch all at once. It is not a particularly loud speaker so if you are looking for maximum efficiency, this may not be for you. It is, however, a versatile, classic-sounding speaker.
I am really excited about the development of Neo speakers. Weber has done it right. Apparently he was hoping to achieve Alnico response when designing his Neos. I'm not expert enough to say whether he's achieved that or not, but I can say he has designed another great-sounding speaker. And these are significantly less expensive than Alnicos.
On top of it all, these things weigh 3 lbs. I got the box and it felt like the box was stuffed with newspaper. Pretty cool.
There's not much feedback out there about these, so I thought I'd throw this out there.
Now the V30 sounded good in this amp. However it lacked some body for the American side, and on the Brit side, there was a threshold of gain that would start introducing some harshness that would rub me the wrong way. Enter the Neo Dog. This is a nice-sounding speaker period. Neo, ceramic, alnico... whatever, I don't care what it's made of if it sounds good. The Neo Dog has nice balance of body, well-defined lows, and articulate highs without harshness. It compresses sweetly without sounding too squishy and it also retains a little hardness that gives it nice punch. The harshness of the Vintage 30 is gone. The Brit channel sounds sweet and punchy. The American side has nice body and articulation. A lot of people like the Celestion Blue or Weber Blue Dog in 5e3 american circuits and now I understand why. Sweetness, body, clarity, and punch all at once. It is not a particularly loud speaker so if you are looking for maximum efficiency, this may not be for you. It is, however, a versatile, classic-sounding speaker.
I am really excited about the development of Neo speakers. Weber has done it right. Apparently he was hoping to achieve Alnico response when designing his Neos. I'm not expert enough to say whether he's achieved that or not, but I can say he has designed another great-sounding speaker. And these are significantly less expensive than Alnicos.
On top of it all, these things weigh 3 lbs. I got the box and it felt like the box was stuffed with newspaper. Pretty cool.
There's not much feedback out there about these, so I thought I'd throw this out there.