Weber alnico 8S speaker data - SPL, etc.

[GibsonLover]

Does anyone know where to find data on Weber speakers? Their site has some flowery verbiage about how they sound and a FAQ seeming to excuse why they don't publish design data by giving definitions (everyone tests differently and therefore doesn't mean anything, etc.). Google was no help.
Basic SPL data is a good yardstick for the ballpark. My immediate concern is the Weber Alnico 8S. The Jensen P8R is 92.5dB. Now 8" speakers aren't efficient anyway, so the premium might be imaginary if they both have 1" voice coils. The alnico 8S is $35, and the P8R is $67. Any thoughts on sound, SPL?
Of course SPL data would be nice for their whole line, but I'll take what I can get.

[domocaster]

weber sig' 8 alnico

Hi there,
I'm afraid I don't have the sensitivity rating of the weber signature 8 alnico speaker
However,I have put one in my 1960 Gibson GA 5T,[ECL82 power tube model],
the reason I had to change it was, unfortunatly, due to an accident with the amp, it dropped off my work bench and landed, face down, on the floor.
I had heard good things about weber speakers, but, they are not available over here, in England.
So, I started by putting a new,Jensen alnico speaker in, I was somewhat dissapointed; good bass and clean sound, however the overdrive was a big dissapointment.
Fuzz... not what I'd want at all, in fairness to Jensen, they do describe the overdrive sound as fuzzy.
So, I ordered a weber sig' 8, and all I can say is GREAT!
A real surprise was the wonderfull suistain on the cleaner settings;great bass response,and fabulous overdrive tone.
In fact, even better than the original[before I broke it!].
On top of which,the people at weber[Ted included], were very helpfull, as I sent them pictures of my amp to see which would fit[it is a tight sqeeze in there!] they soon had my queries sorted.
I'm so impressed I've ordered a sig' 10 alnico for my GA 8.
So,and this is my opion,weber definatly has the edge, cheaper as well!
Hope this helps.
Cheers, Dom.

[Bruce / Mission Amps]

Maybe somebody knows for sure but I was under the impression that Weber sells but doesn't actually build those Signature speakers.

[GibsonLover]

Ya - the 8S doesn't look real Weber-like either. I guess I don't care who makes them, and frankly the SPL takes a back if they sound better than the popular alternative. I certainly don't like early breakup or fuzz. The price is definately better too. Thanks guys.

[tedweber]

Does anyone know where to find data on Weber speakers? Their site has some flowery verbiage about how they sound and a FAQ seeming to excuse why they don't publish design data by giving definitions (everyone tests differently and therefore doesn't mean anything, etc.). Google was no help..

Yikes... tell me how you really feel..

Seriously, though, just like a custom amp, guitar, or most other products in this market, our speakers are boutique.

We have many different cones, voice coils, and other parts for a particular model, as well as offering to boost or reduce the magnet.

So, our T/S parameters are all over the place, in addition to, as you put it, "our excuse" for not quoting them because Eminence and others don't use the traditional industry standard.

Although, Eminence is professional and explains their testing and display methods.

So, pick your poisin and I'll post the data here.

I'm sure you know, 8's are pretty puny, so don't expect much if you've been looking at 10's and 12's for a long time.

Ted

[GibsonLover]

Thanks Ted. I'm a fan by the way - I have a couple of your 12's and love them. I was going to use the 8's in an array for something different. With the low SPL of the 8's, the combined boost you get in an array is still on the low side. So - from a design standpoint, I was looking for SPL numbers to justify doing it or not. Is your alnico 8S "as loud" as a P8R, or would you rate them any higher?

[tedweber]

Thanks Ted. I'm a fan by the way - I have a couple of your 12's and love them. I was going to use the 8's in an array for something different. With the low SPL of the 8's, the combined boost you get in an array is still on the low side. So - from a design standpoint, I was looking for SPL numbers to justify doing it or not. Is your alnico 8S "as loud" as a P8R, or would you rate them any higher?

Ironically, the reissues ratings are off also... but the other way.. duh... So are their plots. I told them several times when were were a distributor that they had something really screwy, but they already had them shot, cropped, and internet ready, so they didn't want to run them again.
Most of their speakers are actually a little hotter than their published specs.

Our 8S is 94db, and the 8 is 93db. The 8S is looser, so it has more low end and midrange punch. The 8 is tight, very tight, and breaks up early with a lot of crunch, punch, and cheap speaker tone.

Those are the AlNiCo versions. Add a db for the ceramic versions.

Ted

[catnine]

I've used weber alnico sig 8s speakers in SF champs and I must say even cranked they hold up the tone and bottom very well , in fact I had a weber alnico sig10s and the 8s was not far behind. For such a small speaker looking at the cone you would never expect so much vol and punch . I liked the sig alnico 8s better than the 8 with the huge ceramic magnet or the ceramic sig 8 s.

If you have played through a stock fender champ speaker then install a weber alnico sig8s you will NOT be dissappointed .

[mbratch]

Does anyone know where to find data on Weber speakers? Their site has some flowery verbiage about how they sound and a FAQ seeming to excuse why they don't publish design data by giving definitions (everyone tests differently and therefore doesn't mean anything, etc.).

Given the choice between data alone and the "flowery language", I appreciate the latter since, in the end, I just want to know what the thing sounds like. The only additional information I would find useful, but would be a heck of a lot of work to generate, would be a comparison table of the different speaker models in a particular class with relative indicators for each "flowery" parameter. Sort of like the ones they have at the Seymour-Duncan site for their guitar pickups.

[GibsonLover]

A nod is as good as a wink...

...to a blind horse....
And yes, I prefer the Comparison Chart example too. It's just that I had to believe the numbers were available but just not posted. A person really needs both (me anyway), short of having to buy one of everything and doing the round robin approach. I'm a little too predisposed to that line of thinking with my day job in the first place.
I'll spill the beans a little and say my motivation for asking was that I'm considering a 9x8 array (you read that right...) that takes the space of a 4x12 baffle, and running it with a SE amp design I'm working on, using an 8417 output at about 500V B+ and fixed bias. You can get a LOT of power out of that tube! The tube is a little out of date, but I have enough to last me a lifetime, so why not? Maybe I have a little more expendable cash than common sense sometimes, but aren't YOU curoius how that would sound??
So many ways to make noise....
Ted - I'll be placing an order before too long!