I have an Orange Dark Terror and I am looking for speakers to fill my 2/12 Avatar Cab. I play a lot of Tool and Chevelle so I am looking for either two single speakers or a combination of speakers that will provide that punchy, heavy, yet articulate sound. Thanks!!
Heavy but Articulate (Tool-like)
01/11/2012 10:14am
It probably doesn't matter, but I forgot to mention that the Orange Dark Terror is a 15 Watt amp. Thanks!
I'm going to go with a slightly different recommendation for your 2x12 (not ET65/Retro30): two Retro 30's if you want it to stay solidly Britt voiced, or two Reaper 30's if you want just a touch of American voicing.
These are both speakers that will make the most of the Dark Terror's 15 watts ... and sound nimble and articulate while also having as solid a bottom end as is possible with 15 watts!
Hello WGS, currently have Orange Dark Terror which is played with Les Paul Studio BB Pro. My sound between guitar, amp, speakers is dark/muddy. I have listened to Reaper & Retro 30, seems both together in 412 X pattern might be perfect. Really want to avoid the V30 Ice Pick to the head and loose flubby Bass of my current speakers, in short Tight & Articulate while keeping the British creamy sound, This is an extremely High Gain Amp!! Many Thanks
PS OP: bradley9in, how do you like the Dark Terror so far? What kind of guitar do u play, pickups?
Everyone else who owns Dark Terrors please chime in with speaker pairings & opinions
@Vaughn Will the Reapers really help clean up the sound and make it more articulate (less muddy)? I don't have the money to replace all four speakers, but I do have enough to replace two. Will the Reapers work well with either the Vintage 30s or G12H30s? Any help is much appreciated!
@jerry I'm not really digging the Dark Terror so far. It sounded great in the store but it sounds so muddy/fizzy at home. I can't decide whether to try and tame it with different speakers or sell it and get something else. I have a 412 with two Vintage 30s and two G12H30s. My guitar is a Gibson Les Paul Silverburst with a JB in the bridge and a Jazz in the neck. Have you had any success taming this amp?
WGS, Just wanted to state that the Retro 30's far surpassed my expectations! Thank you Vaughn for the recomendation, bought 2 retro 30's & they really brought out the british charm. Much more so than Orange 412 V30's.
@bdavis When I played the dark terror through V30's it had the classic fizz, pick to the head, I really love my amp with the Retro 30's. Still plenty bright but all the mud is gone & no mid spike, the Retro's have to be heard to believe compared to V30's. I suspect that even Reapers will have big bottom but without the mud, as u state the amp is dark and passed on reapers for that reason. Good Luck Hope you find a sweet spot w/ right speakers. I've now been thinking about the TH100.
@Jerry Thanks so much for your post. I just purchased a couple of Retro 30s and cannot wait to check them out! I know this isn't an Orange board, but one thing I've noticed with the Dark Terror is you really have to watch your string attack. You can go from very mild distortion to all out screaming without changing any of the amp knobs, just your attack. This and rolling the guitar's volume down to about 8 has helped the sound and made me like the amp so much more. I can only imagine how awesome it will sound once the Retro 30s clean up the mud!
@Jerry Just curious, what speakers are you mixing with your Retro 30s? And are you running them on top or in an X pattern? I recently purchased the Retro 30s and they almost acomplished everything I was looking for. The amp is certainly more articulate, the mud has been cleaned up, and the harsh mids of the V30 are gone. However, I've lost a bit of the tight chest thump you can usually get from a 412. Right now I have Celestion G12H30s on the bottom and the Retros on top, so I'm wondering if another speaker might mix better.
@bdavis I seem to have the opposite problem, using 2 Retro 30's with my old V30's in X pattern. Think this is mainly due to cabinet dimensions and wood construction, my 412 has enough drive but not enough balls. Reaper HP could solve this problem. Never been fond of greenbacks but WGS has excellent exchange policy. Almost went this direction but decided not too as per greenback but with WGS design most likely it would be a prized speaker. I'm on the fence myself as to what I want for the other 2 speakers and may possibly go with the Reaper HP. I'll post back here if I go Reaper HP. Let us know what WGS has advised based on your cabinet etc, I plan on taking this to the man and getting advice from WGS. Rock n Roll
bdavis ... put the Rets on the bottom ... G12H30s on top ... bet you'll like!