New Eminence EPS 15C 15" Neodymium Speaker

Jack Stoner · Post by **Jack Stoner** » 14 May 2011 2:07 am

Eminence has announced their new 15" neodymium magnet Steel Guitar Speaker.

http://www.eminence.com/speakers/speake ... el=EPS_15C

As some of you know, I have been field testing the speaker (along with several others) for the past month or so. It is designed to be a direct replacement for the Peavey 1501-4 Black Widow speaker.

I'm using it with an MB200 amplifier and my first impression when I tried the speaker was that it sounded like the JBL K-130 that I used in a Fender Twin Reverb. After the speaker got broken in it mellowed out and I'm getting abut the same sound with the Eminence speaker and the MB200 as I did with a Peavey Nashville 1000 (with the 1501-4 BW speaker).

Olli Haavisto · Post by **Olli Haavisto** » 14 May 2011 4:16 am

Any idea of the price and availability ?

edited to add:

And while theyre at it , how about a 12" version ?
Give them a hint, Jack !

Jay Ganz · Post by **Jay Ganz** » 14 May 2011 4:43 am

Strange that the "usable frequency range" listed only goes up to 2.9K. I guess the aluminum dust cap makes up for that a bit?

Ken Fox · Post by **Ken Fox** » 14 May 2011 6:34 am

From an earlier post I did you can see the typical roll off of a cone speaker around 2.0K Hz. Very typical, Jay.

Here is what I posted earlier:

Got the comparison of the SICA 250 watt we used compared to the PS-15 (prototype steel speaker).

(this was done at the Eminence facility in Kentucky)

The frequencies below 200Hz can be ignored, per Eminence as to use of no enclosure and test enviroment reflections. As I suspected the Eminence has more treble, which we did not like in the test with our amp, The red line is the SICA and the blue line is the Eminence speaker.

Ken Fox · Post by **Ken Fox** » 14 May 2011 6:40 am

Initially I was told around $304.00 list. Last price was around $219.95. Much better for the end user, but hardly any margin in the speaker for a dealer.

I have opted not to sell them. I am now testing the 350 watt SICA, steel frame NEO. It has the high end bite some like and is a very afforable speaker as well.

It has a very even response and a nice low end efficiency. More later on that, after it get's tested out.

Its chart is below (tested in a cab so the low end is more accurately shown):

The 250 watt Premium light has this response curve:

Steve Hinson · Post by **Steve Hinson** » 14 May 2011 7:13 am

...I've been using this speaker in the studio since mid-December...with a blackface Twin or the Mesa Boogie/Mosvalve combination...and I can't tell any difference between it and the D-130s I was using before...a great sounding speaker!Weighs nothing-I'm carrying one in a Marrs cabinet in my truck for demos,etc...I'm sold!

I asked Eminence about the possibility of a 12" when I first got the 15"...haven't heard anything else about it.I hope they make one...I'll buy a couple!

Steve Hinson · Post by **Steve Hinson** » 14 May 2011 7:14 am

sorry...hit the button twice.

Ken Fox · Post by **Ken Fox** » 14 May 2011 7:19 am

I agree, Steve. It is a very nice speaker for sure. I still have one here. We opted not to use it in our amps, as we prefer the SICA Premium light. Still, for a lot of people this will be the speaker they will want.

Olli Haavisto · Post by **Olli Haavisto** » 14 May 2011 7:25 am

The voice coil diameter of the Eminence is 3", the K -130 had a 4" voice coil.
How does this affect the tone ?

Jack Stoner · Post by **Jack Stoner** » 14 May 2011 8:59 am

I have some sample clips on my web site, that were done using a Nashville 112 and the MB200. There are clips of the stock Nashville 112, the SICA with the Nashville 112, the Eminence with the Nashville 112 and the Eminence with the MB200.

There are both E9th and C6th clips. The clips are wav, not MP3 to maintain full fidelity so they will take a little longer to download/play.

http://www.gulfcoaststeelguitar.com/sptest.htm

As far as "sounds like". It was designed to be a direct replacement for the 1501-4 BW speaker, which according to Mike Brown at Peavey the 1501-4 was built to sound like the JBL they had been using in the Session 400 amps but handle more power. Considering the Eminence does sound like Black Widow, it also sounds like a JBL. In my initial post I mentioned my first impression of the speaker was that it sounded like a JBL K130.

Franklin · Post by **Franklin** » 16 May 2011 6:40 am

Jack Stoner wrote:I have some sample clips on my web site, that were done using a Nashville 112 and the MB200. There are clips of the stock Nashville 112, the SICA with the Nashville 112, the Eminence with the Nashville 112 and the Eminence with the SICA.

There are both E9th and C6th clips. The clips are wav, not MP3 to maintain full fidelity so they will take a little longer to download/play.

http://www.gulfcoaststeelguitar.com/sptest.htm

As far as "sounds like". It was designed to be a direct replacement for the 1501-4 BW speaker, which according to Mike Brown at Peavey the 1501-4 was built to sound like the JBL they had been using in the Session 400 amps but handle more power. Considering the Eminence does sound like Black Widow, it also sounds like a JBL. In my initial post I mentioned my first impression of the speaker was that it sounded like a JBL K130.

Jack,

......My 2 cents after testing several.......the Sica speaker sounded transparent. The seperation of notes between the highs and lows in chords lacked definition. No mattered how I eq'd it, I could not get the seperation of notes within the triads that I was accustomed to hearing....I love the smooth, clear, seperation the JBL's and BW's provide without sounding harsh or piercing......

Steve.....TC Furlongs 12" eminence is for sale directly from him...I can't wait to test drive my pair with Vince next month.....

Paul

Jack Stoner · Post by **Jack Stoner** » 16 May 2011 9:55 am

Good Points, Paul.

I've been trying both speakers - one time I'll take the Eminence on a job and the next time the SICA.

The place I'm working on Monday evenings, the SICA seems to do a little better because of the acoutics there. Same way the place I work the Tuesday shows and the Steel Guitar Club jams, the Eminence has the edge. I got the same response from Pedal Steel Guitar pickers in the audiences at both places.

If I were forced to only had one speaker (which I'm glad I don't), I would pick the Eminence.

Steve Hinson · Post by **Steve Hinson** » 16 May 2011 12:14 pm

Thanks,Paul...I didn't know there was a 12"version available yet.

Kevin Hatton · Post by **Kevin Hatton** » 16 May 2011 12:49 pm

Kudos to Ken Fox for that chart evaluation, and to the professionals here for there testing also. Sounds like a winner.

Curt Langston · Post by **Curt Langston** » 16 May 2011 2:02 pm

Yes, thanks to Jack, Paul and Ken for the valuable input and research!
I thought the Eminence EPS 15C 15 sounded great. Of course Jacks playing had a lot to do with that, I am sure.

Where can a guy buy the new Eminence EPS 15C 15?
Is it available to the public yet?

Thanks.

Ken Fox · Post by **Ken Fox** » 16 May 2011 2:18 pm

No idea yet. I opted not to carry them based on their retail price to dealer cost ratio. I would do better selling Avon products.

Jack Stoner · Post by **Jack Stoner** » 17 May 2011 2:08 am

Ray Walker posted that he would be carrying the Eminence.

As it is now a "stock item", any Eminence dealer should be able to get them for customers.

Ken has a good thing going with the SICA speakers, and at a good price.

Jay Ganz · Post by **Jay Ganz** » 17 May 2011 5:08 am

Am I seeing things or do the charts Ken posted indicate the 350 watt SICA has more high end response
than the new Eminence? You mean to say the 250 watt
SICA has less highs than the 350 version?
I always thought higher wattage speakers have less
high end due to the larger voice coil.

Ken Fox · Post by **Ken Fox** » 17 May 2011 5:40 am

Yes it does, Jay. I sent one to Nashville for testing and will have results soon.

What I want is two different speakers to cover the amps out there. Some need less high end (Evans, Steel King) and some can handle it. Some people just plain have hearing loss in the high end as well and need that extra to make them happy. I personally can't tolerate a steel or a guitar with ice pick high end. When a speaker has too much you can't control it with a standard shelving style treble or high control, the peak high frequency still stays there when you shelve the signal up and down.

As Paul pointed out a graphic EQ is needed to handle that. Still a common 10 band is 1 octave wide in the bands and that removes a lot of program info. A 1/3 octave would be better and even a notch filter at 1/6th to 1/10th octave wide would be a better solution.

However the other problem with an EQ is that is can cause phase problems with the affected bandwidth as well if too much cut or boost is applied.

Just some thoughts there! Not meaning to rave on to much, Jay!!

Curt Langston · Post by **Curt Langston** » 18 May 2011 8:25 am

No idea yet. I opted not to carry them based on their retail price to dealer cost ratio. I would do better selling Avon products.

That is true. From what I am told, only about 10.00 can be made on them.

BUT, you could have a few on hand to offer folks that want them, if nothing else as an option in your Fox amps. I think more folks will be wanting them. I can get one shipped for 200.00 even.(Not saying where so don't ask me. You can search all that out)

I'm looking forward to it!

Joe Alterio · Post by **Joe Alterio** » 18 May 2011 7:47 pm

Jack Stoner wrote:....my first impression when I tried the speaker was that it sounded like the JBL K-130 that I used in a Fender Twin Reverb. After the speaker got broken in it mellowed out and I'm getting abut the same sound with the Eminence speaker and the MB200 as I did with a Peavey Nashville 1000 (with the 1501-4 BW speaker).

This can be construed by some as going in the wrong direction....

Jack Stoner · Post by **Jack Stoner** » 19 May 2011 2:11 am

Joe, what "wrong direction"? The Eminence was designed to be a lighter weight direct replacement for the Peavey 1501-4 BW speaker, which was designed to be a higher power direct replacement for the JBL that Peavey used in the first Session 400 steel amps.

Curt Langston · Post by **Curt Langston** » 19 May 2011 3:39 am

This can be construed by some as going in the wrong direction....

huh??

I would say misconstrued.

Dennis Ellerbee · Post by **Dennis Ellerbee** » 20 May 2011 4:39 pm

Has anyone tried the new BWX SC 12 -8 or 15 -8 Peavey neo speaker? How do this speaker compare to the Eminence or SICA?

Joe Alterio · Post by **Joe Alterio** » 20 May 2011 5:29 pm

What I meant is that some of us feel the JBL K-130 is a much better sounding speaker than the Black Widow.....so to start out sounding like a K-130 and then migrating to a sound like the Black Widow is going in the wrong direction, in my view.

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New Eminence EPS 15C 15" Neodymium Speaker

New Eminence EPS 15C 15" Neodymium Speaker

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