I have just bought an Express 5.25 head. I already had a Vox Night Train V112NT speaker which has a Greenback 25watt speaker in. The amp is officially rated at 25 watts but it is suggested can deliver up to 30 watts. I am using this speaker with my Express amp, mostly so far in the 5 watts setting. Should I be doing this and will I be ok using it in 25 watt mode, especially if i want to crank the volume at a gig? I see the 1x12 combo version of the Express uses a 30 watt speaker but I also see comments on the web that you should really use a speaker rated at twice the amp. Any advice and technical clarification would be much appreciated.
Can i use this speaker?
- Thread starter dommirod
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edmiller9999
Well-known member
I think you'd be fine unless you really crank it.
The 5:25 12" combo's v30 speaker is 60 watts, not 30.
As for using the 25 watt greenback, its hard to know. The 5:25 does not make as much power as you may think. It will not produce 25 watts RMS, in fact 15 watts RMS is about it. It can peak around 30watts, but that is only for a short time and then the Dynawatt pulls it back down.
The old Marshall 4x12 boxes that had the Greenbacks were pounded with 100watt Marshall amps that often made well over 100 watts and mostly seemed to cope. Poeple like Jimi Hendrix probably had to replace speakers often though
I would give the greenback a go to see if I liked how it sounds as the greenback breakup is worth exploring. It will most likely be fine, but then I would also except the loss if I cooked it.
If you can't except any risk I'd have to say you need to look at a new speaker, or maybe a pair of Greenbacks rather than one.
As for using the 25 watt greenback, its hard to know. The 5:25 does not make as much power as you may think. It will not produce 25 watts RMS, in fact 15 watts RMS is about it. It can peak around 30watts, but that is only for a short time and then the Dynawatt pulls it back down.
The old Marshall 4x12 boxes that had the Greenbacks were pounded with 100watt Marshall amps that often made well over 100 watts and mostly seemed to cope. Poeple like Jimi Hendrix probably had to replace speakers often though
I would give the greenback a go to see if I liked how it sounds as the greenback breakup is worth exploring. It will most likely be fine, but then I would also except the loss if I cooked it.
If you can't except any risk I'd have to say you need to look at a new speaker, or maybe a pair of Greenbacks rather than one.
A speaker can fail in a number of ways. If it fails electrically open then you are effectively running the amplifier with no speaker attached. Runing a tube amp with no speaker is very hard on its output transformer. So, if the speaker does go out like that there is a small chance the amplifiers output transformer would be damaged before you stop playing. Some of the Mesa amps have some "no Load" protection built in, but I don't know if the Express does or not.
To sum up, a failed speaker is not likely to hurt the amp, but it is still possible. Based on what you have said, I'd say give the greenback a miss if are going to crank the amp in full power mode.
To sum up, a failed speaker is not likely to hurt the amp, but it is still possible. Based on what you have said, I'd say give the greenback a miss if are going to crank the amp in full power mode.
