Celestion V-Type 70 Watt Speaker
Celestion says the V-Type “produces a heady, exciting modern vintage sound that just makes you want to keep on playing.” You saw a brief mention of the V-Type in my earlier evaluation of the Celestion A-Type 50 Watt Speaker. At one point, the V-Type and the A-Type were in a stereo config X pattern in a 4×12. Two V-Type speakers together on one channel, and the pair of A-Type on another. The V-Type were also in a 2×12 open back cab.
Right away, the V-Type stood my up and hit me in the chest with a distinctive authority. It’s a nice full-sounding speaker with a little more lower-mid girth than the A-Type, for example. A little more roar, if you will. Could be it has to do with a bit of a dip in the mids around 1.5 kHz or the slightly elevated headroom.
The V-Type is in the same $99 price range as the A-Type, making them attractive to guitarists wanting to branch out a little. Thankfully, there’s a much sound packed in here as a higher-priced selection. And in 8Ω and 16Ω options.
During the time that the V-Type speakers were being evaluated, several guitars and even more pickups were used for testing. Double hum, hum-single-single, a P-90, and even all singles. Voiced from classic and vintage to modern and progressive tones. For a little more fun, I’d also run the cab along with a cab loaded with G12-65s – which share a similar dip around 1.5kHz.
I really like how the V-Type delivers a firmly percussive yet slightly primal grunt toward the lower end when hitting the big chords on a dirty amp setting. The highs are deliberate and have some open airy cut, but they aren’t shrill or brittle while doing so.
For the inevitable comparison to the A-Type, it’s as if the V-Type has a shift toward the lower mids and the A-Type slants toward the upper mids. Along with the A-Type’s slightly stringer focus in the highs, both speakers make for a really nice match in a 2×12 or a 4×12. When together like that, the combination seems to present a stronger sonic footprint in the room. The pairing also yields a smidge more harmonic content.
Watch Pete Thorn demonstrate the V-Type’s range:
How about some specs:
V-Type Specs
Speaker Size: 12″
Voice Coil: 1.75″
Magnet: 31 oz Ceramic
Power Handling: 70 W
Resonance: 75 Hz
Sensitivity: 98 dB
For reference, this evaluation was conducted with a Fractal Audio Axe-Fx II XL+ through a Carvin DCM200Lpower amp. Cabs are a Peavey 6505 4×12 closed-back and a Mojotone Slammins 2×12 open-back.
