Celestion Ten 30 vs G10 Creamback (Marshall DSL5C)

00:40 Clean (Soft Picked)
01:08 Clean (Hard Picked)
01:45 Clean (Strummed)
02:09 Crunch
03:17 Metal
Microphone: Zoom H4n
Boss SD-1: Vol @ 10, Drive @ 0, Tone @ 1 o'clock.

[@silverstaralchemist]

00:40 Clean (Soft Picked) 01:08 Clean (Hard Picked) 01:45 Clean (Strummed) 02:09 Crunch 03:17 Metal Microphone: Zoom H4n Boss SD-1: Vol 10, Drive 0, Tone @ 1 o'clock.

[@tce6969]

For me the Creamback sounds much better, Thanks for sharing

[@andrelanza2920]

Tony Ceder Yeah, it has a really full sound.

[@javiceres]

Sounds smoother in the highs to me

[@danz4904]

I went with the G10 Creamback for my DSL5 too. It's a big improvement in clarity and depth. KZbin audio compression covers up the extent of the difference. If you listen closely to this video you can hear the buzzy, harsh sound from the Ten 30. At bedroom volume It sounds fine, but when you go above conversation volume the Ten 30 breaks up in a thin and buzzy way and loses clarity, even after many hours of break in. It would be fine in a 1 watt amp, or if you like a little buzz to a low gain blues tone. For rock or metal the Ten 30 is not so good.

[@juno4494]

Nicely work here--I wish more comparisons were as direct and useful as is yours!

[@JC-DC]

Cream all the way, especially with distortion. Thanks for doing this, I'm definitely upgrading my speaker!

[@silverstaralchemist]

Happy to help!

[@gitarkatili]

Creamback sounds like a big cabinet :) Deeper and richer, thanks.

[@epiphone7007]

I just ordered a celestion creamback G10, minutes ago, and I am happy to be sure that is right decision by watching your vid.

[@silverstaralchemist]

Happy to help! It's a great speaker and I'm still happy with it years later. 👍🏼

[@LeSimracerDuDimanche-fd8xt]

Thanks. It helps dsl5 owners.

[@oldguyjammin9732]

A noticeable difference :) Nice upgrade. I snuck a 12” in mine :) love this amp

[@silverstaralchemist]

I wish I was better at woodworking because I'd do the same! Might upgrade to the DSL20CR some day but I'm afraid that may be too much amp for my bedroom. This DSL5 is already too loud to crank haha

[@silverstaralchemist]

@@samueladams6964 I agree, 20 tube watts is probably too much for most apartment musicians. The .5 watt mode is great for cranking but it isn't whisper quiet, you'll still get a decent amount of volume. I hope it works out for you! For recording I usually line out to my interface and use IRs, maybe that's something you can look into as well. All the dynamics of your tube amp but running through a virtual cab.

[@silverstaralchemist]

@@samueladams6964 hey so any updates on how you liked the 5CR versus the 20CR?

[@rolandoo002]

Thanks. Now I will also upgrade my small Marshall Lead 12 Combo with the G10 Creamback Speaker. Hopefully it will also sound more balanced as yours does now.

[@alexortiz7041]

Did you end up making that upgrade? Curious because I’m thinking about getting a 10 inch cream back for a Lead 12 too

[@luizdiaz5196]

The creamback sounds more full- more rich. Guess that where that extra green goes

[@fishingbear5538]

Damn, Celestion Ten 30 sounds great...

[@VMX12k]

Thank you, you saved me dollars :) I plan to load a 70's era old 4x10 Marshall and was thinking of skimping and buying the much cheaper Ten30's but... see that they break up very quickly and sound fizzy and harsh. So thank you for the video, it helped me avoid buying 4 unsuitable speakers.

[@silverstaralchemist]

Happy to help! It's why I made this video! 😁

[@jeremy7818]

Based on this id actually consider 2 30s *bottom) and 2 creambacks (top) in a 4x10 saves some cash and best of both when the gain and volume goes up. in a big closed back its overall going to sound tighter anyway.

[@overdrivenbrain]

Congratulations man, this is how a good comparison is done! Really helpful, thanks. I imagine the difference was bigger there. Don't know if pick up the creamback or the greenback...

[@silverstaralchemist]

The difference is definitely more noticeable in person, especially with the harsh highs of the Ten30. Adds a fizzyness that I didn't really like. As for Creamback vs Greenback, I think either is a good option for upgrading. I prefer modern metal tones so I went for the more modern Creamback.

[@overdrivenbrain]

@@silverstaralchemist thanks man!

[@darthgibsonlp6631]

Got a DSL5cr coming next week, pretty excited for it. I'll be loading a G10 Creamback into mine as well, but the TenThirty isn't half bad in its own right. It's designed to be dirty at lower volumes and the tone reflects that. A very good amp for the money.

[@silverstaralchemist]

Years later and I still haven't found a reason to upgrade. In my particular bedroom I can barely get it up past 4 without feeling like I may be damaging my hearing haha So it's plenty loud and has tone for days.

[@tgchan]

@@silverstaralchemist Try Jensens speakers/ I'm waiting for my custom 1x12 cab with jensen 12-15 which is 93.5db @1w. Can't wait to try it out/

[@silverstaralchemist]

@@tgchan let me know if you notice a significant change in useable volume. Can't say I've ever tried a 93dB speaker before, sounds like a good way to reduce volume a bit for home use.

[@cliffordholliday679]

I had no idea the difference would be that big! Picked up a DSL5CR jsut before xmas, I think a creamback would take away that annoying chime in the top end. (I play epiphone casino) Great video and thank you for taking the effort to show us all. Greetings from Germany

[@silverstaralchemist]

No problem! The new speaker definitely helped because it can be a very bright amp at times!

[@davidpopelka4073]

I hate clean channel. I was trying to avoid it by creamback. It was better but still sharp. Then Ive replaced by Eminence and it suit best to my ears but I stil do not like clean channel 😁.

[@cliffordholliday679]

@@davidpopelka4073 Interresting, I have since sold the amp for a strymon irridium...

[@guitarwizard1989]

That little Ten 30 is a great value.

[@rodrigovazquez1292]

This is an absolutely great demo! Thanks

[@meanttobe7724]

I was thinking of buying this exactly same set with G10. But in my mind i was wondering how different they are. Hell way far better! Thanks for comparing these two

[@silverstaralchemist]

No problem, happy to help!

[@SergeiVlassov]

Both sounded good, but I liked Ten 30 a bit more.

[@nicorizzi4513]

Thanks. This was helpful. Considering the same upgrade to my dsl5cr

[@silverstaralchemist]

The difference is definitely more noticeable in person. The Ten30 has a harshness in the highs and mids while the Creamback is smooth and more pleasing to the ear. On the clean channel the Ten30 also broke up much faster while the Creamback gives a little extra headroom which was needed with this amp.

[@silverstaralchemist]

@@samueladams6964 thanks for the comment! The G10 does help.with headroom but it's not something I noticed until the A/B comparison. Overall it helped tone by getting rid of that scoop and harsh high end so I'm happy with the upgrade

[@Ben_the_Ignorant]

The Ten 30 sounds thin and dry, the Creamback produces the typical thundery and crisp Marshall tone. Thanks for the video, I am going to order the DSL5 and the Creamback.

[@silverstaralchemist]

It's a great combo! Enjoy it, mine is still going strong after 7 years. 🤘🏼

[@Ben_the_Ignorant]

Cool to know it works fine in the long run. I ordered the amp and the speaker 5 days ago, the wait shouldn't be long any more. I never thought I could have the Marshall tone without resorting to tall wide amps and tall wide cabinets. That Creamback is such a blessing, I installed two in a Cort CM-30 and a Peavey Envoy, and the tone went from good to excellent. I never owned a valve amp, though, and I only tried the 1W DSL in a store. Despite its lack of a metal distortion, it leaves a lasting impression in the mind. Ever since I noticed the prevalent thunder of the Marshall amp in old Deep Purple records, I have unwittingly forged the desire to own one. I'm in disbelief that it is affordable, not big, and fitted with the effects loop, plus the rejoicing METAL distortion, and that it can even be played at full distortion with low volume any time of day or night. The chaps at Marshall have really cared to give the musician what he or she desires. I'm talking too much about my future amp because it fills the time while I wait. 😁

[@silverstaralchemist]

@@Ben_the_Ignorant the excitement while waiting for new gear is universal, so I totally understand! Haha, the amp has a huge range from clean to metal tones so you should be able to dial it in however you want and get a great tone.🤘🏼 Surprisingly loud for such a small combo too. I rarely take it above 2 or 3 on the volume knob in the bedroom, with 4 being a sweet spot where the speaker opens up.

[@Ben_the_Ignorant]

​@@silverstaralchemist Yeah, I got the amp and the speaker today, played the Ten 30 for an hour and swapped the Creamback, brielfy put, the Creamback is very warm, and the combo's got everything. Also, I'm sure I didn't unwittingly change the settings, but the echoes in the delay seem louder and clearer when it's in the Marshall's effect loop as opposed to the Cort's effect loop. I owe you and another youtuber a thank you because your videos convinced me I had to play that Marshall and Creamback combo. 💥

[@silverstaralchemist]

@@Ben_the_Ignorant I'm happy to help! It's why I put the video out, always nice to have a reference before making a big purchase! Enjoy it and I'm glad you're as happy with it as I am. 🤘🏼

[@RocknRollAlive]

Thanks for the demonstration

[@FunkyMuziq]

Great video, so instructive thank you.

[@Outdoorshuntingshooting]

On my iPad Pro, not a lot in it, the creamback is a bit more pronounced in the mid range. I have a g10 creamback for the difference in price that ten 30 holds its own. The creamback took quite a few hours to feel Broken in, was quite compressed sounding when I got it.

[@silverstaralchemist]

Ten30 definitely holds its own for the price. Overall I dig the Creamback for the wider frequency it outputs so I can shape the sound using my EQ better than with the Ten30.

[@Bobby_Digital37]

Awesome! Looks like it’s a creamback for me! Great demo!!!

[@MrBossei]

Great little amp! Great video!

[@tjnugent62]

The Creamback by a wide margin.

[@portuguesebeer5069]

I think booth are awesome. Perhaps the Cream a bit better, but no big difference, in my oppinion. Cheers from Portugal 🤘🍺🇵🇹

[@arthurasp9775]

Great video, thank you

[@silverstaralchemist]

Happy to help!

[@DoktrDub]

Wow it’s crazy how sometimes you only hear a big difference once you compare two speakers, at least on distortion

[@silverstaralchemist]

Yes, the distorted examples definitely highlight how different both speakers sound. And I mostly play hard rock and metal so the difference really matters to me. I am happy I upgraded to the Creamback because I can cut mids and still have a full metal tone whereas with the Ten30 the mids were already so scooped that I was working at a disadvantage.

[@kristanbenson803]

Would replacing the speaker get rid of the “fizzy’ ness” that happens?

[@silverstaralchemist]

The Ten30 sounds very fizzy because it has very little midrange, which makes the treble end sound sharp and harsh. The Creamback is much more even in the EQ and I think less fizzy. But fizz means something different to everyone! In the metal section you can hear the big difference in "fizz" in the high end.

[@schwellerstudios]

Nice demo, thanks!

[@jjdubois6101]

Great demo 👍

[@charlieluna7237]

Creambacks have abit more presence to them, but the 30 10s really arnt that bad considering they're less than half the price of the creams. I run 2 10" 30 10 cabs into my DSL 20 and it ROCKS. not bad on a budget and having 2 for the price of 1 creamback I'd say its still pretty good.

[@silverstaralchemist]

Sounds like an awesome setup! Is that a stereo rig with two separate cabinets?

[@xdx2653]

i own both speakers but at 12 '' my creamback sound superior at any tube amp i own.that speaker can minimize the fizzyness of any amp you plug in to.

[@OscarBenben]

Nice upgrade 🤟🏼

[@MrMarcburger]

I say if you only hear the difference when you alternate between them like in this video the TEN 30 is not a bad speaker at all. Myself I'm planning to combine the Creamback with a G10 vintage in a 2 x 10.

[@silverstaralchemist]

Agreed, not bad at all for the price. Lemme know how you like the G10 Vintage! For me it was a decision between the Creamback or Vintage. Still thinking the Vintage might be better for my preferred tone (high gain).

[@MrMarcburger]

I use 2 G10 Vintage in a 2 x 10 atm. But I almost completed 2 new cabs of 2.x 10, slanted baffel and the plan is to move the G10 Vintage speakers into these mixed with another G10. Would love to mix each with a Gold but 2 Golds are soo expensive. Yhe current 2 x 10 is a great around cab, but I'm not much of a high gain player myself.Occasionaly a bit of Crazy Train.

[@silverstaralchemist]

@@MrMarcburger I'm sure the 2x10s sound great! 10 inch speakers are definitely underrated, I'm very happy with mine!

[@danieltv123]

I kind of like the Ten 30 better in most cases, it reminds a little of the V30.

[@silverstaralchemist]

Good point and if you're into metal that mid scoop makes it a little tighter. And then you can compensate for the mids by adding more if needed! I find myself reducing mids a bit when I'm playing high gain through the Creamback to reduce the "honkiness" lol

[@mattx5499]

It would be better just to get (or make) same size 1x10 cab with another speaker to plug it to the amp when needed instead of swapping the speaker inside the amp. Or even a 1x12 or 2x12 cab if you want bigger sound. For this combo the stock Ten 30 speaker is pretty good. The only weird thing about DSL5C is that clean channel is hell much brighter sounding when compared to the drive channel.

[@silverstaralchemist]

YES. That shared EQ is one flaw I have with this amp. Switching from clean to ultra gain the EQ is so different haha And I agree, it might be better to just buy a separate 1x12 cab. For the price of this Creamback ($100+) you can buy a 1x12 cab for a little more and have two options to work with 🤘🏻 I've been looking at the Mesa 1x12 with V30...

[@mattx5499]

@@silverstaralchemist You don't have to buy expensive cab just get cheapest (like some Kustom or Harley Benton) one and then put the speaker of your choice in it. Or maybe the stock speaker will be nice. Who knows.

[@silverstaralchemist]

@@mattx5499 The Harley Bentons come with V30s installed so maybe that 2x12 would be good for me. 👍🏻

[@stringdoc]

Creamback all the way!

[@richterduplessis4201]

Sounds great, your vid on this amp is probably the best one I found on YT! I'm looking into getting one of these to replace my Marshall dsl40c, which is a great amp but its just too much for my current living situation and i'm not gigging atm. Would you recommend the dsl5cr for apartment/home playing & recording?

[@silverstaralchemist]

For my apartment/bedroom needs the amp is more than enough and plenty loud. Coming from a DSL40 you might find the ten inch speaker to be a bit of a downgrade, but the amp sounds great. It's small but still has plenty of heft due to it being all tube and I've been able to get good tones out of it running through IRs and such for recording. In my current house I can't run it at the volume I'd like for recording, but the few times I did mic it I was happy with the results.

[@richterduplessis4201]

@@silverstaralchemist awesome thanks! Sounds like the amp might be just what i'm looking for. Will scout my local music shops as well but many of them don't have stock in store to do any testing. Online my only option for now.

[@brozio77]

personally i prefer the more scooped sound of the stock speaker, even if it's a little thin sounding

[@silverstaralchemist]

I know what you mean, the Creamback can be very middy so in some ways the stock speaker was better for metal, but overall still happy with the newer speaker.

[@brozio77]

oh yes at the end of the day tastes are tastes. however the little ten 30 it s not that bad anyway ☺️

[@nicolasbolattieberhardt1127]

@@brozio77 agree with you. Stock speaker is really good. Different tones actually but both are great

[@magnusnording]

Great video, i actually thought the Ten 30 sounded good on metal

[@silverstaralchemist]

I agree, the scooped mid sound of the Ten30 is good for aggressive styles of music like metal. Tightens up the tone a bit

[@jamiemascola6614]

The creamback smokes it under every test. I can't say that I'm terribly surprised given the cost difference.

[@silverstaralchemist]

Yeah the mid scoop and harsh high end on the Ten30 is really amplified when put side by side with the Creamback haha It's like an instant EQ filter being put on and off.

[@bramlindhout6830]

It makes a difference wich amplyfier you are playing the Ten 30. White thé Laney L5 studio thé Ten 30 sounds warm and full just like thé creamback.

[@silverstaralchemist]

That's a good point, the Marshall is naturally bright so may contribute to the speaker sounding thin. Overall I still prefer the fullness the Creamback brought to my amp! 👍🏼

[@purulence666]

A very good way to see differences, really nice one. I just wonder, did it differ in volume wise after switching to creamback? (I mean same volume leve different actual volume hearing?)

[@silverstaralchemist]

From what I remember the Ten30 was actually slightly louder when I listened to it after recording. Didn't hear much of a volume difference in person but the Cream back was definitely much cleaner and didn't break up as easy.

[@purulence666]

​@@silverstaralchemist I see. How about replacing speakers? I mean, was it just attached or required any soldering? I`ve bought DSL1CR a week ago and I`m considering to replace it with it`s bigger brother 5CR. But I`m not sure since I`m living in a tiny flat in Europe. Low ends are missing in 8" speaker as you can imagine. I want more solid tone with much more mids and low ends. DSL series are all trebly amps if you ask me. I`m curious if I replace it with 5CR and load with g10 Greenback, how am I going to end up like.. Both, playing at low volumes and sound improvement. I play mostly metal(death, black, thrash etc..) and I have no extra pedals at the moment. I also wonder, if BOSS SD1 helps you to get fiercer metal tones while clean boosting? It`s a great option if it really works(comparing to tubescreamer price wise) I ask you too much but you`re the ideal prototype to me, comparing your taste of music and gears you have :D Cheers!

[@silverstaralchemist]

@@purulence666 If you want a fierce metal tone then an SD-1 in the front as a clean boost is definitely needed. Without it the amp is a little flubby and loose in the bass end. As far as bass goes, the 10 inch speaker in the DSL5 will definitely give you more bass with the "deep" switch activated. I have a similar problem where I can't play too loud and unfortunately the louder you are, the richer the bass gets. So it will be hard to get full rich bass at low volume but the bigger speaker will definitely help. Replacing the speaker was easy, just attach the cables to speaker. No soldering required.

[@silverstaralchemist]

@@purulence666 also, if you're going for a great metal tone maybe the G10 Vintage would be a better speaker option since it's supposed to be a 10 inch V30. Sometimes the mids in the creamback are too vintage sounding to me so I think something more like a V30 would be better for metal.

[@purulence666]

@@silverstaralchemist If I had no volume issue, I`d definitely go with the v30 but as I heard and experienced, greenbacks are better speakers at low volumes. They have half wattage and slightly less db levels comparing v30.

[@motiv311]

the creamback literally sounds more creamy , i dunno if that means its "better" ... the 10 30 had more definition to the tone

[@JC-DC]

I just got a new Dsl5cr and the volume just cuts out. Anyone else have this problem? Its been 3 days. 1st day it didn't happen and the footswitch was plugged in. Next 2 days, no footswitch, volume cuts and buzzing, then I plug in footswitch in and no problems for 30 minutes so far???

[@silverstaralchemist]

Volume cuts out and it stops working? I've never had that issue with mine, maybe you got a defective tube or something?

[@nicolasbolattieberhardt1127]

Thanks for sharing! Can u do a tutorial yo how swap the spaker?

[@silverstaralchemist]

Right now I don't have the time to film but it's really simple! You remove the back cover, disconnect the speaker wire, and unscrew the old speaker and screw in the new one! No mods needed, it is a direct replacement. All you need is a screwdriver.

[@nicolasbolattieberhardt1127]

@@silverstaralchemist thanks for answear ! The thing is i have a creamback g12. Maybe de i should yo modify the cab

[@silverstaralchemist]

@@nicolasbolattieberhardt1127 oh yeah installing a 12 inch speaker would need a modification like chiseling out space in the wood. I saw people in forums talk about it but I don't have tools for wood so never tried it myself.

[@MrSalefish]

Why did you Pick Creamback instead of Greenback? I really cant decide which one to buy... Green 30w and cream is 45w (so it will breakup more later that mean i will have to get more vol/gain?)

[@silverstaralchemist]

For me, I don't like too much power amp or speaker distortion since I like to play modern metal music. So the higher power Creamback made more sense for me. Sometimes the Ten30, which is also 30 watt, broke up too much and the speakers would get flubby when cranking the clean channel. It sounded great for classic rock tones to add body in the bass though. So if you're going for classic rock I'd say Greenback might be better. Also the new G10 Creambacks are made in the UK, if that matters to you. I believe the Greenbacks are now Chinese-made.

[@MrSalefish]

@@silverstaralchemist Hey thanks for reply. I ordered Creamback anyway i will push it via pedals. Still its better than 10-30... I can swap it anytime again...

[@MrSalefish]

@@silverstaralchemist Did you have to change bias or it was pop in and play ?

[@silverstaralchemist]

@@MrSalefish I just swapped the speakers and started playing. The DSL5 has the clip attachments so it was very simple, no soldering required. Bias adjustment is usually done when swapping power tubes if I'm not mistaken.

[@hmtp177]

Yeah the cream back sounds good BUT, I sudpect the 10 30 will sit better in a mix specially gor metal.

[@silverstaralchemist]

Yeah with the right settings the Ten30 is great for metal. And you can push the mids without being too much 🤘🏻

[@unabonger777]

did it improve much after break-in? how long did it take?

[@silverstaralchemist]

Unfortunately I don't get to play it loud enough to fully break it in but it sounded great out of the box, got rid of a lot of harsh high end the stock speaker had!

[@josed5584]

It’s like the Ten 30 is designed to break at lower volume

[@HiHello-ku1fl]

What about a greenback 10?

[@silverstaralchemist]

I don't have any experience with the Greenback 10" but I imagine it would be a similar upgrade. More mids, more bass, more everything! As far as I understand, the Creamback is just a higher wattage Greenback so they should be similar in sound. 👍🏼

[@pippydog28]

Ten 30 gets a bad rap , but it's a super good speaker on these low watt amps . It's hard to beat

[@john-zw9rw]

APPLES and Kiwi..................... thats why we pay the Big Bucks..........

[@frankstetka7206]

Sounds like you need another cab for the old speaker and run them together🤣

[@silverstaralchemist]

...this is a great idea! Haha