Celestion V30 vs Creamback and speaker mix

Celestion V30 vs Creamback is a very popular contest, but here we also look at how a pair of Celestion V30s sound against a V30/H creamback mix. In this videos we show how the two have subtle differences and what they sound like back to back as well as in a short jam section.
In this video we used an open back vertical 2x12 Super Fatboy, a pair of SM57 mixs and various guitars and amps.
As always let us know what you think. If you have any questions, experience with these two set ups or any suggestions please let us know.
www.zillacabs....

[@geoffwhitemusic]

That Creamback just fills in all the spaces nicely. Much more rounded and full tone with them mixed.

[@rnhtube]

Even for the clean tones, the mix sounded better to me. I feel like most combinations are going to sound more full than just one kind of speaker- you're covering more ground sonically. These two speakers go quite well together. I just got some neo creambacks to go with some v30s and they filled out the v30s quite nicely. Note definition came back very noticeably as did an sm57-like bite that all the cream speakers seem to possess. Every guitar and pedal I threw at it sounded great. This looks to be a "you can't go wrong" type pairing so if you don't know what to get... here you are.

[@FlankinspanK]

it sounds like 2 guitars at the same time. like doubletracked

[@bmoneybby]

Full is not usually better. Often you need to be more focused to cut through and leave range for other instruments.

[@rustyl.6358]

As I said in your last video comments, I have the V30+H Creamback in my 2x12.Sounds fantastic with a Marshall plexi for classic rock tones. Listening to this video on quality monitors you can definitely tell the combo of speakers sounds more full than two V30's, which sound a little thin in comparison.

[@ZillaCabs]

It is a great mix isn't, and you can do all sorts with it. I do think having that mix of speakers brings an extra little something to the party... plus a lot ore versatile when recording.

[@tommartin7833]

Close to same but slightly more articulation with the Creamback

[@ZillaCabs]

I think that is where I am with these two as well.

[@Bobby_Digital37]

Really dig the fuller sound of the v30 and creamback combo!!! 👍🏽👍🏽👍🏽

[@ZillaCabs]

It's a great mix. Thanks for watching.

[@scottdavidson6066]

Zilla does the best Celestion speaker comparisons!! Thanks, guys!

[@escritaemdia3414]

another successful mix.. thanks for demonstrating all the awesomeness of mixing speakers.. love your content Zilla guys ;)

[@ZillaCabs]

Thanks, that is very kind of you, I'm glad you find them useful.

[@Johnsalad]

The black cab look so good.

[@ZillaCabs]

Thanks, black still looks cool doesn't it.

[@NINEWALKING]

Not even funny how much better for me is a combination with Creamback H. But then again I think Creamback H is my favorite Celestion now days. Also combinations sound good almost always. One cab starts sounding like two amps and we all know the nagic that happens when you play on two amps at the same time. This combining speakers in the same cab is step to it. Speakers compliment each other simply.

[@ZillaCabs]

It is nice having two different speakers in there, it can give it that more 3D kind of feel can't it. Thanks for watching.

[@james-f1802]

Another missed opportunity to do a Vintage 30 vs G12H75 Creamback comparison. Been waiting for one for more than a year. They are so similar I think they don't compare them separately intentionally.

[@ZillaCabs]

I can't believe we haven't done one, there'll be one on the way soon for sure. In the last batch we must have missed the H cramback out for some reason. Anyway, it'll be coming soon for sure.

[@richhansen8874]

Thanks guys. Always great vids and very useful!

[@ZillaCabs]

Thanks Rich.

[@rambukband1925]

Really a great combination! My vertical Super Fatboy with those two speakers beats all my 4x12 cabs. And actually you have not done the shootout between V30 and H creamback, but we need that video 😉

[@waldiewave]

Both sounded very similar. For studio purposes having two different speakers would be more versatile.

[@ZillaCabs]

They sound quite similar on cleans but for driven guitars they sound different, remember these are a mix of speakers so the difference when hearing them mixed is a bit more subtle. Thanks for watching.

[@riangarianga]

Both speakers combined produce a much more «exciting» sound, according to my taste.

[@ZillaCabs]

I do tend to find two well chosen speaker will add to the sound, give you more options and be generally that little bit more exciting. Thanks for watching.

[@hungry4des]

Finally figured out what my V30 was good for, clean tones, and this video just confirmed it. Even with the overdriven tones, the honk of the V30 was too much for me. The H75 Cream helped some, but it also has a bit of a midrange p eak, so both together are not my favorite combo. If I mix a V30 with anything, it's a M65 Cream or 35XC. It has to be something with a dip after 1kHz.

[@ZillaCabs]

Cool, you like the 35XC? When we were recording all the speakers for our speaker bank we couldn't find one of those, which is a shame as we had them laying around for years.

[@hungry4des]

@@ZillaCabs Yes, I removed the V30 from that mixed speaker 4x12 and put the 35XC in its place. Made all the difference I was looking for. Removed the ear tickling frequencies and now I understand what they mean when they describe a Strat pickup as "piano-like". Added vintage warmth and growl. The other speakers in the cab are harder to break-up, H75cream, V-type, and T75.

[@ozm8642]

One of each sounds much fuller. I like it, slightly more unique than the 2x v30#

[@ZillaCabs]

Thanks for watching. It's a cool mix, really useful in the studio too

[@danielwalter5518]

I got a vertical slanted super fatboy with a closed back. Currently it has two V30s in it. So my plan is to put a H75 as the upper speaker to get rid of some of the upper range harshness and also make it sound more like you have it in the video. Will that get me there? Definitely prefer H75/V30 in this video and if this translates to the live sound it's impressive. Might also try two M65s in the future.

[@kasakka]

Sounds near identical on cleans but V30/H mix on overdrive has more bite to it.

[@ZillaCabs]

The cleans are really close. Clean tones tend not to show as much variation in the speakers and often mask certain characteristics, but I will say they do sound really close here. Also remember the difference is halved as only one of the speakers is changed.

[@kasakka]

@@ZillaCabs Exactly. I used to have a V30 + G12H-100 2x12 cab and I felt those speakers complemented each other better than the 2xV30 it had originally. V30 did the mids, G12H did the lows and highs

[@Dirge4july]

I like the combo. Just bought 2 H's. Going to pair them with 2 v30s in my prs 4x12 cab.

[@jakesgaming4091]

How is that combo? I'm considering doing the same with a Victory cab and putting the two V30s I remove into a Marshall 1960b that I have.

[@logrinn]

Veeery interesting. And great video as always. Like you said, I too found them being very similar. On another note - regarding the difference between the open and closed FatBoy - have you made (or thought of making) a 2x12 cabinet where one half is closed and the other half is open? The cabinet would obviously need to consist of separate ”chambers” or some such. Just a thought.

[@ZillaCabs]

Thanks for that. We are planning a cab right now, there have been quite a few people ask, so it is something I definitely want to do in the near future.

[@richhansen8874]

Thanks!

[@rosstyler8665]

H Creamback on top or bottom for a vert cab in your guy's opinion? How is this mix commonly ordered, built and shipped out by you guys at Zilla? Thanks for the amazing videos on comparisons.

[@ZillaCabs]

Ooooh its a tough on. It depends on what someone is playing, if its more modern stuff we tend to put the V30 on top and more vintage tones then the H cream but there aren't any wrongs or right. Tanks for watching and the kind words, its always nice to hear stuff like that.

[@micuronium]

Creamback all the way. Brings body to the sound. V30 cuts.

[@ZillaCabs]

I do like mixing those two speakers, it does seem to bring an extra dimensions to the sound.

[@powdermnky007]

Would it be possible to do v type vs g12-65 (not the creambacks) no videos of these yet! Thank you for your hard work!

[@ZillaCabs]

OK cool, that sounds like a good call. If we haven't done it in the next few weeks make sure you give us a nudge.

[@richhansen8874]

So, i gave a mesa boogie mkv90 combo and a 2x12 vertical rectifier cab with v30s. Thining of changing out 1 v30 for the h75. Wonder how I'd go about recording and mixing all 3 speakers in the best way. Probably 4 separate tracks panned hard. 2 with the c90, and 1 each of the v30 and h75 i suppose.

[@junkawakami3193]

Djent guys surely love that combo

[@junkawakami3193]

Ah, I said the word

[@ZillaCabs]

Yeah, we did that combo for Nolly back in 2014 and then Misha went for it in his net cab.... then every Djenter went down that route ;)

[@stefanosella5719]

So..... I've been with V30 for 20+ years.... but to my hears.... On clean I did not notice any appreciable difference at all.... On dirty the MIX sounded wider and bit less focused... something I would probably scoop out.... I think I'm stock with the V30 then.... ;-)

[@ZillaCabs]

Yeah there wasn't a huge difference on cleans. Often the changes when clean are quite subtle, especially when the speakers are mixed in the same cab. Absolutely nothing wrong with a pair of V30s. Thanks for watching.

[@paulburland8278]

@@ZillaCabs Got 2 x V30s in my tall vintage. Was thinking of replacing one with a green or cream of some sort. Probably won’t go with the H after hearing this so I’ll investigate the other options. These vids are mega helpful 🤘🏼

[@JubbyDubbis]

V30 and creamback just have slightly more body and a wider sound. I'd definitely go with the mix. Now the question is, how would a closed back 4×12 configuration change the projection?

[@ZillaCabs]

Yeah they are a great mix. A 4x12 will give a tighter low end response and a bit more thud. It is one of those things that largely you feel the difference rather than hear it as such.... if that makes sense.

[@StephaneBergeronPixelyzed]

@@ZillaCabs Love your demos! In a slanted 4x12, would putting these two speakers in X patter be the ideal configuration for projection and balance? I have 2 of each coming to replace 4 T75s in my 1960A.

[@nickwinkler8231]

There’s a low mid fullness with the creamback mixed in

[@kimcarrim351]

I’m going to have to listen to this later with some earphones, I can’t hear any difference or I’ve just lost my hearing on those frequencies 😆

[@ZillaCabs]

Yeah they are super close on my laptop speakers. The difference is more apparent in the dirty tones.

[@darkhorseO3]

Is there any difference in sound when wiring in series, parallel or series-parallel? For example, 2 x 16 Ohm speakers in parallel vs 2 x 8 Ohm speakers in series...

[@ZillaCabs]

Your biggest difference will be the impedance of the speaker itself, they will have a different amount of wire on the voice coil so will act slightly different.

[@georgefromgreece4119]

In general, series wiring is always darker. SOMETIMES it is also rougher and wilder sounding. That applies for anything: pickups, speakers etc and happens so because when two electronic parts are wired in SERIES the part that is hit by the current first acts as a RESISTANCE for the part following- so highs are certainly lost, and hi mids may or may not be exaggerated. Aside from that, a higher impedance speaker is always a little bit more: thin, tight and articulate sounding than its lower impedance counterpart. That happens because higher impedance moves the resonant frequency up 1-5 Hzs, so the bass tights up, plus the amp is weaker yet more stable when working for higher imoedances. 4 Ω used to be the American standard ( raw and bass heavy sound), 16 Ω the British one ( jangly and more accurate sound, more fizz/ presence/ articulation, tighter bass, but less ballsy/ gutsy sound- 4x12s are a different story- strength through unity). 8 Ω prevailed ever after as the best of two worlds. Remember- it is the speaker that has the impedance and the amp that provides the output power and needed voltage for that impedance, not vice versa.

[@petkopeet]

Can you hear speaker sensitivity diffrence? Creamback is 97db and v30 100db.

[@ZillaCabs]

It is relatively hard, especially in the same cab, it is easier to detect with a mic but the V30 and H creamback have the same sensitivity rating.

[@scottdavidson6066]

The M65 Creamback is 97 dB. The H75 Creamback is 100 dB (like the Vintage 30).

[@81realtime]

V30s twins sound best to me

[@Hmmm7512]

They are def better speaks to pair with a vintage 30, I'm looking at swamp thang right now

[@stephanpetersen8386]

What is the price for the v30/Creamback cabinet? And is it all British made (no customs to EU)? Best regards

[@ZillaCabs]

Hi Stephan, price depends on spec but if you email us at [e-mail] I'd be more than happy to send the information over. Cheers. Paul

[@stephenchow5161]

are you guys ever gonna try eminence speakers?

[@stefanozurich]

They’re partnered with Celestion, so any other brands are privately bought speakers. Which is why you don’t see many other brands.

[@ZillaCabs]

We haven't partnered with Celestion, we just stock them so most of the cabs we record here are loaded with Celestion.

[@ZillaCabs]

We do use them every so often. I'm not a massive Eminence fan, although they do make some good speakers we just don't have that many through the door. Just about every time we have an Eminence speaker come in we record it. I think we've done the Swamp Thang, Governor and Allessandro 63 (that was an amazing speaker) in the last year. The trouble is, we've been so busy I just haven't had time to get that many other Enimence speakers in, but they'll be some more coming soon I promise, along with WGS and some Jensens.

[@robbieandkimberly]

8 or 16 ohm V30?

[@stephenchow5161]

mix

[@ZillaCabs]

Thanks for watching Stephen.

[@YonkyKADAVER]

Why pay more than a thousand euros for a 4x12 V30 Zilla when I can buy a 4x12 V30 Harley Benton for less than five hundred. I don't think the construction is better than the Harley Benton, the zilla only weighs 2kg more than the Harley Benton, so the construction will be very similar, the cones the same and the price more than double. Wake up Zilla, the competition is eating you.

[@ZillaCabs]

yeah, not sure we're on the same lines here. It's great you're into Harley Benton, you'll save a load of money and I have no doubt you wont hear the difference.

[@YonkyKADAVER]

@@ZillaCabs No, of course you are not on the same lines, Harley Benton's 412 with v30 are worth 500 euros, and Harley Benton indicates the materials and woods used, 18 mm poplar plywood, your standard 4x12 with v30 is worth 1000 pounds and does not say Nowhere are the materials with which they are made on your website. And the fact of not saying the materials used is a clear indication that they are probably not materials to be proud of, which alerts me that it is very possibly MDF or other not very good materials. You are also not very correct in underestimating my ear and knowledge, I am a senior sound technician, as well as a musician. So in that I agree with you, the Harley Benton line is the same or better quality for half the money, and yours has an unjustified high price.

[@ZillaCabs]

​@@YonkyKADAVER you are not a senior sound technician, you're a kid in his mums basement. It's embarrassing even reading your words.

[@YonkyKADAVER]

@@ZillaCabs im 42, my parents are dead both, rality hurts? 🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@ZillaCabs]

@@YonkyKADAVER I'm really surprised a grown man would make those comments, or at least admit to that level of ignorance. Anyway, neither of us are going to learn anything from the other in this situation, and one of us doesn't have time to engage in arguments on the internet so have a great time with your Harley Benton, don't waste your money on a Zilla and enjoy your position as a senior sound technician.