Telonics SUPER NEO Speakers Released – NOW AVAILABLE

[Dave Beaty]

For years now we have needed an ultimate quality, lightweight NEO speaker for our enclosure project (to use with our mini-racks) and for our new Super Combo Amplifier (which will be shown at the TSGA show in March 2013).

After several years of work and hundreds of hours of laboratory testing time, Telonics is pleased to announce that we have had the first two of several models produced to our specifications; both models are now in production and in stock.

These speakers represent the best that can be done today for their weight, using the most advanced materials and processes available today. They are not lightweight JBL K120’s or JBL K130’s, however they are as close as can be done today within the constraints of modern materials and cost considerations.
Both models are currently shipping from our Mesa laboratories and will be available in the TELONICS ROOM at the TSGA show in Dallas in March 2013.

The TSNEO-15-4 is a 15 inch high power driver weighing in at 7.75 pounds.
The TSNEO-12-4 is a 12 inch high power driver weighing in at 7.2 pounds.
As of this time, both speakers are being built in 4 ohm impedance versions.
We will be glad to provide Thiele/Small engineering parameters to people who wish to design enclosures with these drivers.

These are very special speakers, each one is individually tested and broken in at Telonics before shipment (our tests have confirmed that proper break-in is necessary in order to achieve peak performance on new, or newly rebuilt speakers)

Although designed to withstand the rigors of professional steel guitar usage, they perform extremely well in 6-string guitar amplifiers. Two of the 12 inch models can be series connected to present an 8 ohm impedance to significantly reduce the weight of twin 12 cabinets and amps.

[Billy Easton]

This is exciting news, Dave!! I can hardly wait to try them out! If they are anywhere near the quality of the rest of the Telonics products, and I am sure they are, these are a great addition to your line and a boon to we older players!!

Billy

[Paddy Long]

Wow they look very impressive, I look forward to trying one out at Dallas next week (and then bringing it home with me hehe )

[Billy Carr]

PM me a price on one 15" speaker, if you get a chance. I'm just wondering how it might sound in a Session 400 amp. Thanks guys.

[Jay Ganz]

As of this time, both speakers are being built in 4 ohm impedance versions.

Any idea whether 8 ohm versions will ever be available?

[Wayne Quinn]

could you please p.m. a price to would like to try one in a 130 special i have.thanks

[Dave Beaty]

Sorry for the delay, we just returned to Arizona from the TSGA Texas show - what a wonderful show it was!

Billy E. Your new 15" Telonics NEO speakers, mounted in our new black-face enclosures are ready and waiting at our Mesa Lab. Tommy Dodd proof-tested them on his main set in Dallas, he sounded amazing. You may pick them up at your convenience, or let us know when someone in town is swinging down your way.

Billy C. and Wayne, PM's sent.

Jay, the designs are completed for 8 ohm voice coils and drivers, but it is a matter of demand. Our minimum run is 100 units and to date, we have had two inquiries counting yours. We cannot mix and match to get numbers, when the tooling is set up, there has to be a minimum of 100 units of one type to make it worthwhile. This initial run of 4 ohm units was for 200 units and they are moving fast. If we can get the numbers, we will be happy to make a run of 8 ohm units. For now, people with a need for 8 ohm twins are simply wiring the two speakers in series and paying attention to the phasing. I wish I had better news, I'm hopeful because we have some ideas which require 8 ohm units.

Thanks for the questions, we'll be glad to help in any way we can.
Dave

[Sid Hudson]

Dave, I will be placing an order as soon as I get back in Virginia.

The Volume pedals and speakers were amazing!

[Dave Beaty]

It was a pleasure to see you at the show Sid, what a wonderful show it was!
I think Sophie and Stacy will have inventory (what there is left...) all organized by tomorrow, so we can ship same-day.
By the way I have been gigging with your strings and they are, very simply, great strings!
Take care of yourself,
Dave and the crew

[Jay Ganz]

Do you have a frequency response graph we can look at?

[John McClung]

Dave, I've been planning on having you refresh one of my JBL K-130-8 speakers and use in one of your open back cabinets, and a BW speaker in your closed back cab, like the pair I played through at the Phoenix show (unbelievable sound!). Should I consider these neo's instead? Will these still have the equivalent of the JBL "sparkle" I know and love?

[Dave Beaty]

Jay, we do have frequency response plots on which are overlaid our same measurements with pristine JBL K-series reference speakers. I'm afraid we worked the engineer who has them so hard getting ready for the Texas show that he s taking vacation this week.
I will get them and post them next week when he returns.

John, you are on the right path you were taking based on our discussions.

According to our tests and measurements, the new Telonics NEO speakers represent the very best one can do using NEO approaches in a lightweight speaker.

If the weight of the re-manufactured K-130's is not the main factor, you will achieve ultimate performance with the Telonics JBL setup players were using at the Phoenix and Texas shows.
Amazing sound IS the result.
Dave

[John McClung]

Dave, thanks for the further info, I'll get you my JBL shortly.

[Tom Mossburg]

I picked up my K-120 that Dave reconed for me and just got it into a cabinet this week. It's quite possibly one of the best sounding 12" speakers I have ever heard. I used Dave's K-130's at the Phoenix show and they sounded great. Thank's Dave.

[Jay Ganz]

They are not lightweight JBL K120’s or JBL K130’s, however they are as close as can be done today within the constraints of modern materials and cost considerations.

Just wondering why no aluminum dust cap like the "K" series had?

[Dave Beaty]

Good question Jay, the short answer is physics and compatibility. Current NEO motor design, characteristics and compatibility of current materials and adhesives, compatible formers, tooling, etc., all came into play in the weight/balance and transient response equations.
Ultimately one is forced to work with all the variables and reduce the equation to the one or two designs best suited to the end result while allowing the physical components to fit, function and work together.
Aluminum dust caps were included in the design trials, but for several reasons they didn't mesh for the job and make the cut.
Once you get materials that will physically work together, as you probably know, the process then involves endless hours of measurements in an out of cabinets, then more hours of listening comparison tests with multiple program materials.
We ultimately chose two designs which stood out above all the others. Both were solid mechanically, but there was a very slight difference between them in terms of their measured characteristics (which also bore out in their audible performance in listening tests).

One was a solid design, faithful, “played well with others”, not docile, but not edgy, just a reliable performer.

The second design was all of those things as well, but it caught your attention and said "listen to me". It stood out in terms of airiness and reproduction of the little intricacies. If you listened to the two, you would like them both, but you would remember this second design - people said "it had 'something'". We had measured these minute characteristics and it was rewarding to actually hear their effect. It didn't take long for us to decide to put this second design into production. It incorporates some innovations which are new to the NEO driver field.

I gig with these speakers regularly and a number of pro players have been trying to "hurt" them for us. They have not been able to do so, so that's a good thing.
I really enjoy the weight reduction of my cabinets now (I play with the small lightweight Telonics rack and two of these speakers in the Telonics enclosures). In terms of usage, the only difference most people make is a very, very slight modification to the MID SHIFT control (to adjust to taste), as compared to a pair of pristine JBL-K series speakers).
I hope that gives you a little more insight into the saga of this speaker Jay. It would be fair to say that this was not a trivial effort – like the other Telonics musical product developments, it was essentially a labor of love for the music, the instruments and those who play them.
Dave

[Wally Moyers]

I bought a 12" at the Dallas show and installed it yesterday. It made a stunning difference in the sound of my Nashville 112... Looking forward to gigging with it next weekend.. At almost 60 years young. the weight savings is appreciated too!

Great job Dave..

[Dave Beaty]

Glad it worked out for you Wally, I was concerned at first about the clearance in your cabinet, but several people measured the depth and it looked great. Since then, we have sent a lot of them out for the small amps, even a little weight reduction helps out, I find personally.....
Sounds like it worked fine for you too, please let us know if you have any questions or problems, our engineers like to stay pretty close to new products.
Dave

[Paddy Long]

Dave just to let you know I got my 15" opened back cabinet and speaker home safely -- and I have to tell you that it is the perfect match to go with my Telonics closed back w/BW1501-4 -- the two together seem to be just the perfect match for my tastes and they sound fantastic.
I have a big outdoor festival to play next weekend and they will be getting some serious torture but I know they will perform flawlessly.

Thanks again to Telonics for some absolutely top notch equipment - I am a very grateful picker

[Dave Beaty]

Glad they weren't able to convert that Baltic Birch to mulch whilst loading the big bird Paddy, now let's see if you can fry the voice coils. No worries, you know our warranty! Go for it.
Break a leg.... (pinch wood)
Dave

PS Sopie and Stacy need an .mp3 from your show...

[Jay Ganz]

....now let's see if you can fry the voice coils. No worries, you know our warranty!

What is the actual power rating on these?

[Dave Beaty]

Jay,
We rate these speakers very conservatively at 250 watts RMS, that is ‘way’ before we “let the smoke out” in our tests. As you know, depending on Crest factor, we could triple or quadruple that for what people call "Music". Because we study steel guitar and we tend to worst-case things, we simply state our "Music" level as 500 watts. We regularly hit peaks with these speakers which are far in excess of that level.

I'm still digging through pre-TSGA paperwork and data, however here is an SPL graph you requested.

Dave

[Jay Ganz]

Wow...looks great! I really appreciate it!

[Paddy Long]

Dave tell Sophie that I got the Telonics name badges to go on the front of the speakers - they look very smart thanks for that.
They will shine at the Moonshiners Festival this weekend.

[Mark Dunn]

Paddy - Enjoyed our jamming sessions and your playing in the Telonics room; a pleasure to meet you my friend. Wish I'd brought a couple of those speakers home myself...

All the best
Mark