Playing a Tubemeister 18 through a Laney Ironheart sealed 2x12 cab with HH speakers. It is extremely harsh in the overdrive channels (to the point of being unbearable), ok on cleans. The head seems to be fairly bright and tends to get a bit fizzy in the heavier overdrive sounds, so I need something that may compliment the head well. I'm looking for drivers to allow good chug and punch with drop tunes (typical modern metal - Trivium, Killswitch, etc) as well as some good solid rock tones (i.e. from the Cult - AC/DC) . I am completely open to suggestions to a combo of drivers vs. matched sets. Also, is the Laney cab adequate or should I look to something more substantial. It seems to be built well with all ply construction and dimensions of 28" w x 19"h x 14" deep.
Thanks a bunch for any direction on this.
Since you state:
"It is extremely harsh in the overdrive channels (to the point of being unbearable), ok on cleans. The head seems to be fairly bright and tends to get a bit fizzy in the heavier overdrive sounds"
I would recommend a pair of Reapers (not HP) ... they are nice warm speakers, but are also quite efficient, to make the most of the Tubemeister. ET65's would also be a fantastic choice tonally, but they are not particularly loud.
Thanks, Vaughn. I actually took a chance and ordered the Retro 30 / HM75 combo last week. I was able to get everything wired in the cab last night and got around an hour of time playing through them. It turns out the head isn't that bright, but the HH drivers sure were. What an absolutely dramatic difference in tone. I was able to quickly dial in a nice SRV strat tone to 70s rock and modern drop tunes. So far, I'm extremely happy with this combo and the little 18 watter really gets these things singing, even in the 5 watt setting.