The Best Speakers for a Vox AC15
This article will cover the five best speakers for a Vox AC15 amplifier. There are several different Vox AC15 models out there, from the stock models to the grey hand-wired ones. This list is applicable for all of these amplifiers, depending on your personal needs.
Whether you want a replacement speaker, more volume, or a change of tone, this article is for you. The first three speakers will be great for classic Vox AC15 tones, and the last two will be for something a bit different.
I will cover the pros and cons of each of these choices and why you may consider one over the other. These speakers are, in my opinion, and testing, the best speakers for a Vox AC15 guitar amplifier.
I owned a Vox AC15C1 for many years, and it was my main gigging amplifier for a long time. This guide is appliable for any version of the Vox AC15 amplifier range from new to old, including the AC15C1 and AC15C1X.
Before You Upgrade Your Vox Ac15 Speaker
If you are new to choosing speakers, I always suggest reading my guide on selecting a guitar speaker. This article will cover everything you need to know in regards to finding the perfect speaker.
Please Note: You should always double-check the speaker rating of your amplifier before doing anything. Most Vox AC15 amplifiers have a speaker rating of 15-watts and 16ohms. Replacement speakers should always be at 15-watts or above and still at 16ohms. I have a vast list of amplifiers by model and speaker rating on this website as well if you are not sure.
1. Celestion Alnico Blue – (15 Watts / 100dB)
The Celestion Alnico Blue is stock in a Vox AC15C1X model amplifier by default. These speakers are very different from their Greenback counterparts. There are a few main differences that separate them. Sound-wise, the Alnico blue has a much thicker tone to it, and it doesn’t have quite as much high frequencies. This high-frequency difference is most apparent at louder volumes because of the valve/tube compression.
Even though the Celestion Alnico blue has a power handling 15-watts RMS, it has a maximum sound pressure level of 100dB, making it quite loud. It’s not as loud as the Eminence Wizard on this list, but it still packs a punch. What makes this a sought after the speaker is its cone distortion. Alnico Blue speakers have a lot of character as they start to break up.
If you want a vintage-sounding speaker that packs a full punch, the Celestion Blue is a great choice. Alternatively, if you don’t wish to less speaker distortion, this isn’t the best choice. The speaker also weighs in at 4.2kgs/9.3lbs, so it does add a bit of weight to the Vox AC15. Vox did a great job choosing this speaker for their amplifiers.
2. Celestion Greenback (25 Watts / 98dB)
The majority of the Vox AC15 amplifiers on the markets ship stocked with a Celestion Greenback. Again, Vox got this right as it is to my ear the best-suited stock speaker for the “Vox sound.” Best is always subjective, of course.
What I love about the Celestion Greenback speakers are its chime and strong low-end bass response. The Greenback also features a very scooped sound in this amplifier that helps add to the classic Vox tone.
The Greenback is rated at 25-watts and has a rated SPL (sound pressure level) of 98dB. Interestingly enough, the Greenback does not break-up as much as the Alnico blue speaker. To my ear because this appears louder even though it’s 2dB less in its SPL.
The Greenback is an excellent choice because it is one of the best speakers for a Vox AC15 out there. It captures the classic and bright tones of the Vox while giving you a lovely clean starting platform. The Greenback speaker also handles the top boost channel of the Vox AC15 with no problems at all.
When I purchased my Vox AC15, I went with the Greenback over the Alnico blue for the sound I wanted, but both are great options.
3. Celestion Creamback (65 Watts / 97dB)
The Celestion Creamback speaker is one of the most popular speakers in the world because it is one of the most articulate speakers in the world. What this means is you get a very balanced feel and sound throughout the fingerboard. Many boutique guitar amplifier manufacturers use these speakers because of this definition.
To be honest, I haven’t heard an amplifier that didn’t benefit from this speaker upgrade, including a Vox amplifier. Much like the Greenback speaker, the Creamback also allows the classic Vox treble with a slightly more mellow feel. The Celestion Creamback speaker will be the right choice if you want the Vox AC15 to retain the character; it is known for a while also adding something unique.
There’s also a Neodymium version of the Creamback (below) that is an excellent option if you want to make the amplifier quite a lot lighter. There are some tonal trade-offs between the Neo and the regular speaker, but if it comes down to weight, get the Neo Creamback.
The Creamback is a natural choice for the best guitar speakers for a Vox AC15. If a balanced sound with a sweeter low end is your thing, check out the Creamback below.
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4. Eminence Texas Heat (150 Watts / 99.4dB)
Alright, here we go! This next addition to the list is for guitarists who want to take out some of the treble frequencies and make the amplifier much louder and thicker sounding.
Two of the significant criticisms people have of the Vox is they can be “too bright,” or they have “not enough mids.” I hear this all of the time on my YouTube channel Q&A live-streams, and I have the answer here – the Eminence Texas Heat. I believe this is one of the best speakers ever designed. It’s loud, has low speaker distortion, will roll out some high-frequency, and it packs a punch in the low-mid frequencies.
Before you rush to buy the Eminence Texas Heat, you need to know a few things. This speaker will drastically change the sound of the amplifier. The Texas Heat Speaker is best suited to folks who want to make the amp louder while also making the top-end frequencies more bearable.
The Eminence Texas Heat packs a punch! I put this speaker into so many amplifiers, and the clean headroom is far superior to anything out there. What this headroom means is, you’ll get a perceived increase in volume, headroom, and a more decent fatter sound. This speaker is an “American-voiced” speaker, so it has a very different character to the Celestion speakers.
Again, if the name of the game is to reduce the treble, increase the bass, and make the amplifier cleaner at a louder volume, then give it a shot. I recently put this speaker in my Marshall to tame to the top-end and to also give it more “oomph” in the low-end, and it worked like a charm.
5. Eminence Wizard (75-watts / 102.8dB)
There’s a lot to love about the Eminence Wizard speaker. The Eminence wizard is one of the top 10 loudest guitar speakers on the market. You can read more about that list by clicking the link to another page on my site.
There are two subjective advantages to the Eminence Wizard over the Texas Heat speaker. The first advantage is that it’s even louder! If having a louder volume is your priority, then this will give you a lot more output than of the speakers on the list.
The second advantage is this will retain a lot of the character of the vox amplifier while also increasing the low end. Eminence considers this to be a “tight” bottom end, but I think it adds a lot more to the bass than the Greenback, for example.
One thing to point out is the Eminence Wizard weighs 5.67kgz or 12.5lbs. The Eminence Wizard is by no means the lightest option out there. The tonal trade-offs will “outweigh” the extra weight (pun intended).
If your goal is to tame the high-end, please choose the Texas Heat. If you want a more efficient speaker with maximum output that still sounds great, the Wizard is a massive upgrade.
In conclusion, each of these speakers will get you very different results and are considered some of the top speaker choices for a Vox AC15. Changing the speaker will impact the tone of the amplifier more than any other modification.
How to Change the Speaker in a VOX AC15/AC15C1
This video below shows how to change the speaker in the VOX AC15 guitar amplifier. The video quality isn’t very good on this video but it’s better than the one I made prior to this in the dark haha. 🙂