Orange Amps introduces new bass cabinets with Celestion speakers

Since its creation in 1968, the Orange brand has become synonymous with a rich, complex tone and premium build quality in guitar and bass amplification. Early adopters included Fleetwood Mac and Stevie Wonder — who used an Orange amplifier to achieve his distinctive Clavinet keyboard sound —. The company continues to release high-quality heads, cabinets, and combo amps.

Throughout its history, Orange has relied on Celestion speakers, whose company celebrates 100 years of excellence in speaker design in 2024, as the foundation of its tone and reliability. The long association between Celestion and Orange continues in the new Orange OBC115C, OBC410HC, and OBC810C bass cabinets, which use Celestion’s PULSE XL drivers: the 15.25 in the 15-inch OBC115C, and the 10.20 in the multi-speaker cabinets OBC410C and OBC810C.

We needed to update the bass cabinets. We gathered a group of bassists and conducted a comparative test between Eminence, LaVoce, and Celestion PULSE XL speakers in the 8 x 10", 4 x 10", and 1 x 15" cabinets [OBC 810C, 410C, and 115C, respectively]. Celestion speakers stood out in these listening tests for all three cabinets, says Adrian Emsley, designer of the new OBC series.

“We weren’t surprised to be so satisfied with Celestion,” adds Cliff Cooper, founder and CEO of Orange Amps. “We like to build simple amps and cabinets, with no more components than necessary to achieve the desired sound. I think it sounds purer that way. Celestion speakers help achieve this, as they ensure we get the desired sound without complicating the signal design.”

“Multi-speaker bass cabinets apply greater damping between each other when wired in parallel, which is why we use the 32-ohm versions of the PULSE XL speakers in the 10-inch cabinets,” explains Emsley. “This helps the cabinet maintain a cleaner sound at high volumes. Overall, Celestion speakers offer excellent sonic detail, with smooth, musical distortion. This has been true from the original G12 alnico to the current Vintage 30.” The relationship between Orange and Celestion goes back to its beginnings:

It’s been over 55 years. In the early days, we had difficulties getting supplies. Like many small shops, we struggled to get the big brands to consider us official distributors or send us equipment. With my background in electronics, I thought: ‘Let’s make our own amps and put them in the window!’ When we couldn’t get Celestion speakers, nothing we tried had the same sound or build quality, explains founder Cooper.

“Celestion is a legend in the music equipment business,” praises Cooper. “They know everything about amplifiers, they want companies that use their drivers to succeed, and they are very helpful. It’s a pleasure to work with them. There’s not much more to say about that!”