New products news from MTR Ltd

At the 2008 NAMM show, Celestion, the original guitar loudspeaker company, announce the launch of the G10 Gold. This 10-inch alnico magnet speaker is designed for players who want all the tone of a Celestion Gold or Celestion Blue in a 10-inch format.

With the introduction of the G10 Gold, players can now obtain the cherished Celestion vintage alnico tone in a 10-inch loudspeaker.

The alnico magnet Celestion Blue was the world’s first purpose-built guitar loudspeaker and remains Celestion’s flagship guitar speaker to this day. The Celestion Gold--also featuring an alnico magnet and launched just two years ago to tremendous pluadits--gives players the same tonal signature as a Blue, in a higher power (50 watt) format.

The G10 Gold, with 40-watt power handlig and available in 8 or 15 ohm formats, has been described as having a rich bass response, with a creamy mid-range complexity and soft vintage chiming top-end. The G10 Gold has a tone that is springy, warm, revealing and enormously touch-sensitive. Individually or in a pair it will add a classy sheen to any amp, or can be used in a 4x10 for higher volume depth, warmth and shimmer.

NewsFlash - October 8th 2007 - The A-Designs Audio HM2EQ HAMMER Valve E.Q was awarded the 'PAR' Excellence Award by Pro Audio Review at the AES show, New York

After two years of careful R&D followed by extensive beta testing by savvy engineers like Dylan Dresdow, Dean Landon, Ronan Chris Murphy and Tony Shepperd, among others, Peter Montessi and his team at A-Designs Audio are proud to finally introduce the company's new, vacuum tube-equipped HM2EQ, better known as the HAMMER.

The HAMMER is a dual mono channel, three band, analog equaliser engineered with an ingenious filtering system that allows the even harmonics to flow through its 12AT Philips valves filtering out unwanted noise. The resulting sound is warm and 'musical' yet highly transparent with a clean, airy high end. The smoothness of the HAMMER's operation prompted Tony Shepperd (Kenny Loggins, Take 6, Whitney Houston) to comment, "You don't know it's there until you take it out."

Housed in a 2U metal chassis with an aluminium faceplate and beefy toroidal power transformer under the hood, the HAMMER is an invaluable tool for any studio. Both channels feature switches for bypass, high cut and low cut, as well as six large aluminium rotaries for the EQ section. The frequency bands are:

High 2.5k/3.5k/5k/7.5k/10k/15k, with ±13dB of boost/cut for each frequency range.

The right side of the HAMMER faceplate houses a heavy duty Carling on/off toggle switch and large brilliant blue jewel lamp for power indication. Rear panel connections include a pair of balanced Neutrik XLR inputs and outputs.

"Although the digital recording world has certainly come a long way, especially over the last couple of years, it still can't accurately mimic the warm, musical tones that a vacuum tube can best provide," says A-Designs Audio's Peter Montessi. "We've gone through countless tube choices and combinations to find the best possible sonics for the HAMMER and I know that discerning engineers are going to be very pleased with it when they hear it for themselves."

Rock and Metal players everywhere are insisting on using Celestion speakers in their rigs, like latest endorsee, Megadeth legend Dave Mustaine.

Whichever set-up he uses, live or in the studio, Mustaine chooses Celestion. "Throughout my career I have tried many amplifiers, but I have always only used one brand for my speaker. I prefer Celestion, because nothing I have played through has been tough enough and durable enough to endure the beating of my whole career's sonic output."

Dave's in good company, in a stellar line-up of players including Tony Iommi and Slash, Slayer's Kerry King, Scott Ian and Dan Spitz from Anthrax and current Rob Zombie axeman, John 5. All of whom are long time Celestion players.

It doesn't stop there. You'll also find Celestion speakers in the rigs of more great metal players like Mick Thomson from Slipknot, James Root from Stone Sour/Slipknot, Jon Donais from Shadows Fall, Bill Kelliher from Mastodon, Michael Amott from Arch Enemy and Ken Susi from Unearth.

Soon to be released - an all new G10 Greenback, which has the tone of a classic Greenback in a 10" format. Watch this space!

The valve Pultec EQP-1A goes down in most peoples book as one of the most venerated equalisers of all time, loved by both recording and mastering engineers for its almost mythical ability to improve the sound of, well, just about anything running through it.

A-Designs Audio has shrunk this highly sought after filter design into the now red-hot 500 Series format without compromise to either build quality or sonics. The EQ section design and control layout of the classic EQP-1A has been meticulously maintained, as well as its wonderfully smooth musicality.

Makeup amplification is achieved through the use of the same discrete Class AB amplifier found in A-Designs popular solid-state Pacifica mic pre, putting an extra twist on this classic design.

Additional features include a nickel core output transformer, gold Grayhill rotary switches, Wima capacitors, and a true hard bypass. Instead of using off-the-shelf chokes, A-Designs uses a tapped inductor, custom-wound to the original values. Fully balanced, noise-free operation with modern impedance specs make for simple operation and fast studio integration.

The new EM-PEQ is an approved API™ 'VPR Alliance' product, so may also be used in Brent Averill racks and A-Designs Audio’s R52 manufactured by Avedis Audio Electronics.

With the launches last year of the P-1 and EM-Series preamplifiers (EM-Red/Blue/Silver, and recently the EM-Gold), A-Designs Audio is fast becoming a significant player in all things '500 Series'. The blend of classic sound and modern function offered by the new EM-PEQ is further proof of a company dedicated to creative design, quality and value.

Jan 2007

Celestion, a pioneer in the development of professional loudspeakers for more than eighty years, announces the launch of their all-new NTR series cast aluminium chassis, neodymium magnet professional audio drivers.

The new NTR family is a range of bass and mid-bass drivers targeted at medium and large scale toursound applications. Designed using advanced FEA modeling techniques, NTR drivers demonstrate high levels of performance and low distortion.

All drivers feature a weight-optimized neodymium magnet, motor assembly and cast aluminum chassis. NTR08-2011D weighs in at just 1.5kg/3.3lb while NTR12-3018D weighs just 2.6kg/5.7lb.

Additionally, NTR08-2011D and NTR06-1705B both utilize a space-efficient chassis profile making them highly suitable for line array applications.

Thanks to significant and sustained investment in research and development, Celestion will be launching new products throughout this year. Winter NAMM 2007 sees the first phase of this initiative with no fewer than 24 new products being introduced, including NTR.

Jan 2007

TONY IOMMI TAKES HERITAGE SERIES G12H ON TOUR

Riffmaster and metal legend Tony Iommi is loading Celestion Heritage Series G12H throughout his backline rig for the upcoming “Heaven and Hell Live” world tour.

A reunion of the line-up that recorded the classic albums ‘Mob Rules’ and ‘Live Evil’ and toured the Heaven and Hell album are once again poised to enthrall audiences. Comprising Tony Iommi, vocalist Ronnie James Dio, bass player Geezer Butler and drummer Vinny Appice, the band will hit the road under the moniker ‘Heaven and Hell’ in early 2007 in Canada before setting off round the world.

Tony has played through many different Celestion speakers during his legendary career and has previously described Celestion as “the Voice of Rock”. For this latest tour, Tony, along with long-time Guitar Tech. Mike Clement, has taken the decision to load his entire backline with Heritage Series G12H.

According to Mike; “Tony’s been using Celestion speakers for years – he wouldn’t use anything else. And when we heard the heavy magnet Heritage Series G12H, we knew immediately that it was the perfect speaker for the job. Ideal for Tony’s signature heavy riff work, but versatile enough to cut through the band for lead and solo breaks.”

Launched in 2005, the Heritage Series speakers are perfect re-creations of the most legendary Celestion guitar speakers. Following the original design notes and specifications for the original speakers and using exactly the same materials and construction techniques.

The Heritage Series G12H re-creates the low resonance (55 Hz), heavy magnet greenback, right down to the voice coil former material, glue formulations and solder only tag panel.

REVIEW QUOTE FROM 'TONEQUEST REPORT' ON THE CELESTION ALNICO GOLD CHASSIS DRIVER:

Listen – we’ve been playing and evaluating hundreds of amps new and old in these pages for nearly seven years non-stop...82 monthly issues with multiple amp reviews more often than not, while attending countless live shows, and we have never, ever heard a more joyously thick, rich, intense gusher of high decibel guitar sex that remotely compares to the AC50 and 4x12 cabinet loaded with Celestion Gold and G12H30 speakers. Have you ever eaten an astonishingly great meal that remains burned in your memory for all time? That’s what we’re talkin’ about. Now go eat.
TQ

Although you might think there was not much of a demand for stand-alone phantom power supplies these days, MTR's experience with its 4 channel PPS-48 seems to indicate otherwise.

Indeed, responding to requests, MTR now offers a two channel version, the PPS-248, also mains powered and with the same rock solid and ultra quiet 48v, housed in a smaller RF screened heavy gauge steel box.

Perfect for all those older, well loved desks out there without phantom power, for one or two condenser mics in computer project studios, schools, houses of worship, etc.

Celestion’s achievements in bass loudspeakers are almost as illustrious as those in guitar, with many of its speakers at the heart of some of the truly great bass amplifiers in history.

Now Celestion has combined its unrivalled expertise in musical instrument and professional audio speaker design to develop a ground-breaking new range of bass guitar drivers encompassing 10", 12" and 15" Ceramic and Neodymium models in ‘clean’ (Orange Label) and ‘rock’ (Green Label) varieties.

Celestion pioneered the use of Neodymium magnet structures in high power-handling instrument loudspeakers, and nobody knows more about the application off this exciting new high flux material in bass loudspeakers.

Combining unsurpassed efficiency and responsiveness with ultra-low weight, Celestion Orange Label Neos are perfect for fast, snappy, dynamic playing styles, and are available in a range of 10" and 15" models.

Not every player wants an ultra-clean, high-fidelity bass sound. That’s why the new Celestion bass loudspeaker range includes Ceramic and Neodymium speakers, specially tuned for rock playing styles.

Green Label 10", 12" and 15" speakers feature heavier cones, multi-roll surrounds and longer voice coils for controlled and increased excursion, delivering masses of low-end grunt and plenty of warm, fat tone.

Celestion has dramatically increased the versatility of its CDX range with the launch of two new compact, lightweight Neodymium compression drivers - the CDX1-1730 and CDX1-1731.

These two models provide designers with a choice of mounting options (the CDX1-1730 is flange mount and the CDX1-1731 screw mount), while specifications for both devices are the same: 75-Watt power rating, 8 Ohm impedance, 110 dB sensitivity, 1.2-20 kHz frequency range, 1.75" voice coil and 1" throat exit.

And, like other CDX compression drivers in the range, these new devices make extensive use of Celestion's industry-leading experience in Finite Element Analysis (FEA) to optimize the magnetic and acoustic design, helping the CDX1-1730/1731 to achieve outstanding performance at a highly competitive price point.

The new compression drivers also use Celestion's proprietary Sound Castle diaphragm clamping system to ensure even clamping pressure on the diaphragm surround, thereby reducing distortion while allowing the full internal volume of the rear cover to act as a loading chamber for the diaphragm, resulting in superior lower mid-band response. With exceptional heat management from the aluminum heatsink, an edge-wound coil, a choice of mounting options and a compact, lightweight design, the CDX1-1730/1731 represents a cost-effective, high performance HF solution for a wide variety of sound reinforcement applications.

Alongside the new Neo compression drivers, Celestion is also launching the CDX-1746 - a screw mount version of the popular ceramic-magnet CDX1-1745 high-frequency device. The range is further extended by the availability of an adaptor to enable screw mounting of the CDX1-14 Series drivers.

Celestion FTR Professional Chassis Loudspeakers Now Shipping - after a long delay, we are pleased to tell you that these excellent chassis speakers/drivers are now available, click here

MTR is very proud to have been chosen as UK and Eire distributor for the outstanding range of solid state and valve Mic Pre-amplifiers, valve DI boxes, passive attenuators and install products designed and manufactured in the USA by A-Designs Audio. Full details at

Celestion announces the introduction of its next generation Alnico guitar speaker, the Celestion Gold. Designed for players wanting the legendary “Blue” tone with greater power handling capability, the new Celestion Gold employs improved heat management, enabling it to be used in higher power combo and with modern 4 x 12" amplifiers.

Featuring the same design elements as the legendary Celestion Blue, including the distinctive bell cover and solder-only tag panels, the Celestion Gold is a 12" speaker that boasts an impressive 50-Watt power handling.

"The goal was to take our flagship speaker, the Celestion Blue, and use it as the template to create an all-new ‘Contemporary Classic’ Alnico driver with enhanced power handling capability, without compromising either tone or specification. To guard against this, hours of painstaking research and development effort have been invested to ensure that the 50-Watt Celestion Gold is exceptionally close, in both tone and specification, to the original Alnico Blue speaker.”

The speaker comes in a distinctive vintage gold color and will be hand-built at Celestion’s factory in Ipswich, England.

MTR adds the full range of very high quality British-made Precision Devices chassis speakers.

MTR adds the PS-8v, a version of the PS-8 headphone splitter with volume controls on channels one, four, five and eight. Better for using headphones of different impedances, or just for those who like to listen at different levels.

Celestion adds QXi215: the eagerly awaited addition to Celestion's popular QXi Series is now in full production. Designed for applications that demand a big bass sound from a single unit, QXi215 features some exciting new design developments. Two 15" Celestion Truvox drivers - one direct radiating, the other mounted inside the ported, birch-ply cabinet at 90 degrees - form a modified band pass system. This ingenious driver loading arrangement results in pure, natural sounding audio with a solid, tight bottom end.

This full-range, quasi 3-way, sound reinforcement system also incorporates a 75W Celestion CDX1-1745 ceramic compression driver, delivering the optimum balance between performance, efficiency, weight and cost. Not only does the QXi215 easily out-perform other 2 x 15" cabinets at this price point, this forward-thinking design means the cabinet is far more compact, making handling much easier - a real benefit for mobile applications. What's more, the reduction in panel size provides greater resistance to the driver-induced vibration, which can occur in larger, less well-constructed cabinets.

McGregor replaces the SD13 disco mixer and console range with two new disco consoles, the MD12 600w mono model and the SD15 stereo version, an extremely compact disco/karaoke unit. The rugged, carpet covered console can contain up to 650 + 650 watts R.M.S. (into 4 ohm) of amplification, in addition to a versatile low noise mixer with digital effects processor and video switcher, a twin CDG player, and a 7" wide-screen TFT display.

McGregor discontinues the BGM-1 installation mixer, and adds the new KA/500 stereo mixer-amp. This compact 1U rackmount has been designed for small bars that require up to three mics and three stereo line inputs with voice override options. The main objective is to cover all audio-visual and karaoke requirements in a venue where space is an issue.

MTR adds the AE-2 Audio Extender to its range, to extend the rear panel audio sockets on a computer without a break-out box via a 75cm cable to a box with a mono and a stereo jack socket.

MTR is appointed sole worldwide distributor of the new 19" rackmounting System, an unique new take on fixed 19" rack installations.

The upright rack strip section is screwed directly to a wall, and the units are fixed to this using various lengths of side arms - very cost-effective and very versatile. Unlike conventional racks, it's fully expandable both vertically and horizontally. See the RaxX page for more details:

MTR adds security brackets for the PS-4 and PS-4v headphone splitters. The brackets screw onto the underside of the box using the exisiting base screws, and are used to fix the box to the top, side or underneath the desk.

Another new product from McGregor, the BGR series of background mixer amps. A compact 1U mixer-amplifier designed for a wide range of applications that require both mic and line level inputs with voice override facilities. Extremely practical as a background music amplifier and equally suitable for aerobic systems. Output power of 100 or 250 watts in only 1U of rack space produces a very compact, powerful and extremely portable system when combined with a suitable music source. Two mic inputs and three line inputs with separate eq for mic and line.

MTR's GB-2 'Gain Brain' - a handy little mic and instrument pre-amp for anywhere that you need some extra quiet gain - now has an XLR mic input socket instead of a balanced jack.

MTR adds two volume controls to it's PS-4 passive stereo headphone splitter. The new model is called the PS-4V, and is the same as the PS-4 plus a volume control for channel 1 and channel 4. The regular PS-4 continues in production.

New McGregor 6 channel Mixer-amp added to the range. The first four channels of the well equipped PA-6 include balanced combi XLR/jack mic inputs, low, mid and high eq, reverb & an aux/monitor send. Channels five and six have stereo summing phono sockets, with mono jack

alternative inputs on the rear panel, plus two band equalisation. The master section has a footswitchable 64 bit digital effects unit with an overload led, plus a six segment led VU meter and master volume. On the rear panel are line in and line out and aux in and out jacks, both with volume control, and twin Speakon loudspeaker outputs. Power ratings are 300 and 600 watts RMS.

Yamaha discontinue their multi-way keyboard power supply, and after rigourous testing, give MTR's DC-8 the status of officially approved alternative. This has since been replaced by the Dual Polarity version
DC-8DUAL suitable for both Yamaha and Casio keyboards.

Start adding MTR user manuals to this site for new and discontinued models .

June 2002

MTR's new e-book added for downloading. A quick and simple download containing of all MTR's products with photos and specifications, in an on-screen book format.

MTR HPA-6 headphone amplifier Input leds

Free Upgrade to the MTR HPA-6: A dual colour LED has been added to each of the three inputs, showing green when a signal is present, and changing to red when overload is approaching. There is no extra charge for this feature.

A fourth power supply for keyboards is added to the MTR range. This is the DC-412, providing 12v DC and one Amp on each of the four outputs. The unit has been introduced specifically for the new generation of keyboards using large LCD screens and disc drives, and comes complete with DC leads and full protection.

March 2001

McGregor introduces a new model to the disco range, the SD 13, replacing the SD 12. The changes include 2 mic channels instead of three, removal of the built-in crossover, and a reduction in size from 3u to 2u. Another reduction is in the price, a significant saving over the previous model. All other details remain the same, including the range of power options and with CD and Controller options.

January 10th, 2001

MTR adds the DI-2P, a two channel passive DI box. This now completes the extensive range of Direct Injection products - literally a DI box for all seasons from MTR.
Specifications and features are as the DI-1.

November 2000

McGregor adds a baby pair of speakers to its line-up, the PS 6/100. These 100 watt cabinets have a 6" driver and a soft dome tweeter, a built-in passive 12dB per octave crossover, and are painted black. The price is exceptional.

MTR changes the format of the PS-8 stereo 8 output passive splitter. Originally in a plastic box like the PS-4, it is now housed in a long, slim steel box, with the same stereo jack input socket feeding 8 stereo output jacks. All outputs are protected by safety resistors.

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