1969 CTS Alnico 10" 20W 8Ω (USA), Classic Late 60s American Guitar Speaker IR Pack, Full Vintage Microphone Collection

The 1969 CTS 10 inch Alnico is a classic example of late 60s American loudspeaker design. Light, reactive, and warm, it delivers the musical compression and midrange sweetness associated with small Fender era combo amplifiers. This 20 watt, 8 ohm unit was captured in its original condition with an emphasis on preserving its natural response and historical character. The recording session used the complete microphone collection listed above. The variety is deliberate and allows this single Alnico driver to be heard through Japanese, European and American microphones from the 1960s to the 2010s. Each microphone provides a different perspective on the speaker, from gentle vintage dynamics to more modern condensers, creating a wide tonal palette for mixing and comparison. Before recording, the speaker was conditioned with one hour of white, pink and brown noise until light mechanical rattle. Sine wave bursts were introduced between cycles to monitor cone stability. Recording used a 30 second sine sweep sent through a neutral preamp and a linear power amplifier, with the output driven by a Fosi Audio V1.0G. Microphones were powered with a Behringer MIC500 USB fitted with a Brimar 12AU7 WA tube. Noise reduction was only applied if absolutely necessary. Processing followed a strict workflow. Files were normalized to minus 3 dB, DC offset was removed, and deconvolution was handled by Voxengo Deconvolver with MP Transform. The final normalization target was minus 0.3 dB. This ensures a clean and reliable IR set while preserving the original transient behavior of the 1969 CTS Alnico unit. Microphone List (Full Specs): AKG D70, Dynamic, 1980s to 1990s, Austria, 620 Ω Akai ADM 65, Dynamic, 1980s, Japan, 600 Ω Audiojap UMC7103/1P, Electret, 1980s, Japan, 600 Ω Behringer B 906, Dynamic, 2019, China, 600 Ω Beyerdynamic M 550 LM, Dynamic, 1970s, West Germany, 500 Ω Blaupunkt CR 4073, Dynamic, 1970s, Germany, unknown impedance Marantz MPM 1000, Condenser, 2010s, China, 200 Ω Philips N8306, Dynamic, 1969, Europe, 500 Ω Realistic Highball 2, Dynamic, 1973, Japan, 600 Ω Sony MTL F 96, Dynamic, 1964, Japan, 600 Ω Technics RP 3125E, Electret, 1970s, Japan, 600 Ω Telefunken TD26, Dynamic, 1969, Europe, 750 Ω Uher M 516, Dynamic, 1969, Germany, 500 Ω