FRIEDMAN ASM-12, EV ZLX-12P

MConde

New Member
Greetings,

Do any of you recommend the FRIEDMAN ASM-12, EV ZLX-12P as good FRFR solution for the AXE FX II XL & XL+?

Thank you!
 
Can't speak for the other, but the Friedman ASM is tops. If I was buying today, I'd give consideration to the ASC-12, which is the ASM in a cabinet format.
 
I have the Friedman's but I like my CLR'S better. Haven't tried the EV stuff for FRFR.
 
cant go wrong with Friedman's. never felt the need to look elsewhere since. Direct presets translate so well with live and vice versa
 
But... that's not the Friedman, which is at best a tweaked stage monitor cab produced by someone else (and it's unclear what those tweaks might be). Not at all "purpose built".
Really? This is from their site:

The Friedman ASM-12 powered monitor was designed and voiced for use with today’s guitar amp modelers and profilers including Fractal Audio Axe-Fx, Kemper Profiler, Line 6 HD Series and others. The ASM-12 delivers rich authentic tones, allowing you get the most out of these systems in live use and playback applications
 
Really? This is from their site:

The Friedman ASM-12 powered monitor was designed and voiced for use with today’s guitar amp modelers and profilers including Fractal Audio Axe-Fx, Kemper Profiler, Line 6 HD Series and others. The ASM-12 delivers rich authentic tones, allowing you get the most out of these systems in live use and playback applications
Yeah, the marketing copy seems like a stretch.
https://forum.fractalaudio.com/threads/friedman-asm-12-500w-active-moniter.101407/
Dave Friedman said : "The amplifier design is a licensed product. B-52 also licenses the amplifier design. After trying many designs I liked this one the best. Cabs are made, painted and grill clothed right in our shop. As with all our cabs, they are made with baltic birch. No cheap wood or plastic will do if you want the punch. Hope that clears things up."
So it's built nicely, but I still have questions about what exactly Friedman changed from a sound perspective, if anything. There's an argument to be made for the choice of cabinet material and its impact on the sound, at least.

Please don't misunderstand this to be a criticism of the product, which I have never tried. I'm just wary of marketing claiming things that are either untrue or not justified.
 
The ASM-12 uses the power section of the B-52 ACTPRO, but the cab and speakers are Friedman-spec'd as I understand it. So it's not simply a rebadged B-52. I would be interested to do an A/B comparison of the two. Anyone in the Dallas area who has the ACTPRO is welcome to stop by my place and we could do a comparison video.
 
The Xitone use Matrix Elements power amps so repackaging power amp modules seems kind of common.
The speaker components are off the shelf and readily available too, but Xitone has a custom crossover by Mick nowadays which seems to be a huge part of getting a coaxial setup to perform well.

Personally I would love to audition the ASM-12 and XiTone side by side, as they seem to be two very well regarded popular products in a reasonable price range.
 
I'd take the Xitones over the ASM just because of the options that Xitone offers. They do sound amazing too. :)
 
I just switched away from a Friedman. If you are gonna do any sort of shows or traveling with it, id reccomend against it. It sounds great, but almost all FRFR cabs do honestly. I think alot of people forget it gets down to IR's and just your own personal ears. But the thing is like 60 pounds and an awkward handle placement make it a bear to carry in and out every night especially without something covering it like a custom slip case.

But if youre just playing at home, its great.
 
I just switched away from a Friedman. If you are gonna do any sort of shows or traveling with it, id reccomend against it. But if youre just playing at home, its great.

I'm going to actually agree with you here. My ASMs stay in my studio, so the handle placement is not an issue. But if I toured with it, I'd have some serious issues. I'm sure Dave Friedman had a reason for putting the handle where it is, but I can't imagine what it is.

Dave did an open Q&A on Facebook a while back and I asked him about the handle placement issue. I said that many players find it awkward and were there any plans to address this. The response was: "Maybe".

So, not much of a response there. I take the handle is not a huge priority on Friedman's list.
 
I'd rather have two cabs with one speaker each than one cab with two speakers. I love my 1x10 powered Xitones not just because of how they sound but also because they are light-weight (26 lbs each).
 
I bought a pair of the EV's 6 weeks back for a side gig that I sometimes do with a friend of mine. For FOH they sound good, they have a polished sound about them a little lacking in the mids if you ask me but once mixed with the rest of the instruments it somehow works.

As a stand alone solution I would personally prefer to use a coaxial monitor, they are light and have some nice options on the amp which I did try out but have that typical 2 way foot print that I can't stand. I can't speak for the ASM's but based on what I've read they sound like a good monitor to have in your practice room.
 
I'm going to actually agree with you here. My ASMs stay in my studio, so the handle placement is not an issue. But if I toured with it, I'd have some serious issues. I'm sure Dave Friedman had a reason for putting the handle where it is, but I can't imagine what it is.

Dave did an open Q&A on Facebook a while back and I asked him about the handle placement issue. I said that many players find it awkward and were there any plans to address this. The response was: "Maybe".

So, not much of a response there. I take the handle is not a huge priority on Friedman's list.

The handle is in probably the best place it can be, but it causes a huge "jerk" when you pick it up when it flips forward, but its just so goofy to hold any other way. Everytime we unloaded the bus last year, nobody wanted to take my cab out lol. I ended up going to a Matrix FR12 and a gator rolling 1x12 case. I honestly think its lighter even with the case...
 
The handle is in probably the best place it can be, but it causes a huge "jerk" when you pick it up when it flips forward, but its just so goofy to hold any other way. Everytime we unloaded the bus last year, nobody wanted to take my cab out lol. I ended up going to a Matrix FR12 and a gator rolling 1x12 case. I honestly think its lighter even with the case...

Yes my friend got the Friedman ASM 12 and its bloody awkward to carry. We did a comaprison with my Matrix Q12a which is only 15 Kg and Matrix sounded better. He's trying to sell it in Germany but can't find a buyer.
 
I agree on the ASM-12 awkwardness. I regret that purchase largely because of how much of a hassle it is to transport and I say this as someone coming from carrying around Mesa Mark series 1x12 combos and Recto 2x12 cabs.
 
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