2 CLR cabs - Woohoo! ... Oh-oh...

T

Tommy Tequila

Experienced
My two Atomic CLR cabs (not wedges) arrived yesterday -- happy, happy, joy, joy!

Plugged them in and wow, great sound... but why am I only getting half my stereo spread? Ack, one of them is muffled, really low output and distorting in not a good way. Rats. Tried the usuals: Different cables, outputs, etc., but no difference.

Sent off an email to Tom at Atomic this morning, he responded within 3 minutes and gave me a call to discuss things to look at before returning it. First up, check that the HF driver is wired in. Unscrewed the amp module, checked and everything looked good.

Slight digression: Everything looked REALLY good -- very clean layout, all large connectors hot glued to prevent rattling loose, others shrink wrapped to prevent shorts, the amp module is enclosed in its own plastic tray to maintain acoustic isolation (keeps air from whistling out around connectors) and so on. Looked really well thought out.

In any case, next step was to pop the grill (also nicely done -- friction fit as well as screws, prevents rattling.) Ummmm... Houston, I think we have a problem. See attached photo "Thank You UPS".:(

Also attached, what it SHOULD look like (pretty darn space age.)

Bottom line #1: Atomic support is excellent, Tom is sending a new cab ASAP, no hassles. THANKS TOM!
Bottom line #2: UPS could trash a solid block of granite, somehow, someway. What a bunch of maroons.
Bottom line #3: The speaker that survived sounds really good, can't wait to crank it up a bit.

Color me happy and, for now, suffering with mono (uh, make that monaural sound.):)
TT
 

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Tommy, if i'm not mistaken you were a former atomic cab/wedge user. How would you describe the basic difference in what you're hearing between the two products?
 
Damn that's some damage there on photo #2. Ouch!

Glad you got taken care of, I can't imagine having two of them.... hmmmm, maybe I could. ;)
 
Scott -- I'm SURE you could.:)

Chewie -- You are correct. I had a pair of the original Fratomic cabs (not wedges, I use my FRFR as backline 90% of the time.) They sounded good, but a couple of things led me to sell them. One was the weight, form factor and handles. Just a pain to move them around (heavy and awkward.) Also, I had problems with pickup/high frequency squealing with them. Never had an issue with any other FRFR that I've used. Finally, the 50 watt tube section seemed to starting adding distortion of its own when driven hard.

I haven't had the CLR long enough to really work them out (unlike Scott), but none of the basic issue I listed above apply to the CLR. I wish it was lighter, but hey, ya gotta do what ya gotta do to get the tone ya gotta have.:)

TT
 
yikes that looks terrible, whats the packing look like?
maybe they should beef it up a bit?
 
How the hell did it get damaged like that?? Was there something that went through the shipping box?? That seems pretty freaky man - I mean - strange lot of damage to happen INSIDE the cab.

I'd be pissed.

But ya, hats off to TK for sorting it fast and right. Still, I find this upsetting.
 
I'm surprised that there wasn't any obvious damage to the grill or the box to tip you off that UPS gorillas had there way with it. Kudos to TK for being johnny on the spot with service.
 
It had to have been dropped pretty much vertically, I think, and far enough to shatter the horn (which is pretty thick.) That would leave no real apparent damage visible on the outside if it landed flat on the bottom.

There was no overt outside damage to the shipping carton (which is actually pretty solid and well packed) other than the usual pokes, dings and the occasional holes that UPS thoughtfully provides. It might be helpful if Atomic added some 'Do Not Drop' stickers but, then again, that just might be waving a red flag at the UPS warehouse maroons.:)

Now, if I had tipped it over I'd probably have heard the horn driver rattling around, but I tend to treat equipment with respect...

TT
 
Thanks for the pics, I was curious for a good look at how the horn was mounted.. not to mention that picture-frame looking surround. Looks like a fairly big\heavy magnet for the hf driver.

Back when I worked at a pro audio dealer I used to see this sort of thing in the service shop now and then. On a typical PA box the driver is usually screwed on from the back of the plastic horn. More common than breakage is when the driver starts to work it's way loose on the threads and then kind of rattles around.
 
Interesting view of the insides of these creatures. I had to double check the dimensions on Atomic's web page as the LF driver looks smallish (about 8" instead of 12"), but I'm guessing the horn lens is obstructing the outer reaches of the driver. Also, interesting that the HF driver is not mounted to the back of the LF driver. Scary that a drop could do this kind of damage. Hopefully it can withstand the rigors of the road. Thanks for posting!
 
I just gave a quick measure to the low freq driver, and it *appears* to be 10". I stress appears because the driver is embedded behind the horn and inside/behind a smaller cutout on the baffle, hard to get to. (Well, hard to get to if the horn was attached instead of pieces of it lying in the middle of the shredded cone...) Could be a 12" once the entire frame is included, I just can't tell for sure.

For anyone who thinks a 10" might be inadequate, I read somewhere that it is actually the optimal size to balance the amount of air it moves vs the weight/responsiveness of a cone. And think of all the bass cabs with 10" speakers, studio monitors with 8" or less, etc. And, as Jay has pointed out numerous times, a single driver can move more air than 4 12" guitar speakers if designed appropriately.

Very unique layout, to be sure. As for being dropped, well, I've seen stock 12" inch speakers that were toasted by a drop of sufficient magnitude. Busted the magnet right off of the frame.

In any case, sure looking forward to stereo.

TT
 
From the manual;

Active: (1x) Custom 250w 1x12”, (1x) 90w 1” HF Compression Driver

Passive: (1x) Custom 250w 1x12”, (1x) 90w 1” HF Compression Driver
 
It's a 12" low frequency driver. I've spoken to Jay a couple of times, he's discussed that with me. It is his unique way of designing the cabinet that accounts for the appearance and performance of the drivers.
 
that is terrible dude, glad you will be on track soon, but how disappointing what animals would do that
 
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