I have 2 Atomics (regular ones). My pros & cons:
PRO
- When they sound good (which is always when there's no flub), they sound like "the best ever" (for me, who has not compared with much other cabs)
- Quiet (well, you *do* hear the fan, but it doesn't bug me)
- Nice crossover between speakers. You can't obviously spot the (hissing) tweeter like you can e.g. in an EON I once tested (even if it's visible there, I know :lol: ).
- no digital EQ in it
- they do sound warm, even with EMG pickups. Is that the tubes, the Axe itself, or both, I don't know.
- nice spread of sound that seems better than average
CON
- They were said to be flat and they are not (I accept that none really can be, but then don't advertise it). You could say "they make the Axe sound better" but you'll have to make 2 Global EQs (one for Atomics and one for PA). If you want to play backing tracks/music through them as well, you'll have to use an extra EQ unit. I've tried music through them and a lot of it is great and defined, but when a voice like Norah Jones hits the boosted freqs it can be unbearable.
- the tubes are not supposed to add to the sound like in a normal power amp. However, Simeon says they do (partly in a good way, depending on your purposes). Me, I don't know, I haven't played super loud yet, and my ears might not be experienced enough to hear.
- one cab is said not to be enough as a backline next to a loud drummer
- before the latest 10.03 firmware a lot of presets were very boomy, and you felt it was often too much for the Atomic. Gave me the impression it is not as fit as I would like it to be for handling bass. Of course, I should make my own sounds from scratch, but you know what I mean.
- some are said to have started smoking, lost handles, ... I have a loose piece of plastic (bass response part) and I hardly ever moved the things. So I have to wonder about Chinese glue and general quality.
- tubes supposed to last 3000 hrs (or was it even less?) And I still haven't seen tips how an engineer should bias them for me. Are we supposed to send them back to manufacturer or is it real easy for any engineer?
- The whole 2 switches hassle of warming/cooling the tubes and letting them cool down before moving
- The tubes give off considerable heat (and some smell) and there's possibly a more than average transformer in it that gives off more electrical radiation than I wanna be too near to (bit of a health nut
)
- the non-classy "kiddie logo", which probably leaves some scars if removed? (any tips? :mrgreen: ) The logo/wood is also partly in front of the speaker, but I'll assume that doesn't matter?
So, since I'm mainly a living room player I don't have many regrets so far. But were I to go for a W/D/W or do mono gigs, probably my 3rd speaker would be a more powerful one, solid state, that can handle bass better (if it sounds about as good as the Atomic).