Accugroove Latte - looking for opinions

M

MikeD

Inspired
I am considering buying an AccuGroove Latte speaker (active model) as I like the 3 way design. They are expensive and I cannot see before I buy.

I am looking for opinions/experience from anyone that owns or has played one of these. I realize it is all subjective but it will help me make the decision. Things such as quality of the sound, reliability, portability (as it is 17" deep), how it sounds compared to other FRFR cabs would be appreciated.

I will be using this with AxeFX II and an AX8. Classic rock, blues, funk and who knows what down the road.

Appreciate insights.
 
I took a leap of faith and picked up a powered Latte. So far I'm really impressed. The guys at Accugroove were really helpful throughout the whole process of deciding which cab to buy. The cab has four presets:

1. Natural/Normal: the natural sound of the cabinet with very little processing.
2. Scooped: the lows and highs are boosted. This setting is recommended for general PA applications.
3. Mid Boost/High and Low Cut: eq curve approximates a guitar cab.
4. Studio (Flat) This preset is a super flat setting appropriate for studio reference monitors, general studio work as well as lower volume general playing.

I've used setting 1 most of the time but have been trying out 4. I currently have a CLR, Xitone 1x12 with a eminence beta LTA and a RCF322A. The Accugroove and CLR have the most high-fi sound. The Accugroove and Xitone have the best "amp in the room" tone. The CLR and RCF have some harshness in the high end that I just can't put my finger on why it bothers me. It is very minor in the CLR but it's still there. I have not found this in the Xitone or Accugroove. Prior to getting the Accugroove, I used the CLR for gigs and the Xitone for practice only because the CLR had an extra input that our keyboard player would use when we were on a small stage. The Accugroove has the most low end of all the cabs. I was a little worried it would muddy up the mix the first time I heard the cab by itself but sounded great in a band setting. I would really like to try the Demitasse/Ristretto cabs to see how they compare to the Latte. They very well could be compact, lightweight options that could hang with most 12" cabs.
 
Thanks for the thoughtful comparative review.


ipressthebutton said:
The CLR and RCF have some harshness in the high end that I just can't put my finger on why it bothers me.
Click to expand...
Do you notice that with general program material or just with guitar tones?
 
I notice it more with guitar tones, its subtle and in a live setting probably unnoticeable to anyone but me. To my ears, there is just something harsh/unnatural to the high end. It was much more present when using PA speakers and even traditional vs. coaxial monitors. With the CLR, I can pretty much EQ it out but then the preset sounds different on the Xitone. The cool thing about the Xitone is the LTA speaker. Since it is not a traditional coaxial speaker, it has a ?whizzer? cone, it colors the sound and doesn't have the high end harshness. It sounds the most amp in the room of any cab. I think the Matrix power amp also colors the tone in a good way. I like the way my Xitone presets sound on the Accugroove vs. the CLR ones.

It is my understanding that Accugroove's concept is that each frequency range has its own high quality speakers: 12" bass, 6" mid and 2 dome tweeters coupled with a good poweramp. I don't know what speakers are used but overall they cost more than the others. The cab sounds great and does have its own sound compared to the others. It is also pretty big but weighs 31lbs so it really isn't a problem.
 
ipressthebutton said:
I notice it more with guitar tones, its subtle and in a live setting probably unnoticeable to anyone but me. To my ears, there is just something harsh/unnatural to the high end. It was much more present when using PA speakers and even traditional vs. coaxial monitors. With the CLR, I can pretty much EQ it out but then the preset sounds different on the Xitone.
Click to expand...
Have you tried Hi Cut in the Cab block?
 
Very interested in the AccuGroove's myself. I have CLR's and Xitone's and a Friedman. They all sound amazing but I've heard good things about these as well.
 
What's the dispersion range on theses? couldn't find anything on the site, the rest of the specs look fantastic!
 
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