Anyone else pre-order the new SPARK CAB powered FRFR ?

CurvedLight

CurvedLight

Inspired
I ordered one to go with my spark mini but also to see how well it works as a potential backline for my Axe FX III .

I could not resist the $269 intro price for 140 Watt Class D , 10 in woofer and 2 tweeters FRFR ,under 30lbs and "looks like a guitar cab"

Here a link for more info pictures , spects , FAQ , blah blah balh

Here is a link to a cheezy video about it

I am curious to hear it , at that price if its good I may get a second one for a stereo backline :)
I will have to wait until December to find out .


UPDATE: Nov 22, 2023
I recieved my Spark cab -- after breaking the speaker in for 24 hrs here is what I noticed

CONS:
ISSUE: the Cab spews about 20db of white noise (measured with iphone app at 12 inches from speaker) nothing plugged in and volume on 0
( it seems many users are reporting this and Positive Grid is responding with "this is normal." Well it is NOT normal)
SOUND: a bit on the bassy side - needed to tweek the EQ AxeFX output to dial out the "woofiness"

PROS :
This CAB is very loud and can flap you pant legs just fine
Build quality seems good and it looks great

I have not decided if I will return this or not - The white noise is annoying but using it live it you will not notice it .
I want to use it at a rehersal to see how it goes ...


UPDATE Jan 6 , 2024
Took it to rehersal and everyone like the sound of it (I just trimmed the bass with the Axe FX global EQ)
Last week I contacted Positive grid ro an RMA return due to faulty power switch and hiss.
See post #23 in this thread for more details.

I will update when the replacement comes - hopefuly no more hiss (note: some newer shipments say there is no hiss)
We shall see ......

UPDATE Jan 27, 2024

the replacement arrived on time ( a few weeks ago). My new spark cab still has a very low amount of Hiss - almost non existent- You have to put your ear in front of the speaker to hear it. Standing up in front of the cab, You can't hear it

I measured (with a db meter app on my phone) about 3-4 db of noise with my phone's mic on the grill cloth
The Previous one measured 20dB at 12"inches from the grill cloth

In my mind this is a marked improvement and I am happy with it, for what I am getting for $290 out the door.

I have used the CAB as my backline with my AxeFX III at a few band practices ( Replacing my Yamaha DXR10 FRFR speaker)
and I like it Better - to me is sounds more like a guitar cab . My guess is that its a wooden cabinet and the Yamaha is a metal/plastic cabinet.

I and still trying different things to tame the Bass emphasis - Putting it on an Auralex isolation board/pad , Tilting the cab etc. A few folks on the PG Facebook group put it on a dolly with wheels and some installed wheels on it

I will use it at a couple of outdoor gigs in the next 6 weeks - that will be the real test
 
Last edited:
Dave Merrill said:
Anybody see a estimate of actual SPL? 140 Watts isn't a lot for an FRFR. Is this for stage or bedroom?
Click to expand...

From the FAQ
I see other powered cabinets that say they are 2000 Watts. Spark CAB is 140 Watts. How does its volume compare?

When we say that Spark CAB is a 140 Watt cabinet, we are measuring how much output our power amp can produce. This is measuring RMS or root mean square. RMS watts refers to continuous power handling of a speaker or a subwoofer or how much continuous power an amplifier can output. Other speakers that say they are 2000 Watts or something similar, are measuring the peak output of the speakers, not the power amp. The peak power handling capacity is the maximum power level the cabinet can handle in short bursts, while the RMS power handling is a more sustained power level. These two measurements are not measuring the same thing! We agree this can be confusing. You can refer to the dB output of a products to understand better how much volume it can produce. Spark CAB can reach up to 120dB when measured at a distance of 1 meter, making it comparable to standard guitar amps used in live performances, which typically reach around 115dB at the same distance.


From the specs sheet

FREQUENCY RANGE
45-20,000 Hz
STEREO/MONO
MONO

MAXIMUM SOUND PRESSURE LEVEL
117 dB (RMS), 120 dB (Peak)

CABINET PRINCIPLE
Bass Reflex

POWER AMPLIFIERS
140 Watt Class D Amplifier

SPEAKERS
1x10-inch woofer, 2x1-inch (25mm) tweeter

TOTAL IMPEDANCE
4 ohms
 
Keeping an eye out for your impressions once you get it. At that price point I could get like 12 of them and obliterate my hearing once and for all.
 
I'm guessing that the two tweeters might be for some stereo image? Maybe the 10" is mono and the tweeters are stereo. My JBL Bluetooth speaker is setup that way.

At that price, two would make a nice backline. Assuming that they sound any good.
 
Moke said:
I'm guessing that the two tweeters might be for some stereo image? Maybe the 10" is mono and the tweeters are stereo. My JBL Bluetooth speaker is setup that way.

At that price, two would make a nice backline. Assuming that they sound any good.
Click to expand...
You may be on to someting about the tweeters -- the spec page mentions "stereo inputs" for the SPARK amps and XLR inputs
.......But the output is XLR is mono for sure. The FAQ mentions its a MONO FRFR cabinet--- so who knows

I guess the first thing I try when I get it is a ping pong delay patch :) -- fingers crossed :)

TOTALLY AGREE with if they sound good - 2 for a stereo backline for ~$600 USD
 
CurvedLight said:
I ordered one to go with my spark mini but also to see how well it works as a potential backline for my Axe FX III .

I could not resist the $269 intro price for 140 Watt Class D , 10 in woofer and 2 tweeters FRFR ,under 30lbs and "looks like a guitar cab"

Here a link for more info pictures , spects , FAQ , blah blah balh

Here is a link to a cheezy video about it

I am curious to hear it , at that price if its good I may get a second one for a stereo backline :)
I will have to wait until December to find out .
Click to expand...
I am looking forward to hearing what you think about it.
 
OrganicZed said:


It sounds very bass heavy. Perhaps it was just an artifact of how it was recorded.
Click to expand...

IDK he even said that, I think it might be a case of PG knowing there market demographic very well and an attempt to make it sound as big as they can given the 140 watts which is probably more like an actual 40 usable watts.
 
He said it sounds like your playing through your stereo. That's the thing that bugs me about a lot of the other frfr that I have experienced.
 
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Reactions: JTI
UPDATE: I recieved my Spark cab -- after breaking the speaker in for 24 hrs here is what I noticed

CONS:
ISSUE: the Cab spews about 20db of white noise (measured with iphone app at 12 inches from speaker) nothing plugged in and volume on 0
( it seems many users are reporting this and Positive Grid is responding with "this is normal." Well it is NOT normal)
SOUND: a bit on the bassy side - needed to tweek the EQ AxeFX output to dial out the "woofiness"

PROS :
This CAB is very loud and can flap you pant legs just fine
Build quality seems good and it looks great

I have not decided if I will return this or not - The white noise is annoying but using it live it you will not notice it .
I want to use it at a rehersal to see how it goes ...
 
The hiss seems to be reported with all the new Frfr's. I see the same complaint with Fender's. I suppose there is at least some form of noise possible with any amplification system. I'm just not sure what the significance is, until I try it.
 
I pre-ordered and have had mine since Thanksgiving. The hiss is indeed present and annoying. It's more like a brown noise and does not increase with volume. I don't have much opportunity to play loud with babies in the house, but did take it to some rehearsal space recently. It sounded truly great! However, at lower volumes the hiss is hard to ignore despite it mostly going away while actually playing.

I am hopeful someone will tear it down like they did the Fender FR cab to find the source of the noise and come up with a fix. I am curious if newer cabs will also have this issue. A coworker is receiving his today (ordered at the very end of the pre-order window). Curious if his will have the same noise.
 
Bit of an update : Took my Spark Cab to band practice and it sounded great with my AxeFX III . I had tweek the global EQ on the output of the AxeFX to tame down some of the bass. To my ears it sound more like a guitar cabinet then the Yamaha FRFR speaker I usually use. It think it is the difference between a plastic/metal cabinet of the Yamaha and the Wood from the Spark Cab. --- yeah thats it FRFR TONE WOOD !!!!! - Next Level Tone wood debate to follow :)

For what its worth when you turn up the cab - the white/brown noise gets drowned out .

also I am on a few Spark Facebook groups and about 98% say they hear the white/brown noise and about 20% have other issues with the cab.
There was one or two guys that INSIST that there cab is dead quite - no hiss ... Kinda full to see the others in the group question his hearing and saying he has the "Unicorn" Spark Cab.
 
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