Tone Seeker said:
Sixstring said:
When you start dropping close to 2K for a powered 8" driver one really has to wonder... is it really worth it. Do you really get what you pay for?
I'm of the opposite thought. I'm starting to believe that the lower cost solutions most are using is causing frustration, unbeknownst to many, and impacting the adoption of, and satisfaction with, FRFR solutions. We ask a lot. High power output, portability, linear / flat response, detail and low cost. I think that linear response and detail suffers, and the AxeFX ends up sounding less like that tube amp you love. Indeed, it has the general character. But, some important qualities are missing. That's what I'm beginning to discover.
I'm going to better describe where I'm coming from in a separate post. BrianG has some excellent thoughts on this, btw.
Terry.
Aw shucks, thanks Terry. I'm beginning to think that the "ideal" solution might actually be 2 solutions, at least for some people, and in particular those who demand a greater level of fine detail and linearity in their home/studio situation, and for playing out live, a PA-type of monitor/speaker that comes reasonably close so that patches composed in home/studio translate without needing compensations (other than for the venue itself).
Here's how it seems to me, at the moment at least:
1. Although I haven't heard all the options, the powered PA-type monitors I've heard trade off detail resolution, audio quality, and to some extent, linearity in order to achieve a balance of moderate cost, ruggedness, portability, etc. Some will be better than others, but when you consider the design & manufacturing criteria, these compromises are all reasonable and predictable.
2. For home/studio situations, most users will be working in smaller rooms, which will have severe acoustics issues. Even with use of moderate acoustical treatment for early reflections, slap-echo etc., low frequency modal problems will exist to a significant degree, and pretty much guarantee a ragged response in the lower mids and below. Your PA-type FRFR monitor will never respond the same as it does in a larger practice space or the stage situation. A high-quality nearfield monitor (or stereo pair) played at room-appropriate volumes, and used in the nearfield, will have dramatically better fidelity, not to mention having the potential to blow away the PA-type monitor in terms of absolute detail and transparency. (I don't mean any monitor available on the market, by the way.)
3. In a live-play situation, with a full band, audibility of fine detail is only so important, because most finer detail is lost below the general sound levels. I would think that tonal balance, transient response (attack) and dynamic range take the front seat.
4. In the home/studio environment, audibility of inner details becomes more significant.
For many users, the "crossover" solution will be the best one, due to holding cost to the purchase of one device (or pair), that does double duty for practice, recording & performing. But if you're very particular about what you're able to hear and enjoy in the home/studio environment, you may never be satisfied with what works for your stage use.
From various posts on the forum, it seems there are some people who use good nearfield monitors in the home/studio, and use the PA-style monitor for stage. And there's a bunch of us who've used the "high powered FRFR monitor", e.g. QSC, FBT, etc., at home. The variety and high sound quality possible from the Axe opens up new vistas of potential that can go far beyond the barriers of a couple of good legacy amps & cabs; I for one will never again be satisfied with a conventional guitar cab "in the room". (For the record, I care most about "in the room" tones - why should a recorded tone be considered superior? Just imagine what those guys sounded like live in the studio, in the room itself, not just the mic feed. Blows the mind.)
The Fratomic is an unknown commodity - time will tell on that one. No doubt it'll have some great qualities, and lots of fans. I'm going to assess some near-to-mid field monitors; I think the results for the home/studio just might be the best yet.
(but I definitely get your point from a couple posts above Toneseeker. Thanks for that perspective--just not real world for me yet.)
