CLR !!!!!!!!!!! Axe II and FOH Unbelievable!

R

Randall d

Experienced
Just got them. I can not believe how good they sound.

Axe II: Crystal clear and musical. Nothing I have heard comes close to this for FRFR. Balanced! Wide dispersion. Incredible smoothness on the highs.

FOH paired with Sub: Unbelievably loud, unbelievably smooth and unbelievably clear. Clear, and more clear. Cranked them to half volume and no hint of distortion or compression due to maximum driver ability or processor compression. Highs are smooth and clear and dynamic. Mids are so clear and present. K10's mids sound like they are 20 feet away, these sound like you are hearing everything off the instruments with no PA to change the sound. Big, huge sound. WOW!! Even beyond my wildest expectations. Did I say WOW?
 
I don't usually post gushing,glorious reviews on gear since I can be very picky and can scrutinize gear to death. Well, I have to give a first impression(which I don't like to do on new gear) on the CLR and I agree with Randall d on his view.

These CLR's really are amazing CLEAR! There are factory patches that since getting the Axe (Firmware 3.02) that I avoided like the black plague, But now have great respect for and some are even awesome?!? ...What the f*^k!? It really seems that a invisible blanket was covering the Axe and now I'm hearing GREAT depth and clarity! I'm trying hard to keep my arms crossed but these things are very humbling.... so big props to Jay/Tom at Atomic!

Do yourself a favor and hear these things in Stereo, just glorious!
 
Okay, something isn't adding up here. These things sound incredible cranked up, but since some of my playing situations are much lower volume, I had to try it at low volume too. Okay, I am not sure this is even possible, but they sound just as clear and balanced at low volume as they do at ear-numbing volumes. Is that possible? Most drivers in a two or three-way system have different response curves and efficiency response curves over the range of volume, these seem to stay balanced. Most systems you feel like you need to turn up to get them to sound good, but you don't feel the need to do that with these. Of course, they still sound better loud (because everything sounds better loud...right?) Props to Jay for his design, and Tom for his customer service. I am in awe. Did I say WOW yet?

Hey Jay, did you have to sign an agreement not to market these on the sound reinforcement market? Because I think these things would take the world by storm with the right marketing.
 
randolfo said:
interested in how recordings sound through them.

thx for the post
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That is how I tested them for FOH. I just put it on the speaker stand over the sub and cranked a CD through them. WOW! I did not try them by themselves for recorded music, though I can't imagine why they wouldn't sound fantastic. But I have not tried them with recorded music, by themselves to see how the bass response is. How would you like me to try that, on the floor as a wedge or on a pole? It will probably be a couple days before I can get to it though.
 
CLR's are fantastic. This is just the start of these types of threads now that theyre making their way out there. Enjoy!
 
paulbag said:
Well then that's a good thing...just stop buying other frfr solutions until your name comes up! Enjoy the Mackie's til' then. Then you can post your shootout results :)
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There's the problem. I'll probably buy them and put them in my room. When the gigs come where I need stage monitors, I will bring the Mackies. There are zero gigs where I need the amp to do everything. I am always FOH.

I will just be buying them basically to hear them at home, marvel, and that's it.
 
zentman said:
There's the problem. I'll probably buy them and put them in my room. When the gigs come where I need stage monitors, I will bring the Mackies. There are zero gigs where I need the amp to do everything. I am always FOH.

I will just be buying them basically to hear them at home, marvel, and that's it.
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You say that now, but I'll lay bets you do get them and then take them out 'just to try them' and never turn back. It'll pain you to support JM in any way... I know. ;) But having used these things in the wild for dozens and dozens of gigs.... trust me Zent... trust me. :D
 
Scott Peterson said:
You say that now, but I'll lay bets you do get them and then take them out 'just to try them' and never turn back. It'll pain you to support JM in any way... I know. ;) But having used these things in the wild for dozens and dozens of gigs.... trust me Zent... trust me. :D
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Scott...did/do the factory presets on the axe2 sound OK to you thru the CLRs?
 
Scott Peterson said:
You say that now, but I'll lay bets you do get them and then take them out 'just to try them' and never turn back. It'll pain you to support JM in any way... I know. ;) But having used these things in the wild for dozens and dozens of gigs.... trust me Zent... trust me. :D
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What would really pain me is taking two 45 lb things out of my car trunk or carrying them up stairs. Trust me, I've done it and it wasn't worth it in the end. Many shots and a few surgeries taught me that. For the record, I think JM is a genius speaker expert but an ass as a person trying to express himself, an opinion shared by many.

It seems that the general philosophy now is "CLR or you sound like shit". Getting CLRs would make zero difference to my live sound to everybody but me. I'm not convinced , in the heat of battle, even I would know the diff. Maybe playing alone and A/Bing would reveal the differences but in a mix onstage? Am I really going to hear better reverb tails when keys, guitars, bass , and drums are blasting away?

I'm sure they are the bees knees but I can't imagine my patches sounding any better nor do I feel the need to sound better. I am just getting caught up in the current internet hype of it all. You know how many times I almost ordered a Kemper based on internet hype last year? Glad now I didn't.

That all being said, if I needed a backline that put out, they would most likely be my first choice based on what I've read.

The DLMs were ordered for weight reasons but they earned a place based on sound too. Like the guy in my youtube live vid stated:

"Oh man, it sounded fantastic. Especially to my ear. All my giggin' days were with big rigs. 5150, triple rectifier, dual 4x12 cabs. Wall of sound stuff.
And I went right back there today when I was standing at the back of the room. I loved how omni-directional it was covering the room. Not just bassy here or bleeding ear highs somewhere else. Uniform and crisp throughout. And they were 8"s. My mind is blown. Loved the set up."

Now if I had brought in a pair of CLRs after he heard the DLMs and A/Bd at the same volume he might have said

"They both sound good but I like the CLRs better. I am hearing more mids and hearing them more clearly."

Would that have made his first observation any less valid?
 
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zentman said:
It seems that the general philosophy now is "CLR or you sound like shit".
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No, the philosophy is Zentman's guitar playing sounds like shit after his surgery. :) JK

Just busting your balls man. I had hernia surgery last year and sold my 4x12s a few months later. :)
 
romanianreaper said:
No, the philosophy is Zentman's guitar playing sounds like shit after his surgery. :) JK

Just busting your balls man. I had hernia surgery last year and sold my 4x12s a few months later. :)
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Mine is my shoulders. I am not allowed to lift anything above my waist anymore. First the doc took all the cartilage out of my right shoulder. Three years later and now he wants to do it to my left. Shit hurts man. I just can't lift weights anymore.
 
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