Electro-Voice PXM-12MP report

200man said:
I think the million dollar question is what does Fractal Audio think about PA/FRFR speakers?
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Starting with the manual in section 4, regarding FRFR:
This is by far the most popular type of setup, taking full advantage of the ability of the Axe-Fx III to every part of an “end-to-end” guitar chain, from stompboxes to amps, cabs, post effects, and more, for maximum versatility.
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There's the Wiki:
An amp (real or virtual) needs a speaker (real or virtual) to sound good. Amplification is required to make things loud. Usually this means using either a traditional guitar cab with a power amp, or a so-called FRFR monitor / cab.
  • Traditional guitar cab and power amp
A traditional guitar speaker will give you the familiar, fairly easy to set up, "amp/cab in the room tone". This does limit possibilities, because any sound you will create will be colored by that particular guitar speaker.

When using a traditional cabinet, the preset shouldn't use a Cabinet model. If it does, disable it or disable Cabinet Modeling in the processor's Setup menu.

A hardware power amp is required to provide a loud signal to the speaker. This can be a guitar-oriented power amp, head or combo, which will add its own coloring to the sound and decrease the possible tonal variations. This usually sounds best with Power Amp Modeling disabled in the processor's setup menus.

More popular is a so-called "neutral" power amp. This relies on the virtual power amp of the modeler, so keep Power Amp Modeling enabled in the Setup menu.

More information
  • FRFR
Alternatively, you can use FRFR sound reproduction and amplification: Full Range Flat Response. This requires a FRFR speaker and an external or built-in neutral power amp. Studio monitors are FRFR by nature, as are some monitor wedges and cabs, high-quality PA-systems, and headphones.

FRFR systems (including direct recording) require Cabinet Modeling because the signal doesn't go through a traditional guitar cab. Fractal Audio's amp modelers provide many built-in cabinet models. They also allow loading external cabs, known as Impulse Responses (IRs).

Important: when using an FRFR sound system with cabinet modeling, you're listening to the sound of a miked speaker. That's a different sound than that of a guitar speaker cabinet. A virtual cab (almost always) represents the sound of a speaker that was captured using one or more microphones placed very close to the speaker (referred to as "nearfield" or "close-miking"). The sound of a guitar speaker at a certain distance is referred to as "far-field" or "in-the-room". Because of the close proximity of the recording mic to the speaker, the FRFR sound has more highs and lows, and has the characteristics of the microphone baked in. It can take a while to get accustomed to the FRFR sound, but just realize it's the same tone you hear at a concert or when listening to recorded music.
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Modelers and FRFR go together like peas and carrots.
 
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200man said:
:) I know…I would LOVE to know WHICH FRFRs they test with and love
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I doubt you can get Fractal to say as they need to remain neutral.

The term "FRFR" has some latitude in how the various companies actually implemented "full-range" and "flat-response", and some do a better job than others, but, from my experience, once you're approaching $1K/cabinet you're getting into the better quality. And, it's not really necessary for a cabinet to be labeled as FRFR by the manufacturer, because that's a fairly new term but high-end PA and studio monitors have been achieving that for a while, which is why I went with the EVs, because they know what they're doing, the speakers are a convenient size compared to some out there, the price was good, but more than that, I like the sound that EV gets from their powered speakers, ergo….

RED SOUND makes the MF10 and the ELIS.8 and they're not as popular because they're based in Italy with an American distributor, but they sound great. @Sashman, @Cooper Carter, and @Marco Fanton use them in the studio or on stage. I had a pair of the ELIS.8 and loved them but they didn't work well in the stage space I had, leading up to changing to the EVs. RED SOUND is worth looking into, and Sashman wrote a great review a while back.

A friend uses the QSC K12s and gets a great sound. And there are the usual suspects too, so, there are lots of good choices.
 
Greg Ferguson said:
I doubt you can get Fractal to say as they need to remain neutral.

The term "FRFR" has some latitude in how the various companies actually implemented "full-range" and "flat-response", and some do a better job than others, but, from my experience, once you're approaching $1K/cabinet you're getting into the better quality. And, it's not really necessary for a cabinet to be labeled as FRFR by the manufacturer, because that's a fairly new term but high-end PA and studio monitors have been achieving that for a while, which is why I went with the EVs, because they know what they're doing, the speakers are a convenient size compared to some out there, the price was good, but more than that, I like the sound that EV gets from their powered speakers, ergo….

RED SOUND makes the MF10 and the ELIS.8 and they're not as popular because they're based in Italy with an American distributor, but they sound great. @Sashman, @Cooper Carter, and @Marco Fanton use them in the studio or on stage. I had a pair of the ELIS.8 and loved them but they didn't work well in the stage space I had, leading up to changing to the EVs. RED SOUND is worth looking into, and Sashman wrote a great review a while back.

A friend uses the QSC K12s and gets a great sound. And there are the usual suspects too, so, there are lots of good choices.
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I like these…looks like not yet available
https://www.redsound.it/bundle-lg12-special-edition-5th-anniversary-active-passive-cable
 
FWIW my first two had the distortion issue and were repaired under warranty, but I purchased another a couple months ago and it’s fine. If you’re on the fence because you’re afraid you’ll get a bad one, you’re probably safe at this point. Even if you do get one with the issue, turn around on the repair is fast.
 
FractalAudio said:
As with any modeler the quality of the playback devices is of utmost importance. Right now I'm playing loud through a pair of Focal Trio 11 Be and it sounds stunning. I'm actually comparing the Axe-Fx with several other high-end modeling products in an A/B test and the sound is just exquisite and the feel is amazing.
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200man said:
:) I know…I would LOVE to know WHICH FRFRs they test with and love
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This is another post about monitors as well.
 
I have asked this question somewhere else but wondering for the EV PXM -12MP, for home use only, is one a good solution, or would the sound be "better' with two? The reason I ask is I want a good quality FRFR, which seems costly, but my budget makes me prefer one speaker. But if it compromised on the quality of the sound, I don't want to be cheap about it. I don't play live but do want good sound. Currently I am playing through old Alesis DM monitor speaker and it sounds good, but I think I could do a lot better.

On a different note, but related, does anyone know about the following studio monitors? Two would be a bit more than most FRFR speakers, but less than buying 2 FRFR speakers.

ADAM Audio A7X 7" Powered Studio Monitor​

 
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SpudMan said:
I have asked this question somewhere else but wondering for the EV PXM -12MP, for home use only, is one a good solution, or would the sound be "better' with two? The reason I ask is I want a good quality FRFR, which seems costly, but my budget makes me prefer one speaker. But if it compromised on the quality of the sound, I don't want to be cheap about it. I don't play live but do want good sound. Currently I am playing through old Alesis DM monitor speaker and it sounds good, but I think I could do a lot better.

On a different note, but related, does anyone know about the following studio monitors? Two would be a bit more than most FRFR speakers, but less than buying 2 FRFR speakers.

ADAM Audio A7X 7" Powered Studio Monitor​

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I have to have two for stereo. I use my EVs for music playback as well. Besides....stereo guitar is too good.
 
SpudMan said:
I have asked this question somewhere else but wondering for the EV PXM -12MP, for home use only, is one a good solution, or would the sound be "better' with two? The reason I ask is I want a good quality FRFR, which seems costly, but my budget makes me prefer one speaker. But if it compromised on the quality of the sound, I don't want to be cheap about it. I don't play live but do want good sound. Currently I am playing through old Alesis DM monitor speaker and it sounds good, but I think I could do a lot better.

On a different note, but related, does anyone know about the following studio monitors? Two would be a bit more than most FRFR speakers, but less than buying 2 FRFR speakers.

ADAM Audio A7X 7" Powered Studio Monitor​

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I don't know about the EV PXM for home use, but the Adam A7X are well regarded by many players here. I have the ADAM A5X monitors and they are good. I replaced them recently (with Focal Solo6 Be) because the A5X didn't have much low end thump and one of the monitors had developed an issue. The A7X should have more low end presence.

You really want to have ability to do stereo. If you have to choose between one floor monitor vs two studio monitors, I say go for the studio monitors since you said that you don't play live.
 
OrganicZed said:
I don't know about the EV PXM for home use, but the Adam A7X are well regarded by many players here. I have the ADAM A5X monitors and they are good. I replaced them recently (with Focal Solo6 Be) because the A5X didn't have much low end thump and one of the monitors had developed an issue. The A7X should have more low end presence.

You really want to have ability to do stereo. If you have to choose between one floor monitor vs two studio monitors, I say go for the studio monitors since you said that you don't play live.
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Thanks, it seems that I would have to spend more than the FM3 I just bought for the speakers! I am struggling with the high cost, but I do know you don't always get what you pay for, but you for sure don't ever get what you don't pay for. The Focal's look really nice. I am considering them now.
 
@SpudMan Yeah, it can be a hard pill to swallow when you look at the price of quality monitors especially in addition to the cost of the Axe-FX III / FM9 / FM3. I am really enjoying the Solo6 Be monitors, but they are expensive. I'm pretty sure that the Adam A7X monitors are on clearance right now (they just announced the A7V as the replacement), so you should be able to get a deal on them.

If you don't want to go all in on a set of monitors another option would be to get a used pair of Yamaha HS 8. They are pretty well regarded and can be had for $450 for the pair used.
 
SpudMan said:
Thanks, it seems that I would have to spend more than the FM3 I just bought for the speakers! I am struggling with the high cost, but I do know you don't always get what you pay for, but you for sure don't ever get what you don't pay for. The Focal's look really nice. I am considering them now.
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I like my PXM but if you need an inexpensive home option for stereo I've been pretty happy with my JBL 305P MKII studio monitors. I got the pair b-stock for under $300. In that price range for a floor monitor you'd be looking at something like the headrush which I personally didn't find nearly as transparent or clear as the JBL studio monitors.
 
Nextinline77 said:
I like my PXM but if you need an inexpensive home option for stereo I've been pretty happy with my JBL 305P MKII studio monitors. I got the pair b-stock for under $300. In that price range for a floor monitor you'd be looking at something like the headrush which I personally didn't find nearly as transparent or clear as the JBL studio monitors.
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I am currently using my old M-Audio DM powered monitors and the sound is good. But I think I can do a lot better. Would the JBL's be a step up from that? I am guessing not, but not sure.
 
SpudMan said:
I am currently using my old M-Audio DM powered monitors and the sound is good. But I think I can do a lot better. Would the JBL's be a step up from that? I am guessing not, but not sure.
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I don't really know much about the M-Audios, I think a buddy of mine had them a few years back but I never tried the Fractal through it. They sounded good with music from what I remember. Of Course something like the Adam's or EV PXM will be an improvement though. It's just about how much you're willing to spend...
 
I received delivery of an EV PXM 12MP last night, and wow! Sounds amazing! I'm seriously contemplating ditching my SD POWERSTAGE 200 and 2x12" guitar cab and just using this all the time now. Set on the Monitor 1 preset with the EQ completely flat, it's already as good sounding as anything I've heard. I LOVE that you can turn the monitor over on the other long side (EV logo Upside down) and use it like a regular speaker too. I even tried the guitar cabinet mode with the cab emulation off in the FM3 and liked that as well!

Btw, my Headrush FRFR 108 sounds like a mushy pile of plastic garbage in contrast.

-Aaron
 
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aflynt said:
I received delivery of one of these last night, and wow! Sounds amazing! I'm seriously contemplating ditching my SD POWERSTAGE 200 and 2x12" guitar cab and just using this all the time now. Set on the Monitor 1 preset with the EQ completely flat, it's already as good sounding as anything I've heard. I LOVE that you can turn the monitor over on the other long side (EV logo Upside down) and use it like a regular speaker too. I even tried the guitar cabinet mode with the cab emulation off in the FM3 and liked that as well!

Btw, my Headrush FRFR 108 sounds like a mushy pile of plastic garbage in contrast.

-Aaron
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I think they’re great sounding too.

I got some additional feet for my pair of EVs and added them to the sides to protect the finish when I set them down on concrete or asphalt or set them up on their sides on stage. A few days ago I had one cabinet on its side and the other on top of it in its normal orientation, which worked well also. Some right-angle XLR and IEC adapters come in handy.
 
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Greg Ferguson said:
I think they’re great sounding too.

I got some additional feet from my pair of EVs and added them to the sides to protect the finish when I set them down on concrete or asphalt, or set them up on their sides on stage. A few days ago I had one cabinet on its side and the other on top of it in its normal orientation, which worked well also. Some right-angle XLR and IEC adapters come in handy.
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Yep. I'll need to add some extra feet at some point. I might just try some stick on ones I have in a drawer at first.

Thanks!
-Aaron
 
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