I see MKeditor beat me to the review.
I concur with Michael and the main points that Scott brings up. Here are some addl thoughts (long winded):
The QSCs are great sounding – PERIOD. I have been down off the mountain three times to A/B with Michael’s QSC. First with a pair of Mackie 350’s, second with a pair of Traynor K-1 amps. The Mackies – they were cheap and did not sound good in comparison – not even close, and they severely lacked power. The Traynors – they were far better, had great I/O options – even headphones, plenty of power, but needed some EQing to get them closer, plus one of them fried – so I opted to send them back (but they are still a cool option for some).
I had waited, and waited, and waited, and waited, for the Atomic FRFR solution. And in the meantime continued to practice with the band through my Fender Bassman in mono, and at home would run stereo through a pair of Mackie HR824s. I far preferred the stereo out of the Mackies than the mono out of the Bassman – don’t get me wrong, the Bassman sounded great with the Axe Fx – but it is a very loud beast and hard to carry, and with the open back, I seemed to always have eq issues when I set up at different places. Plus it is filled with hot tubes!
Anyway, through all the waiting, and all the lugging of the Bassman to practice, I continued to want stereo and light weight, and Christmas came and went and still no Atomic solution. But then the 8ma’s started getting some talk on the forum (and I had doubts about 8in speakers until Scott started chiming in convinced), and the more I thought about the Atomics I am thinking they are probably going to be too heavy and more power than I realistically need – (though I may still opt for them when they ever become available – they will probably be the cat’s meow).
So I committed, and ordered a pair of 8ma’s. They are cute, and little, and built like mini tanks. The cons: no handles, and as someone mentioned elsewhere, it is like carrying a watermelon because there are no handles. Plus there is no cute blue “on” light in the front. The I/O options are very limited. That is about all the cons I can come up with.
I opted for the optional carrying cases at the time of purchase – which was a wise decision. The monitors are 25lbs apiece, and in the case with handles, I can carry both of them no problem, they balance each other out, and they are not bulky, so easy to get around stairways and corners.
I first tried them at home, and was impressed. I play 90% of the time in my little studio, they work perfect. Then I took them down to A/B with MKeditor, and you read his thoughts, I concur. Then I took them to band practice, and they were marvelous, cut right through the mix (bass, drums, and another guitar). We do not play heavy or loud. I was convinced there was more than enough power in these beasts for my needs – and I only had them turned up half way. And the clarity and shimmer were wonderful to behold in the mix. And the other members said they could even hear the stereo happnin.
Then the final test: I took them back home and A/B’d them with my Mackie HR824’s, and wow, was I blown away. I had generally liked the Mackies, but when I A/Bd them - the articulation, the clarity, the tightness of the bass, the overall “THERENESS” of the sound was very noticeably better with the Verves.
These are keepers. I will probably put my Mackies on Craigslist now.
Overall, the QSC’s are great, but very heavy (60lbs) and far more power than I think I would ever need or use. The FBT Verve 8ma’s are small & light, easy for an old man to carry with the cases, and the tones are excellent, and more than enough power to cut through anything I do. And should I ever play larger venues – I just can run direct to the FOH from the Axe Fx or the Verves and I still have great monitoring. They take up very little space in my little studio and fill it with sweet tones with ease on low levels – and very quiet.
So, they are one option among many. For those wanting good sound, plenty of power, in light weight packages – these are a great choice IMHO.
