First Impressions of the Atomic Amps CLR

Scott Peterson

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First Impressions of the Atomic Amps CLR

This is not a review. This is my *completely subjective* observation and opinion based on a few weeks with this speaker. This is essentially a compare/contrast - all 100% subjective but honest - from my perspective.

I received the Atomic Amps CLR powered wedge for a review. I review, test and beta test a lot of gear. In the past few months, I've had a lot of gear come through. You've read about much of it and the links to those reviews are in my signature.

I wanted to post this up here because I think the CLR powered monitor is definitely worth discussing beyond the current thread(s) on it. I normally have gear here for a month or two before I do my own review on it; and this is no exception. But the amount of PM's and emails beyond the posts asking questions online has been honestly frequent. People want the 'real' scoop and so on.

The CLR, IMHO, is brutally honest. What you put in, you get out. When listening to full program music the result - for an under $1K street price (well, $1 below $1K street price) - this is expensive... yes. But the performance of it at low volumes, at high volumes, mounted on a stand, on the floor as a wedge, etc.. is exceptional. Is it the best I've ever heard? No, it is not. I've worked with Meyer Sound's big bad 2x12 monitors that literally BLEW me away at a national stage festival gig a few years ago. There are other very good alternatives that are in this class... but all cost more. In some cases a LOT more (Meyer Sound?!?! Holy cow!) but when you combine all the factors plus the performance into the equation the value stands out to me as excellent. This is one of the best sounding speaker cabs in terms of accuracy to source monitoring that I've heard. It is spooky close sounding to my studio monitor setup.

I have a treated room here; it's just my home studio. I paid a consultant back in 2000 to come out, analyze the room, give me a plan and I bought the Auralex and did what he said. He came back out and remeasured and my room here is fairly void of standing waves and free from a lot of sonic ills. The key is accurate, and that was goal back then. I've done all my work here in this studio to this day - I know how things sound here. I know how they communicate.

I was initially impressed with the CLR. Both from playing into it and also from listening to full program music (from classical to blues to jazz to rock to modern metal). At rehearsals with my full band, I found I needed *less* volume to hear *more* me. That stunned me, never happened before. Just everything seemed to 'come through'. In the past, my drummer would complain sometimes (I start a lot of the songs in this band) that he could not hear me and would cue from watching my hand). Now? His comment, "I can hear you clear as a bell." On my (comparatively) low volume P&W weekly gig, I run a full band mix from the HearBack system (like an Aviom) into my powered monitor and do my own mix. Same result - much easier to hear everything. I could clearly hear the level of reverb I was adding to my tone (I do that on the fly with an expression pedal). I've never - and I do this gig most every week over the last 6+ years) been able to hear that without in-ears. The detail was undeniable, yet musical.

That's a big point. You can have accuracy, but often the high end sounds 'strident' to me - edgy, unmusical. Studio monitors are very much susceptible to this (Genelec's have this trait for my ears). It's not 'musical' to my ears. This CLR speaker sounds flat and accurate, yet enjoyably musical. I was highly suspect of the claim to be so accurate because so many high end studios I've been in over the years rely on accurate, but not 'enjoyable' speakers to mix on. To balance that - at live sound db levels - seemed pretty high goals. The NX is reasonably flat, but undeniably musical to me.

After the build up, all the questions, the doubts and a year using gear that worked - really worked well - for me, I had my own doubts. I know Jay Mitchell's reputation, I've spent time on the phone with him talking about speakers and sound and IR's. I know Jay's online persona's perception too. I know Tom King; I owned the original Atomic Reactor and the second gen higher powered tube version Reactors. But I've not used Atomic products in a long time because other gear (namely the RCF NX 12SMA) worked so well for me over the past year plus some for me. I understand how much is/was riding on the CLR.

Looking at all of this from my own perspective, all those factors really put a lot of pressure on the Atomic CLR to seriously stand out - Jay's expertise, standing and reputation in the Forum 'bubble'; Tom's promise to deliver a stand out product at a price point from Atomic and the reality of the RCF being a fantastic solution for me. For the CLR to be a better solution for me wasn't expected because I was extremely satisfied with the RCF. Could it match up? Would the CLR stand up to the NX? Huge questions for me personally.

I have put this CLR through some torture tests. Full volume for extended periods jammed into my closet. The thing is internally bi-amped and can crank. The amp heats up and gets hot to the touch, but it holds up to torture at extended periods over +120db. It sounds, honestly, bitching good. At full volume, half volume. My room has a lot to do with; but even on the P&W gig I do... it sounds freaking clear. Impressively so.

There are two inputs, both are the combo 1/4"/XLR input and can handle the line input of the Fractal Axe-FX II I own and use. You can route the "Thru" output from either Input 1 or 2... or both. That's very useful. The NX only has XLR or 1/4" input and you can only use one at a time. You have separate input gain on each input (the NX does not have this feature) and an Output Gain control pot. The CLR has three modes of operation depending on what you want to do with it. I used it in the 'normal' wedge setting (facing up at me), what the CLR calls "Tilt" mode; and on a speaker pole in "FF" mode (aka Free Field). You also have a "BL" setting for backline that I checked out, but didn't try in any real detail yet. You have a sub on/off that is a high-pass centered around 120hz; I'm going to further experiment with that in a live setting. When you play guitar alone in your room, the bottom end is tight and feels great. In a live setting, it might be advantageous to run it with the bass cut. (*With the NX you have a Floor/Freefield button - I *always* ran it with the bass cut "ON" aka "Floor" because it just sounded/felt better to me. In FF on the NX, it was just too bassy (even up on a speaker pole) IMHO).

Things that have always bothered me about the NX - the carry handle - are pluses on the CLR. The CLR uses a handle that is comfortable to use (it's the same side handle as you'd find on a good 412 cabinet). It's not hard to carry the 46lb. CLR at all - it's pretty balanced. The NX isn't hard to carry and it's only 36.5lbs; but that handle is flat and very uncomfortable. One handing it up some flights of stairs and it's almost painful if you don't flatten your fingers out. I was always messing the controls on the NX up because they are right under the handle to boot - both level control pot and the Floor/FF button. No such issues exist for the CLR, the controls are on the back. Even with the nice fitted padded bag for the NX, the controls and ins/outs are exposed to the weather - if it is snowing/raining, I had to literally carry it upside down. I love the low sleek look of the NX; aesthetically, it's a winner. The CLR has a much smaller footprint but sits a few inches higher in back. I've come to really like the aesthetics of the CLR, and like the finish. It's matte and looks totally pro. I think the NX has a more solid feeling grill; the metal on the CLR 'gives' some when pushed in the middle of the face, the NX does not. The CLR grill is sturdy enough to protect the speaker; in the end that's all that matters. The grill on the NX is both strong and attractive. Both are what I'd personally call professional level touring speakers.

The speaker pole-mount cup is really rounded on the CLR - it makes for an easy grab point when you want to two hand the CLR. Both are very secure on a good quality speaker pole; but the NX has the controls and ins/outs on TOP of the speaker in this configuration. It's... 'inelegant' to say the least. It looks stupid to be blunt.

The performance of each is interesting. Both are capable of putting out well over +120db. The NX 'sounds' louder if you don't take care to match the gain staging on the CLR (which remember has input and output knobs you have to set) but the bass gets 'cloudy' at excessive volumes. The CLR doesn't do that. If you turn the Sub switch to 'on' then you have very linear response at extremely excessive volumes.

The CLR sounds more 'even'. It just sounds like what the name promises - linear. There are no apparent bumps or dips when you listen to it. In direct comparison, the NX sounds darker. It sounds *GOOD* but it sounds dark. The CLR more closely matches the studio monitors I use as reference. It is important to note that it sounds both flat accurate and musical - it isn't unpleasant at any volume, even cranked way up. At the highest volumes, I prefer the sub switch 'on'; just like the NX.

The dispersion is excellent on the CLR. You can move further off center in any direction or orientation and it has a very wide field. The NX by design is *much* tighter dispersion. It falls off very quickly when you move off center. That's either a plus or minus for you based on your expectations and application. I found the CLR to be easy to control, because it is more uniform over a wider range of the room. (*And as noted earlier, my drummer could hear it clearly at band stage volume).

The NX uses powercon connectors for power and XLR for pass-thru. The CLR uses IEC for power and XLR for pass-thru.

At this time, you cannot order a fitted cover from Atomic. The NX fitted cover from RCF is well over $100 and I opted to have one made for just about $100. I'd expect similar costs (or less?) for the Atomic cover. Remains to be seen.

I've not had enough time to work with the CLR to determine reliability. The NX has proven to be very reliable for me. There have been issues noted by others on the NX with voice coil problems (they shut down production on these in late 2011 to take the voice coil manufacturing in-factory) and intermittent reports of 'rattling' speakers anecdotes reported on forums.

That's about all I can come up with for the time being. I had every expectation to be somewhat let down by the CLR based on my experience with the RCF, my preference for the RCF over *many* competing products I've heard, worked with or reviewed. Even with all that, I've been overwhelmingly impressed with the CLR at this point, so much so that I am going to change my rig - which doesn't happen frequently. The RCF remains an excellent value versus it's performance and reliability; but the CLR just keeps impressing me at every turn. I'm talking to Tom at Atomic about buying the review sample. It's that good.
 
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Scott-- a couple of questions. Currently I pretty much play in my music room/studio through a pair of Adam A7's which I also use as studio monitors for my "program music" aka listening to tunes from the computer, for recording and also as the speakers for my Axe-II. Sometimes all three at once. I am considering getting 2 CLR's to replace them. The room is pretty big (20x12) and the A7's do fill them up, but even though I don't play out much, I really want to try out the Atomics and have that option when I do hit the road. In your opinion:

A) Would it be overkill for my use?

B) Would I miss the A7's when I just want to listen to some tunes, or would the Atomics be comparable, but louder of course.

I might just go with a single Atomic instead if the answer is yes. Although I like hearing the Axe-II in stereo..........
 
Thanks so much for posting this Scott. Great post! It's very exciting to have this new product available at this price point. Thanks for talking about the dispersion and sound on stage. I have found that the NX's narrow dispersion range is not so good for backlining. It works great for me as a monitor in front or personal backline monitor when the guitar signal can be sent to the mains and other's stage monitors. I have been thinking about using two speakers when backlining to cover more range out front without having to put it on a pole. Hearing your experiences with the CLR is great. It sounds like it might make a much more workable backline. Please let us know how that works for you if you get to try that on any of your gigs.

One small detail. The NX doesn't use Speakon for pass-thru, it uses XLR. The Speakon looking thing is actually a Powercon pass-thru for power, not audio. I'm sure you already know this, but I just wanted to note that for anyone wondering about it. Thanks so much for the great post!
 
Nope, not a bad thing. A great opportunity to pick up some RCF's speakers at a better price!

Ha! You figure there'll be an exodus from RCF to CLR in the near future, eh? I'm going to put my money on a new CLR. Got in the list a few weeks ago. If they are great a low volumes, I'll probably dump my Tannoy monitors and use the CLRs for both stage and home studio.
 
great review Scott.
I'm interested to see if we get a "lemming" type of response from one persons review and see a bunch of RCF's suddenly for sale.
I for one am definitely staying with the RCF, it's narrower dispersion actually is a big plus for use in my house (the wife doesn't hear it anywhere
near as loud as my JSX 2X12 unless she gets right in front of it (big plus for late night practicing)) and to my ears sounds plenty good enough.
actually sounds f'n killer :)
Does Atomic have any type of 'trial" period" on their sales. I'd like to a/b a CLR against my RCF hear what the differences are first hand.
I'd actually like to A/B my RCF against the Matrix active cab as well.
 
Thanks Scott, very comprehensive 8)

Do you know how it handles excessive input - does it limit in a "musical way" that also protects amp and speaker? Obviously you've failed to destroy it, which is a good sign. :D
 
Thanks Scott! I got on the list for the CLR Active Wedge a few days ago. Resistance was futile! I bought the NX10-SMA last year after hearing so many great things about RCF - I just couldn't wait for the CLR and Matrix CFR's to hit the market. I'm really pleased with the NX10 - it's an impressive box for sure. (I thought I had the rattle issue as well - it seemed to emanate from the cab, but was hard to localize. It seems to have gone away - I can get room objects resonating with low frequencies, but haven't been able to reproduce what I heard when I first got it. BTW - it is on Mopads. I held off on a second NX until some decent comparisons started to filter in here. Really looking forward to comparing these myself - I'll share my own subjective findings as well.
 
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+1 on the excessive input info, all in all a good first impression posting for the CLR, thanks Scott!
 
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Ha! You figure there'll be an exodus from RCF to CLR in the near future, eh? I'm going to put my money on a new CLR. Got in the list a few weeks ago. If they are great a low volumes, I'll probably dump my Tannoy monitors and use the CLRs for both stage and home studio.

That was my intent for the RCF-NX10-SMA. I sold my HS80M's in favor of it - I don't do any recording/mixing and wanted something that could perform well in a dual role. I play mostly at home and on occasion drag my gear to jam with a friend who's a drummer. It works quite well for this IMHO. I play it at home from around 70dB to 100dB and it sounds great. Of course there is more on tap for a stage situation where you need some extra volume. For quiet time - I just strap on a pair of decent headphones. Whatever I settle on - I'll be adding a second for stereo. (Then I swear I'm done spending!)
 
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Scott-- a couple of questions. Currently I pretty much play in my music room/studio through a pair of Adam A7's which I also use as studio monitors for my "program music" aka listening to tunes from the computer, for recording and also as the speakers for my Axe-II. Sometimes all three at once. I am considering getting 2 CLR's to replace them. The room is pretty big (20x12) and the A7's do fill them up, but even though I don't play out much, I really want to try out the Atomics and have that option when I do hit the road. In your opinion:

A) Would it be overkill for my use?

B) Would I miss the A7's when I just want to listen to some tunes, or would the Atomics be comparable, but louder of course.

I might just go with a single Atomic instead if the answer is yes. Although I like hearing the Axe-II in stereo..........

Depends on how loud you want to go; I know guys that like to play with 100 watt half stacks in rehearsal spaces (Mark - I am talking to you (he's the other guitarist in my band... lol) and if you want to crank, these will crank. Will they match your A7's in timbre? I can't make that call, I haven't compared them to Adam monitors so it'd be a speculative guess. I don't work that way. ;)

Thanks so much for posting this Scott. Great post! It's very exciting to have this new product available at this price point. Thanks for talking about the dispersion and sound on stage. I have found that the NX's narrow dispersion range is not so good for backlining. It works great for me as a monitor in front or personal backline monitor when the guitar signal can be sent to the mains and other's stage monitors. I have been thinking about using two speakers when backlining to cover more range out front without having to put it on a pole. Hearing your experiences with the CLR is great. It sounds like it might make a much more workable backline. Please let us know how that works for you if you get to try that on any of your gigs.

One small detail. The NX doesn't use Speakon for pass-thru, it uses XLR. The Speakon looking thing is actually a Powercon pass-thru for power, not audio. I'm sure you already know this, but I just wanted to note that for anyone wondering about it. Thanks so much for the great post!

Thanks for correcting me on the pass-thru on the NX, you are correct and I was mistaken. I'll fix the OP to reflect it.

great review Scott.
I'm interested to see if we get a "lemming" type of response from one persons review and see a bunch of RCF's suddenly for sale.
I for one am definitely staying with the RCF, it's narrower dispersion actually is a big plus for use in my house (the wife doesn't hear it anywhere
near as loud as my JSX 2X12 unless she gets right in front of it (big plus for late night practicing)) and to my ears sounds plenty good enough.
actually sounds f'n killer :)
Does Atomic have any type of 'trial" period" on their sales. I'd like to a/b a CLR against my RCF hear what the differences are first hand.
I'd actually like to A/B my RCF against the Matrix active cab as well.

I think they have a 15 day no-questions ask return policy; you are on the hook for return shipping cost if you send them back. I *think*.

Any idea how long the wait for the CLR is after getting on the list?

I have no idea how long the wait list is. Hopefully Tom can answer it once he sees the question.

Thanks Scott, very comprehensive 8)

Do you know how it handles excessive input - does it limit in a "musical way" that also protects amp and speaker? Obviously you've failed to destroy it, which is a good sign. :D

I've not triggered the limiters much, I did the gain staging in the manner the manual says to avoid doing that.
 
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