I wanted to compare all the FRFR solutions I have to amplify my modelers : Atomic CLR, Redsound RS-LG12A... but also a Boss Katana Artist, which I use mainly for an acoustic guitar, but which is also used by some modeler users.
I used the same presets (one clean, one high gain rhythm) from an AX8, and an Ibanez guitar with Bare Knuckle pickups.
Disclaimer : I used a camcorder to record this, with its microphones pointing just between the CLR and the Redsound, and the recording is much more brighter than what I actually heard. The camcorder was 1 meter from the speakers, which is probably way too close. A reference microphone would have been much better but I don't have one. So it's not a scientific comparison - however, it illustrates the sound differences between the three contenders quite well here.
Technically speaking, only the Atomic CLR is a true FRFR monitor, as it's the only one which is flat. In fact, I use a pair of those for all my home studio monitoring works, the CLR is that good. Unsurprisingly, it was the most transparent of the three monitoring solutions here - the only one transparent, to be fair.
The Redsound is made for modelers, but with less high end. Its speaker has an extended range compared to a standard guitar speaker, but not up to 20 khz. It's interesting if you want a rounder, warmer tone, with less piercing highs - not exactly like like using a "real amp in the room", but closer. It's also lighter, around 6 kg less than the Atomic CLR (non-Neo version). I found that I prefer to boost the high end with the AX8 global equalizer, but not much, for acoustic simulation tones (not demoed here).
The Boss Katana Artist, of course, is not a FRFR amp, but many modeler users have had good results with it using the acoustic model, which I did, with a graphic EQ block too. It's much less transparent than the other two, but it has the most guitar amp like punch, and having a amp tonestack (B/M/T) to tweak on the fly is a good thing. I wouldn't have any problem gigging with it.
I used the same presets (one clean, one high gain rhythm) from an AX8, and an Ibanez guitar with Bare Knuckle pickups.
Disclaimer : I used a camcorder to record this, with its microphones pointing just between the CLR and the Redsound, and the recording is much more brighter than what I actually heard. The camcorder was 1 meter from the speakers, which is probably way too close. A reference microphone would have been much better but I don't have one. So it's not a scientific comparison - however, it illustrates the sound differences between the three contenders quite well here.
Technically speaking, only the Atomic CLR is a true FRFR monitor, as it's the only one which is flat. In fact, I use a pair of those for all my home studio monitoring works, the CLR is that good. Unsurprisingly, it was the most transparent of the three monitoring solutions here - the only one transparent, to be fair.
The Redsound is made for modelers, but with less high end. Its speaker has an extended range compared to a standard guitar speaker, but not up to 20 khz. It's interesting if you want a rounder, warmer tone, with less piercing highs - not exactly like like using a "real amp in the room", but closer. It's also lighter, around 6 kg less than the Atomic CLR (non-Neo version). I found that I prefer to boost the high end with the AX8 global equalizer, but not much, for acoustic simulation tones (not demoed here).
The Boss Katana Artist, of course, is not a FRFR amp, but many modeler users have had good results with it using the acoustic model, which I did, with a graphic EQ block too. It's much less transparent than the other two, but it has the most guitar amp like punch, and having a amp tonestack (B/M/T) to tweak on the fly is a good thing. I wouldn't have any problem gigging with it.
