Ok, set them up side by side, used a dB meter to get them to the same volume level (loud
), connected them to an A/B/Both switch and let fly with patches from the Double Verb, Triptik Classic and Tucana Lead, Solo 100 Lead, Friedman BE. Let's say it right out, both speakers sound killer! Articulate, punchy, all those positive descriptors we use to say "sounds good." The 6 year old RCF stands up just fine, the CLR sounds as good as I thought it might, given the players here that rave about it. Punched up to 108-110 dB average, which is about as loud as you want to listen to these things at 5 feet away from the speaker face, everything sounded wonderful. You really get a sense of how the Axe FX sounds when you get the volume up in an enclosed area. Authoritative comes to mind.
Prefacing the conversation with the fact the patches were all dialed in on the RCF to start with, I came to these observations in my quick play test:
CLR: Probably the most balanced speaker I have heard. Lows, mids, highs don't overwhelm each other and that helps keep everything easy to hear. Side by side, it's brighter than the RCF. Not bad brighter, but different brighter. I really couldn't tell if it was more highs or less lows, or both. And, as for the 200 watt difference, it was no concern. They both get louder than I will ever use. The CLR wins on feature set by virtue of the second channel and master. It's a touch taller, but narrower than the RCF.
RCF: Frankly, I'm glad to say my favorite of many years did not disappoint. It produced a rounder, fuller bottom end that filled out chords and made the crunchy karang of the Friedman really growl. The top end seemed a bit less transparent than the CLR, giving a slightly less defined sound in the upper end. Again, not unpleasant at all, just different.
I had to do it:
Don't put them side by side and crank them both.....because after you do, you'll want to take them both with you everywhere.
RCF and CLR together:
@BBN was right... that's just mind-altering. The RCFs lows with the CLRs highs, and every patch sounded great! I put a few stereo sounds on and (for a long-time 1 speaker guy) it is hard to explain how alive it sounds. In reality, I won't be using two speakers, it just isn't needed for what I do. But man, does it sound nice.
Opinion: Just what I thought. I'm used to the RCF after 6 years of gigging it, so it sounds more familiar. The CLR has a slightly different, but really appealing, sound that I liked right away. They sound different enough that you can easily tell which is on without looking, but I am quite sure either will do just fine without even changing my patches. I have a feeling, due to the high end projection, the CLR may cut through on a louder stage better. The RCF is warm and personal, and works great on the non-arena sized stages I normally frequent. So I am keeping both, will gig the CLR and get a feel for it in the real world, and report back sometime in the future. My NX12SMA will get a well deserved break doing music room duty for a while, and I'll decide later which to gig with.
With these speakers (and others like the Xitone, etc) and the Axe FX III, this is a great time to be a guitar player. The options are amazing. The sheer volume you can get from such small packages is staggering, and the quality of the sound is spectacular. This is pure fun.
