Got to try the XiTone Open Back (Michael Britt) cab......

BBN

Fractal Fanatic
I’ve been trying to write this for a while….as Mick let me try one of these cabs probably 6 weeks ago.

In short – if you like open back cabs, this is an outstanding solution.

I set it up side by side with an RCF NX12ma (which I’m a big fan of).
I think the DSP had 9 different options, but I only needed a couple.
First setting sounded excellent with all of my patches that were dialed in on Studio monitors.
Patches translate very nicely = win!

I started with some clean patches and man did the XiTone sound nice. Big open sound and my effects sounded outstanding. Pan over to the RCF….still sounded great, but the XiTone sounded bigger and more lively. That’s the first time that has happened.

I then went to a mid gain patch and same result….it sounded just excellent. AC/DC tones were glorious.

Next went to Hi-Gain….in this case, the XiTone sounded as you would expect a high gain amp to sound though an open back cab….it was not as tight as my sealed wedges (like the RCF). It’s not a bad thing, but an open back cab does not lend to fast djent palm mutes (IMO). The XiTone reacted just like a regular open back guitar cab would have.
There is a reason I use a sealed cab for high gain tones (I remember when I got a Mesa Half Back 4x12…..tried it, and immediately put the second panel on to make it a fully sealed cab. For fast palm mutes, I need tight tight tight. So while the XiTone Open Back would be my preference for clean/mid gain….my RCF/XiTone 1x12/Atomic CLR sealed wedges would be my choice for high gain tones.

I then tried the DSP settings where the tweeter was turned off, effectively making it a powered guitar cab. When trying this, I disabled my Cab sims.
Surprisingly, my patches translated really well. They sounded very similar to when I was in full range with my cab sims on. This is a very usable option if you are not a fan of FRFR.

In summary, this is Mick’s best work to date. If you’re a fan of open back cabs and want that amp in the room feel…..this is a great option.
 
I'm in total agreement with your rating. I've had mine for 5-6 weeks now and love the little beast. One observation about heavy presets. I have have a couple of patches programmed with lots of gain but more of a mid-range voicing (think Santana or Steve Morse) and they sound great! If you tend to prefer more of a modern Metal voice, with lots of low end chug, sealed or ported probably would be a better choice. I'm sure that Mick's wedges would also be a great choice and might be a little more extended on the bottom, as well
 
I'm in total agreement with your rating. I've had mine for 5-6 weeks now and love the little beast. One observation about heavy presets. I have have a couple of patches programmed with lots of gain but more of a mid-range voicing (think Santana or Steve Morse) and they sound great! If you tend to prefer more of a modern Metal voice, with lots of low end chug, sealed or ported probably would be a better choice. I'm sure that Mick's wedges would also be a great choice and might be a little more extended on the bottom, as well

Yes, the wedge works better for High Gain chug tones. (I have the passive wedge and use it for that purpose).
 
So you have a Xitone wedge and the RCF? Sounds like quite an audio arsenal! Did you get a chance to try the Xitone wedge and the openback in stereo? It might be an interesting combo. It's the same driver so they should be voiced similarly, just a difference in low end vs. spaciousness...maybe the best of both. Just scheming...
 
So you have a Xitone wedge and the RCF? Sounds like quite an audio arsenal! Did you get a chance to try the Xitone wedge and the openback in stereo? It might be an interesting combo. It's the same driver so they should be voiced similarly, just a difference in low end vs. spaciousness...maybe the best of both. Just scheming...

And a CLR, and a QSC HPR122, and a RCF 310, and a Turbosound iQ12.....and a gear buying problem.

I did not try them in stereo....I guess that would have been a good idea.
 
I've had mine since December and I love it. Best I've heard the Fractal yet. I prefer mode 4 and tweaked all my presets to it. Just a big, beautiful tone.

So happy and can't wait to order another to run them stereo :)
 
Mick is using a dsp now? No more Matrix power block? What does he use now?

I think it is Matrix amp but with custom firmware programming. I think XiTone has always programmed their own firmware with the Matrix power amps?

barhrecords is very close to what is going on.... I use the Matrix GM100... it is a dual mono block with DSP functionality. This allows me to bi-amp the cab and I have created custom programming for each cab version that I do.
 
barhrecords is very close to what is going on.... I use the Matrix GM100... it is a dual mono block with DSP functionality. This allows me to bi-amp the cab and I have created custom programming for each cab version that I do.
Hmm very interesting so if someone bought your passive cab and late Mr ordered a GM from Matrix and installed it them selves it would be a little different than your active version
 
Hmm very interesting so if someone bought your passive cab and late Mr ordered a GM from Matrix and installed it them selves it would be a little different than your active version

It all depends on how you look at it. There are marked differences in the amp that I use (GM100) and what you can purchase directly from Matrix, which is the GM50. The GM100 allows me to turn the tweeter off completely and still run the 12" driver with a flat response. This is not possible with the GM50.

They won't sound drastically different, there just won't be as much functionality.
 
And a CLR, and a QSC HPR122, and a RCF 310, and a Turbosound iQ12.....and a gear buying problem.

I did not try them in stereo....I guess that would have been a good idea.

BBN...how would you compare Mick's new open back design to his active wedge sound wise, since you have both. Do you prefer one over the other, tonally what are the differences?
 
I don't own both, but I've tried both.
I own the passive wedge.

If I was playing clean/grit tones, I prefer the open back Britt cab.
If I'm playing high gain tones, I prefer the (closed) wedge.

The Britt cab sounds bigger and wider with the clean tones, but is not as tight as the wedge for the higher gain tones.
Since I play mostly hard rock, I use the wedge.
Tonally they're similar (with the exception of the cool DSP that's been added to the Britt cab's power section), but the feel of each cab is different (as described above).
 
Anybody running stereo using (2) Xitone Michael Britt active cabs, having one back closed and the other back open? Seems this setup would give best of both worlds, as the open back would be great for cleaner tones, and the closed back would be tighter & punchier for heavier tones. I'm a new AXE-FX owner, now learning about amp/cab options before I buy.
 
Sometime this year I plan on getting a Michael Brit Active cab but I'm gonna get Mick to make it totally closed since he told me that was an option. I have to imagine something like that would be good for metal, but I have to wonder how an oversized FRFR 1x12 like that could compare to something like a Mesa Recto 2x12 in terms of beefiness.
 
Back
Top Bottom