Has anyone opened up their CLR or Q12/CF12 & can tell us what drivers are in there?

Hugomack

Experienced
Xitone are straight-up with telling us what's in their 1x12 FRFR offering. As this info doesn't seem to be on the Atomic or Matrix sites, could anybody who's opened their's up tell us exactly what drivers, cross-overs and amps are inside please?

(There've been a few spats in the comparison/review/"when do I get my CLR" threads, so it would be good general knowledge for the rest of us to know more precisely what these coveted products actually are.)
 
Not necessarily.

Even if it did (and I'm not about to open my CLR to find out), what benefit would there be? Maybe you figure out who manufactured the drivers but if you can't obtain those particular ones, what good does that knowledge do you? Unless the OEM is willing to breach their agreement with Atomic, you're not going to be able to get those drivers without purchasing a CLR.
 
This is for the CLR - and the Matrix?

It's interesting (hence my question), that we debate our impressions of these speakers without knowing the technical details. (We also pay a lot of money too...)

There's another thread in which people discuss how they've bought FRFR cabs in order to hear the sound that's going out over FOH. Well, you can hear that sound by using one of the FOH speakers, and top grade PA manufacturers use a wide variety of speakers, and there's no mystery (or magic) about what they are, the crossover levels and so on. That's why it's interesting.

Personally, I whip open every cab I buy immediately on delivery - to check solders, and obviously that they're loaded with the speakers I ordered.
 
The high frequency driver on the CLR is a Celestion. Couldn't make out the model number without taking anything apart, which I am not willing to do at this point. It is completely separate from the woofer - just mounted in front of the woofer with some sort of mounting brackets.

The mackie DLM12, in contrast, has the high frequency driver physically attached in the center of the woofer so they are a single unit sharing the same magnet.
 
The CLR design reminds me of some automotive speaker designs, where the tweeter is mounted on a bracket/brace in front of the low/mid frequency driver.
 
It's interesting (hence my question), that we debate our impressions of these speakers without knowing the technical details. (We also pay a lot of money too...)
Apparently the notion that most published technical details are bunk has not been discussed to death. Knowing what drivers are in a speaker are arguably among the least informative technical detail you could want. It might tell you about the cost of components relative to asking price but aside from power handling, there's not much to be gained in how the speaker will perform.

At the end of the day, the impressions of any piece of audio equipment is what matters. While there are some things that can be objectively measured (e.g., S/N ratio), many other quantitative measures can be manipulated: Is frequency response determined by ±2dB, 3dB, 10dB or some other measure. What about dispersion? How does frequency response vary off-axis? You might still have SPLs off axis but does the sound change? Finally, there are other key factors affecting how a speaker sounds (e.g., phase coherency and transient response) that affect how the speaker sounds but no manufacturer publishes. As a result, all you really have to go on are the aforementioned impressions.
 
Matrix and Xitone uses (could be another brand, but it's a coaxial 12" woofer with a concentric 1" compression driver that uses the woofer-cone as the last part of the horn-loading) the Eminence Beta 12CX and crew-on ASD 1001 tweeter. Eminence makes the 3K5 cross-over PXB2 that works just fine.

The CLR is a different beast. As what I can see from the pictures on the net, the 12" woofer sits behind a 4-sided, conical, dampened "horn" which entrance covers part of the woofers diapraghm. This gives room for the HF compression driver and the constant-directivity horn just in front of the grille.
If I'm not wrong this "shapes" the bass and midrange from the woofer and makes an optimal transition to the HF-driver.

By no way underestimating Matrix or Xitone, the CLR is from my POV a very different loudspeaker with details I haven't seen before in this segment.
 
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When I noticed the Celestion sticker on the high frequency driver, my first thought was "Celestion? I could build one of these things!" but then I realized there probably is much more going on with this thing as aleclee stated above. A monkey could build a traditional guitar cab, throw some standard decent quality speakers in it, and it would likely sound ok. Probably not great, but ok. FRFR is a different animal, or at least seems to be in my mind, and there are too many variables that I don't even want to begin to think about.

So instead, I've been spending my freetime buliding and putting up a lemonade stand in the front yard and am forcing my kids to sit out there and look cute (easy) and act cute (not so easy lol). All of that money will be going to fund my next CLR (except for MAYBE an ice cream run or two. I'm a jerk but not a total jerk.).
 
So if "...most published technical details are bunk...", how should we regard "most people's impressions"....?

But that's not the point.

I like building PA's (because I can't afford to buy them, and I like making things sound good and loud), so I'm interested. The specs of the components are the start, to which you build the cab, then as you say, at the end everything else you've done conspires to give the end result.

BUt I'm not looking for an argument, just a few facts.

"Knowing what drivers are in a speaker are arguably among the least informative technical detail you could want." Yes I'd agree - with the "arguable" bit :).
 
Matrix and Xitone uses (could be another brand, but it's a coaxial 12" woofer with a concentric 1" compression driver that uses the woofer-cone as the last part of the horn-loading) the Eminence Beta 12CX and crew-on ASD 1001 tweeter. Eminence makes the 3K5 cross-over PXB2 that works just fine.

The CLR is a different beast. As what I can see from the pictures on the net, the 12" woofer sits behind a 4-sided, conical, dampened "horn" which entrance covers part of the woofers diapraghm. This gives room for the HF compression driver and the constant-directivity horn just in front of the grille.
If I'm not wrong this "shapes" the bass and midrange from the woofer and makes an optimal transition to the HF-driver.

By no way underestimating Matrix or Xitone, the CLR is from my POV a very different loudspeaker with details I haven't seen before in this segment.

Thanks pdup. That's really helpful. The Xitone appears to be the "crudest" of the three - but still seems to get rave reviews from some people. There's a lot of hifi world debate about whether tweeters in front of woofers is good or bad. It looks like there's some sort of waveguide thing going on with the CLR, as the dispersal of the HF is crucial to it sitting naturally in with the LF.
 
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I like building PA's (because I can't afford to buy them, and I like making things sound good and loud), so I'm interested. The specs of the components are the start, to which you build the cab, then as you say, at the end everything else you've done conspires to give the end result.
*With all due respect*.. perhaps you should buy one and take it apart and figure it out for yourself!!! Since you mentioned you can't afford them, you could try saving for one of them.. as many of us did for the Axe and the CLR's!

This thread reads like you are one of those with that "strong sense of entitlement" far too prevalent today, looking for a handout. Even if it's "only" speaker specs - instead of doing your own research or buying the product and taking it apart. There may be a very valid reasons why Jay and Tom don't publish those specs on the website.
 
*With all due respect*.. perhaps you should buy one and take it apart and figure it out for yourself!!! Since you mentioned you can't afford them, you could try saving for one of them.. as many of us did for the Axe and the CLR's!

This thread reads like you are one of those with that "strong sense of entitlement" far too prevalent today, looking for a handout. Even if it's "only" speaker specs - instead of doing your own research or buying the product and taking it apart. There may be a very valid reasons why Jay and Tom don't publish those specs on the website.

No s0c9!! I'm on Tom's list and am waiting anxiously to be invited - soon I hope - and using the waiting time to learn. The CLR does look like something very different, and almost certainly not something I'm going to be able to make myself. But you do seem very inclined to preach:) with all due respect!
 
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