Matrix GT800FX or GT1000FX?

blackcom i cant say by comparison since i dont own and have never played an 800 but i have the 1U 1000 and i play loud metal. the 1000 and axe fx replaced 2 dual rectifier rackmounts. at 4ohms the 1000 has about the same overall power as a dual rec so each side replaced one of my duals. as far as tone its amazing and never in my life would i have thought that my holy grail recto rackmounts could ever be replaced, and DEFINITELY not from a 1U 8lb solid state power amp, but its happened and i couldnt be happier..
 
jethro i have 2 Almighty Engineering 4x12s loaded with Celestion G12-K100's. each cab is 400 watts. the 1000 is perfect and crushes in this situation.
 
I use Marshall cabs w/greenbacks 2x12 and 4x12 the sounds I'm getting from screaming Marshall's to super clean acoustic the spanking fender and everything In between .sound soooo good , every time I turn the axefx2 on it gets better.
 
I got the GT1000
sounds great
feels great
I use it to drive a pair of 4x12 1960b cabs
I've also used it to drive
- a pair of CFR12's
- 2 pairs of CFR12's
- a pair of Q12p's

under all situations it's been superb
if the volume controls had numbers on them it'd go up to 11
 
And how does the 1unit 1000 compare to the 2unit 1000 (as regards fan noise)?
The 2U is about equally as loud as the Axe FX II (not sure what fans are delivered now, but I got mine in January last year and G66 fitted a different fan on delivery I think). The 800 is a lot louder in the sense that you'd hear the fans clearly when noodling in the evening, and the type of noise is more irritating ;). As for the 1000 1U, not sure whether there's a difference with the 800.
 
Pete Thorn's video is great for demonstrating the subtle differences between the two models - thx for posting that link. It's also great to have the choice - I'll very happily continue to use my 800 with its punchier mids, but I can certainly hear why the 1000 will suit others better.

I have no idea what the speed of an amplifier means (how "fast" it is). It could be a reference to slew rate, dynamic range, compression recovery time, high-end response, or just about anything else. Anyone know what this actually means?

My uneducated guess on the difference between the 2 models is different damping "frequency responses".
 
I got the GT1000
sounds great
feels great
I use it to drive a pair of 4x12 1960b cabs
I've also used it to drive
- a pair of CFR12's
- 2 pairs of CFR12's
- a pair of Q12p's

under all situations it's been superb
if the volume controls had numbers on them it'd go up to 11

Hi clarky,

how would you compare the output from the Q12 versus the 1960 cabs?
 
With respect, Paul, this is the type of mumbo jumbo I'd like to see in technical terms. :)

Thats not really mumbo jumbo really. All it means is every component chosen in a design (by they valves, transisters, ICs, Resisters) makes a difference to the sound of an amp, be that the frequency response, the speed, the "feel" that we so love of valves. Sometimes its the type, others is the materials there made from or just the values. Most PA amps are built around designs that work well for reproducing recorded music but that isnt necessarily hats best for other applications - and guitar is one big one. We love the "less than perfect" valves. All Matrix have done is choose the value and materials their components are made from to behave more llike those valves and less like traditional PAs while keeping the full frequency response.

You cant reproduce a valve response from SS components perfectly - and Matrix arnt trying to do so (the Retro Valve is probably closer if you want that) as they recognise the AFX is actually doing that bit - but they also wanted to Taylor a product to sound/react best to us. They have basically tuned their PA design to be a little more bouncy in response than a PA normally would be - which appeals to us as guitarists.

Thats it - no "emulation" as such, just a PA product tuned to be how the users want it to be for their application. In that respect its a better choice than most products out there. If you dont want ANY of that feel from the PA, then most medium to higher end PAs will work as well. If you want MORE (presumably because you dont feel the AFX delivers enough for you) then you need a valve power amp (or try the Retro Valve which goes further than the Matrix in simulating valves).
 
As the AXE-FX allready have power tube emulation I guess the SAG parameter would have to be turned off when used with the GT1000FX.

But would it not be "better" to just use the AXE FX with the GT800FX instead so you'd actually have the power tube emulation the FAS team have developed?

This has always been my line of thinking also, I want the Axe FX to do ALL of the power amp emulation and the power amp to be neutral as possible. Especially the way I am running it, FRFR. My theory (for my setup) if I have patches dialed in using a power amp of some sort that does tube emulation, and get a great sound, fantastic!
BUT- now if I give the PA a line off the Axe Fx its will be different and its no longer a matter of just EQ-ing it into the PA. If using real cabs would not really matter since the cab its-self would most likely be miked up. Of coarse you could run a real cab and run a feed to the PA with a cab sim but there again I would like a neutral as possible power amp for this application.

No true right or wrong just my theory for my setup.

As for the "800 or 1000" sticking with my 800, if I did not already own the 800 yeah I would probably just get the 1000. The 800 is nice and neutral like one of my Carvin's (which I also like allot) loud as hell, more power than what I need and one rack space serves my needs well.

John




Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD
 
Thanks for the video of Pete demoing both units. After watching that and a few other video's on youtube I just ordered a 1000 1u.The comments here were also very helpful in my decision. I cant wait to get it! Thanks!
 
I've had an 800 and a 1000 side by side in the same room at gig volumes and I couldn't tell the difference.
 
Please let me be clear that I'm a huge fan of Matrix amps. The one I use is awesome and I'd recommend anyone sitting on the fence to take the leap! Plenty of posts elsewhere on their great service as well. They're clearly a good business, with good people, good products and doing it right!

I like what I hear, and really, that's all that matters. Anything else is just trivial nit-picking.

I just don't think is helpful to potential buyers to throw around ambiguous phrases. I'm sure, Paul, that you know exactly what you mean by the "speed of an amplifier". I guarantee other people have different interpretations. And please - I'm not picking on you - it's just an example. Another from the website is "... the GT1000FX has been modified ... giving a “looser” feel and a more open sound ..." Means anything and nothing IMHO. ;)
 
No - I get it GM. The MAtrix site does throw some "mumbo jumbo" at the description. Its marketing. They want to use key words or phrases that will hit a nerve with guitarists. In truth they dont say whats actually been done to make it do what it does - and thats why this "valve emulation" thing has got into the mix (and Matrix have used it as well kind of). I just wanted to get out there that theres no emulation as such - its just component choice within a standard quality PA design, to make it more pleasing for guitarists to play through. It does that - and so its a better choice for most than a standard PA because of those tweeks. Its not going to do quite what a valve amplifier does - but most dont want that exactly as the AFX does it. If you do feel the AFX needs that aspect then get a valve amp or the Retro Channel. If you want a flat PA amp - there are plenty out there, some quite a bit cheaper than the Matrix, though that may be due build quality/component quality/design in many cases (but not all). It must be said though - that many many people have tried standard off the shelf PA amps, and not quite got the result they were hoping for, but have with the Matrix. How much of that is down to the design or components of the Matrix, how much down to quality, how much down the AFX maybe not quite being there yet for some who knows.
 
Cool, time to let it go now I think.

Fortunately in this rare case, the product greatly exceeds the marketing hype.:lol
 
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