karmakarmakarma
Experienced
Sorry if this post runs long, but I thought my adventures with Xitone Cabs yesterday may be of interest to those looking at the different FRFR options available.
So, it turns out that I live reasonably close to Mick Farlow and Xitone Cabinets. I've been looking for some FRFR wedges, and after reading the many perspectives posted here and elsewhere, I was especially interested in the passive Xitone's.
I play guitar, bass and Chapman Stick, and was interested in the passive Xitone wedges for several reasons. I wanted to ultimately end up with a rig that would consist of my AxeFXII into my Matrix GT1000FX into passive FRFR wedges for guitar and Chapman Stick - or- AxeFXII to Matrix into my Acme LowB1 cabs for bass gigs. The passive Xitones are really reasonably priced and I liked the reports that said the Xitones sounded "guitar cab like" yet with plenty of high fidelity qualities.
First of all, let me say that Mick is one of the nicest people you will ever meet, and is a very smart and talented guy who is focused squarely on quality and customer service. In all communications and dealings with Mick, he has been totally GREAT.
Mick and I talked via email for a few weeks discussing his wedges and my goals. One of the things I wanted in a new FRFR was wide dispersion so that the wedge sounds more or less the same as you move around. Seeing that some other FRFR options have up to 90 degree dispersion, Mick and I decided to test his stock Eminence configuration wedges (coaxial) and to also test his wedges with some "higher end" coaxial drivers from Beyma and B&C. Specifically, we planned to test additional drivers with specs that called for 85 to 90 degree dispersion.
I had the chance to spend some time on Saturday with Mick, and without going into all of the details of every little thing that happened, let me give you a summary of the day...
Mick had several of his wedges on hand in a space that is large and acoustically treated ( a great sounding space). His stock Eminence configuration wedge was totally passive with no additional treatment of any kind: we simply plugged it directly into one channel of my Matrix. We set the other channel of the Matrix to drive the wedge with the "high end" driver. Mick had already run tests on the "high end" driver wedges, and using his reference mic and DSP had dialed them in to be flat (+/- 2.5db across the spectrum). For testing, I sent a mono signal from the AxeFXII to both channels of the Matrix. So we had his stock wedge sitting next to a wedge that was measured and set flat with DSP.
Now the results... In a word, I was blown away with the sound of these wedges in general. The frequency response was wide and very pleasant with no harshness at all. Best of all, they really did have the punch of a nice closed back cab and felt alive and dynamic. One wedge sounded awesome (and loud). Two sounded absolutely huge. As others have said, it was very much that "amp in the room" feeling. For reference, I've been playing/gigging for decades and my physical amps are Marshall, ENGL, Bogner, and THD so I know the sound of a good guitar amp.
The big surprise for me was how closely Mick's standard, totally passive, Eminence configuration sounded to the "high end" drivers that were dialed in perfectly flat with DSP. Honestly, there was no meaningful difference in low end, the smoothness of the highs AND the dispersion. I could easily move 45+ degees off axis to either side with no significant difference in what I was hearing. The Beyma driver may have been a few degrees wider in dispersion, but it was nearly unnoticeable. Mick's standard Eminence based design had MUCH BETTER dispersion than I ever imagined. It was not at all like moving around in front of a normal closed back guitar cab. Afterward, Mick said that he and several of his guitar playing friends had come to the same conclusions when they tested earlier in the week.
Moving on... The build quality of the wedges is great. The wedges we tested were not yet finished with Mick's LineX coating so I could see the joint work. All high quality joints (rabbits, spline joints, dados, etc.). This is a really rigid wedge that's built like a tank.
After I was finished with my guitar testing (a bunch of clean to heavy tones), I moved on to my Chapman Stick (which is a full range instrument with roughly the frequency range of a 4 String Bass through the top end of a guitar). The Xitones handled the Stick will no issue at all and the lowest notes sounded clear and clean with good fundamentals.
Next, for fun we pumped some prerecorded music through the Xitones (Neal Morse, Ozric Tentacles, King's X, etc.). The wedges had a ton of punch and a solid low end. The kick had a nice thump without being boomy and the highs were smooth.
All in all, yesterday was a blast. Mick is such a great guy to hang out with and is very enthusiastic about his cabs/wedges and his business. He's really got his standard Eminence based wedge dialed in. This thing punches way above its weight class. Can't wait until they are completed and show up at my door. To be clear, I'm not associated with Xitone or Mick in any way and I'm paying full retail and shipping for everything. They are just great FRFR wedges and I'm excited to have found them.
Peace,
Mark
So, it turns out that I live reasonably close to Mick Farlow and Xitone Cabinets. I've been looking for some FRFR wedges, and after reading the many perspectives posted here and elsewhere, I was especially interested in the passive Xitone's.
I play guitar, bass and Chapman Stick, and was interested in the passive Xitone wedges for several reasons. I wanted to ultimately end up with a rig that would consist of my AxeFXII into my Matrix GT1000FX into passive FRFR wedges for guitar and Chapman Stick - or- AxeFXII to Matrix into my Acme LowB1 cabs for bass gigs. The passive Xitones are really reasonably priced and I liked the reports that said the Xitones sounded "guitar cab like" yet with plenty of high fidelity qualities.
First of all, let me say that Mick is one of the nicest people you will ever meet, and is a very smart and talented guy who is focused squarely on quality and customer service. In all communications and dealings with Mick, he has been totally GREAT.
Mick and I talked via email for a few weeks discussing his wedges and my goals. One of the things I wanted in a new FRFR was wide dispersion so that the wedge sounds more or less the same as you move around. Seeing that some other FRFR options have up to 90 degree dispersion, Mick and I decided to test his stock Eminence configuration wedges (coaxial) and to also test his wedges with some "higher end" coaxial drivers from Beyma and B&C. Specifically, we planned to test additional drivers with specs that called for 85 to 90 degree dispersion.
I had the chance to spend some time on Saturday with Mick, and without going into all of the details of every little thing that happened, let me give you a summary of the day...
Mick had several of his wedges on hand in a space that is large and acoustically treated ( a great sounding space). His stock Eminence configuration wedge was totally passive with no additional treatment of any kind: we simply plugged it directly into one channel of my Matrix. We set the other channel of the Matrix to drive the wedge with the "high end" driver. Mick had already run tests on the "high end" driver wedges, and using his reference mic and DSP had dialed them in to be flat (+/- 2.5db across the spectrum). For testing, I sent a mono signal from the AxeFXII to both channels of the Matrix. So we had his stock wedge sitting next to a wedge that was measured and set flat with DSP.
Now the results... In a word, I was blown away with the sound of these wedges in general. The frequency response was wide and very pleasant with no harshness at all. Best of all, they really did have the punch of a nice closed back cab and felt alive and dynamic. One wedge sounded awesome (and loud). Two sounded absolutely huge. As others have said, it was very much that "amp in the room" feeling. For reference, I've been playing/gigging for decades and my physical amps are Marshall, ENGL, Bogner, and THD so I know the sound of a good guitar amp.
The big surprise for me was how closely Mick's standard, totally passive, Eminence configuration sounded to the "high end" drivers that were dialed in perfectly flat with DSP. Honestly, there was no meaningful difference in low end, the smoothness of the highs AND the dispersion. I could easily move 45+ degees off axis to either side with no significant difference in what I was hearing. The Beyma driver may have been a few degrees wider in dispersion, but it was nearly unnoticeable. Mick's standard Eminence based design had MUCH BETTER dispersion than I ever imagined. It was not at all like moving around in front of a normal closed back guitar cab. Afterward, Mick said that he and several of his guitar playing friends had come to the same conclusions when they tested earlier in the week.
Moving on... The build quality of the wedges is great. The wedges we tested were not yet finished with Mick's LineX coating so I could see the joint work. All high quality joints (rabbits, spline joints, dados, etc.). This is a really rigid wedge that's built like a tank.
After I was finished with my guitar testing (a bunch of clean to heavy tones), I moved on to my Chapman Stick (which is a full range instrument with roughly the frequency range of a 4 String Bass through the top end of a guitar). The Xitones handled the Stick will no issue at all and the lowest notes sounded clear and clean with good fundamentals.
Next, for fun we pumped some prerecorded music through the Xitones (Neal Morse, Ozric Tentacles, King's X, etc.). The wedges had a ton of punch and a solid low end. The kick had a nice thump without being boomy and the highs were smooth.
All in all, yesterday was a blast. Mick is such a great guy to hang out with and is very enthusiastic about his cabs/wedges and his business. He's really got his standard Eminence based wedge dialed in. This thing punches way above its weight class. Can't wait until they are completed and show up at my door. To be clear, I'm not associated with Xitone or Mick in any way and I'm paying full retail and shipping for everything. They are just great FRFR wedges and I'm excited to have found them.
Peace,
Mark
Since it's FRFR I assume you were you running cab sims and amp sims on?
