Need some FRFR advice

Chris6870

Chris6870

Member
I decided to jump into the FRFR game. I've been running my AX8 through a Matrix GT1000 into a Mesa cab. It's good but a little honky with V30's.
So I'm considering a Xitone 1x12 at about $530 which is the least expensive, or the Friedman ASC 12. That's $900 but I could sell my Matrix amp for 5-600.
For those who have been down this road is it better to have an all in one like the Friedman or even a powered Xitone/Matrix/CLR or a separate power amp? The separate amp gives me other options such as stereo,other cabs ect. The Friedman is like 60 lbs but my current guitar cab is 72 lbs. I have my Matrix in a soft rack case so its real light and the Xitone is only like 30lbs. Just wondering if I would prefer the thump from the Friedman more. Hard and expensive decisions and nowhere to try this stuff locally so any input is appreciated.
 
I purchased both and found the XiTone 1x12 to be the best of the 2.
The XiTone is well built, light and easy to carry.
I really like the tone that the XiTone's second and third EQ options give me.
The only downside to purchasing the XiTone was the time it took to receive the FRFR speaker.
I owned the Friedman ASC12 for a short time.....
I sold the ASC 12 due to its weight and akward carrying position.
If possible, try both, to determine if the tone is what you expect and the handling or weight factor suits you.
 
I have a pair of EVZLX12's. I'm not sure the Yamahas would sound that much different. They sound good at home but did not like them at gig volume,I much preferred my guitar cabs. A lot of guys say the Friedman feels more like a guitar cab. The big complaint is the weight and handle placement. I'm looking at the new ASC that is a cab, not the wedge so no weird handle, and like I said my cab I gig with is 72lbs so the Friedman at 59 will be lighter. Really interested in the Zitone, but I can always return the Friedman if I buy it from one of the big retailers, not so with the Xitone/Matrix/ ect.
Anyway the point of my question was do you prefer an unpowered cab with a separate amp or all in one active cab.
Also I'm not going direct to any PA, mostly small venues sometimes mic'd sometimes unmic'd so I really depend on the cab for my sound. Also other guitarist runs a Mesa Recifier with a Mesa 2x12 so I need to be able to hang with that.
 
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I have a Matrix GT1000 that I used to run through a THD 2 x 12 cab. Sounded good but after I got an AX8 for live, I wanted something more portable.The Matrix FR12 (or 10) is about as light as you can get. The module went bad on that so I got an Atomic CLR. The CLR is the best sounding FRFR speaker I have used so far and that includes running the GT1000 through a passive 2 x 12 Xitone cab. My bandmate runs his Kemper through a Friedman. The Friedman does feel more like a guitar cab, but I am not missing that in-the-room aggression anymore since the Quantum updates. The Friedman is also so unwieldy my band mate is looking at replacing it. I really like the CLR but have not tried the Yamaha DXR.

A good powered FRFR speaker can hang with Rectifier (and with your greater EQ shaping ability, you can pretty much sit anywhere you want). After my experiments, I would always go powered monitors over separate components, solely for portability. Be advised that the power modules seem somewhat susceptible to failure. I have had two go bad on various units though they were repaired free of charge.
 
A CLR Neo is pretty light and they do sound fantastic! That said Xitone cabs carry a lot of credibility here so personally I would be comfortable buying either one.

I have done the separate power amp and cab thing and the all in one is much easier to deal with.
 
Another happy Atomic CLR owner here. Small, light, plenty powerful, and sounds fantastic. Personally I like the idea of something that is FRFR and not trying to sound like a guitar cab. That means I can use it for a monitor wedge, or even a main in a small venue if needed.

I'm sure the Yamaha's are great too. Not sure if they are as compact and easy to manage as the CLR. The real challenge with this stuff is there isn't a good way to get them all in the same room to play with before making a purchase. Guess you could order one of everything and then eat the shipping costs to return the ones you didn't like....but who wants to do that.
 
Mark Scrivener said:
Another happy Atomic CLR owner here. Small, light, plenty powerful, and sounds fantastic. Personally I like the idea of something that is FRFR and not trying to sound like a guitar cab. That means I can use it for a monitor wedge, or even a main in a small venue if needed.
I'm sure the Yamaha's are great too. Not sure if they are as compact and easy to manage as the CLR. The real challenge with this stuff is there isn't a good way to get them all in the same room to play with before making a purchase. Guess you could order one of everything and then eat the shipping costs to return the ones you didn't like....but who wants to do that.
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I just took the advice of other users and then made value decisions base on price.I could almost buy 3 dxr10s for the price.of 1 CLR Neo, which is the manageable version as compare to the dxr10 which is extreamly manageable and more wattage to boot.
There are also several you tube reviews of the 2 out there.
 
The Xitone cabs will give you the most realistic feel and sound of a real guitar cabinet. I have owned them all and the Xitones for me were the clear winner.
 
I have both along with a couple of CLR’s. I leave the Friedman at practice as it is too heavy and bulky to lug around for gigging. But they sound great. I keep my CLR’s at home to create presets and practice on. I gig my XiTone’s. They sound fantastic and are very light. I had the passive XiTone’s at first along with the Matrix GT1000 but sold them to buy the powered XiTone’s.
 
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The Yamaha DXR10 is amazing. It’s a great sounding speaker that can hang with any of the other options out there that are way more expensive. I can’t say enough positive things about it. They’re also very easily purchased used for around $450.
 
JJ-LP said:
I purchased both and found the XiTone 1x12 to be the best of the 2.
The XiTone is well built, light and easy to carry.
I really like the tone that the XiTone's second and third EQ options give me.
The only downside to purchasing the XiTone was the time it took to receive the FRFR speaker.
I owned the Friedman ASC12 for a short time.....
I sold the ASC 12 due to its weight and akward carrying position.
If possible, try both, to determine if the tone is what you expect and the handling or weight factor suits you.
Click to expand...

What's awkward about the ASC? Is it not like a combo amp with the handle on top?
 
I'm on a tight budget and will have to buy two monitors, because we have separate rehearsal places with each band.
How big is the difference between Yamaha DXR 10, QSC K10.2 and other solutions? Headrush FRFR-112 might be ok, but it's not out yet.
(Atomic CLR is glorified here, but for 1000 £ way out of my limits even for one.)
Thank you in advance :)
 
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