Second Choice if not Atomic CLR?

Q

Qucifer

Member
So... Earlier this year I got onto the wait list for an Atomic CLR. My place in line came up, and I wasn't really in a position to buy at the time, as I was getting ready to move across the country. At the time, Tom had suggested I let him know when I was ready to buy, and he'd do his best to get me something as quickly as possible (which was very cool of him). Fast forward 9 months or so, and I'm now relocated (to Seattle), and I'm in a spot where I've got some opportunities to get into some new playing situations, but I don't have anything to play through.

I've tried emailing Tom a couple of times and haven't gotten a response. I completely understand if there isn't anything he can do for me... But that being said--I still need something to play through, pretty quickly.

If you were in a spot where you needed something (like a CLR) to power your Axe, what would your next choice be?
 
I'd rent or buy something really inexpensive to hold me over until my number was up for a CLR.

I'm sure Tom will get back to you very shortly though, I think he has been extremely busy recently in preparation for the Amp Show this weekend.

RB
 
Anyone have any experience with any of the Carvin PM series active speakers? Something like that might work in a pinch until I can figure out the CLR situation.
 
the Carvins are Passive (last I checked),
I'm sure Tom will get back to you quickly.
If Seismic is still selling their Coaxial s I'd grab one of those , dirt cheap and they sound surprisingly good.
yup they still got them
Powered 15 Inch Coaxial Floor / Studio / Stage Monitor | Compact | Pro Audio 15 Inch Coaxial Speaker Monitor with Titanium Compression Horn Driver | 300 Watts RMS
and 30 day money back is still on there.
I have the 15 and it always surprises me how good it sounds blended in with my CLR. (sounds good on it's own as well)
Xitones are pretty Awesome but they cost almost as much as the CLR , if you're looking just for something to "hold you over " until you can get
the CLR I'd try the Seismic 30 day trial too (at least it was) that way if you did get a hold of Tom you could send it back and it would only cost you return shipping.
if you want to spend real money there are plenty of other offerings out there.
 
kmanick said:
the Carvins are Passive (last I checked)
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They have some low-end powered monitors:

Carvin.com: PM Series Active and Passive Speakers

kmanick said:
I'm sure Tom will get back to you quickly.
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That'd be my obvious choice... I'm ready to pull the trigger on a CLR cabinet right now. :)

kmanick said:
If Seismic is still selling their Coaxial s I'd grab one of those , dirt cheap and they sound surprisingly good.
yup they still got them
Powered 15 Inch Coaxial Floor / Studio / Stage Monitor | Compact | Pro Audio 15 Inch Coaxial Speaker Monitor with Titanium Compression Horn Driver | 300 Watts RMS
and 30 day money back is still on there.
I have the 15 and it always surprises me how good it sounds blended in with my CLR. (sounds good on it's own as well)
Xitones are pretty Awesome but they cost almost as much as the CLR , if you're looking just for something to "hold you over " until you can get
the CLR I'd try the Seismic 30 day trial too (at least it was) that way if you did get a hold of Tom you could send it back and it would only cost you return shipping.
if you want to spend real money there are plenty of other offerings out there.
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If I don't hear from Tom, or he can't get something to me pretty quickly, I'll check out the Seismic. Seems like a pretty good hold-over option.

Let's say I was willing to spend some "real money"--are there any other powered, portable options (like the CLR) that would be a go-to? I also like that the CLR comes in a "cabinet" format--I prefer keeping my speaker on an amp stand, tilted back a bit. That form factor seems like it would work the best in that situation. A cabinet on an amp stand feels more "immediate" to me--wedges feel slightly "farther away".

I appreciate all the feedback so far!
 
There are some great full range pa systems (i know, and don't groan), however these newer type pas can be used as fold backs, put on stands, and scaled, most have on board eq and smarts for room adjustments

line 6 stagesource, and others all compete in the same space, word is they are pretty damn good, however just a thought in case your haven't considered things like that
 
Qucifer said:
So... Earlier this year I got onto the wait list for an Atomic CLR. My place in line came up, and I wasn't really in a position to buy at the time, as I was getting ready to move across the country. At the time, Tom had suggested I let him know when I was ready to buy, and he'd do his best to get me something as quickly as possible (which was very cool of him). Fast forward 9 months or so, and I'm now relocated (to Seattle), and I'm in a spot where I've got some opportunities to get into some new playing situations, but I don't have anything to play through.

I've tried emailing Tom a couple of times and haven't gotten a response. I completely understand if there isn't anything he can do for me... But that being said--I still need something to play through, pretty quickly.

If you were in a spot where you needed something (like a CLR) to power your Axe, what would your next choice be?
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Hi, Tom is not avoiding you. Talked to Tom yesterday. He was flying out to the amp show and barely had time to to say hi. I am sure he will catch up with you in a few days.:encouragement:
 
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klaushouz said:
Hi, Tom is not avoiding you. Talked to Tom yesterday. He was flying out to the amp show and barely had to to say hi. I am sure he will catch up with you in a few days.:encouragement:
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That certainly would explain why the CLR I sent back to him a month ago still hasn't been sent back to me. Good to know, since he hasn't responded to my emails in two weeks, either. It sucks that I had to come here to find out why.

Atomic CLRs are fantastic sounding amps, even though mine hasn't exactly been reliable.

I have been using RCF NX-12 SMAs, which sound nearly as good as the CLRs but with a much less wide dispersion area. They're very reliable and I highly recommend them, although they sound best when directly in front of you or mic'd on axis. I've tried qsc k-12s, rcf 300a, and a couple of carvin poweramps through JBL 12s. None of them sounded as good as the RCF NX-12s.
 
I'd go with a used QSC K10 or K12 to tide you over until the CLR is ready. They're reasonably priced, have plenty of volume, can be flattened fairly well with a -3dB rolloff below 700Hz, and are easy to sell when you are done with them.
 
I'm another RCF NX12SMA devotee, been steadily gigging it quite a while now and still love it.

That being said, I'd suggest you wait on the CLR if it's what you really want. I am sure it's a great speaker, and I am never happy with "just as good" when it comes to gear. I want what I want, and never feel settled until I get there. Why waste the time? Tom's super reliable. Lay out a few days, you'll hear from him. After all, he's waited 9 months for you! ;)
 
Rick said:
I'm another RCF NX12SMA devotee, been steadily gigging it quite a while now and still love it.

That being said, I'd suggest you wait on the CLR if it's what you really want. I am sure it's a great speaker, and I am never happy with "just as good" when it comes to gear. I want what I want, and never feel settled until I get there. Why waste the time? Tom's super reliable. Lay out a few days, you'll hear from him. After all, he's waited 9 months for you! ;)
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I totally get and appreciate all of that. The CLR definitely seems like the right piece of gear for me. I'm ready to buy, right now, if one becomes available. I'm not faulting Tom for my urgency or anything like that--it's not his fault I waited 9 months to pull the trigger. I completely get it.

But I just need to have a fallback plan, in case I need something to get me through until I can figure out how to get a CLR. And who knows--it might be a while before Tom even has one to sell me?
 
Qucifer said:
Let's say I was willing to spend some "real money"--are there any other powered, portable options (like the CLR) that would be a go-to? I also like that the CLR comes in a "cabinet" format--I prefer keeping my speaker on an amp stand, tilted back a bit. That form factor seems like it would work the best in that situation. A cabinet on an amp stand feels more "immediate" to me--wedges feel slightly "farther away".
I appreciate all the feedback so far!
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RCF and Xitone are both very good but very different.
We've done a couple of shootouts at my house with all of these wedges.
the RCF is a very polished "Hi-Fi" sounding wedge, it's probably the closest sounding to the CLR I've heard yet.
mt real issue with RCF (for me) was that it's very stiff feeling, and very directional, which can be good or bad, dependent on your individual needs.
Plenty loud.

The Xitone is much more "guitar cab" sounding and feeling, not as true FRFR as the CLR but for some that may be a good thing, not a bad.
they have a smaller foot print and are not as loud as the CLR or RCF but they have their own thing going on , and it's definitely a "cool thing".
Whether you like it or not is up to you, kind of like the difference between V30's or Greenbacks if you know what I mean.
RCF does not make a "cab" that I know of , XiTone does.
 
kmanick said:
RCF and Xitone are both very good but very different.
We've done a couple of shootouts at my house with all of these wedges.
the RCF is a very polished "Hi-Fi" sounding wedge, it's probably the closest sounding to the CLR I've heard yet.
mt real issue with RCF (for me) was that it's very stiff feeling, and very directional, which can be good or bad, dependent on your individual needs.
Plenty loud.

The Xitone is much more "guitar cab" sounding and feeling, not as true FRFR as the CLR but for some that may be a good thing, not a bad.
they have a smaller foot print and are not as loud as the CLR or RCF but they have their own thing going on , and it's definitely a "cool thing".
Whether you like it or not is up to you, kind of like the difference between V30's or Greenbacks if you know what I mean.
RCF does not make a "cab" that I know of , XiTone does.
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I sent off an inquiry to Xitone about their active 1x12 in a cabinet form factor.

Still haven't heard a peep from Tom at Atomic.
 
Doug Bryan said:
What kind of tones do you favor ?
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That's an interesting question. I'm one of those guys who doesn't use a ton of different models. I tend to like mid-gain level sounds, used where people typically would be inclined to use high-gain sounds (I do more of the work myself, rather than letting my rig dirt everything up). My go-to setup is the Dumble model, with the gain at about 60% and the overdrive around 75%, with a drive pedal in front of it when I need more dirt. I usually run that into various different V30 impulses.

That's probably 80% of my playing. I also use a few different clean models here and there.
 
I just purchased a pair of these today with a GT1000FX Power amp. I don't know anyone who has them, I merely heard a bunch of You Tube clips and of everything I heard at least to my ears these sounded best. From a size standpoint they are nearly identical to my Custom Audio Amplification 212 but the Matrix is just 2 inches taller.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=on3rytiQe4k
 
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