Small stereo active FRFR cab at last...

Hhuent

Hhuent

Experienced
(please read also my comments further down the thread!)
I guess I found my perfect cab: small size, lightweight, easy to carry around, but enough power for the bedroom, rehearsals, small stages in bars - in other words, it can keep up with a moderate drummer. I use it for electric AND acoustic guitars. These are my main scenarios. I will later add a small 10” sub to go with it for bigger stages. But for 80 % of my uses the sub is not needed.

I had it custom built from Marco Wendel at blueamps in Germany ( http://www.blueamps.de/ ). He builds high quality cabs/amps and is both, electronic engineer and musician/guitar player.

Now for the specs:

40 x 30 x 24 cm (15.7 x 11.8 x 9.5 inch)

10.7 kg (23.6 lbs)

Stereo amp: 2x 180 Watt RMS, 2x 360 Watt max (switches to Mono when only one input is used, mono comes from both sides)

2x Carbon 6" speaker (150 watts each) + Tweeter (not coax) + crossover + bassreflex port

70hz (!) – 17 khz flat, a slight dip after 10 khz

121 db max

Aux in switch

The sound of this cab is gorgeous considering its small size! The unique character of the IRs jumps right from the cab in your face. Does not sound like Hifi or PA-Monitor at all. No harsh frequencies or icepicks which were my biggest concern. Nice round smooth tone instead. Handles high levels very well, doesn`t fart out. Bass won`t make your trousers flap, this is not a 12”, but enough bass for my needs. I think it is very well suited for clean and breakup tones.

Not coaxial? No problem as the dimensions of this cab are so small. Stereo? Yes, it makes a difference even with such a small cab. Compared to mono, stereo in my bedroom sounds more fresh, vivid and fat. High quality comes at a price: Around 1100 to 1200 dollars. That´s quite a lot but this little gem is worth every penny. I do not work for blueamps and have no relation whatsoever to the maker of this cab.

More to come as soon as I tried it in different scenarios and rooms.
IMG_4302 Kopie.JPG IMG_4309 Kopie.JPG IMG_4305 Kopie.JPG
 
Last edited:
Do you know part number for the speakers and tweeters? Just wondering what you're getting for the money in terms of parts.

So in the back, what's the white connector? Another power connector?
The knob is for volume I presume.
Are there any indicators to show if you're clipping the input of the amp?
 
yeky83 said:
Do you know part number for the speakers and tweeters? Just wondering what you're getting for the money in terms of parts.

So in the back, what's the white connector? Another power connector?
The knob is for volume I presume.
Are there any indicators to show if you're clipping the input of the amp?
Click to expand...

I don´t have part numbers etc. but I will contact Marco if he wants to chime in here.
The white connectsor is a powercon plug for stage use.
Correct, the knob is for volume.
No indicators for clipping. I went from AX8 (in and output signal correctly levelled) to the cabs input with output level fully turned up (= unity gain), no clipping at all. Can´t speak for other signals. Again, I will ask Marco to chime in...
 
Have you measured the frequency response? My Spark is said to be flat, too, but it isn't (I measured with a friend's SMAART in different positions). It sounds good, but it's not flat at all... maybe Marco tuned it to be flat with Fletcher-Munson in mind...
Have you custom-ordered the automatic mono-switching? My Spark works only on the side that's fed with input...
 
Interesting!

Question: Are you really going to get the stereo field when both speakers are so close together (and of course, in the same cab)?
 
merlin17 said:
Have you measured the frequency response? My Spark is said to be flat, too, but it isn't (I measured with a friend's SMAART in different positions). It sounds good, but it's not flat at all... maybe Marco tuned it to be flat with Fletcher-Munson in mind...
Have you custom-ordered the automatic mono-switching? My Spark works only on the side that's fed with input...
Click to expand...

Did you measure your Spark with only one side playing at a time? Or both sides playing at the same time? If measured in stereo, no stereo cab is really an FRFR. Might still sound great though.
FYI: http://usa.matrixamplification.com/faq/stereo-and-frfr.html
 
We measured each side on its own, both sides together, on axis, off axis, standing flat on the ground and angled...
 
The same meaurement with my Dynacord Axm12a (and previous ones with an RCF Nx12sma and a CLR) show a merely flat curve. No wonder the Spark sounds way less harsh at higher volumes (in fact it sounds good), but the translation to PA speakers can be problematic...
 
Measurement is on-axis? Around how far away?

The Spark is supposed to be 80-25.000 Hz (-6 dB)... :p
 
The good thing though as a guitar speaker monitor is that anything above say 5k isn't really that important. Here's a frequency response graph from the Celestion G12M Greenback from the Celestion site. They list the speaker as having a useful range from 75Hz to 5000kHz and you can see in the graph that there's almost no response above that.

graph.gif

Obviously it's going to be a whole different ballgame if you run an acoustic guitar or other instruments through the speaker as well, where you may well need those upper frequencies.
 
Johan Allard said:
The good thing though as a guitar speaker monitor is that anything above say 5k isn't really that important. Here's a frequency response graph from the Celestion G12M Greenback from the Celestion site. They list the speaker as having a useful range from 75Hz to 5000kHz and you can see in the graph that there's almost no response above that.

View attachment 43731

Obviously it's going to be a whole different ballgame if you run an acoustic guitar or other instruments through the speaker as well, where you may well need those upper frequencies.
Click to expand...

Going to disagree with you there. The cutoff is ~5 kHz sure, but there's content at -20 dB up to ~11 kHz, and -30 dB stuff to 20 kHz. This is definitely audible, and you need an FRFR to reproduce it.

If you're suggesting that since the cutoff is at ~5 kHz, you don't need a speaker that's extends flat to high frequencies... You're essentially suggesting running an IR into a guitar speaker. Works, but IRs in general will not translate well since the speaker will color the sound. And the end result will definitely not translate well to FOH.
 
yeky83 said:
Going to disagree with you there. The cutoff is ~5 kHz sure, but there's content at -20 dB up to ~11 kHz, and -30 dB stuff to 20 kHz. This is definitely audible, and you need an FRFR to reproduce it.

If you're suggesting that since the cutoff is at ~5 kHz, you don't need a speaker that's extends flat to high frequencies... You're essentially suggesting running an IR into a guitar speaker. Works, but IRs in general will not translate well since the speaker will color the sound. And the end result will definitely not translate well to FOH.
Click to expand...

Feel free to disagree, and I was a bit too simplistic :). The main guitar content is obviously going to be in the listed useable range of the speaker type, 75-5000 hz for a greenback speaker. And there's going to be some overtones that will get passed above that, and it's not that the speaker is completely dead over 5000hz either. Also in the default cab block, there's a lowpass filter that defaults to 10kHz and there's a lot of us that lowers that to somewhere in the 6-7kHz range. With that lowpass filter in place, nothing will pass above whatever that is set to. Now, you can technically introduce signal in the range above after the cab block, with a pitch block or similar. But in most cases, above the lowpass filter in the cab block nothing will happen. So the most important range is the speakers useable range, whatever speaker you use, and the second most important is below the lowpass filter. Above that, not really that important.
 
claxor said:
Interesting!

Question: Are you really going to get the stereo field when both speakers are so close together (and of course, in the same cab)?
Click to expand...

You won´t have the stereo field as in placing two speakers right and left. This is physically not possible when you think of the position of the two speakers and the barely different distances of the sound that travels to our right and left ear. Still I notice a clearly audible difference when going from mono tro stereo (stereo effects in the chain like reverb/delay/leslie active and channels panned hard right and left). The sound is more "vivid" and "fat" by lack of better words but does not offer a real stereo stage as if you would listen right in front of the speaker. This happens in my bedroom. I will report back as soon as I tried it in a larger room.
 
Johan Allard said:
Also in the default cab block, there's a lowpass filter that defaults to 10kHz and there's a lot of us that lowers that to somewhere in the 6-7kHz range. With that lowpass filter in place, nothing will pass above whatever that is set to...in most cases, above the lowpass filter in the cab block nothing will happen.
Click to expand...
The lowpass filter isn't a brick wall. Just like a real guitar speaker, the highs begin to roll off at the low-pass frequency, but there is still audible content above that frequency.
 
merlin17 said:
Have you measured the frequency response? My Spark is said to be flat, too, but it isn't (I measured with a friend's SMAART in different positions). It sounds good, but it's not flat at all... maybe Marco tuned it to be flat with Fletcher-Munson in mind...
Have you custom-ordered the automatic mono-switching? My Spark works only on the side that's fed with input...
Click to expand...

My cab works mono on both sides when left OR right input is used. I checked this and compared stereo panned to one side, then pulled a cable so it is mono and the signal appears on both sides. I think I ordered it like that.
I did not measure the frequency, do not have the proper gear for this and have no clue about audio. Once I did with an white/pink noise and app/iphone (mike simulating an appropriate mike), someone with more knowledge told me my measurements were of no use. The figures in my first post are a quote of the builder.

But I compared this small stereo cab in my bedroom with my Xitone 10" open back and my Dynacord 12" axm 12a (same as yours) and this is what my ears tell me (cab playing mono, signal was a lame U2 song from my ipad):
- I have to crank up the volume of my small cab 100% to gain about the same level as the 10" and the 12" working at 50% volume.
- the small cab delivers considerably less highs (to my surprise) and less lows (not to my surprise) than the Xitone and the Dynacord, Xitone with lots of pleasing lows and highs, less mids, and the Dynacord more flat but with harsher highs. In other words: The frequencyrange of my small cab seems to offer more mids, but I will test it again at higher volumes and you may be right about the Flecher-Munson effect: Cranked up it might sound just right. For acoustic guitar at lower volumes I am missing a wee bit of the "zing" of the steel string.

Let me get back at Marco to see what his findings are about the FRFR spectrum of this litlle cab. I can definitely tell you it sounds great maybe because of the dip after 10 khz. No harshness here that I found with other cabs before. And the unique character of each IR is just there. I must say, I tend to dial in my IRs low cuts at around 140 hz and my highcuts at around 5.5 khz. I like it slightly darker and I am playing mostly clean to mid overdrive...

Will get back as soon as I know more.
 
Last edited:
Hhuent said:
- the small cab delivers considerably less highs (to my surprise) and less lows (not to my surprise) than the Xitone and the Dynacord, Xitone with lots of pleasing lows and highs, less mids, and the Dynacord more flat but with harsher highs.
Click to expand...

Yep, the same with my Spark. Sounds great with E-guitar, have not tried A-guitar yet, does not sound good with fullrange music (at least on lower volumes).
 
Johan Allard said:
Feel free to disagree, and I was a bit too simplistic :). The main guitar content is obviously going to be in the listed useable range of the speaker type, 75-5000 hz for a greenback speaker. And there's going to be some overtones that will get passed above that, and it's not that the speaker is completely dead over 5000hz either. Also in the default cab block, there's a lowpass filter that defaults to 10kHz and there's a lot of us that lowers that to somewhere in the 6-7kHz range. With that lowpass filter in place, nothing will pass above whatever that is set to. Now, you can technically introduce signal in the range above after the cab block, with a pitch block or similar. But in most cases, above the lowpass filter in the cab block nothing will happen. So the most important range is the speakers useable range, whatever speaker you use, and the second most important is below the lowpass filter. Above that, not really that important.
Click to expand...

As @Rex has noted, a low pass filter isn't a brick wall. Depends on the dB/octave, but you'll still hear some of what goes on above the cutoff freq.

By using a non-flat, limited high extension speakers like the Spark, you're effectively putting another low pass filter on top of your output from the Axe-Fx. Again, not going to translate well to FOH, they'll get a much harsher signal.

Which, if that's what you want, then OK. I guess it doesn't matter if you're using it as backline, and not sending anything to FOH. But if you do send to FOH, you're always going to need another flat monitor source to double-check.
And if you want a warmer sound, you can always put an additional low pass filter or two on the Axe-Fx, into a flat FRFR... So I'm not sure how a non-flat, no high extension "FRFR" is beneficial, other than replacing some filters on the Axe-Fx.
And you don't have any control over the low pass characteristic on a non-flat speaker, so I don't like it personally.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom