User Reviews of ATOMIC FRs

Re: User Reviews of ATOMIC FRs?

I have the QSC and have been A/Bing them with the Reactor FRs. I have been hesitant to post a review because (a) I don't feel like I have great ears and (3) I haven't been able to put a lot of time in yet, probably less than 3 hours total.

When I got the Reactor FRs I was operating on the year old memory of when I first heard the prototype at the L.A. Amp Show. My impression at that time was that they sounded much better than the QSCs but obviously the QSCs were not at the Amp Show for me to compare. By the time I got home it was hard to remember exactly what the prototypes sounded like. Again that was a year ago.

Fast forward to last week when I got my Reactor FRs...

I got them setup. Set the Tweeter Level to Noon since the manual indicated this was the flatest response. Set the volume on the Reactor FR to maximum and used the Output Volume of my Ultra to determine how loud things got.

I went through some of the stock presets that I am familiar with - Studio Lead, Brown Sound, Blackface with Effects, Machine Gun, Dirty Capstan, and Recto Wah - and compared them between the QSC and Reactor FR.

Initially I wasn't struck the same way I was at the amp show. The presets I was familiar with sounded different. Not great, not bad, just different.

Since I have done more A/Bing back and forth and my impression now is that the QSCs are less bright and the Reactor FRs are more bright and I'd like to be somewhere in between.

I don't know if it is some kind of ear damage but typically higher frequency... uh... "breakup" or get "static-y" if things are too loud so I think initially the brightness of the Reactor FRs turned me off.

But again going back and forth between the two I think my happy medium lies somewhere between what I perceive the QSC and Reactor FR to be.

So I have some options... I could use the Global EQ, which is flat right now, to either brighten the QSCs or darken the Reactor FRs or I could turn down the tweeter level on the Reactor FR.

I don't really want to brighten the QSC because for example in the Brown Sound preset there is some upper frequency fizziness that I hear on that preset even though the QSC is the darker of the two. However even though the Reator FR is the brighter I don't hear the same fizziness.

I haven't had a chance to run bass or acoustic guitar through the Reactor FR yet because I don't have a preset for either that I really like. I have read in other reviews in this thread that people adjusted the tweeter level to make the Reactor FR more bright for acoustic. So for my electric patches I kind of want it a bit darker and for acoustic I'll have to see. I'd really like to find a tweeter level setting, set it and forget it. So I am going to have to spend some time maybe with EQ within the patches to get what I am after.

I ended up writing more than I thought I would. Again I am hesitant to write a review because I don't feel like I've really had a chance to put the Reactor FR through its paces. The other thing to over come is I have been listening to those presets for well over a year so I have this perception that how they sound with the QSC is how they should sound. I think that is why my initial reaction to the Reactor FR wasn't immediately favorable like others have posted. So I still need some time to get used to how those presets sound with the Reactor FR so that I can better compare between the QSC and Reactor FR. I think both can be made to work but because of more smoothness on the high end my preference is for the Reactor FRs. In other words I am leaning towards keeping them.

I did have one issue with one of the Reactor FRs where the volume knob is misaligned compared to the other Reactor FR I had. Initially I set the "good" volume to a volume level paying attention to what position the line was oriented say 2 o'clock and then visually set the "bad" one. When I played the sound was lopsided and I could barely hear the "bad" one. I came to realize the the pot was misaligned. Once I maxed out the "bad" one I had a even level between the two. So I'll speak to support about that.

Here is a link to a picture. The picture is kind of large but you'll get a perspective of their size. They are sitting on top of old EV 15" two-way monitors.

http://members.dslextreme.com/users/mworkman/ReactorFR/IMG_1398.JPG
 
Re: User Reviews of ATOMIC FRs?

...I've gigged with both the QSC H122i and the K12...and plan to use the Atomic soon...

...I did not A/B any of the speakers 'cause once I turned on the Atomic, it was so warm, organic...more amp-like. Why bother? This is what I was hoping for. :p Also, I plugged my acoustic right into the back of the 1/4" input on the Atomic FR and it sounds way better to me than doing the same with the K12 (the K12 also has the option of plugging directly into it with a 1/4" cable)...

...I don't think either the K12 or the Atomic FR are as loud as the 122i ( which I sold 4 months ago)...I could be wrong. Regardless,I don't need metal brutalz volume...I play clean most of the time...both the K12 and the Atomic are much lighter than the 122i...the Atomic is the same price as the QSC's...but the Atomic looks like a guitar speaker and can also be used like a P.A. speaker too :cool:

...what else? Hmmm...I plan to use the Atomic exclusively with my Ultra and we'll see how that goes...it sure seems to be a winner so far...I think the Atomic would be perfect for low to medium level volume gigs as a backline speaker cab...two Atomics is probably more than enough for most live applications...but I never get to play real loud anyway...so...
 
Re: User Reviews of ATOMIC FRs?

Since I have done more A/Bing back and forth and my impression now is that the QSCs are less bright and the Reactor FRs are more bright and I'd like to be somewhere in between.
Click to expand...
If it's like a speaker's cab the speaker need to be broken in and you should lost a little bit brightness after a few hours.
Just an idea...
 
Re: User Reviews of ATOMIC FRs?

bmi said:
If it's like a speaker's cab the speaker need to be broken and you should lost a little bit brightness after a few hours.
Just an idea...
Click to expand...

"broken in" ;)
 
Re: User Reviews of ATOMIC FRs?

As far as the idea of turning down the tweeter or letting the speaker get broken in... I hear you. By saying the Reactor FR was brighter I wasn't meaning it as a negative. I hope it wasn't taken that way. It was just meant to say there was a difference from what I was previously using.

I need to live with the Reactor FRs longer to know, for me personally, if I could get used to and appreciate the brightness or if my "happy place" is a little darker... a little less bright. And it probably is.

The great thing here are the options available... turning down the tweeter, global EQ on the Axe-FX, EQ and Amp parameters within the effects blocks.

As said previously I like the higher end response of the Reactor FR. It seems smoother. There appears to be less or a lack of fizz comparing the same preset between the QSC and Reactor FR. And another thing I noticed that I forgot to mention on one of the Recto presets there was a nice "bloom" (I think that is the term) that the Reactor FRs had that was lost on the QSCs. I don't know... some of these terms... but just hitting a power chord there was this subtle "swell" that I equate with "bloom" as the chord range out. Again subtle difference but something I didn't get or wasn't hearing with the QSC.
 
Re: User Reviews of ATOMIC FRs?

Not to throw work on somebody else's plate but I thought it might be nice if somebody could post clips or video of an A/B across a range of tones.

I just have a basic digital video camera so I don't think the audio capture would be worthwhile.

If somebody has good equipment, the time and inclination to do something like that I think it was really be appreciated and help a lot of people out.
 
Re: User Reviews of ATOMIC FRs?

I love hearing the reviews, but I'd like to hear from someone who has setup their sounds on a relatively "flat" system, say a very good pair of studio monitors. Maybe I've missed the point, but the whole idea of FRFR IMO is to have a completely transparent sound (to best extent possible) so that what you put in is what comes out. It sounds to me like the Atomics are not flat at all and to compensate for that, they have installed a tweeter control. I know that high end monitors have eq controls, but those are not to tweek your sound the way people are using the tweeter control on the Atomic. The eq on a studio monitor is compensate for room inadequacies (boominess and such). It is something you would set and forget. If I was at home mixing and didn't hear enough high end in my mix, I would assume that I needed to adjust my mix, not compensate by re-EQing my monitors. That's just polishing a turd or putting lipstick on a pig. I know the turd is nice and shiny and the pig has that sparkle in it's eye, but don't get too excited. It's still just a turd and a pig.

I personally find that the "in the room" thing comes almost completely from good IR's and smart routing (put the cab block last). I don't agree with Jay's opinions on some objective things, but his knowledge is undeniable. My first "this thing is awesome!!!" moment came when I started using Jay's far mic'd IR's. A sincere thanks to Jay if he reads this. Up until that point, I thought I merely had a extremely nice POD. While all of Jay's IR's weren't for me, I couldn't deny the fact that they sounded exactly like an amp placed next to me in a room (albeit in an exquisitely treated studio room) regardless of the FRFR (as long as it was of a good quality, relatively flat and listened to in the way designed...near fileds on axis and such). All the close mic'd cab sims sounded like I was in a control room listening to a close mic'd cab in another room through studio monitors, which in fact is what it is.

I was impressed by the effects and amps in my Ultra, but I still felt that control room disconnection from the amp until I used the Jay's far mic'd IR's. I think using the IR's far mic'd with good studio mics gets close, but still sounds mic'd to me (which again it is). I still fail to see how people are getting an in the room feel from a mic'd cab IR. I absolutely love Royer 121's, but my ear is not a Royer (although what would the world sound like then??....warm with a smoth crispy edge??).

Sorry for rambling. In short, if that's possible at this point, from every account so far, the Atomic, while sounding nice in a room, is not a true representation of what is coming out of the AFX. Sounds like it could be great as a backline, but not near as good going through a PA. There may be a setting on the Atomic that is relatively "flat", but I fail to see why it wouldn't be either hard wired that way, or at least with a notch where it is pretty much "flat". This is all IMO. You may think differently. I have no intention of bagging out people's gear choice. Horses for courses and all that. It really does sound like it would be a good option for people who don't go direct, but if you're going direct, the sound at the desk may not be what you expect it to be if the tweeter isn't set properly. If it's set too high, your sound could be muddy, too low and it could be fizzy. I would suggest running a test tone through it to help set the tweeter to "flat". It may not sound as good for everything, but it would at least be a truer representation of what's coming out of your AFX. I would then remove the turd or pig by altering the preset. Don't rely on the sound guy to fix it for you. In my experience, far too many of them are drummers!! :lol: :lol: :lol:

Again this is all IMO. If it helps you, cool. If it not, just ignore the crazy Texan. I have some s%&# to blow up!!! Where's my gun?!?! Yee Haw!!!! (not really...I'm too busy playing guitar)
 
Re: User Reviews of ATOMIC FRs?

onemoreguitar,

Interesting post - I just got my Ultra today and am looking forward to giving the Atomic Reator FR a go (I also want them for my VG-99). I am interested to see the replies you get and where the opinions lead.

Having said that...the only reason I wrote back.....damn man I just about spit out my beer when I read your closing! ROTFL that was priceless!

peace
 
Re: User Reviews of ATOMIC FRs?

mworkman said:
I have the QSC and have been A/Bing them with the Reactor FRs. I have been hesitant to post a review because (a) I don't feel like I have great ears and (3) I haven't been able to put a lot of time in yet, probably less than 3 hours total.

When I got the Reactor FRs I was operating on the year old memory of when I first heard the prototype at the L.A. Amp Show. My impression at that time was that they sounded much better than the QSCs but obviously the QSCs were not at the Amp Show for me to compare. By the time I got home it was hard to remember exactly what the prototypes sounded like. Again that was a year ago.

Fast forward to last week when I got my Reactor FRs...

I got them setup. Set the Tweeter Level to Noon since the manual indicated this was the flatest response. Set the volume on the Reactor FR to maximum and used the Output Volume of my Ultra to determine how loud things got.

I went through some of the stock presets that I am familiar with - Studio Lead, Brown Sound, Blackface with Effects, Machine Gun, Dirty Capstan, and Recto Wah - and compared them between the QSC and Reactor FR.

Initially I wasn't struck the same way I was at the amp show. The presets I was familiar with sounded different. Not great, not bad, just different.

Since I have done more A/Bing back and forth and my impression now is that the QSCs are less bright and the Reactor FRs are more bright and I'd like to be somewhere in between.

I don't know if it is some kind of ear damage but typically higher frequency... uh... "breakup" or get "static-y" if things are too loud so I think initially the brightness of the Reactor FRs turned me off.

But again going back and forth between the two I think my happy medium lies somewhere between what I perceive the QSC and Reactor FR to be.

So I have some options... I could use the Global EQ, which is flat right now, to either brighten the QSCs or darken the Reactor FRs or I could turn down the tweeter level on the Reactor FR.

I don't really want to brighten the QSC because for example in the Brown Sound preset there is some upper frequency fizziness that I hear on that preset even though the QSC is the darker of the two. However even though the Reator FR is the brighter I don't hear the same fizziness.

I haven't had a chance to run bass or acoustic guitar through the Reactor FR yet because I don't have a preset for either that I really like. I have read in other reviews in this thread that people adjusted the tweeter level to make the Reactor FR more bright for acoustic. So for my electric patches I kind of want it a bit darker and for acoustic I'll have to see. I'd really like to find a tweeter level setting, set it and forget it. So I am going to have to spend some time maybe with EQ within the patches to get what I am after.

I ended up writing more than I thought I would. Again I am hesitant to write a review because I don't feel like I've really had a chance to put the Reactor FR through its paces. The other thing to over come is I have been listening to those presets for well over a year so I have this perception that how they sound with the QSC is how they should sound. I think that is why my initial reaction to the Reactor FR wasn't immediately favorable like others have posted. So I still need some time to get used to how those presets sound with the Reactor FR so that I can better compare between the QSC and Reactor FR. I think both can be made to work but because of more smoothness on the high end my preference is for the Reactor FRs. In other words I am leaning towards keeping them.

I did have one issue with one of the Reactor FRs where the volume knob is misaligned compared to the other Reactor FR I had. Initially I set the "good" volume to a volume level paying attention to what position the line was oriented say 2 o'clock and then visually set the "bad" one. When I played the sound was lopsided and I could barely hear the "bad" one. I came to realize the the pot was misaligned. Once I maxed out the "bad" one I had a even level between the two. So I'll speak to support about that.

Here is a link to a picture. The picture is kind of large but you'll get a perspective of their size. They are sitting on top of old EV 15" two-way monitors.

http://members.dslextreme.com/users/mworkman/ReactorFR/IMG_1398.JPG
Click to expand...

I'm courious... When you heard the Reactors at the Amp show do you know if the presets were altered in any way for them to sound optimal for the show or were they stock presets?
 
Re: User Reviews of ATOMIC FRs?

jkstraw said:
Interesting post - I just got my Ultra today and am looking forward to giving the Atomic Reator FR a go (I also want them for my VG-99). I am interested to see the replies you get and where the opinions lead.
Click to expand...

I use a VG-99 as well. Unfortunately good FRFR options aren't readily available here in Sydney to try out. The problems of having a low population at the ass end of the world. I've still found that with good IR's, the in the room thing isn't an issue at all. I'm interested to see what you think of the VG after playing with your Ultra. I'll hold my opinion till you can have a play.
 
Re: User Reviews of ATOMIC FRs?

Sixstring said:
I'm courious... When you heard the Reactors at the Amp show do you know if the presets were altered in any way for them to sound optimal for the show or were they stock presets?
Click to expand...

If I remember correctly they were using what I thought was the Tone Merchants rig. I don't think there were stock presets but rather some presets that were setup by the Tone Merchants guys. I don't know how accurate my memory is on that... it was a year ago.
 
Re: User Reviews of ATOMIC FRs?

got rid of my boominess...still trying to isolate it exactly but it's in the neighborhood of 124 - 126 Hz which apparently is a pretty typical range to cut a bit from what I'm reading. All of a sudden the lower freqs really came alive. There's plenty of bass there. Lot's of thump.
 
Re: User Reviews of ATOMIC FRs?

Dpoirier said:
I'm wondering if most of the reviews to date are from users who didn't previously have an FRFR solution (note, I said "most"... I know of at least one reviewer who had an RCF, I think).

I'd be really curious to read a review from someone who has been able to A/B compare it with one of the top contenders in the FRFR world (FBT Verve 12mA or QSC HPR122i). I would also be curious to know from the reviewers to date what they were using previously. Amp and cab? Return loop of a guitar amp? Studio monitors? Headphones?

Thanks to all who provided input to date. Keep it coming...

Daniel
Click to expand...

I think I mentioned in at least one of my reviews that I owned an FBT12ma and sold it. I did not get a chance to do a side by side (these FRFR's ain't cheap!) but I can tell you that I much prefer the Atomic FR. It's got a smoother top end, just crisp enough, the low mid's are pretty tight, not too muddy and the low's are tight and full/bloomy (especially on my Blackface patch). I also REALLY enjoy playing through my Adam A5's mainly because it's a stereo feed, but there is still some "feel" that sometimes gets lost through studio monitors - plus, they are pointing directly at my head.
I routinely create/tweak/track patches from headphones only (Sennheiser something or others) and they sound good too, but not nearly as nice as the Atomic FR. I've also tried:
ART SLA-1 -> EV12L in 1x12
TubeWorks Mosfet -> Silver Bell
TubeWorks 6L6 quad power amp -> TWO 1x12's with CL80's
Valvetech VAC25 power amp section
Suhr Badger loop and loop return only
AC30 loop return
The Atomic FR is by far the best solution thus far; with only some light tweaking every preset that worked great in headphones/studio monitors sounds great through the Atomic. As a matter a fact, patches that were updated at bit monitoring via the Atomic FR now sound BETTER when I got back and listen via headphones or studio monitors.
;)
 
Re: User Reviews of ATOMIC FRs?

I was playing and teaching with both my Atomics....man o man ....they are blowing my mind more & more by the minute.
I will be A/B ing them with my 12ma's. Lookin for amp stands for atomic bombs!!! :D
 
Re: User Reviews of ATOMIC FRs?

Ok finally these last two posts have me GASing a bit! You guys are killing me. I want to get one pretty soon but man money is a bit tight right now. I'm curious how they would handle the bass response coming from a guitar synth? Curious how well the limiter works on these when you really push them. I would assume they would have some kind of limiter protection so it shouldn't be an issue?? Just curious?
 
Re: User Reviews of ATOMIC FRs?

GuitarDojo said:
I was playing and teaching with both my Atomics....man o man ....they are blowing my mind more & more by the minute.
I will be A/B ing them with my 12ma's. Lookin for amp stands for atomic bombs!!! :D
Click to expand...

This is what I want to hear about.
 
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