What would you do? Line 6 Power Cab or Friedman ASC

Dvenci

Member
Question for the people with experience: I’m running my III in my studio, so it goes into my interface etc. I'm using Dynaudio monitors, which I love. I wanted to get a pair of Friedman ASC-10s to use in output 2, so I don’t always have to go through my studio setup and to have some variety.

Thing is, they’re tricky to come by where I am and a line 6 power cab 112 plus & 212 is in every store around me. For those with experience, how does the power cab 212 sound? I need stereo, so it’s the 212, 2 112 plus’s or 2 ASC10s.

I know all about other choices but I've pretty much narrowed it down to these ones.

Thoughts?
 
I have a Friedman, CLR, PC+ and Tech21’s new cab. They all sound great. PC+ is cool since you can go FRFR, Flat (I tend to use that), or the Celestion speaker emulations. I haven’t used IRs since I use those directly in the Axe-3.

you cannot go wrong with any of these.

friedman is heavy but might be a good option if you are gigging (which I have not done since summer 1993, yep, 1993 gig at the Jersey Shore.
Bruce Springsteen was at that Club, dressed as Bruce in jeans and bandana. I always joke and say Bruce saw me in concert but I never saw him.

one of those, we live in a computer sim moments.

food luck or what I originally typed on my iPhone “Good Luck.”
 
I had a 112+ and found it to be good, but did not a/b with other cabs or get in many jam situations. I only sold it as I've gone to desktop monitors for the next while.
 
I had PC112+ and current have PC212+. I thought PC212+ sounds quite a bit better than PC112+. I still believe PC212 (speaker modes) remains the best playing experience with modelers for me, after years of struggling with various FRFRs, including EV, Yamaha, etc.
 
I've had the PC112+ then sold it and bought the 212+ when it came out. I also have a pair of Atomic CLR's. I keep the Atomic's in my rehearsal space and use the 212+ in my home. All of them are awesome in my opinion. If the 212+ had existed when I bought the Atomic's I probably would not own those. I'm glad I do though as I run the whole band through them in our rehearsal space.
 
From my experience the Line 6 Power Cabs (both regular and + models) are much too expensive for what they are, and a good pair of Studio Monitors will likely sound better (I use Tannoy Gold 7's). They sound really dull and lifeless to my ears. And when you consider the price, they really should sound better all things considered. I do have a Laney LFR112 (which nobody seems to be talking about), and it's okay considering it isn't as expensive as many of the competing products. The Mission products are pretty decent, probably the best FRFR out of everything I've mentioned. But again, I think they're pretty expensive for what they are. I find that most of the FRFR cabs out there (Mission, Line 6, Laney, Headrush, etc.) tend to really lack the punch or feel of a real cabinet. Perhaps they need to get to a certain level of volume before they "open up", but muddy and flat shouldn't be a thing at volumes where most neighbors would call the police.

Never tried the Friedman, although I've heard great things about the sound and feel of it. However, it also seems to skew on the pricey side and I've heard numerous complaints about the build quality/design. But from what I've heard regarding their sound (without a personal experience), it's closer to a real amp/cab than the other FRFR alternatives.
 
I've had pair of Atomic CLRs for years and in more recent years have purchased a few L6PC112+s to have at various rehearsal locations, etc. because I'm too lazy to transport. I haven't yet tried the 212+ since I can get more physical stereo separation with 2 112s when needed. I've had a lot of success with all of these cabs. I find the PCs seem to "push more air" than the CLRs, but also seem to be much more directional. Soundwise, they're all great in my opinion. I agree with the above post that I paid more money than necessary for the PC+'s onboard IR storage - I never use that functionality and always run them in FLAT mode. I also never cared for the built in "speaker simulations".

Here's my "modern" 4X12 setup when I really want to 'overdo' things in a live setting in a larger venue: https://forum.fractalaudio.com/threads/post-your-axe-fx-iii-rigs-here.136754/post-1760282
 
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I have some decent experience with this topic as I have run both products extensively at home, live and rehearsals.
The nicest product was the PC212+. Lots of bottom and and stereo in one cab. It is an excellent unit and doesn't weight all that much. It is quite expensive though. In my experience this cab sounded way better then the single PC or PC+ cabs, without question but it is a larger unit.

I have run a couple of PC+ cabs and while they were decent, I really didn't like them all that much.

Currently, I run a couple of the Friedman ASC-10s. I absolutely LOVE these cabs. I had one when they first came out an used it for a year and like a fool, I sold it. I also had the ASM-10 and that one I did not like much at all.

The ASC-10s don't weigh all that much at 35lbs each. Mine are slightly modified. I have different grills on mine as well. When the cab is sitting on the floor, it is a bit darker and resembles a guitar cab more which is nice for those times when you want that. What I did was install a couple of Fender tilt back arms on each one and I point them up to me when playing live as my monitor or monitors depending on if I bring both of them or not. It was very easy to install the arms and I tell you it works amazingly well. I don't need a backline anymore so these were the perfect solution for me as output 1 runs to FOH and output 2 into the ASC-10s.

I'll try and take a pic at home and post it up. I got both of mine used over the past couple of months (one from my local list and one at TGP) and saved a lot of $$$.

Playing the Axe III in stereo is :D
 
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Definitely prefer the Friedman's over the Power Cab 112+. I didn't really like the power cab it just didn't sound too good to me at all. I ended up returning it.

Recently though I was using a Matrix GT1000FX rack amp and a Matrix FR12P cab. After seeing a forum member on here using the Friedman's in stereo I decided to try one. Glad I did because now I really like the sound of the ASC-10's. So much so I'm now selling my Matrix stuff for another ASC-10 so I can go stereo as well. I tried the ASC-12 and didn't get on with that either, too much low end for me and really heavy to cart about.

There aren't very many ASC-10's over here in the UK at the moment but I can order one. The Friedman's definitely sound more cab like to me. I heard they were dark sounding at first but I don't find them dark sounding at all. The main thing is that they transit well from using my studio monitors. I rarely have to tweak a lot when creating a preset and moving from one to the other.

Stick with the ASC-10's it will be worth hanging on to get another one.
 
I have two Friedman ASC-12's, run them in stereo as guitar cabs, I agree with Paulg2uk that running these in stereo is the best way to go (I bought one first and decided later to get a second one, and running them in stereo just makes me giggle a lot more).

I want to note though is that the ASCs sound great at any volume IMO, but at higher volumes (e.g. volume at 3:00 pm in ASCs and noon to 1 on AFX3) you need to use the low-cut in the ASCs and tame the lows and highs in your presets (Fletcher-Munson effect in full glory) that sound great a lower volumes.

They are heavy for sure, but I got a dolly and I only need to carry them briefly in and out of the dolly, so no biggie.
 
I've had the PC112+ then sold it and bought the 212+ when it came out. I also have a pair of Atomic CLR's. I keep the Atomic's in my rehearsal space and use the 212+ in my home. All of them are awesome in my opinion. If the 212+ had existed when I bought the Atomic's I probably would not own those. I'm glad I do though as I run the whole band through them in our rehearsal space.
Surprised to read this
 
I have several FRFR cabinets and right now the Friedman ASC-10 is my favorite. I like the sound and it is a manageable weight (I think around 34 lbs). I was fortunate in that I found a mint shape ASC-10 used. It really surprised me for the sound and build quality. In fact I am considering picking up a second as well.

Sorry, I have never tried a Powercab so I can't comment or compare... just thought I'd give my $0.02 on the Friedman.
 
I have two Friedman ASC-12's, run them in stereo as guitar cabs, I agree with Paulg2uk that running these in stereo is the best way to go (I bought one first and decided later to get a second one, and running them in stereo just makes me giggle a lot more).

I want to note though is that the ASCs sound great at any volume IMO, but at higher volumes (e.g. volume at 3:00 pm in ASCs and noon to 1 on AFX3) you need to use the low-cut in the ASCs and tame the lows and highs in your presets (Fletcher-Munson effect in full glory) that sound great a lower volumes.

They are heavy for sure, but I got a dolly and I only need to carry them briefly in and out of the dolly, so no biggie.
Also note that the ( Level ) on the Friedman needs to be at 8 or above or they don't sound that good. No one talk's about this and people need to mention that. Andertons did a review on the ASC 12 and gave it a low review but I noticed that they had the Level at 4 the whole time. At 4 they don't sound that good so I sent them an e-mail about it.
 
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The PowerCab 212 isn't expensive or heavy in relation to a pair of CLRs for instance. Not a recommendation, never tried one, just an observation.
 
Also note that the ( Level ) on the Friedman needs to be at 8 or above or they don't sound that good. No one talk's about this and people need to mention that. Andertons did a review on the ASC 12 and gave it a low review but I noticed that they had the Level at 4 the whole time. At 4they don't sound that good so I sent them an e-mail about it.

Indeed, they really come alive that way, even if you are running the AFX3 around 9 o'clock...
 
The PowerCab 212 isn't expensive or heavy in relation to a pair of CLRs for instance. Not a recommendation, never tried one, just an observation.
In fact PC212 is quite ergonomic to handle, thanks to the handles on both sides. I A/Bed it multiple times with some of my familiar guitar cabs, it totally hold it’s own, again in speaker modes. It’s FRFR performance is not bad for guitar either, not going super low freq is a plus for guitar application.
 
I appreciate the input everyone. I decided to give the PC 212+ a go simply because of the ease to get it. So far, it sounds pretty damn good. I have nothing to compare it to because I've always run my III into my studio monitors.

It's nice to look up and see something that resembles a cab. It adds to the experience of playing guitar, imo.

So, I have 45 days to give this a thorough trial run. I'm hoping at the end, I'm happy with it. Otherwise, the search continues lol
 
Xitone uses one of the best Celestion speakers (FTX-1225) made with a 800 watt power amp. If things don't work out, give Mick a call.
 
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