I've tried my axe numerous ways, FRFR, FRFR with matrix amp, matrix amp into many different cabs including matrix n-12's, I keep going back to FRFR. Have you tried "powered speakers" vs matrix into FRFR? I havent tried the CLR's yet but I get my best tone using powered speakers vs seperate amp and frfr speakers.
When I dont have FOH to plug into I use my home made half stack, it kills and gives the amp in the room sound in fact huge, it consists of a divided old 4x12 cabinet, two woofers and two tweeters installed into 12" round wave guides, two 550 watt class d power amps all robbed from a pair of pretty cheap Behringer B212D speakers I had.
I played around with acoustic foam inside until it sounded where I wanted it, it also has 2 band EQ on the amps so I can quickly dial it for the room or outdoors.
it was a cheap azz experiment that turned out fantastic. Here is the thread on when I built it
http://forum.fractalaudio.com/amps-cabs/47126-building-my-own-frfr-cab-maybe.html
I also use EV ELX112p's, Qsc K12's and they are great too but my cheap azz cab just does the trick and I have played many gigs with it and no failures, always sounds great, even very seasoned musicians are pretty amazed when I show them what is really is and no one has ever guessed it wasn't a "normal" 4x12 cab.
This combined with good FOH system has given me the best tone ever in all my 40 years of playing. Now I just picked up an axe 2 (been using an Ultra). Since using the Axe FX I have never had so many compliments on my tone.........Period. All when using FRFR, cab sims etc.....and to my ears as well. You bring your best studio tone to a live environment, in the last year or so I have played with my best real amps that sound killer and I always come back to the AXE FX everytime.
Now, the absolute best huge rock tone I can get comes from the Axe FX combined (using an A/B box) with a miked little blackstar HT-5 mini stack and also speaker emulated line out of the Blackstar so L/R from the axe fx, sm57 and senhieser on both cabs of the 5 watt blackstar and L/R on the emulated out of the Blackstar line out.
You hit a power chord and its like being punched in the face and they all hit the board at fractionally different times and it sounds so fat and huge. When I have played with that set up, Whoa! Usually I am using an EAW wedge in front of me and its killer, speaking of which the EAW passive FRFR speakers are some of the best I have ever heard EVER and I dont see those mentioned on this forum.
Funny, I have had maybe 5 different people on this forum PM me if I wanted to sell my home made cab..........nope! you cant get 12" waveguides anymore only 10".