Xitone Cabs

W

White Light of Death

Power User
So I am getting my 12” active wedge on Wednesday morning from FedEX and I can’t wait....I wanted an FRFR and I didnt want to buy another Atomic neo , and to my good fortune, there was ONLY one other FRFR that stood out: Mick Farlow xitones

Now, comparisons have been difficult to get from people as most choose one or the other. Of course, the CLR is more popular, but then again, the atomic has been around for twice as long and has been selling a lot more, mick is small, one man operation thats fairly new, so the numbers make sense when you stack them against each other....they are equally on par as far as FRFR goes

What I want to know is what is the bilateral crossover about? Something about a bi amp where the tweeter sits behind the main speaker?

The title means, the CLR has its own system, which you can read about....but I want to understand Mick’s system of his FRFR solution

Anyone care to explain differences or just general concept of Micks FRFR , maybe versus how Atomic assembles theirs?

Thank you for helping a noob
 
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They are amazing
Every bit as FRFR as the Atomic CLR but it does have a cab warmth to it (is that considered that IR feel with palm mutes and the like)
Amazing build quality, and a really nice compact design that fits very easily under my studio desk
I couldn’t be more pleased, especially because I paid a bit less than the Atomic

The customer service is incredible and I doubt I’d ever need any help, but Mick responds immediately to support any customer

I have to say between the atomic CLR MK I (which was very great , amazingly transparent) and the Xitone, i do prefer the Xitone. I like everything about it, the looks, the feel, the general setup has a lot of options, and the tweeter behind the speaker make the all the difference

I put the output 1 on my A7 and output 2 sum L+R on my Xitone, and compared the tones, and they were so similar that it wasnt much of a difference WHEN CONSIDERING the speaker construction and difference in what they are: monitors vs cab.....but its TRUE FRFR

If anyone is debating whether to get the CLR (I) or the Xitone, id vote Xitone....i havent put it against the Mk II but Jace at CS says the Mk I is exactly the same sound as the Mk II just different construction ....so i gotta give it to Xitone, for sound, build, quality, customer service, price, and basically all around because it has extra features like BT

Anyway, you cant go wrong with either, but I’d def want a xitone now....the CLR sounded like louder monitors/PA to me, too clear and transparent, which is what you want with FRFR...but that depth for IR was lacking, it sounded like playing loud monitors....the Xitone SOUNDS like a Cab, but it retains the tone of the axe 3.....

I’d say a little tweaking on a preset, lets say adjust the scene EQ for the xitone and it would be nearly identical I’m sure

Now I’m comparing with arguably [def one] of the best set of monitors on the market (adam a7) so its not a TOTALLY fair comparison, becuase they are different products with different aims.....but if you want to hear what your tone sounds like, and appreciate the feeling of playing it loud, heavy, and live......the xitone is DEF what youre looking for, its the FRFR with a punch
 
It’s a little bit of an oxymoron to describe something as sounding like it has more “warmth” yet still say it’s totally FRFR, no? Or that the CLR was “to transparent” as if it’s a bad thing ?

Glad your happy, and Xitone makes a great product, but your post singing it’s praises comes off a rather contradictory.

It’s either accurate and transparent or it’s not. Those aren’t really subjective qualities.

If it sounds “good” is a totally different matter. You can have something sound less than transparent and that can actually sound “better” in many cases. Heck, most stereo speakers are designed to sound good, not be accurate after all.

Personally, I don’t do much want it to sound good, I want it to sound accurate, so I have a good basis for tweaking my tone to sound good.

If I want more warmth, I’d rather dial it into the preset than have my monitor color the sound.
 
The FRFR of the CLR sounded thin and transparent as I said. It didnt sound like an axe with a cab
The FRFR on here, so far with my first 10 minutes with it, is built smaller and differently, so the tweeter behind the speaker is genius
I prefer the FRFR of the Xitone over the CLR system (CLR sounded more like a PA, which if I wanted a PA, I’d buy a matrix and some speakers, which i didnt want)Also, I didnt want something that sounded like a PA/monitors, i wanted an FRFR thatsounds and feel like a cab, this does
Not only does it sound accurate, as accurate as the CLR, but it sounds good.
If I wanted a CLR, I wouldve bought another one. I’m glad I bought what I wanted.
It’s as advertised and better....another oxymoron? Maybe....

PS I’m using Adam A7 as well, so accuracy is obviously preference for me as well
 
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Not to nitpick but the CLR uses the tweeter on the same axis as the woofer as well.

It’s the “C” in CLR. It’s both coaxial and coincident, but done in a slightly different manner where it’s supported in front of the woofer instead of screwed in behind the woofer, but behaves in the same manner.
 
Lqdsnddist idk if the MK II is different but the MK I had the tweeter sitting on the speaker. IIRC, this tweeter is BEHIND the speaker , so I’m hearing accurate FRFR but with different speaker positions, in smaller enclosure, hence the IR and the palm muting behind more robust than the MK I

Remember, I had the first MK I which may be different after all ...I’m just going by what atomic told me,...dude they are both incredible, like I said, i just didnt feel like palm muting and what not came through on my kemper+atomic cLr, but the axe+xitone is a different story.....the tone on the kemper is on par with the axe, and the IR is just as if not more dynamic, so I have to say I’m impressed

But both FRFR systems are bi amped, just different positions, I’m not sure if were not understanding each other here lol, but i agree with what most of your saying,, maybe I’m not expressing myself right
 
White Light of Death said:
Lqdsnddist idk if the MK II is different but the MK I had the tweeter sitting on the speaker. IIRC, this tweeter is BEHIND the speaker , so I’m hearing accurate FRFR but with different speaker positions, in smaller enclosure, hence the IR and the palm muting behind more robust than the MK I

Remember, I had the first MK I which may be different after all ...I’m just going by what atomic told me,...dude they are both incredible, like I said, i just didnt feel like palm muting and what not came through on my kemper+atomic cLr, but the axe+xitone is a different story.....the tone on the kemper is on par with the axe, and the IR is just as if not more dynamic, so I have to say I’m impressed

But both FRFR systems are bi amped, just different positions, I’m not sure if were not understanding each other here lol, but i agree with what most of your saying,, maybe I’m not expressing myself right
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The MKI & MKII sound identical. The only difference is the power amp was upgraded to run cooler & more efficiently. I had 2 of each at one point. It seems you are also comparing apples to oranges, Kemper CLR to Axe Xitone. Maybe the thin, PA sound was coming from the Kemper. I have no issue what so ever with thin, transparent sounding patches. I can make them huge & boomy or thin & spiky or the way I like them, full, lush, warm & clear. The whole idea of Flat Response is the speaker sounds like what you send to it, not the speaker adds something to pretend it's a guitar cab. If your Xitone is adding low mid bump, your patches are not going to have that so your FOH sound will not have that. Only the Xitone. That low mid bump should come from your patch.
 
You found a pretty accurate speaker with a great build, which is easy to find in stock, and at a cheaper price. All in all it’s a winner in my book, and most importantly, it sounds good to you.

I’m simply pointing out sounding subjectively more pleasing isn’t the same, in many cases, as being more accurate.

If a speaker enhances the tone in a pleasing way it can make a bad mix sound pretty decent. A really accurate monitor/speaker/frfr is going to sound bad, because it is an accurate representation; ie garbage in = garbage out.

This is why people don’t often buy studio monitors for music listening. They are tools meant to help make an accurate mix, but they might not sound musically ideal.

A real guitar can is no different really, it can be very inaccurate, but it can be darn pleasing to play through with thump for days.... all well and good but certainly can’t judge how it’s going to translate to other systems.

The CLR as you said sounds rather like a PA. That is a good thing if you want to be sure what your hearing is what the audience is hearing from the PA (assuming the PA is good)

If what you hear you don’t like, then the audience isn’t getting what you want them to hear either, so you need to tweak it.

I think you just want to play your guitar and have it sound good to your ears, and still be pretty accurate, but perhaps not as transparent as others.
 
I’ve only had a few minutes with it
Apparently that’s mid bump is a choice e
There’s a mode that is very flat and transparent , very much like the CLR
I wasn’t aware of the DSP switch in back
I need a manual, I was waiting to get emailed one
But I get you guys, I still have my atomic manual lol
 
lqdsnddist said:
The CLR as you said sounds rather like a PA. That is a good thing if you want to be sure what your hearing is what the audience is hearing from the PA (assuming the PA is good)
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This 100 million percent! I dial in all my presets on my CLRs and they all translate very well to the live PA system I play through (which is a fully equipped PA system, not a cheapy). I have never had an issue, what I get on my CLR is almost exactly matched for the PA.

So from what I have been reading in this post, is that if you are a person who (like me) plays a lot through a PA only, then maybe the CLR is better. But if you tend to prefer to use your sound on stage rather (i.e. so in a smaller venue or pub) then maybe the Xitone will be more fun/satisfying.

Maybe the best of both worlds is the perfect solution, dial in your tones on the CLR, and use the Xitone to jam/play through in smaller venues. I don't know, I don't want to spend more money on Xitone when I love my CLRs, but you know if I was rich I would probably own both.
 
Spending more time with it, playing more with the parameters and the DSP modes,it is actually quite transparent

Not as thin or “monitorial”, or i dont know, something lacking in the CLR...which is in my ears of course because everyone has their own preferences....I wish I had the old unit to compare but i dont think it would be much different when in the FRFR DSP mode

What i did was, i put on my A7 monitors (which to me will always be the best FRFR lol, except for Genelics of course) and played with the volume to see if i could see where the tones (XLR output 1 or 2) could be differentiated, and at lower volumes, no, they were almost indistinguishable , but at higher volumes, as to be expected, the cab sounded a bit thicker, of course its pumping out 800w vs 100w lol so to be expected

Anyway, again, I’ve only spent a total about under an hour with er total today, but so far, i I’m impressed for my initial impressions!!

PS I needed the manual too, which I just was sent! Lol
 
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White Light of Death said:
The FRFR on here, so far with my first 10 minutes with it, is built smaller and differently, so the tweeter behind the speaker is genius
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Tweeter behind the speaker isn't some unique design to Xitones. It's an old design with some benefits and drawbacks.
lqdsnddist said:
Not to nitpick but the CLR uses the tweeter on the same axis as the woofer as well.

It’s the “C” in CLR. It’s both coaxial and coincident, but done in a slightly different manner where it’s supported in front of the woofer instead of screwed in behind the woofer, but behaves in the same manner.
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Not to nitpick (I think you already know?), but it behaves in a better manner in the CLR.
 
CLR is better
Getting my old one back

EDIT: FRUSTRATED AS F))++O because of power supply problem....spikes and outages, onoff. And then DEAD.
However - working on Fix....maybe cable
 
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