More FRFR pondering ... only the fan free need apply.

Jim Soloway

Jim Soloway

Member
Messages
15,567
My FRFR experiments continue. The QSC K8 was nice but the fan drove me crazy. The Verve FBT 8ma sounds sweet at low volume and in standard tuning, but if I get loud or tune down then the low end starts to fart out. I checked out the Tech 21 PE 60. The concept was nice but it may as well have had a fan, given the noise level.

So I'm still looking for the right FRFR. It has to be quiet, fan free, light weight and have a strong, tight low end. I'm considering both active and passive. Candidates so far are the Wharfdale Titan series (perhaps an 8 or more likely a 12), the Carvin LM12A (they're discontinued but you can still get them), a Hermida ported cab with a coaxial speaker, tweeter and cross over (like the one Galo River uses) with a separate power amp (perhaps a Crate Power Block?).

Any other candidates?

Any comments?
 
Roodboy

Roodboy

Member
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1,525
I'm liking the ev elx112 active.
I've had a bunch incl hpr 122i, atomic active and verve 12ma. Its light and tight and if it has a fan I never heard it.
 
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AriBoiangiu

Silver Supporting Member
Messages
584
The Carvin has a ton of highs and boomy lows that cant be dialed out (at least not to me). Low-mid and mid-heavy preamps that I have (pod 2.0, Triaxis) love it, but it's almost like a solid state guitar amp in that sense. Throw highs at it and it kind of freaks out...
 
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AriBoiangiu

Silver Supporting Member
Messages
584
I have a Mackie hd1221 that's pretty fantastic or everything but crazy high gain (but that may be cuz I can't program well enough). I gig with an art sla2 power amp and guitar cab though because it takes all the work out of getting the "amp in the room sound" for me....selling the Mackie cheap now...
 
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mattball826

Member
Messages
20,796
hmmm maybe wait for jet city amps new frfr products coming. not sure if id like tweeters in amp cabs, but maybe i might.
 
MKB

MKB

Silver Supporting Member
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9,634
The market is wide open for a good sounding loud FRFR that is modeler friendly and easy to use. Most wedge solutions have drawbacks such as cost or frequency response or feel. I still find it hard to believe that someone doesn't make a combo style amp with a solid state power amp and a full range speaker (kind of like the PE60 but without the guitar speaker). I've been very pleased using a Peavey Bandit with a full range 12 with a HD-500 in Studio mode, EQ flat. It gets the most stuff right of any solution I've used so far. It also adds zero noise if you use the power amp input.

My latest experiment in this direction will be to use a Peavey Studio Pro 110, and modify it for a 12" speaker (don't know if it will fit yet). It might be as good as the Bandit, but at a lower power and lighter weight.
 
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emux2

Member
Messages
145
I have the carvin LM12a and am quite happy with it. Patches translate well from it to my churches PA. It is very light. I play mostly carvin guitars that are known to be bright and don't have a problem dialing in my HD500. Before I bought it I tried mackie Thumps (three of them) and did not like the soulnd of the built in noise gate. I also tried a behringer 12' powered monitor. It sounded ok at low levels but was way too boomy for me when turned up.
 
3dognate

3dognate

Member
Messages
6,096
Gasp100 said:
I want to try this one out bigtime. I think it might be my FRFR Huckleberry.

:p

How "bad" is the hiss if you are playing at lower to moderate volumes?
Click to expand...

You will NOT like the ELX112P with the HD500...

The cross over is 100hz which defeats the low end a little too much. (Which is OK for just monitoring, but not for backline like I think you want to use it Jim.) And without it the HD500 is just a blubbery mess.

Not the ELX112P's fault, it's a fantastic powered speaker... it's an HD500 thing.. Every other modeller sounds fantastic through it at full range. I've been bitchin about the HD500 not having a low frequency shelf or global EQ explicitly because of how it behaved with this speaker and a few others. The QSC KXX is the only one I know of that has a cross over around 80hz on it's normal setting that actually makes the HD500 sound right. Full on blame to Line 6 for dropping the ball on this... should have been a non issue on day one...
 
Gasp100

Gasp100

Gold Supporting Member
Messages
28,268
3dognate said:
You will NOT like the ELX112P with the HD500...

The cross over is 100hz which defeats the low end a little too much. (Which is OK for just monitoring, but not for backline like I think you want to use it Jim.) And without it the HD500 is just a blubbery mess.

Not the ELX112P's fault, it's a fantastic powered speaker... it's an HD500 thing.. Every other modeller sounds fantastic through it at full range. I've been bitchin about the HD500 not having a low frequency shelf or global EQ explicitly because of how it behaved with this speaker and a few others. The QSC KXX is the only one I know of that has a cross over around 80hz on it's normal setting that actually makes the HD500 sound right. Full on blame to Line 6 for dropping the ball on this... should have been a non issue on day one...
Click to expand...

Is this some type of shelving swtich on the back that cuts below 100hz? My buddy was testing this with the HD500 and proclaimed that this switch definitely need to be switched ON (cut everything below 100Hz). In the end, he was not completely happy with it and returned it, but I don't know if that was because FRFR was not quite working for him or what.
I will be using this with other modelers.
You mentioned other modelers have worked well with this speaker - which ones?
 
3dognate

3dognate

Member
Messages
6,096
Gasp100 said:
Is this some type of shelving swtich on the back that cuts below 100hz? My buddy was testing this with the HD500 and proclaimed that this switch definitely need to be switched ON (cut everything below 100Hz). In the end, he was not completely happy with it and returned it, but I don't know if that was because FRFR was not quite working for him or what.
I will be using this with other modelers.
You mentioned other modelers have worked well with this speaker - which ones?
Click to expand...

Yeah there's a "Full Range" or "With Sub" crossover switch that cut's low end below 100hz when set to "With Sub"

I've personally used the GSP1101, PodXT, (PodFarm, Amplitube, etc from the PC...) and have conversed with AxeFX and 11r guys about it. The HD500 is the lone turd in the punch bowl.

This whole this is not a big deal on most mixers because you can EQ it out or punch the Low Cut on the channel strip. But rears it's ugly head when you run driect from the HD500 to the wedge for a FRFR monitor/main.
 
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Aaron Mayo

Senior Member
Messages
2,246
Gasp100 said:
I want to try this one out bigtime. I think it might be my FRFR Huckleberry.

:p

How "bad" is the hiss if you are playing at lower to moderate volumes?
Click to expand...

Only reason I mentioned it is Jim said noise was an issue. It's there, but it's not a problem personally for me; I use it for playing w / bands and don't notice it in that context.
 
DRS

DRS

Silver Supporting Member
Messages
14,238
Mackie Th12 or 15? I have the TH12. I roll odd the low end with the speakers onboard EQ.
 
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