Atomic amps CLR's

  • I just received an Atomic Amps CLR powered wedge last week and I am really blown away buy it. I tried a lot of FRFR systems and never really gelled with them ,so I figured that Id ditch the idea of buying a pricey FRFR and I tried to go on the cheap and I bought some behringer powered monitors and then some tech 21 power engines to use for some stage monitoring for my Kemper. Each solution worked fine but I kind of missed the feel that you get from a speaker cab, so for the last few shows, I switched to a power amp and speaker cabs.
    I had the Kemper setup where the FOH got my main sound form the direct outs of the Kemper and my Speaker cab got the sound coming from the monitor out minus the speaker sims and was Eq'ed for the cab. The Problem with that was I was not hearing what the people were hearing at the FOH, so now with the CLR's I can use the sims on all the time and get a better idea about what's going on. Can't wait to try these at some gigs!


    The CLR is pretty amazing and I'm blown away by them. Not only do they sound the best out everything I've tried but what Impressed me the most beside what everyone else seems to be saying about them is the feel! I gained back that cranked amp feel that I was missing with the other solutions I was using. Now I can ditch my speaker cabs again and regain the benefit of using multiple cab sims and being able to hear them, plus I'll have a better idea of what the FOH is hearng. although I'm pretty sure that my CLR will sound better ;) So far I only have one CLR but I will be getting another to run in stereo as soon!!


    These things are so clear that when I played some of my favorite music through them i heard everything in great detail. It was almost like a blanket had been lifted off of my speakers. You would have to hear them in person to believe it! (if you haven't already!


    Anyone else feel the same way about the CLRS? I'm pretty stoked! We are very fortunate to have the gear that we now have available in this point in time. I'm still blown away by the fact that I can play a show with just a Kemper , a Midi F/S and some CLR's and have one of the best live tones I've ever had lol


    Cheers~!!

  • Hey Gainfreak, Got a pair myself and think they're really accurate. Have friends visiting so will have to wait until the end of next week to hook 'em back up again. I crank them (up to 98db) for short durations to check freq response. They'll quickly show if you have too much icepick or mud in your rigs, plus they have a lot of depth and detail. And it's great being able to use them in any position; wedge, backline or pole mount. That's super important to help you find what works best (minimize nodes) in your room. Of course you already know all this.


    So I think they're wonderful speakers but they probably won't replace anybody's primary studio monitors. They could be useful as a "B" system in conjunction with quality monitors, for a high volume check of track playback.


    You're right about the current state of guitar gear. We're in the golden age of cool tools and toys.

  • Anyone have experience with the CLR cabs? I just sold my lunchbox and got a rack Kemper and really want to go with an frfr cab. I'm even kicking around the idea of buying a used cab and swapping out the speakers. Any advice is appreciated!

  • I have a CLR active cab, I used it for the first year on the floor and it is just amazing.
    But last week I got a speaker stand, and now it is even better!


    The hype is real, the CLR is the best way to play a Kemper in my opinion, I tried some EV's before and it was night and day when I got the Kemper.

  • Anyone have experience with the CLR cabs?


    Basically, the cab and wedge versions sound the same, except for the latter allowing for some presets which take the wedge's placement into account.
    I'd suggest you to consider the wedge for a moment: you'l be able to mount it on a pole if you ever need to, you can place it vertically as a cab, and you can use it as a wedge. Its versatility is definitely higher.


    :)

  • Thanks so much for the replies and I agree that the clr's are the real deal. It's great to see that I'm not alone :)


    To be honest with you, if anyone reading this has not tried one, you really should. I'm going to pony up and get another one !!


    Cheers!


    ~R~

  • Well, the CLR is not the only good FRFR-cab out there (Matrix, KPA-solutions...) and you never can compare a FRFR-cab with a normal guitar-cab....


    I'm using a Matrix Q12a and I'm happy with it.

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    first name: Guenter / family name: Haas / www.guenterhaas.de

  • Well, the CLR is not the only good FRFR-cab out there (Matrix, KPA-solutions...) and you never can compare a FRFR-cab with a normal guitar-cab....


    I'm using a Matrix Q12a and I'm happy with it.

    Well I agree, the CLR is not the only good FRFR cab out there. There are plenty to chose from but the CLR's are the best for ME AND for what I like and just for the record I've also never compared a FRFR to a guitar speaker cab. I said that I went back to using a guitar speaker cab because I felt that the FRFR systems I tried were lacking the Feel that I got when using a cab. That is ultimately why I am at home with the CLR's. You get all the benefits that you get from running a FRFR speaker but they also have that speaker cab feel in my humble opinion. Cheers!

  • I had the chance to compare the Q12a directly with the CLR, they both are on the same level and they both sound excellent.


    Specs are very different tho.
    While for a specific use differences may not be huge, if you ran a series of specific tests you'd reveal them.
    For example, no coaxial cabs is phase-coherent in the CLR's market segment (and above by a fair bit). Whether this is relevant or detectable for a specific uses it's definitely personal, but specs are not.


    Because of the above, I also highly doubt that the real Q12's amplitude response is anyway near to the CLR's one.


    Having said that, no doubt a guitar player can get great results with a lot of different brands and kinds of gear!
    :)

  • Specs are very different tho.

    I don't go for specs, I trust my ears ;)


    Ingolf's CLR and my Q12a were astonishingly close, we didn't expect that and had the chance to compare them directly. Sometimes it was hard to tell what cab it was (same KPA, same profiles, same guitar) and they are both -if you want it- very loud, too.

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    first name: Guenter / family name: Haas / www.guenterhaas.de

  • Is that you Ralph? Dave here.


    I've had a Kemper for a few months. Running it through an EH 22 Caliber and Bogner 4x12. Still have my Mark IV/Recto 4x12 as well but I've been itching to try FRFR. I've heard nothing but raves about the Atomic CLR. Did you get yours new? Seems like I'm more likely to find Flight 370 than one of these cabs.


    Dave