Compact "FRFR" for home?

Do you want a box that contains all the amp modeling and fx, or a box that is just an output system?

I've used one of those little Marshall Acton Bluetooth speakers with a Strymon Iridium and it honestly sounded fine for a home setup. Did not get that loud, but good enough.

For an all-in-one, I like the Yamaha THR series.
 
Eagle said:
It’s like saying I want something to do a job but not that thing that’s literally designed to do it best. You should probably reconsider.
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It’s more like saying “I don’t want kale and lentils; I want a power bar. I know they all suck but one might satisfy my weird-ass craving. Which power bar sucks the least?”
 
I've got the first gen spark mini and it's pretty decent for that sort of thing. Should be able to get one quite reasonably second hand.
 
bucephalus said:
I've got the first gen spark mini and it's pretty decent for that sort of thing. Should be able to get one quite reasonably second hand.
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That one was high on my list as well, but if i'm going for a full fledged (practice) amp, i'd like something that doesn't require a phone to operate.

Boss' Katana Mini-X looks pretty sweet, albeit relatively low power.
 
+1 on studio monitors if you're not going to move them.

For a small, powerful (30-40w), very portable speaker, the MiniRig 3 is great at about $150. Does not color the tone, low latency, days of battery power, and it's much, much louder than you'd think. For guitar it works as well as studio monitors in the same price range.
 
Lysander said:
That one was high on my list as well, but if i'm going for a full fledged (practice) amp, i'd like something that doesn't require a phone to operate.

Boss' Katana Mini-X looks pretty sweet, albeit relatively low power.
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Hard pass for me needing a phone to operate a practice amp - it's nice to have the option - I don't like that I have to open my app to make cab changes for the THR but it's really the only time I open the app. Admittedly I'm not spending days tone chasing on this thing, it sounds "good enough" - if it helps me play guitar and not fiddle with gear then it's a win for the practice amp category.
 
I like the Yamaha THR30 sometimes, it is easier to grab and go for this but the IK Micro loud monitors sound a little better with most modelers. No blutooth though
 
I would not get a minirig. I have one. The bass limiter kicks in often and I wasn't sending a hot signal or bass heavy signal at all. I didn't think it got very loud either, even though it has a stated something like ~95 dB output.
 
holoholo said:
I would not get a minirig. I have one. The bass limiter kicks in often and I wasn't sending a hot signal or bass heavy signal at all. I didn't think it got very loud either, even though it has a stated something like ~95 dB output.
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Never heard of or noticed a bass limiter. Are you sure? Did you mean the "loud" eq setting which reduces the bass selectively? They get pretty loud when on the high gain mode (bright led) and that sounds better to me even at lower volumes.
 
quadgear said:
Never heard of or noticed a bass limiter. Are you sure? Did you mean the "loud" eq setting which reduces the bass selectively? They get pretty loud when on the high gain mode (bright led) and that sounds better to me even at lower volumes.
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100% sure. I’ve tried it numerous times. I keep the eq flat.
 
If you're not going to use it an absolute ton then something like the headrush or Nux ones are cheap enough you're not going to feel too guilty for not using it. IMO the sound on them is all in the same league until you go a size up (which is outside of the scope here). Spark2 and TH30ii are 2x the cost, not sure if its really 2x better sound. Probably has nicer apps but if you're just noodling I doubt it matters a ton.

On a different note I've been thinking about the EVH hypersonic sized cabs (Fender / ToneX as well). I've got a EVH hypersonic coming to me to test out and am super keen on trying it to see if its worth picking up. I used to gig with a massive QSC and never really got on with it, keen to see what I can get out of the EVH with something like the TMP.
 
Yeah 😥 I had a Yamaha THRII10 for years which i really really liked, but ultimately collected dust once i started focusing on modellers + FRFRs, and couldn't justify myself having an (expensive) practice amp laying around as decoration.

Was thinking of something similar but cheaper (i.e. without the amp modelling part). That 30W Headrush thingie is really starting to grow on me...

[Nathan] said:
On a different note I've been thinking about the EVH hypersonic sized cabs (Fender / ToneX as well). I've got a EVH hypersonic coming to me to test out and am super keen on trying it to see if its worth picking up.
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Hypersonics are re-branded Fender FR-12s, and yes - they sound great (y) Not sure if the hiss issue is present on the EVH line, but if you happen to get a silent one it's the best "FRFR" solution i've came across so far.
 
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