EVH Hypersonic (version of the FR12)

[spawnofthesith]

 

[Boudoir Guitar]

 

[Boudoir Guitar]

My 8th grader would name everything, "Slay". Or possibly, "Bruh".

I dropped my kid off at school a couple of months ago, rolled down the window, and shouted for everyone to hear: “have a great day, Bruh!” He was so mad. The game since then is to get him to think I’ve forgotten about it, he’s hopped out of the car and almost on his way and I surprise him with “BRUH!!!’”

I can’t image why he’s growing up to be a bit of an asshole….

 

[JiveTurkey]

 

[[Nathan]]

 

[icicle22]

I've been using a heads and 4x12 marshall cabs for over 30 years. Last year I got a Tonex pedal and picked up some used Headrush FR12s. The whole process and sound was kind of alien to me but I stuck with it and I eventually dialed in tones that I liked. I played a few gigs with the FR12s and worked out well. I did need to use 2 of them to move as much air as my 4x12 cab does but they worked. I paid $400 for the pair of Headrush cabs. I recently took the plunge and snagged a pair of Fender FR12's from Sweetwater and paid the full price for them. I could not wait for the better "FRFR" sound that everyone is reporting, especially knowing that the Headrush FR12s are considered crap by most. I fired up the Fender next to the Headrush and started testing. Did it sound better? Maybe, not by much if it did. I was shocked. I am considering sending the Fenders back just to save some money. If they did sound better, it was not by much and sadly, not enough to make me have an extra $1200 in debt when I paid cash for the HeadRush cabs and own them free and clear. Also, I think I'd hold out and get the EVH branded versions anyway since I am not a fan of the Fender looking amps anyway. Thoughts anyone?

 

[Jarick]

I've been using a heads and 4x12 marshall cabs for over 30 years. Last year I got a Tonex pedal and picked up some used Headrush FR12s. The whole process and sound was kind of alien to me but I stuck with it and I eventually dialed in tones that I liked. I played a few gigs with the FR12s and worked out well. I did need to use 2 of them to move as much air as my 4x12 cab does but they worked. I paid $400 for the pair of Headrush cabs. I recently took the plunge and snagged a pair of Fender FR12's from Sweetwater and paid the full price for them. I could not wait for the better ""FRFR"" sound that everyone is reporting, especially knowing that the Headrush FR12s are considered crap by most. I fired up the Fender next to the Headrush and started testing. Did it sound better? Maybe, not by much if it did. I was shocked. I am considering sending the Fenders back just to save some money. If they did sound better, it was not by much and sadly, not enough to make me have an extra $1200 in debt when I paid cash for the HeadRush cabs and own them free and clear. Also, I think I'd hold out and get the EVH branded versions anyway since I am not a fan of the Fender looking amps anyway. Thoughts anyone?

If the Headrush sounds as good or better, then save the cash and return the Fenders.

One thing you may want to try, cut the bass on the Fenders a bit and dial up the cut to taste. Remember the cut knob at 0 has full tweeter power (brightest) and turns the tweeter down as you increase it (darker).

 

[icicle22]

If the Headrush sounds as good or better, then save the cash and return the Fenders.

One thing you may want to try, cut the bass on the Fenders a bit and dial up the cut to taste. Remember the cut knob at 0 has full tweeter power (brightest) and turns the tweeter down as you increase it (darker).

I'm not a huge fan of the Headrush "PA speaker" form factor but I put them on small amp stands (to get them off the floor due to excessive bass) and point them slight up toward me. Unfortunately because I am old school I am kind of using them like I would an amp in the room. So I expect them to be loud like a 4x12 but I know that is not what "FRFR" is supposed to be about. It's more about "monitoring" your sound. I dunno. But definitely not thinking the Fender sounds that much better.

 

[JiveTurkey]

I'm not a huge fan of the Headrush "PA speaker" form factor but I put them on small amp stands (to get them off the floor due to excessive bass) and point them slight up toward me. Unfortunately because I am old school I am kind of using them like I would an amp in the room. So I expect them to be loud like a 4x12 but I know that is not what ""FRFR"" is supposed to be about. It's more about "monitoring" your sound. I dunno. But definitely not thinking the Fender sounds that much better.

There's a thread at Fractal forum about flattening the HR curve as well which will help with making the HR as flat as it can be. Powered speakers are a really not fun purchase so I get it 1000%.

 

[icicle22]

There's a thread at Fractal forum about flattening the HR curve as well which will help with making the HR as flat as it can be. Powered speakers are a really not fun purchase so I get it 1000%.

this is good information. Unfortunately I am using a Tonex pedal into a Line 6 HX Effects out to the headrush units. The HX effects doesn't have a Global EQ. Also, I am already concerned about messing with the EQ of the sound to customize it to sound good on the headrush "FRFR" cabs and then have them sound too bright sent to FOH. I skimmed the thread about the HR curve adjustments over at fractal and see many people stating they had done extreme tweaks to get the headrush sounding good. That could be my case. So far, the 3 gigs I filled in on with the HeadRush fr12s the sound guy "mic'd" my speaker. I know that is less than ideal but I was also afraid the direct out from the HR unit would sound like crap through the FOH so I have a lot to sort out before my band starts playing our own shows. Is there some kind of EQ unit that I can place between the HXeffects and the Headrush to adjust for the HR curve? Of course I would have to have a direct to the FOH prior to this curve. I should mention that I am running stereo out of the HXFX unit so that further complicates things.

 

[pipelineaudio]

I've been using a heads and 4x12 marshall cabs for over 30 years. Last year I got a Tonex pedal and picked up some used Headrush FR12s. The whole process and sound was kind of alien to me but I stuck with it and I eventually dialed in tones that I liked. I played a few gigs with the FR12s and worked out well. I did need to use 2 of them to move as much air as my 4x12 cab does but they worked. I paid $400 for the pair of Headrush cabs. I recently took the plunge and snagged a pair of Fender FR12's from Sweetwater and paid the full price for them. I could not wait for the better ""FRFR"" sound that everyone is reporting, especially knowing that the Headrush FR12s are considered crap by most. I fired up the Fender next to the Headrush and started testing. Did it sound better? Maybe, not by much if it did. I was shocked. I am considering sending the Fenders back just to save some money. If they did sound better, it was not by much and sadly, not enough to make me have an extra $1200 in debt when I paid cash for the HeadRush cabs and own them free and clear. Also, I think I'd hold out and get the EVH branded versions anyway since I am not a fan of the Fender looking amps anyway. Thoughts anyone?

You found out just how ridiculously cork sniffer people can get. A lot think that there's some magical change that's going to be made just because of some letters on a box, or whether its made out of wood or plastic. If you ask them what the differences are in real world adult terms like frequency response or SPL, they have nothing to say, just refer to some magical nebulous "better" term with no units specified.

 

[paisleywookiee]

A lot think that there's some magical change that's going to be made just because of some letters on a box, or whether its made out of wood or plastic.

It's not magical. Some stuff just sounds better than other stuff. There are good sounding plastic boxes, there are bad sounding plastic boxes. Some people like guitar cab-style powered cabs. I'm not able to find graphs are scientific studies of why something like the LFR112 sounds so much better than the Headrush cabs. If you'd like, I'm sure Google can be of assistance.

 

[pipelineaudio]

What do you mean by "better"? It could be as simple as "I like the way it sounds more", but anything that can be heard can be measured. Does it sound more or less like the studio reference? To me that's what better is, but for some better could mean it loses all its treble.

 

[paisleywookiee]

What do you mean by "better"? It could be as simple as "I like the way it sounds more", but anything that can be heard can be measured. Does it sound more or less like the studio reference? To me that's what better is, but for some better could mean it loses all its treble.

Then fucking measure it, dude. It sounds better to me. It sounds better to a ton of people that hate the Headrush. There are cabs that are plastic that sound better than the Headrush. If you care to defend your cabs so much, fucking measure it. I really couldn't care less. Your smugness gets really fucking old.

You found out just how ridiculously cork sniffer people can get.

And I've found out how insufferably obnoxious people can get.

 

[icicle22]

Then fucking measure it, dude. It sounds better to me. It sounds better to a ton of people that hate the Headrush. There are cabs that are plastic that sound better than the Headrush. If you care to defend your cabs so much, fucking measure it. I really couldn't care less. Your smugness gets really fucking old.


And I've found out how insufferably obnoxious people can get.

Does it always get like this? I've only known the HeadRush FRFR12 model since I switched to modeling vs. real amps. I'd been hearing so much about how good the Fender FR12 was at getting that "Amp in the room" feeling. I've heard just as much bad about the HeadRush not sounding great and I will admit that when I started out it was way too bass heavy and didn't sound great. I've dialed it in and think it sounds pretty good but I thought the Fender FR12 could sound better but in my little experience with it, it's not by much if at all. I really wanted access to tone controls that I could tweak on the fly if I get to a stage that has specific issues. Also having a volume knob accesible without having to reach behind the speaker would be nice. I actually have a SaturnWorks stereo volume pedal (has a knob to turn, not a foot rocker like normal volume pedals) that I adjust with. I run the HeadRush units at like 75% and actually control the volume at my feet as needed. I was just wondering if you guys thought it might be in the realm of normal that the HeadRush 12 and Fender FR12 don't sound that much different? I mean, they are different, but nothing that I would say makes it worth $1200 when I could probably EQ my stuff to match it. Again, a lot of this is just concern that when I send a direct feed to FOH they are gonna get a terrible sounding tone model because of the tweaking I've done to get it sounding good on the HeadRush gear.

 

[paisleywookiee]

Does it always get like this? I've only known the HeadRush FRFR12 model since I switched to modeling vs. real amps. I'd been hearing so much about how good the Fender FR12 was at getting that "Amp in the room" feeling. I've heard just as much bad about the HeadRush not sounding great and I will admit that when I started out it was way too bass heavy and didn't sound great. I've dialed it in and think it sounds pretty good but I thought the Fender FR12 could sound better but in my little experience with it, it's not by much if at all. I really wanted access to tone controls that I could tweak on the fly if I get to a stage that has specific issues. Also having a volume knob accesible without having to reach behind the speaker would be nice. I actually have a SaturnWorks stereo volume pedal (has a knob to turn, not a foot rocker like normal volume pedals) that I adjust with. I run the HeadRush units at like 75% and actually control the volume at my feet as needed. I was just wondering if you guys thought it might be in the realm of normal that the HeadRush 12 and Fender FR12 don't sound that much different? I mean, they are different, but nothing that I would say makes it worth $1200 when I could probably EQ my stuff to match it. Again, a lot of this is just concern that when I send a direct feed to FOH they are gonna get a terrible sounding tone model because of the tweaking I've done to get it sounding good on the HeadRush gear.

Look, if you like the Headrush, if it works for what sound you're going for, then that's great. In the end, it's what makes you happy. Personally, I couldn't get along with either of their cabs, And disliked them so much I would never recommend them to anyone. I think there are better cabs for not much more. But what I think doesn't matter, if you've got them, and you like them.

 

[JiveTurkey]

Flat settings on the Fender are not at noon. Did you try these?

Fender FR-12 Eq measurement and charts.

To get a mic placement well inside the convergance of the speaker, horn, and ports I plotted the waveguide and cone angles, and went with 12" out from the grille . 4 3/4 down and 6 1/2 in from the right side

forum.fractalaudio.com

 

[ian_dissonance]

I shot out every 12” powered speaker in GC before deciding on the EV ZLX12P, because that was the one that required the least amount of work to get my known-good FOH patches to sound like I expected with a price I could live. Pretty much all of them (including a V1 headrush) could have been made to work with some EQ’ing and the ones that sounded exponentially better than the EVs were also exponentially more expensive for minimal “better”. I thought the headrush and a couple of a cheaper Mackies outperformed the QSC CP and the plastic box Yamaha everyone was raving about at the time. I’m not really sure why some people seemed to expect the HR to be great out of the box but the have no problem monkeying with the FR12 controls to make it sound “right”. But also, the Fender is the first guitar-shaped box I’ve seen that didn’t try to either cram a bunch of unnecessary shit in there or charge a ridiculous premium to look like a guitar amp. There’s no reason a $450 powered speaker should cost $1100 just because it’s guitar-amped shaped. (Looking at you Gemini/Friedman/Sunn)

 

[paisleywookiee]

I shot out every 12” powered speaker in GC before deciding on the EV ZLX12P, because that was the one that required the least amount of work to get my known-good FOH patches to sound like I expected with a price I could live. Pretty much all of them (including a V1 headrush) could have been made to work with some EQ’ing and the ones that sounded exponentially better than the EVs were also exponentially more expensive for minimal “better”. I thought the headrush and a couple of a cheaper Mackies outperformed the QSC CP and the plastic box Yamaha everyone was raving about at the time. I’m not really sure why some people seemed to expect the HR to be great out of the box but the have no problem monkeying with the FR12 controls to make it sound “right”. But also, the Fender is the first guitar-shaped box I’ve seen that didn’t try to either cram a bunch of unnecessary shit in there or charge a ridiculous premium to look like a guitar amp. There’s no reason a $450 powered speaker should cost $1100 just because it’s guitar-amped shaped. (Looking at you Gemini/Friedman/Sunn)

That’s what I like about the Laney. I don’t need to rework patches in order for it to sound good, and it feels immediate, not disconnected.

 

[JiveTurkey]

I shot out every 12” powered speaker in GC before deciding on the EV ZLX12P, because that was the one that required the least amount of work to get my known-good FOH patches to sound like I expected with a price I could live. Pretty much all of them (including a V1 headrush) could have been made to work with some EQ’ing and the ones that sounded exponentially better than the EVs were also exponentially more expensive for minimal “better”. I thought the headrush and a couple of a cheaper Mackies outperformed the QSC CP and the plastic box Yamaha everyone was raving about at the time. I’m not really sure why some people seemed to expect the HR to be great out of the box but the have no problem monkeying with the FR12 controls to make it sound “right”. But also, the Fender is the first guitar-shaped box I’ve seen that didn’t try to either cram a bunch of unnecessary shit in there or charge a ridiculous premium to look like a guitar amp. There’s no reason a $450 powered speaker should cost $1100 just because it’s guitar-amped shaped. (Looking at you Gemini/Friedman/Sunn)

At the end of the day; if you can find something in this space that works for you and the results at FOH are not too much nightmare fuel in comparison; stick with it and move on. No matter how esteemed it is or isn't in other's eyes.