51m0n Posted July 20, 2015 Share Posted July 20, 2015 (edited) On Saturday we had the pleasure of playing The Half Moon in Heathfield, lovely venue, super people, amazing party atmosphere, we were asked back, very memorable evening, blah blah blah... What was really unexpected was to be able to take the latest Barefaced PA rig out to give it a go. This consists of two FR800 cabs and two LR800s - you could daisy chain more if you wanted I guess, but I'm not sure why any band carting their own PA would need to. The FR800s have a tweeter, the LH800s don't, each has an 800w amp built in and DSP to fine tune the audio on the way in to maximise each cab's potential. The LH800s are not subs though, they just help ou the FR800s in the low end to low mids, they push a lot higher than subs do. Thats a 3.2K rig, that one person can easily carry in two trips(!!!!), that fits into a standard saloon car easily. I made sure I had a huge collection of classic funk and soundtrack material on hand to play before and after the band, firstly because thats always a good idea, but also because I wanted to hear the PA and tune it. On the back of each cab there is a recessed button that cycles between four different DSP settings, with different level and eq curves so you can match the PA to the venue. HAving a little play I settled settings that sounded really balanced to my ear and then cranked the PA up to about two thirds of its potential and went for a walk out front. First things first, two thirds of this PAs potential is massively loud, just huge power, easily enough for a very very large pub, or a small hall, we were oputside in a marquee, in the middle of no where so I got away wiuth being very fast and loose with the power when I went for a listen. Most of the PAs I have used - because the subs concentrate so hard on very low bass - are very thumpy, and lack low mid definition, right where the bass should be - subsequently there is little pitch info in the bass but masses of power in the kick drum. And we all hate the kick drum being the super dominant part of what we hear don't we! This PA is very different - its a truly full range and sound ridiculously precise throughout the frequency range - think brilliant hifi or fabulous monitors that can go dangeroulsy loud without crapping out and ruining the sound. They handled everything from Bootsy's mid 90's Keep That Funk Alive (really heavy bass in this) to Ennio Moriconne's Good The Bad and The Ugly, and Roy Budd's Get Carter Theme (the heavy drum mix version), the sound was just compelling, and really beautiful. They certianly go deep where the material is deep, but they dont overlay a huge eq curve on the sound to make everything deep at the expense of clarity. They just sound brilliant. Needless to say chucking the band through them was equally enjoyable, they didnt disappoint at all. the Kick drum was very tight and punchy, but extended deep enough to have 'weight' and power, but never overwhelmed the bass (yes I snuck some bass in the mix - you'd be mad not too!) which sounded glorious. The guitar and keys balanced beautifully without ever competing, and the horns just filled in the gaps with the trumpet sitting over everything perfectly. The contrast with the monitors we had (all ancient tech) could not be more clear, they struggled to throw enough sound into the stage, they weighed a tonne, were bigger than the Barefaced and came with an enormously heavy power amp to drive them - not ideal! And we blew our wedge monitor when it didnt cope with a sustained low bass trombone note in a quiet section. The cone just crapped out IF you are looking for a seriously capable PA that fits into a small space, is unbelievalby transportable, and sounds simply breathtaking, then start saving, this one is (for me) a game changer for band owned PAs.... Edited July 20, 2015 by 51m0n Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iain Posted July 20, 2015 Share Posted July 20, 2015 Great write-up, thanks! Just need to get BF to sort out some nice floor wedges for monitoring! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest bassman7755 Posted July 20, 2015 Share Posted July 20, 2015 (edited) I experimented using a couple of G2 compacts as PA subs some while back and they did a very respectable job - although somewhat lacking the chest thump factor compared to a purpose-designed sub they gave a nice smooth extended low end, and of course did great job of projecting my Di'd bass. IME commodity PA subs are as you say often a bit rubbish at producing anything musical in the lower register. Edited July 20, 2015 by bassman7755 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest bassman7755 Posted July 20, 2015 Share Posted July 20, 2015 [quote name='Iain' timestamp='1437381880' post='2825358'] Great write-up, thanks! Just need to get BF to sort out some nice floor wedges for monitoring! [/quote] Agreed, something like a self powered tilt-able midget would be awesome. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
51m0n Posted July 20, 2015 Author Share Posted July 20, 2015 Alex said to me that floor wedges wont happen because they'd be prohibitively expensive I'm afraid.... Double PIA since we blew one of our monitors on the night! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrtcat Posted July 20, 2015 Share Posted July 20, 2015 Damn you 51m0n - I want this rig more than ever now. I showed the rest of the band and they all said the same thing "I'm sure they sound amazing but they look dated" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger2611 Posted July 20, 2015 Share Posted July 20, 2015 Ok so it sounded awesome was easy to carry.....please bring an antacid to my gas by telling me how much the set up would cost me! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bassfunk Posted July 20, 2015 Share Posted July 20, 2015 (edited) Any pics of the setup? I'd like to see what it looks like in situ. Edited July 20, 2015 by bassfunk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
51m0n Posted July 20, 2015 Author Share Posted July 20, 2015 (edited) Exactly what looks dated about a properly set up 1x12 + tweeter cab with 800w power amp built in that you can easily lift above your head one handed?? Cost is about a grand a cab, most bands would be more than adequately served with just two FR800s imo, the 4 cab solution really was overkill! I didn't get any pictures but I'll ask the band if anyone else did.... I thought they looked fine, I've never had a punter say anything about how a pa looked, but several including the landlord said the sound was incredibly good.... Edited July 20, 2015 by 51m0n Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrtcat Posted July 20, 2015 Share Posted July 20, 2015 [quote name='51m0n' timestamp='1437413536' post='2825794'] Exactly what looks dated about a properly set up 1x12 + tweeter cab with 800w power amp built in that you can easily lift above your head one handed?? [/quote] I couldn't care less about the appearance, like I said, I want them. I have gigged BFM DR200s for ages and they have a less than standard appearance. Our singist (who knows jack about PA systems) and guitarist both commented that they look boxy as tops like the ones they used in the 70s. I guess by that they mean they don't look tall and thin like compact array systems and they don't have smooth curvy grills like many other modern tops. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy Jack Posted July 21, 2015 Share Posted July 21, 2015 [quote name='mrtcat' timestamp='1437402689' post='2825674'] I showed the rest of the band and they all said the same thing "I'm sure they sound amazing but they look dated" [/quote] Bloody hell, I thought some of MY bands contained weird people. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest bassman7755 Posted July 21, 2015 Share Posted July 21, 2015 [quote name='Roger2611' timestamp='1437412532' post='2825781'] Ok so it sounded awesome was easy to carry.....please bring an antacid to my gas by telling me how much the set up would cost me! [/quote] Youl get a bit pocket change from £4k. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrtcat Posted July 22, 2015 Share Posted July 22, 2015 [quote name='Happy Jack' timestamp='1437464221' post='2826106'] Bloody hell, I thought some of MY bands contained weird people. [/quote] They're just a bit negative at times. I'm the only non full time muso in the band and it feels on occasion like I'm dragging a bunch of disinterested teens on a day trip. Until they get paid of course lol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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