LFSys Monza 1x10" FRFR Cab. You Little Beauty

[funkle]

Howdy all

 

You know me to be in general a big fan of @stevie's work, and he kindly sent me the newest addition to the LFSys FRFR stable, the 1x 10" Monza cab, to try out. (https://www.lfsys.co.uk/bassguitarproducts)

 

I'll start with some pics of it next to my LFSys 'Silverstone' 1x12" - actually the very first Basschat Mk3 FRFR 1x12", but with updated crossover and horn a la the SIlverstone cab from the LFSys range. Pardon the wear; it's been  out and about plenty. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In short, it's a peach of a cabinet which I think can be the first 10" with a real claim to compete with a loud drummer. It is good for pub/club gigs; it handled rehearsals well with a loud drummer in a small enclosed space.  I tested it out for a week or so in a few settings with my Berg Mk1 B  Amp.

 

I'll try to summarise the main points for me.

 

• Every instrument I played through it sounded very natural, like playing through studio monitors. 
• It has a solid but non-boomy bottom end and utterly clear midrange/treble. It sounds the same as my Silverstone in the mids and highs (same horn/compression driver explains this), though the Silverstone has a bigger low low end (the Monza has a tailored low end response to prevent boominess at high volume).
• It can be heard very clearly standing directly in front of it, nearly on top of it, and well off axis.
• The driver can take a substantial amount of low end EQ, and even outright misuse, if the user happens to be foolish (slapping with big bass boost).  
• It takes a low B well. 
• The finish is top notch and it looks great.
• The handle is set flush with the to p, so can accommodate any head.
• 11kg is a good weight for a 1 cab solution.   

 

I don't have experience of the Barefaced 110T to compare it to, but I did have a BF 110 without the tweeter. I would say it's louder than the Barefaced 110 and has much clearer high end, unsurprisingly. Although it's heavier - 11kg vs 7kg.  The only other small 10 I've owned which could compare in terms of frequency range was the old Acme 1x10, and this is is much much louder.

 

The main difference I hear between this and the 12" cabs in the LFSys range is that the low end is slightly different for all of them. The Silverstone 12" has the biggest low end, then the Monza 10", and then the Monaco 12" is the tightest (but still good). All of the cabs in the range share the same mid and high end frequency characteristics - totally clear FRFR sound. I wouldn't be able to tell the difference between them if you EQ'd the low end similarly, which you can.   

 

 I don't have any negatives to say about the cabinet. It's a premium product at a premium price, with top end components ands crossover. It is truly boutique. 

 

Stevie is going to organise that this unit is sent around to other folks for them to try it out. I'd say fill yer boots, it sounds great!!! 

 

 

Edited June 7, 2023 by funkle

[LukeFRC]

Nice! It looks lovely too

[LukeFRC]

and matches the berg amp! 

[spyder]

I'm so tempted.

[GlamBass74]

Recessed handle! Good move....👍

[GlamBass74]

15 hours ago, spyder said:

I'm so tempted.

Do it! 😁

 

Stevie is ace - a proper gent and very approachable if you have any questions. 

 

I'm sure you won't be disappointed.

 

(i get nothing from this by the way...)

Edited June 8, 2023 by GlamBass74

[EBS_freak]

@stevie nice work!

[Chienmortbb]

As you might expect, I have heard an early version of the Monza and it was impressive. My Silverstone has been upgraded to a Monaco but of course I now have GAS for the 10”. I might as well just give @stevie my wallet!

[Mykesbass]

I'm waiting for the Mallory Park model - lovely vintage sound, but some truly dreadful corners! 

 

Seriously, this looks like yet more great work from @stevie

[Stub Mandrel]

Interesting.

 

I've been wondering about a 1x10 to go with my Elf, specifically for rehearsals. The GR bass would make sense but is ££££, as would Barefaced 110 but £££.

The TE Elf 1 x10 looks decent but is 8R and my experience of the 2x8 'in store' was very underwhelming.

There's the Warwick 104 pro but it's almost as heavy as my AT212...

 

So where do I get more details of the Monza? And just in case I suddenly find lots of time on my hands, is it detailed as a self build like the 1x12 designs?

 

Doh! Just re-read and found the link.

Edited June 13, 2023 by Stub Mandrel

[stevie]

You can certainly use the Monza with your Elf, @Stub Mandrel, but you're not going to get the most out of it unless you have a more powerful amp.

This doesn't mean that it's low sensitivity, but it will handle lots of power without complaining and go as loud as most players on this forum will ever need - on its own.

 

I'm currently prototyping a cab that Stub has more or less written the specification for in his post. It makes the most of the tiny heads like the Elf that are popular at the moment. It's still a couple of months away yet but, if anyone's curious, I can provide the spec and pricing via pm.

 

 

[Stub Mandrel]

1 hour ago, stevie said:

You can certainly use the Monza with your Elf, @Stub Mandrel, but you're not going to get the most out of it unless you have a more powerful amp.

This doesn't mean that it's low sensitivity, but it will handle lots of power without complaining and go as loud as most players on this forum will ever need - on its own.

 

I'm currently prototyping a cab that Stub has more or less written the specification for in his post. It makes the most of the tiny heads like the Elf that are popular at the moment. It's still a couple of months away yet but, if anyone's curious, I can provide the spec and pricing via pm.

 

 

 

I have an Orange Terror too. It is nice to be able to fine tune your rig for different situations.

 

Would be interested in details of the mini monza.

Edited June 14, 2023 by Stub Mandrel

[stevie]

It definitely won't be called the Mini-Monza. 😃

 

Pm on its way, @Stub Mandrel

[tauzero]

Cadwell? Snetterton? Oooh, I know, Thruxton. Then you can have a marketing tie-in.

 

[Downunderwonder]

On 14/06/2023 at 20:48, stevie said:

low sensitivity, but it will handle lots of power

...is a rule you appear to claim to have broken.

[Phil Starr]

9 hours ago, Downunderwonder said:

...is a rule you appear to claim to have broken.

I think the iron rule in this case you can't have both of those at a low price The 10" driver in this cab has a hugely powerful magnet for this class of cab and isn't cheap. I think the Monza in particular is hugely under priced for what you are getting even at the list price. The current reduced price for Bass Chat members is almost crazy.

 

No laws of physics are being broken. The voice coil in the 10" unit has a 3" voice coil which gives it the ability to disperse more heat and a longer voice coil to increase excursion which also improves power handling. The long coil is operating in a strong magnetic field so efficiency is kept high and because the magnetic field is so powerful the movement of the cone at the lowest frequencies is better damped than with a cheaper/weaker magnet again reducing the chance of over-excursion. 

 

It's all made possible by spending a lot of money on a super-powerful magnet which would be ridiculously heavy if you used anything other than a neodymium motor system.

 

[Pea Turgh]

After hearing the 12’s at the SW bass bash, I’m 100% fixed on one of the range as my next cab (might be a while as I’m still trying to build a little studio).