LFSys Monza

[eude]

18 hours ago, Obrienp said:

This is a FB comment I got from my local luthier and multi-instrumentalist who attended one of my band’s gigs on Sunday. I really respect his opinion on all things musical. I think it demonstrates how good a single Monza is. “Patrick T R O'Brien. Bass sounded great down the room - really fat in the low end and punchy. Great sound from such a small rig. Sounds much bigger.”

Awesome to hear matey, how big was the venue?

[Obrienp]

3 hours ago, eude said:

Awesome to hear matey, how big was the venue?

In this case it was a pub. Fairly narrow long bar room packed with punters.

[Clarky]

Casual inquiry: would a Monza and Trace TE-1200 (800W at 8 ohms) be a disastrous match? Shame Trace don't do a less extreme powered head (unless you go all the way down to an Elf)

 

(Edit: with my back/neck issues, I couldn't really confortably handle a Monaco ... to provide context)

 

Edited July 16 by Clarky

[Phil Starr]

It's the amp @stevie uses

[Obrienp]

1 hour ago, Clarky said:

Casual inquiry: would a Monza and Trace TE-1200 (800W at 8 ohms) be a disastrous match? Shame Trace don't do a less extreme powered head (unless you go all the way down to an Elf).

 

Yes, you would think they would do a 500, or 600 watt head. They have a Peavey 600 watt head in the same stable. 

[chyc]

There used to be a page on Barefaced's website about mixing cabinet and amp ratings. It's gone now sadly so you cannot verify what I'm relaying, but it basically boiled down to that you can pair any powered cabinet with any powered amp, if you're sensible. If the cabinet rating is higher than the amp rating, then you're not reaching the cabinet's full potential. Any online information about how distorted waves coming from an underpowered amp break a cabinet just aren't true.

 

If the amp rating is higher than the cabinet rating, then the amp has the potential to blow the speakers. However, with sensible usage you will be fine as the speakers will be telling you that they are unhappy with unpleasant distortion, particularly on the low notes. Only caveat to that is when you put an aggressive HPF in the signal chain and you reach the thermal limit rather than the excursion limit of the speaker. With decent drivers such as in the Barefaced or LFSys ranges, you'd have to be absolutely ragging them for that.

 

This Barefaced page is still referenced on their Info pages, but the actual page is no longer there. Are we to read into that? 

[barkin]

2 hours ago, chyc said:

 

This Barefaced page is still referenced on their Info pages, but the actual page is no longer there. Are we to read into that? 

 

The page is still there - just the link's broken.

 

https://barefacedaudio.com/pages/amp-vs-cab-power

[stevie]

17 hours ago, Clarky said:

Casual inquiry: would a Monza and Trace TE-1200 (800W at 8 ohms) be a disastrous match? Shame Trace don't do a less extreme powered head (unless you go all the way down to an Elf)

 

 

The TE-1200 and LFSys Monza are a match made in heaven. As @Phil Starr says, it's the amp I use, and I arrived at it having tried a lot of different heads over the years. Because of the high power of the Trace, you have to be sensible with the volume control, but your ears will be ringing before you overload the cab.

[eude]

38 minutes ago, stevie said:

 

The TE-1200 and LFSys Monza are a match made in heaven. As @Phil Starr says, it's the amp I use, and I arrived at it having tried a lot of different heads over the years. Because of the high power of the Trace, you have to be sensible with the volume control, but your ears will be ringing before you overload the cab.

This does not help

[pete.young]

Another good test for the Monza last weekend. I did a dep gig with a 16-piece big band - drums, keys, trumpets, trombones and saxes. No PA. Outdoors.

 

I was just about loud enough at Fortissimo, with the iAmp Doubler running pretty much flat out. It's notionally 450W into 8 Ohms. The Monza handled that quite happily.

 

To get a little more headroom and move a bit more air,  I DI-d the signal from the amp into a TecAmp Puma 10 combo.  A more powerful amp would have been a better option, but since I'm not planning to make a habit of doing this gig I'll stick with what I've got for now.

[Barabass]

After years of playing with the same gear, I’ve decided to order a LFSys Monza. I was torn between a Monza and a Monaco.

 

Stephen really helped me along in making the choice, although ultimately I had to make it myself, and I went for the more compact and lighter option. I’m very curious, especially whether the cab will provide enough headroom, particularly during rehearsals with a band that has two guitarists, a solid drummer, and a keyboard player who really digs in on his Hammond plus Leslie. A second Monza is always an option, but I hope I can manage with just one.

 

It’s quite a gamble to put your money on a speaker cabinet you’ve never heard in person. I based my decision purely on the posts here on Basschat, the specs, and the info on the website. The cabinet itself (the wood, the bracing) already looks like a beautifully thought-out piece of craftsmanship. I don’t think it could be better. I’m as excited as a kid for the delivery and will of course share how the Monza performs in the field, both in the rehearsal space as a stand-alone and as an addition for stage sound. Live, I always play with my band using in-ears and PA. 

 

I could even leave everything at home for gigs and just take my bass and pedalboard with me. But according to our sound engineer, some bass sound should also come from the stage itself. The drummer does that naturally, and the guitarists bring amps and cabs as well. People standing at the front of the stage also deserve the experience of a live band, not just PA sound coming from the sides.

 

It might seem like a noble goal that I’m making this investment for the audience, but of course I’m really buying it for myself (haha!). It’s great to have the finest gear and to purchase something from someone who puts so much heart and soul into their work. That part is definitely not a gamble. I am 100% certain about that and have complete confidence in it. Whether it stops at one Monza, I’ll let you know. If it does, then we’re truly talking about innovation, evolution, and refinement that I can benefit from now, and that younger bass players will also benefit from later.

 

There’s so much commercial gear for sale, including small cabinets at very low prices. I’ve also owned and used larger cabs, like the Chinese-made Kustom 8x10 (a fantastic cab in terms of sound) or Ampeg’s budget B-410 series. There’s good and affordable gear out there. It doesn’t always have to be expensive or boutique to sound great. But I also want to explore the spectrum of the best builders, the ones who make the very best there is. That can cost a bit more, and that’s a personal choice.

Edited 4 hours ago by Barabass