11 rack with Focal CMS 65 monitors

[Sf Audio]

So I've heard of folks using the 11 rack with FRFR monitors...I have a pair of Focal CMS 65 monitors -these are nice monitors, pretty clean and accurate. The 11 rack through them was so clean and pristine it was a bit annoying. No color in the tone. I guess that's why you would use them with an 11 rack, but man I missed my 4x12 with celestions.

Should I consider "lesser" monitors that aren't so revealing? Or if I don't like it through the focals I won't like it through any monitor?

Goes to show how much the speaker means to a guitar sound...a lot!

[Darryl Ramm]

A full range PA or stage monitor should provide no useful color.

You should play with/work out how to use the settings that affect the amp sim, cab sims, speaker breakup to sound more like a real guitar amp/cab.

It is hard to guess how much pure SPL is affecting you here. Small monitors like you are using are never going to push enough air to give you something that seems like a 4x12 sitting in the room with you. What they can do very well is payback what a recorded 4x12 cab would sound like. You may just need much larger/more powerful PA/stage monitors or the power section of real guitar amp and large cab to get what you are looking for.

[Sf Audio]

It isn't so much the "size" of the sound, but just the lack of color. I get that monitors are designed to be as colorless as the can be, but it seems to defeat the purpose of why you use guitar speakers - for the sound that they give.

I messed around extensively with the cab and mic parameters, and while I could dial in sounds somewhat well, I couldn't escape the sound of the monitor itself. I'll give it some more time, and maybe larger monitors with 12" woofers would help some....

I've also tried running the 11 rack through the power amp input of my marshall 6100 and into a 4x12 with greenbacks/GT75's (cab sims off)...seemed OK I guess, but maybe a bit on the dull side, maybe because the power tubes were doing there thing and the 11 rack doesn't like that..

May consider trying an atomic reactor or tech21 power station....maybe that's the answer?

I really want to like the 11 rack as it's got so much you can do with it. I got it for $100 so can't complain....well, I guess I can. :)