If going down the AX8 route....

OnTheRopes

and using it mainly at home with a view to playing at home volumes and recording, would you go for studio monitors or speaker cab? Which of each would you recommend

Roland

Not the traditional speaker cabinet, because that limits you to that one type of speaker. At home you probably won’t get the volume high enough to drive the cabinet anyway. Either go with studio monitors or FRFR, and use IRs within the AX8 to get different speaker sounds. If you’re only playing at home, and recording, then you’re going to be using monitors anyway. If there’s a chance of playing out occasionally then you’ll need something bigger.

This is a journey, and you learn as you go. There’s a lot of expensive FRFR stuff around, and the “favourite” changes all the time. Ditto studio monitors. It’s often best to start with what you’ve already got, because you know how it sounds, and then upgrade as the journey takes you.

Jonathanthomas83

If you’re using it mainly at home, consider the rack...just so happens I have my Axe FX II XL for sale in the ads, can do you a deal. AX8, though awesome, was designed for the gigging musician...though, that’s not to say it won’t be great for home use.

I use studio monitors most of the time with mine, and I have a pair of FRFR bigger monitors for going out and about.

OnTheRopes

Roland said:

Not the traditional speaker cabinet, because that limits you to that one type of speaker. At home you probably won’t get the volume high enough to drive the cabinet anyway. Either go with studio monitors or FRFR, and use IRs within the AX8 to get different speaker sounds. If you’re only playing at home, and recording, then you’re going to be using monitors anyway. If there’s a chance of playing out occasionally then you’ll need something bigger.

This is a journey, and you learn as you go. There’s a lot of expensive FRFR stuff around, and the “favourite” changes all the time. Ditto studio monitors. It’s often best to start with what you’ve already got, because you know how it sounds, and then upgrade as the journey takes you.

Okay, I need to be educated now, please explain exactly what FRFR and IR's are? I have googled FRFR and they appear to be PA speakers but what am I missing?

OnTheRopes

Jonathanthomas83 said:

If you’re using it mainly at home, consider the rack...just so happens I have my Axe FX II XL for sale in the ads, can do you a deal. AX8, though awesome, was designed for the gigging musician...though, that’s not to say it won’t be great for home use.

I use studio monitors most of the time with mine, and I have a pair of FRFR bigger monitors for going out and about.

Certainly something to consider though I am not quite ready to push the buy button yet.

Jonathanthomas83

OnTheRopes said:

Roland said:

Not the traditional speaker cabinet, because that limits you to that one type of speaker. At home you probably won’t get the volume high enough to drive the cabinet anyway. Either go with studio monitors or FRFR, and use IRs within the AX8 to get different speaker sounds. If you’re only playing at home, and recording, then you’re going to be using monitors anyway. If there’s a chance of playing out occasionally then you’ll need something bigger.

This is a journey, and you learn as you go. There’s a lot of expensive FRFR stuff around, and the “favourite” changes all the time. Ditto studio monitors. It’s often best to start with what you’ve already got, because you know how it sounds, and then upgrade as the journey takes you.

Okay, I need to be educated now, please explain exactly what FRFR and IR's are? I have googled FRFR and they appear to be PA speakers but what am I missing?

Here's something I wrote on IRs (though not definitive, hope it'll help) - https://medium.com/@jonathanthomas83/how-to-get-a-great-guitar-tone-at-low-volume-without-a-speaker-cabinet-5bfd0371f9f6

FRFR is Full Range Frequency Response. Speakers that give you the full range of frequencies that IRs (or any other audio source) offer. Yamaha DXR10 is what I use, but there are loads of other speakers that you could use.

Jonathanthomas83

OnTheRopes said:

Jonathanthomas83 said:

If you’re using it mainly at home, consider the rack...just so happens I have my Axe FX II XL for sale in the ads, can do you a deal. AX8, though awesome, was designed for the gigging musician...though, that’s not to say it won’t be great for home use.

I use studio monitors most of the time with mine, and I have a pair of FRFR bigger monitors for going out and about.

Certainly something to consider though I am not quite ready to push the buy button yet.

If you're going for a brand new AX8, I'll be honest, for similar money, this Axe FX is a steal. Here if you have any questions mate, I know all too well how much of a leap it is :-)

OnTheRopes

Jonathanthomas83 said:

OnTheRopes said:

Roland said:

Not the traditional speaker cabinet, because that limits you to that one type of speaker. At home you probably won’t get the volume high enough to drive the cabinet anyway. Either go with studio monitors or FRFR, and use IRs within the AX8 to get different speaker sounds. If you’re only playing at home, and recording, then you’re going to be using monitors anyway. If there’s a chance of playing out occasionally then you’ll need something bigger.

This is a journey, and you learn as you go. There’s a lot of expensive FRFR stuff around, and the “favourite” changes all the time. Ditto studio monitors. It’s often best to start with what you’ve already got, because you know how it sounds, and then upgrade as the journey takes you.

Okay, I need to be educated now, please explain exactly what FRFR and IR's are? I have googled FRFR and they appear to be PA speakers but what am I missing?

Here's something I wrote on IRs (though not definitive, hope it'll help) - https://medium.com/@jonathanthomas83/how-to-get-a-great-guitar-tone-at-low-volume-without-a-speaker-cabinet-5bfd0371f9f6

FRFR is Full Range Frequency Response. Speakers that give you the full range of frequencies that IRs (or any other audio source) offer. Yamaha DXR10 is what I use, but there are loads of other speakers that you could use.

Thanks i will have a read of that

peteri

I started off using my Ax8 into an amp, it worked but compared to headphones sounded flat. 

Switched to a pair of tannoy reveal studio monitors I’ve had for years and never found a use for. Night and day better. 

Off the back of that that I got a Yamaha DSR10 speaker on Black Friday. 

sounds absolutely amazing. Just huge and wonderful. 

Home use only and im in a flat. 

Would move on the Tannoys cheap if you’re interested. 

But to answer you definitely studio monitors or small PA worked best for me 

OnTheRopes

peteri said:

I started off using my Ax8 into an amp, it worked but compared to headphones sounded flat. 

Switched to a pair of tannoy reveal studio monitors I’ve had for years and never found a use for. Night and day better. 

Off the back of that that I got a Yamaha DSR10 speaker on Black Friday. 

sounds absolutely amazing. Just huge and wonderful. 

Home use only and im in a flat. 

Would move on the Tannoys cheap if you’re interested. 

But to answer you definitely studio monitors or small PA worked best for me 

Yeh, just a case of which speakers now I guess, but still weighing up if I can justify a modelling amp right now as I have a perfectly good valve amp and I am only an intermediate player at best but working hard onumproving

Jonathanthomas83

You only live once, modelling has made me a better player because I spend less time messing about looking for the right tone. Spend more time playing these days than I ever did. FX and tones on tap :-)

OnTheRopes

Jonathanthomas83 said:

You only live once, modelling has made me a better player because I spend less time messing about looking for the right tone. Spend more time playing these days than I ever did. FX and tones on tap :-)

Apart from the first four days though

Jonathanthomas83

OnTheRopes said:

Jonathanthomas83 said:

You only live once, modelling has made me a better player because I spend less time messing about looking for the right tone. Spend more time playing these days than I ever did. FX and tones on tap :-)

Apart from the first four days though

Haha, touché! Thanks for reading it, mate! Appreciate that :-)

Wazmeister

DXR10 is wonderful 

Beexter

I have both a Yamaha DXR10 and an Alto TS110A. Either works fine for playing at home volumes as well as at performance levels. Whilst they will will both work for home use only, they're both overkill if you're never going to need their full volume capabilities. For home use, I tend to run my AX8 into the "flat" setting on my Yamaha THR10 which works well for me and could also act as an audio interface for recording if needed.

OnTheRopes

Wazmeister said:

DXR10 is wonderful 

1100 watts  ?

Jonathanthomas83

They get quiet enough. I had my two in a very small room and the room I’m in now isn’t much larger. 

OnTheRopes

Jonathanthomas83 said:

They get quiet enough. I had my two in a very small room and the room I’m in now isn’t much larger. 

1 or 2 dya reckon?

Jonathanthomas83

Stereo is always better, IMO.

if you’re at home mostly, get yourself some nice monitors instead. I have Genelec 8020s and they’re used a lot more than the Yam’s.

OnTheRopes

Jonathanthomas83 said:

Stereo is always better, IMO.

if you’re at home mostly, get yourself some nice monitors instead. I have Genelec 8020s and they’re used a lot more than the Yam’s.

8020C, 8020D or 8020 DPM ?

OnTheRopes

I like the look of these, but a bit dearer https://www.amazon.co.uk/A7X-Monitoring-speakers-Analog-monitoring/dp/B003SYYU9C