HeadRush FRFR112 MKII - 2500W Electric and Bass Guitar Amp, 12" Full-Range Flat-Response Bluetooth Speaker for Multi-FX and Amp Modeling Processors

Having read a lot of reviews and battling between the 108 and the 112, I finally decided to pull the trigger on the 112. I use a Headrush PedalBoard but had been running it into an Orange pedalbaby power amp and then into a 4x12 which took up too much space. Upon receiving the amp I was initially disappointed with the sound. While it was plenty loud and clear, it was also incredibly boomy. As if every setting on my presets had the Bass boosted and all treble removed. Having looked across a few forums I saw some people had similar issues but it wasnt a wide spread problem, which lead me to believe it was down to how I was setting up the rigs. So a big tip to anyone who experiences the same issue and has the HR pedalboard.....crank the Low Cut to about 250hz+ and you will see huge improvements, be that on an IR or global settings. I can't explain the smile it put on my face that this thing sounded immensly better! It's built fantastically and is a good weight so easily portable. Very happy!!!

I'd really been thinking about moving away from cumbersome valve amps for a while; asking myself should I go digital and, if so, how best to do it? I own a Line 6 Firehawk FX multiFX unit and never really got along with it. Most of this stems from my laziness to actually program good tones, plus, I'd been using it in the front of amps of various quality for 2 years. The tones always sounded harsh and unusable. That all changed when I decided to try it through a pair of powered studio monitors. I've been researching how to build professional-sounding patches, so I actually sat down and took my time to build the sounds I've been chasing for years. Through the monitors (Rockit 8's) the board sounded IMMENSE. I was blown away. I had found the sounds I wanted (or, at least, I was extremely close). However, lugging two large studio monitors around everywhere isn't practical. I started looking for a solution. I found the Line 6 Powercab Plus and I started seriously thinking about purchasing one. A couple of things though - it looks.. well.. boring.. and it's an expensive box of a thing. Enter the HeadRush FRFR-112. I couldn't believe the price and it LOOKS cool. It has that floor monitor vibe with the metal mesh. Plus, 2000W?! I purchased one hoping I'd done the right thing. A couple of days later, I was unboxing a sleek unit in my studio. I plugged the XLR into the input (tip: use input 2 if you plan to lie the cab back floor monitor-style - I got the impression that the tilted back angle was pinching the cable a little when it was input 1). I turned on my Firehawk, setting the master volume low. I turned on the Headrush (amp last!) and slowly set the volume to 5. WOW. This thing is LOUD! Not only that, but the tone is killer; it's been tuned especially for guitar. Great full range across lows, mids and high frequencies. The contour switch is nice, however I prefer the flat sound when the switch is inactive (i.e. in the out position). Long story short - if you're looking to take your favourite multiFX settings with you to gigs, record, whatever.. don't hesitate. You won't be disappointed. If I had to pick one little tiny complaint, it would be the input one 'issue' where your XLR is pinched against the floor if you tilt the cabinet backwards. Bit of a non-issue really, and extremely easy to overcome. Amazing. And yes, I've ordered the smaller 8-inch unit now too to give me a stereo set-up. Killer!EDIT: Now using Line 6 Helix as opposed to Firehawk and the tones are far superior. Ended up getting another 12-in Headrush instead of the 8-in I mentioned in my review. Absolutely killer. The speakers really let the IR's breathe and allow the tones to shine without being coloured by the amp. 10/10!

Headrush FRFR 108 Mk2I have now owned the Mk2 version of one of these for eight months and have used it at home, in the studio and live as well. The Mk 2 version addressed a few complaints about the original Mk1 version, and it is the Mk 2 version being reviewed here.There are several good reasons to have a FRFR rig, and for me it was to exclusively use the Boss GX100 multi processer unit with it, and to have a rig that was lighter and easier to transport than conventional guitar amps. The Headrush 108 FRFR (Full Range Full Frequency) lends itself very well to multi processors, for example to use the units, amps, IRs or cab sims which you would not normally do with a normal guitar speaker.In use the Headrush works very well in most situations. It is quite powerful, and for small to medium venues this speaker will certainly push enough air to get yourself heard. However, for bigger venues either line up two of these, or use a suitable guitar amp. The rating is given as 2000 watts (Class D) but the figure does not really equate to output volume, what I can tell you is that my Orange SC and Katana Head both rated at 100 watts with class A/B circuity push more air than the Headrush cranked up, and its these amps I use for the bigger venues (Think school hall size) Certainly the guitar amps feel like they have more headroom, a more rounded sound and volume to spare. This is of course largely helped by an Orange PPC 1x12 cab fitted out with a Celestion Redback speaker versus the 8-inch speaker of the Headrush. There is a 1x12 version of the Headrush, which in many reviews sounds more bassy than the 8, however it is also significantly heavier which for me kind of removes one of the main points of owning the 8.It can take a bit of getting used to an FRFR speaker, in as much as you will want to EQ your patches differently to what you would through a conventional amp, as the Headrush does not have EQ controls like some others do. I assign the 4 lower knobs of the GX100 to display Gain/Bass/Middle/Treble on all patches and this means quick changes on the fly are easy to apply. I found depending on the room size and acoustics, sometimes the overall sound can be bass boomy, other times tinny and trebly. Both these issues are easy to deal with using the GX100 EQ. If you find the boomy bass response a bit much pressing the HPF button on the back reduces the low frequency, alternatively get the speaker off the floor which is what the HPF seems to simulate.Connection wise, you can chain another speaker to it and there are line out options. The power lead and cable connections clear the floor if the speaker is placed on the floor, and the logo is the right way up, so this addresses issues from the previous version. It does have two inputs, but I haven’t really tested this to see how it copes.The Bluetooth feature works flawlessly. You can stream in a backing track and jam to it, the backing track will be crystal clear unlike a guitar amp/speaker which will colour the sound. Both my phone and tablet worked very well with no issues. I did notice you have to balance the BT and guitar volume levels in to stop one overpowering the other, that may be the case as well if using the second instrument input channel.One thing that puts people off the Headrush speaker, is that it just does not resemble a traditional amp. On the floor it looks like a standard monitor, and on a tripod stand it looks like a small PA speaker giving the impression it might not keep up with the rest of the band. People might look and be quite surprised by the huge noise this thing can put out. This never bothered me, your audience will not care either, but I get why some people feel that way.The speaker is supposed to be able to handle a bass guitar as well, I tried it…. but in all honesty stick to your regular bass amp. I didn’t spend a huge amount of time testing a bass, but what I heard would not cut across a mix too well, but your mileage may vary!I also tested an acoustic guitar through it, very good results no issues there.All in all, the pros outweigh the cons of this speaker of which there are few, it works especially well in studio rehearsals and forms part of a lightweight overall package, and in most venues, I have used it, there has not been an issue with getting heard, though if your drummer and band are especially loud or you are playing high gain metal etc, then maybe think about other options.If you’re using a multi effects processor then it might take a bit of time dialling in your tones, no different really to doing this for a guitar speaker. Worth mentioning that there is very little background noise when hooked up, when it did increase it was down to the signal chain from the Boss unit so was easy enough to troubleshoot. You will need to connect it using a TRS cable, so a standard guitar cable won’t provide sound.So, in summary the end user experience for me has been overwhelmingly positive, home, studio, and small to medium sized venues the Headrush is definitely a viable option if you want to keep things lightweight and easy to set up. Hooked up to a multi-FX processor I would suggest tweaking your patches at mid volume to dial them in. For big venues consider other options one of which would be to add a second unit. Its difficult to find fault with the Headrush, and after eight months of using it, I would recommend it as a capable, easy to use, well featured lightweight rig, for all but the bigger venues.