Today’s modeling heads and pedalboards are giving our analog amps and stomps a run for their money — not only for their incredible wealth of sounds, but also for their simplicity and what-you-hear-is-what-you-get peace of mind when it comes to gigging out and cranking up.

But with all that’s happening under the hood of these devices — amp modeling, FX, and speaker emulation — how do you best tap into your presets for live performance, monitoring, and practice?

Many guitarists are entrusting their modeled tones to full-range, flat-response (FRFR) speakers. These self-contained systems closer resemble PA speakers than traditional guitar cabinet setups, with built-in power amplifiers, 2-way speaker systems, and some clever tricks to deliver that “amp in a room” response that every guitarist seeks out.

FRFRs vs. PA Speakers: What’s the Difference?

On paper, these systems are virtually identical. In fact, most of the FRFRs available at Sweetwater can double as traditional stage wedges or loudspeakers for live sound production. Where FRFRs differ from active PA speakers is in their designs, features, and tonal response.

Designs: many FRFRs aim to re-create the look and form factor of a traditional guitar cabinet. Some of these are even made from birch, a premium tonewood in the guitar cab market.
Features: a list of ever-growing guitar-centric features, including onboard speaker IRs and toggle-able full-range/cab-filtered EQ sections, equip these devices for a multitude of guitar applications.
Tonal response: whereas most PA speakers are tailored for loudness and the ability to reproduce all instruments in a band, FRFRs aim to be as neutral as possible, serving as nothing more than a blank canvas for the sounds produced by your modeling device.
Watts Loud Got to Do with It?
“A 2000-watt guitar amp? Isn’t that, like, 20x louder than my Marshall head?”
Comparing loudness across FRFRs and tube amps can be a challenge for a number of reasons. For starters, tube amps are generally used well into overdrive territory, in which state the amp is operating above its rated power. Conversely, FRFRs endeavor to deliver as clean and neutral a tone as possible, which means they need way more headroom. Another inconsistency is due to wattage rating standards across the industry. FRFR A may be rated for peak power — the maximum output it can deliver at a given moment — and FRFR B for RMS, which is a better real-world measure for amplifier performance over time. Further confounding the matter is that some FRFRs tout a combined wattage rating for their two onboard amps (woofer and tweeter), while others just use the wattage rating of their larger woofer.

The long and short of it is you really can never have “too many” watts when it comes to FRFRs. An electric guitar’s transient peaks can reach levels 10x hotter than its program material, and if any of those enters clipping, your guitar signal can suffer.

Our advice: if you think an FRFR has more watts than you need, it probably doesn’t. And if you suspect you need more, you probably do.

To FRFR or Not to FRFR

While some players swear by the extended highs and articulation that only FRFRs can deliver, others still prefer a traditional guitar speaker and cabinet. Fortunately, this is still possible using your unpowered modeling device. All you need is a specialized outboard power amp*. You can either go the rackmount route and pick up something like the Rocktron Mainline 300, or for convenience, invest in something like the ISP Stealth Ultra-Lite, Seymour Duncan PowerStage 170, or EHX 44 Magnum. Each of these pedal-sized power amps delivers an astonishing amount of clean gain without coloring your sound. Automatic load detection pairs these amps with your favorite guitar cabs.

*When using a traditional guitar cab, be sure to disable cabinet emulation in your modeling device. This can usually be done at the global level for all patches. Leaving speaker emulation on and running into a guitar speaker will yield unflattering results — typically a hollow, tubby sound, sort of like you’re playing in a swimming pool.

Should I Mic My FRFR?

In a word: no. Your modeling device is already mimicking a physical speaker as captured by a microphone. To mic your FRFR would further color the signal, often in unflattering ways. For best results, just hand your soundperson an XLR cable out of your modeler and monitor through your FRFR. They’ll probably thank you for making their job easier.

Okay. There MAY be times when miking an FRFR speaker can be advantageous. In a recording environment, for example, capturing that “amp in a room” sound — pushing real air in a real acoustic space — and blending it with your modeling device’s direct signal** can capture that bit of realness that some all-digital recordings are sorely missing. But since most FRFRs are 2-way speaker systems, this can present a challenge. Here are our recommendations:

Seek out an FRFR with a coaxial driver design, such as the Mission Engineering Gemini series and Line 6 PowerCab line. These cabs align their HF drivers and woofers, making it possible to close-mic using a single microphone.
For maximum realness, try far-miking your FRFR with a ribbon mic out in your live room. You’ll not only get the best of both worlds — direct convenience and a real acoustic soundstage — but you’ll minimize time and phase issues as well.
**Due to latency, be advised that your close-miked and direct signals will often not align properly in your DAW. You may have to drag or nudge the miked track to get it to sum properly. You can also save yourself some time and invest in the Sound Radix Auto-Align plug-in, which is astonishingly fast and effective at this very task.

Which FRFR Is Right for Me?

HeadRush FRFR-112 2000-watt 1 x 12″ Powered Guitar Cabinet

Recommended for: Clean headroom on a budget

This value-packed FRFR sports an elegant, stage-friendly wedge design and packs a wallop when you crank it up. Its custom 12″ speaker and 1.4″ HF driver, driven by a 2000-watt peak/1000-watt continuous bi-amped power section, deliver plenty of power for practice and casual gigging. An EQ contour switch and +3dB HF boost add flexibility to tone tailoring. We like this one for its price point, minimalist design, and sheer transparent volume — a real value at $300.

Mission Engineering Inc. Gemini 2 — 220-watt 2 x 12″ Powered Cabinet with Bluetooth

Recommended for: Luxury and true stereo operation

The stereo Gemini 2 is the Maserati of our FRFRs. Its birch cabinet contains twin 12″ woofers with coaxial (in-line) 1″ tweeters, each driven by its own 110-watt class D amplifier (220-watt total), for earth-moving, enveloping transparent sound. This cab likely has all the features on your wish list and more: a continuously variable EQ section for full-range sound or a traditional guitar speaker response; an auto-detecting input for stereo or mono operation; a 24/192 USB input for lossless signal fidelity AND a USB pass-through for streamlined recording capability; and stereo Bluetooth for streaming backing tracks and jamming along. We especially like the Gemini 2’s traditional cabinet look and removable back panel for sealed or semi-open operation.

ISP Technologies Vector FS8 175-watt Full Spectrum Powered Cabinet

Recommended for: Space-conscious stage performers

ISP has been leading the charge in digital guitar processing accessories for years, and the Vector FS8 marks a bold step in that proud tradition. The familiar wedge design makes the FS8 a natural for live monitoring. In fact, its two XLR/TRS inputs with independent level control mean you can run your modeler plus a monitor output from the board and save yourself a wedge onstage. ISP’s Dynamic Adaptive Amplifier technology gently coaxes the Vector FS8 into amp-like clipping toward the top of its gain range, with no trace of harshness. Inside the Vector FS8’s Baltic birch cabinet resides a coaxially configured 8″ Beyma woofer and 1″ silk-dome tweeter, for a smooth sound that rivals studio monitors in its class. A response switch toggles between full-range and traditional guitar cab modes to suit a range of playing setups.

Friedman ASC-12 500-watt Active Modeler/Profiler Monitor

Recommended for: Rock purists and output fanatics

Dave Friedman, the name behind the signature sounds of hard rock heavies Eddie Van Halen and Jerry Cantrell, carries a formidable reputation in this industry. From guitars to amps and pedals, we have come to trust pretty much anything Dave puts his name on. The ASC-12 marks Friedman’s entreé into the modeling world. This thing is guitar-centric from the word go, with a smart-looking, black Tolex’d Baltic birch cabinet containing a 12″ Celestion woofer and 1.75″ HF driver. The I/O and control set are refreshingly straightforward, a 100Hz low-cut being the most complicated control to be found. Not surprisingly, the ASC-12 is easily one of the loudest FRFRs we’ve tested — you could seriously fill a venue with this thing without a PA.

Line 6 PowerCab 112 Plus Active Guitar Speaker

Recommended for: IR users and traditionally bent guitarists

Not too keen on your modeler’s onboard speaker emulation? The PowerCab 112 Plus is able to inject new life into your amp presets. Six switchable speaker emulations fed through a 250-watt 12″ 2-way coaxial speaker system give this FRFR the edge for versatility. But what really sets this system apart is its ability to run third-party IRs. Import your own speaker emulations from Celestion, RedWirez, OwnHammer (to name a few of our favorites), and save to any of 128 user presets for instant inspiration. Sweetwater users love the look of this PowerCab 112 Plus, which feels and handles like a real guitar cab down to the form factor and kickstands.

QSC K12.2 2000-watt 12″ Powered Speaker

Recommended for: Anyone

We’re shaking things up a bit with our final recommendation. Yes, FRFRs and active PA speakers are distinct and serve different needs. But can you run your modeling device into a PA wedge? Absolutely! We feel the K12.2 does a great job to this end — not only does its 12″ 2-speaker system and capable 2000-watt Class D power section put out a ton of guitar-friendly sound, but its wide 75° coverage reduces hot spots for stage monitoring and presentation. Not only that, but you can use the K12.2 for virtually any sound reinforcement application. Onboard presets and DSP equip this speaker for vocals and acoustic guitar to full-range music reproduction.

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