Player comments on the Silverstone

I've now gigged with the Silverstone a few times and it has changed my playing. When I'm playing live I'm just hearing more of what I'm doing so I'm self-correcting more. The difference is in the mids, they are just cleaner, better off axis, no mid suck out and no upper mid peak. The overall impression of this speaker is about cleaness and clarity. If you had to have just one cab, this might just be the best FRFR cab so far.

I've heard the Silverstone up against the Barefaced BB2 and the Vanderkley 12 and they aren't in the same league: they both have a more coloured sound. I've also compared the Silverstones with my RCF ART745's and the bass quality is cleaner.
Phil from Devon


How does it perform? The Silverstone is Full Range Flat Response (FRFR) so the tonal balance is very good, no lumps and bumps, peaks & troughs. Despite the fact that there is a high frequency driver, the usual fizz and tizz of a cheap horn is missing. The horn that handles the high frequencies is mounted vertically, and the result is that the mid and treble frequencies are projected towards your ears - no need to tilt the cabinet. The horn has a wide angle in both directions, meaning that your bandmates will hear you clearly.

There are lighter cabs out there, but this was designed with sound as the number one priority and quality neodymium drivers are not feather-light. It is still a lightweight cabinet, however, and an easy one-hand lift. The handle is big and comfortable, meaning you can carry it without bashing your leg. The protective cabinet corners are stackable in case you want to use two, although most people would be happy with just one.
John from Dorset


In the shootout at the SW Bass Bash with the Barefaced BB2, GR Bass 2x12 and RCF 745, these were the best sounding.
Peter from Wales


Player comments on the Monaco


The thing that was outstanding, especially when compared side by side against the Ashdown 410, was the dispersion. At first I was standing close to it, a bit to the side and in front. I walked around and it was pretty uniform, with some variations as expected, but I had to get nearly to the side of the speaker before the all-important midrange dropped too much. This was with the cab on the floor as well. The 410, by comparison, is a nightmare: get the right balance at around 30 degrees, and you're sounding too middy in front and lacking lows.

I really like the Monaco. It's very light, nice shape/size factor, well positioned recessed handle... it's got a very bassist-friendly tone, in that the 'default' low end is very present but tight... but it's definitely closer to the response of a good studio monitor than a typical coloured bass cab, which is a nice thing if you'd like to use it with other sources, like keys or guitar.
Jose from Edinburgh

I'd say the Monaco sounds close to perfect, meaning to me that it pumps out pure, even and uncoloured sound, and should be a perfect platform to shape your sound to your spec with the amp and pedals if the natural character of the intended cab isn’t doing it. Also, it's a one-hand lift and I don't think you'd need a second cab for the average pub gig as it seemed to handle volume OK. So two more plusses there.
Nigel from Kent


To me, the Monaco is more “old school” sounding than the Mesa Subway UltraLite 1x112.   It has a better (more) bass frequency response, it’s punchier, it has less mid-range focus and appears a little louder at the same EQ and volume setting   It’s easier to hear what you’re playing even when placed directly on a wooden floor (unlike the Mesa).

We are a loud 4 piece, and a single Monaco was used to replace my 2xVanderkley EXT112 stack. After an hour, I added one of my Vanderley EXT 112's (set up beneath the Monaco). This combination sounded great.  Very full and certainly "better" than 2 VDK EXT 112’s.  Very punchy and very easy to hear without being "in yer face" - a kind of magical property and somehow the opposite of what I usually find i.e. I'm plenty loud enough in the mix, but I can't hear what I'm playing!
 
There was very good sound dispersion around the rehearsal space - I could hear what I was doing throughout the room which is not the case when using the Vanderkleys alone – where off axis and relatively close to the speaker there is a noticeable decline in volume.  I haven't compared my Mesa Subway directly in this regard, but I have noticed a similar property in the past, so I'd be confident that the same would hold true.
 
I had a Barefaced Big Baby 2 a few years back and, from memory, I’d say the Monaco is a more coherent speaker with a “better” low frequency response.   Certainly, in terms of hearing more of what’s being played, the Monaco seems noticeably better and I prefer the overall sound of the Monaco to the BB2, as the former produces a surprisingly punchy bass for its size without being “boomy”.  It is a more articulate and coherent speaker - you can really hear what you're doing. I’d say that a single Monaco would be more likely to be used successfully than a single BB2, VDK EXT 112 or a Mesa Subway Lite 1x12.
Ian from Cumbria


With the LFSys Monaco, I now have killer-sounding, 600W (AES)-rated, 8ohm cab that handles the reduced power from my 800W (into 4ohms) amp with headroom to spare while still being PLENTY loud enough to cope with any of our indoor gig venues AND compete with my decibel-junky band-mates. More importantly, it feels like the music we make has kind of more room to breathe.
Last but not least, this single-cab solution to my needs comes in at only fifty quid more (and a couple of kilos heavier) than just ONE of the matched pair of Barefaced 12” single-driver cabs I was previously gigging with.
What’s not to like?
Mike from Somerset
 
The construction is solid and very rigid, as no buzz etc! The handle is excellent and makes the 15kg very manageable. So far very pleased and confident about gigging. I have  had many cabs (too many) inc. Greenboy...this looks as if it will be moving to #1...particularly the price which IMO is very reasonable.
Bernard from Northampton

A good looking, well-built speaker cabinet that sonically equals or betters anything I’ve played through. Clear, punchy and LOUD without the mush and boom that so many cabinets seem to produce. Great dispersion means the Monaco is ideal for small, cramped pub-type gigs, but has the volume and punch to deal with all but the biggest pub/club-type gigs.

 

FRFR means that you can decide what you really want to hear. I played a few frequency sweeps through the cabinet. The progression between driver and horn was smooth with no prominent volume gains or dips. I also played some pre-recorded music through the Monaco and found myself adding bass to an otherwise flat EQ. It was only once I moved away from the cabinet a little that I realised that the bass is most definitely there, but nowhere near as muddy or boomy as most cabinets I’ve used. It’s a really tight, punchy bass. Groovy!

We’re a five piece band, so a small stage generally means that my cabinet is making my flares flap around but my ears struggle to pick out the mid and upper end of my tone. This time, I could hear the mids and highs much better than the other “quality” cabs I’ve used in the same venue. I’ve gotten around this issue in the past by raising the other cabinets off the stage a little or tilting the cabinet back. The Monaco remained on the floor right behind me and my amp was not really breaking a sweat.

Would you need more than one of these? Unless you’re intending to rip the crowd’s faces off, then I doubt it. It’d be fun to try though….
Jon from Norfolk

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Player comments on the Monza

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In short, it's a peach of a cabinet which I think can be the first 10" with a real claim to compete with a loud drummer.

I'll try to summarise the main points for me.

 

• Every instrument I play through it sounds very natural, like playing through studio monitors. 

• It has a solid but non-boomy bottom end and utterly clear midrange/treble.

• It can be heard very clearly standing directly in front of it, nearly on top of it, and well off axis.

• The driver can take a substantial amount of low end EQ, and even outright misuse, if the user happens to be foolish (slapping with big bass boost).  

• It takes a low B well. 

• The finish is top notch and it looks great.

• The handle is set flush with the top and so can accommodate any head.

• 11kg is a good weight for a 1 cab solution.   

Pete From Edinburgh

 

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