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

I use UAfx digital pedals like the Ruby Vox AC 30 with this and it is fab. Perfect reproduction of sound, very portable and I can use it as a monitor from front of house. So I set it up using one of the channels direct but when playing life, use the front of house feed into the other channel. I love it. I've dumped my amps and cabs.

A great pairing to Headrush's MX5 unit (or any similar). Perfect for home practice (let's face it, overkill for that!) and for a single speaker setup as a small PA. The bluetooth is an excellent addition, taking away any friction or excuses for not practising enough!

Headrush FRFR 108 Mk2 I 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.

Very nice product. Working very well.

Love this

powerful speaker i had to buy rubber mats to stop them from sailing across the floor. had to buy rubber mats to stop them from sailing across the floor.

A game of 2 halves - well made, solid and good finish BUT it's just too bassy for guitar especially if you're trying to get a tight, distorted tone using a preamp or a modeller. No matter what I did everything sounded like I had a blanket over the speaker. A shame...I really wanted this thing to be on point.

I guess it depends on where you wish to use this speaker. I'm using it in a small room so it's not exactly what it's made for and it sounds boxy but a parametric EQ fixes that nicely and it's a beautiful sounding thing. Handles bass quite well and it's capable of sweet highs. It's not a studio monitor, so be sure of your intentions for it (just saying). I would buy again without question. Well built and sounds great. Highly recommended

Bonne qualité

Je l'utilise pour amplifier des guitares électriques. Connecté à un multi effet Ampero II, il permet grâce à son dynamisme et sa neutralité, d'explorer toutes les simulations d'ampli et Baffle. Pour de la sono, je suis moins emballé...Ca manque quand même de définition.

Je possède deux frfr112, j’en suis très satisfait. je me suis acheter la frfr108, elle est top. Je ne l’ai presque pas utilisé encore, mais je vais là tester mieux dans les prochains jours.

Tengo dos de estas pantallas FRFR....las uso tanto de monitores para mis conciertos y como salida en estéreo (por eso los dos). Mucha potencia pero realmente no son 2500w reales pero aún así, geniales. Los hay más caros y mejores pero para tener sonidos de referencia, genial

If you own the original 108 version of this speaker you might be disappointed with this newer MKII version. For starters, the older version sounds much cleaner and has a much better low end response. The new mark II version has a much flatter frequency response. There is another problem when you use the two together like I am, which is; the speakers seem to be wired out of phase between the two versions and this means when used together there’s a cancellation effect causing a removal of low frequencies resulting in a very flat (lifeless) sound quality. This is a major issue for me and I was thinking of returning it for a refund but the old version is no longer available and I need two units. I’m going to have to open the older model since it’s out of warranty, and swap the speaker terminals over to fix the out of phase signal.