OT?: Tech specs for FR4x and 8x

[joden]

Looking for the actual technical specifications for all the electronics, which should (but might not) include the speaker and amplifier specs which is really what I am after.

Does anyoine have access to these or know someone that has them....they must be somewhere.

I'd like to check them out and see if I can somehow boost the power level of the 4 to something like the 8.

4 is about 11w x 2 and 8 is 24w x 2 . I know a fair bit about amplifiers and speakers so there may be some tweaking, or swapping out of amps (with a reduced battery life I'd expect) required, or maybe the specs on the 4 amp are such that it will handle a lower impedance speaker set maybe? or maybe they are already at the lowest. Which is where the tech specs come in

I know I can use external amps, but that is not the point of this thread

I've also sent a message off to Roland, not that that will engender much support I daresay haha!

 

[JerryPH]

You are wasting your time sending emails to Roland. Basically there has been no development or advances in many years.

The absolute and ONLY way you are going to make the 4x or 8X USABLY louder is using external amplification. The 8X has 50 watts per channel and the 4x has half that. You may try to compare them and not see that happen with both at full output, that’s because th 8X is factory set to 50% of it’s output. The 8X has an “audio boost” option that basically opens the full output and increases volume. You can find that option in the manual.

years ago there was a company that made 75 watt/channel output amps and speakers, but they did not last long… demand wasn’t there, prices were high ($750us for 2 speakers and amps), and the added heat was likely to shorten the life of your 8X as well as void the wattanty, and in the real world gains were just barely audible. Besides what would you do, double the wattage? That would be pushing things a LOT and for what, a 3db increase in volume? That is all you would get ( a doubling of CLEAN power increases volume 3db, and if you wanted another 3 db you had to double THAT amount… by that time, you have a melted smoking mess… lol)

If you are as knowledgeable as you say, you know that limited speaker size and even with more wattage is not going to mean louder or better, you need air volume for good bass and in a container the size of the 8X, and the 4x is even smaller… sorry not going to happen.

 

[Ventura]

if you are like me, and prefer to keep the "stereo" separation
at maximum all the time, then there is the possibility of altering
the tone/response by swapping the left speaker for a true woofer
and on the FR3 at least, adding a tiny, flat, soft dome tweeter under the
grill is an easy improvement that adds little burden to the circuits

it is hard to beat the original speaker for the FR7 etc. models
as the deep taper cone with the long bullet cap is about the
maximum voicing area available in a full range speaker that size,
however i do advise having a spare in stock back at the Studio
to swap out,, they can get raspy over time

altering the circuits with substitute amp chips will of course void
any warranty

when only a mild boost in volume is needed, living room sized
gigs and the like, or even outside in a small gazebo for a nearby crowd,
then a simple wireless that has a receiver which also works efficiently
with batteries, and a Roland Street Cube battery powered amp are
ridiculously simple setups and easy to transport, while adding
the possibility of a vocal Mic

i use a line6 g90 wireless with the street cube.. actually have
2 sets of these.. 100% reliability over some years now

and further, i butchered one of the original Roland Cube battery amps
then installed it inside an old Bell and Howell MASH unit Movie Projector
speaker upgraded with a 12" Wolverine co-ax speaker (electro voice) and a
NiMh battery stick which i use to power a KORG i5m to run my MIDI backgrounds live

i recently improved this with a wireless Mic from Sampson that powers
its very efficient receiver on a common 5 volt battery pack

basically, as you can see i like to have freedom from worrying about
battery issues as well as ease of use and transport for the smaller,
more intimate type gigs, while enjoying improved tone and volume