A Tale of Two Toobs - the latest 6.5" Metro FR II+ vs the Metro BG+

[nevershouldhavesoldit]

Gitterbug asked me to evaluate the Metro FR II+. It has a dual cone SICA 6D 1.5SL driver (8 Ohms, rated for 130W) and what we used to call a "whizzer cone" that SICA says extends the top of the usable range to 15kHz. So it's much closer to a true full range speaker than standard guitar or bass drivers. The now standard Toob Metro cabinet - the Toob tube, if you will - is identical in dimension for all the 6.5" models except that the back panel is ported differently on some. The latest version of the FR (the FR II+) has a single damped port in the back panel, as does the BG+. The GP+ has 4 damped ports.

The 6.5" Metros are visually differentiated by the color of their grille and backplate retaining rings: red on the GP, black on the BG, and orange on the FR. Here's the pair to be compared:



I used the FR II+ with my BAM200 and Alesis Picoverb at last Thursday's trio gig both for sound reinforcement and as the amp for my Ibanez AF207 (not at the same time) I brought both my QuIlter OD202 / BlockDock 10 and a LyxPro 100W SPA-8 powered speaker so I had something else to use while the FR was playing each of its roles. Although I've tried the FR briefly with a DV Mark EG250 and a Quilter OD202, most of my use so far has been with the BAM.

All of the testing in this review was with the BAM200 and Alesis Picoverb. I set it up with all EQ flat and light reverb (unity gain, "hall 1" setting, wet/dry mix at 9 o'clock). The guitar is my 16" Eastman Jazz Elite 7 (all solid wood, carved top, set KA HW 14 pole, JS113s + 0.075" Chrome 7th string). With a Dunlop 204 Jazztone, my first response was that it was clearly brighter than the BG+ in the picture that I use with the same amp for daily practice, recording, and small gigs. More playing reinforced this impression. Both sound great for jazz, but there's a clear distinction betwen the two with the same amp & settings.

This is what I hear - YMMV. The FR II+ brings out the woody chime of the carved top and sliightly favors an amplified acoustic tone over the CES electric flavor. The Jazz Elite has a slightly heavier top than the 810 / 910 and similar guitars, along with a set KA humbucker. So the thunk is in there, but the FR II+ plays it down a bit. The BG+, on the other hand, favors the CES side with a bit more thunk and fullness but a bit less woody acoustic chime. I was unable to get the two to sound identical regardless of guitar and amp settings. This effect was similar with my laminated AF, although it has heavy TI Bensons on it and is definitely thunkier than either of my carved Eastmans through any amp and speaker.

With solid bodies (which I did not record), the FR is also brighter than the BG. The high end from my solids is more brilliant than from any of my archtops. The pickups include an active EMG on my Epi LP, plain ol' Duncan 'buckers on my ESP, and Lace Alumitones on my Raines Tele (all 7 strings). The top end is so sweet that it really loves transparent O/D. My Zensation pedal (a Zendrive clone) sounds amazingly smooth through the BAM or the EG250 and FR and stays that way through the long sustaining power of the Zensation. So the FR is great for blues and fusion. OTOH, heavier distortion (which I can get from the Quilter OD202) sounds even more unpleasant to me through the FR than it does through the BG, although I suspect those who want serious gain and crunch will love it.

I recorded the same tune (Alone Together) with a Phil Wilkinson backing track through each speaker. I threw in everything I could think of, from triple stops low on the 5th, 6th and 7th strings to single string leads up to the 15th fret on E1. And I tried to play as consistently as I could, although by the end of the second take I was clearly losing concentration. Here's the comparison:

The BG+:


The FR II+:


I think I can explain the slightly fuller bottom on the BG and the brightness of the FR just from the frequency response and impedance curves of the drivers. The SICA 6L 1.5 SL driver in the BG+ is fairly flat from 60 Hz - 4 kHz, but the 6D 1.5SL in the FR II+ drops off rapidly below about 110 Hz and is 10 dB quieter at 80 Hz than it is at 1 kHz. It's also as much as 14 dB louder at 10 kHz than it is at 100 Hz.

Further, the low end impedance of the FR II's driver peaks at 30 Ohms at 110 Hz, while the BG's low end impedance peak is 30 Ohms at 60 Hz. And at 200 Hz, the impedance of the BG+ is 7 Ohms while the FR+ is about 12 Ohms. Amplifiers put out more power into lower impedance loads (at least until the the power supply can't keep up, which is far beyond the levels at which we play). So the low end of the signal is going to be louder if the impedance is lower. The FR's upward sloping frequency response from 70 Hz to 10 kHz and its higher impedance in the lowest octave of the guitar's range combine to make it inherently brighter, with a less weighty bottom.
The BG+ :

The FR II+ :


SUMMARY: Both the FR II+ and the BG+ are great little jazz speakers when driven by a neutral amp with decent power. I think the FR II+ is a bit better for guitarists who want the sound of an amplified acoustic archtop, while the BG+ does a better job pumping out a thunky electric tone. With a solid body and smooth O/D, the FR II+ is a great choice for blues, funk and fusion. The FR II+ is audibly a bit more efficient (~3 dB), but I think it's too bright for a SBUS without using the "cap trick" to cut the treble from the SBUS.

The FR II+ is a great little vocal and reinforcement speaker, which the BG+ is not. Its sonic character lets a vocalist cut through the music, and it does a great job for mic'ing an acoustic guitar. My National Tricone also sounds amazing through the BAM and FR II+. I also played a few harmonica tunes through it. I and the band and the audience all loved the tone once I cut the treble almost all the way down for the fat harp tone I love.

My Roland guitar synth benefits from using both of these in a stereo pair. For instruments with significant treble in their spectra (like saxophone patches, vibes, Harmon muted trumpet, etc) the FR is clearly better at putting out convincing tones. But it takes the BG's bottom to give the B3 patches enough realism to get away with it. Running the FR and BG as a stereo pair is the only way that these small speakers can do justice to the synth. And they demand decent power to do so - I run the BAM into the FR and the EG250 into the BG+, which gives each one its max rated power (although that would be far louder than I'd ever need on a gig).

And there you have it - my first impressions of the new Toob Metro FR II+ and how it compares to the Metro BG+. It's amazing what comes out of a 6.5" driver in these little cabs!

[AllanAllen]

I can’t wait to try out my Toob at my next gig. Had to get through a few unknown venues with my Fender. Next gig is solo guitar so, perfect situation.

[Gitterbug]

Thanks again, Never...! You are the one and only!

To avoid any misunderstandings, the FR II isn't the best choice for heavy distortion. Its extended top range unavoidably brings in fizz and sizzle. Yet, one of its proven roles is that of a personal/stage monitor for modeling amps: what goes in comes out, with clarity. Even bands playing to the console and wearing in-ear monitors may need something on stage to induce controlled guitar feedback.

Other FR II roles include acoustic guitar, both steel and nylon; oud, cello, violin, even bass; harmonica, accordion, keyboard (jazz piano) and most recently vocals (Cait Jones in NY at least.) A pair hooked to a mixer amp or mini-mixer/power amp has served my gang as ultra-light PA on many occasions. The FR II+ model comes with a stand mount and extra legs for playing upright.

Regarding Metro BG, Swedish heavy metal guru Ola Englund liked the shred tone so much that he almost broke his own rules for test gear and kept it for an extended period. It's the best selling Metro version due to popularity among both jazz guitarists and double bass players.

Daisy-chaining an FR and BG gives you a 4 ohm, 260W Twin offering the best of both worlds and still weighing under 10 lbs less amp. To date, 399 Metros made. Some potential news in the pipeline.

Cheers, and apologies to all who dislike the commercial content!

Markku

[JazzNote]

nevershouldhavesoldit thanks for the review and recordings. Great sound! Question: what setup did you use to record the guitar (mic/distance/interface)? Or just the Tascam which i see in the pic?

[nevershouldhavesoldit]

nevershouldhavesoldit thanks for the review and recordings. Great sound! Question: what setup did you use to record the guitar (mic/distance/interface)? Or just the Tascam which i see in the pic?

Thanks! It’s just the Tascam into Audacity on Win 10. I close mic the speakers with the crossed mics slightly off center for more cone in one channel. This seems to put a little more space into the stereo image.

I’ve been very happy with it for both “studio” and live recording on gigs. I recorded about 100 of my solo and trio dates in 2024 for quality control, and the sound quality has amazed me (especially for the price). The mics are decent, the ADC is clean and transparent, and the preamps are both quiet and neutral. For some recordings, I’ve added a pair of “better” mics through the XLR inputs to capture the acoustic guitar sound, room ambiance, rear or port radiated sound etc. This works well with a bit of effort, but it’s a little cumbersome to set up and to mix down. For band recordings, I just mount it on a mic stand front and center and about 3’ high.

[Alter]

Thanks for the great review! What is the difference between the original FR speaker and the new FRII one? Is it just the ports, same speaker and some sound difference? It sounds remarkably warm for a full range speaker. Strangely enough, from internet videos, the sound i like the most is the GP metro, than the FR and lastly the BG (although i bought the BG first because it seems like the best utility for the gigs i'll do with it). Mine arrives on Friday, so i'll use it on Saturdays jazz trio restaurant gig..

Nevershouldhavesoldit, have you ever tried just chaining two metros with the same power amp, say the BAM. It should be loud enough, and a very practical setup.

[nevershouldhavesoldit]

Thanks for the great review! What is the difference between the original FR speaker and the new FRII one? Is it just the ports, same speaker and some sound difference? It sounds remarkably warm for a full range speaker. Strangely enough, from internet videos, the sound i like the most is the GP metro, than the FR and lastly the BG (although i bought the BG first because it seems like the best utility for the gigs i'll do with it). Mine arrives on Friday, so i'll use it on Saturdays jazz trio restaurant gig..

Nevershouldhavesoldit, have you ever tried just chaining two metros with the same power amp, say the BAM. It should be loud enough, and a very practical setup.

I haven’t had a chance to try any incarnation of the FR that preceded the one I have, so I can’t offer a first hand answer. I think it’s only the porting that’s different, but Gitterbug will have to add more specifics if there are any to be added.

The first Toob I had was a GP, and I liked the tone a lot. It was mellow, warm and articulate. But the BG+ is a bit fatter in the bottom, without losing clarity even on the low A 7th string. So just as with the FR comparison, I think a guitar simile describes the difference well. The GP seems a bit more in the middle between fat thunky CES tone and older school amplified acoustic archtop (but without the added chime and sparkle of the FR’s whizzed cone). The BG+ is more like a thick top CES or 175 with ‘buckers.

I’ve driven 2 Toobs with the EG250, a SBUS, a BAM and an Alesis RA100. Twin Toobs make a great “cabinet”, and the 4 Ohm nominal load gets more power out of most amps. But with a BAM or similar head that makes 100W or more, the BG+ alone is quite loud. Adding a second speaker doesn’t increase volume as much as most expect. If both drivers are putting out the same SPL, the sum is 3 dB more. And even if you’re squeezing the amp dry and actually using full output (which isn’t very likely), doubling the wattage adds only another 3. The main benefit is better sound dispersion- it sounds big.

OTOH, driving twin Toobs with the EG250 is getting into Vibrolux territory and beyond. The sound dispersion isn’t nearly as broad as you get from a Twin, and it lacks the Twin’s full weight. But it’s pretty impressive…..and the whole shebang weighs about 20 pounds with cables.

[Ukena]

In NY, I have a GP+ (4 ports) with an Eminence Alphalite 6A speaker. I wonder how it would compare with your BG and FRII...

With headphones, I can hear the difference between your BG and FRII, but the BG still sounds awfully good to me. I am drawn to the possibility of using the FR for voice, especially since I have a Metro 8 (and the sound of both driven by the EG250 is, as you say, impressive).

The Metro 6.5 I have in Paris is a GP+ with a 20w Jensen P6V AlNiCo speaker. The P6V appears to have a similar frequency response to your BG, as does the Alphalite 6A. Neither of them has as strong a response at 10khz as your FRII.

[nevershouldhavesoldit]

With headphones, I can hear the difference between your BG and FRII, but the BG still sounds awfully good to me.

I prefer the BG and will continue to use it for jazz guitar. It sounds great with my 7 string archtops. The FR is great for voice, so it's now my small PA speaker.

I also have a 10 that's even a bit better, but the Metro is so easy to carry & set up anywhere that I only take the 10 for bigger gigs and rooms that don't need my "big" amp (Quilter 202 in BlockDock).

[Gitterbug]

I tried to write a short description on Metro anatomy but it became a lecture before becoming a mess. With two shell lengths, four speaker choices, internal lining yes/no, and three backplate variants - one porthole or four, one or four felt layers on the single-port version - you get quite a few combinations. 48 if my math is correct. All tried. The difference between original FR and FR II is the backplate: one instead of four ports on the FR II enhanced the bass response significantly. The change was more dramatic with human voice than with any instrument.

[pingu]

excellent write up Never ….

thanks