So I've had my KPA for two years now. For over a year I've been gigging with it using an Atomic CLR and very happy with my live sounds. I play a mix of blues, R&B, surf and some light rock, so no metal or high gain stuff. I've been using tube amps for over 40 years.
I remember the first year with the KPA, trying everything I could get my hands on to play it through and being VERY disappointed with the FRFR sound and pretty much ready to sell the KPA.
To my ears, everything sounded boxy, lacking in feel and I was SO missing the amp-in-a-room sound...I couldn't tweak my way out of this feeling.
Then I decided to go for the best and bought a CLR powered cab. From then on I was much happier. (I had to be...I'd just spent $1000 and there was nothing better!)
Just recently I decided to re-visit some of the old powered monitor spkrs I had tried at the beginning so I plugged into a small JBL Eon 10.
It sounded pretty damn good to me, nothing wrong that some minor eq wouldn't fix (this wasn't at gig volumes)...and it made me start to wonder.
Our ears (and our heads) must get used to listening through FRFR and do we really need to spend all this $$$ on expensive monitors when in reality the audience is usually listening to mostly mediocre PA systems anyway.
Don't misunderstand me, I love my CLR. It's top class for my personal monitoring in a gig and for using without a PA.... but if my ears had been "trained" for FRFR at the beginning, I might have settled for something much cheaper (and lighter) for on stage monitoring.
I don't plan to sell my CLR anytime soon, although with the KPA and a case it's about as heavy as the Super Reverb I used to use. I gave up on the SR because it was just too much to carry to a gig....now I seem to be carrying about the same weight.
The difference now though, is that I know what I'm going to get through the KPA/CLR combo, and I know I can get it anywhere, at any volume.