I am really intrigued by the concept of this little amplifier, which is essentially a Mid/Side amp - an 8" speaker aimed out front for the Mid component and a 6.5" speaker offset 90 degrees for the Side. (Video here) All the reviews on Sweetwater are positive. At $750 it's less-expensive and more portable (only 18" tall and 40 lbs) than the pair of Roland keyboard amps I'd been considering.
 
I have just one major reservation: is it going to be loud enough? I'm also wondering how it'll do when reinforced by a conventional stereo PA. Most of my gigs are low-volume in small (< 500) rooms alongside electronic drums and amplified acoustic guitar, but I need to be able to scale up when necessary. 
 
I'm hoping somebody here has had some hands-on experience with it.

Can't speak to that particular model, but I've heard Aspen's other Mid/Side cabinets ("SFX"? I think Fender had one for a bit?), and they sound really cool. I mean really cool!!!

I guess I think it ought to be (based on specs - and we all know about specs) loud enough for your smaller gigs. Perhaps when you need to scale up a bit there will be a house system you can use to supplement your rig?

Yeh, my understanding is that Aspen designed that Fender product, but it was dropped due to slow sales. He's also done high-powered custom versions for some wealthy players such as the late Ray Manzarek, but has said it would be cost-prohibitive to offer something like that as a consumer product.
 
Small amplifiers are the norm these days. Even high-SPL acts are stacking empty cabinets onstage to create the illusion of the traditional wall of amps. But the normal methods for scaling up might not be appropriate for this particular product, due to its unique operation.
 
Bill, can you think of any reason why stacking two of them would be a problem? I'm thinking in terms of phase cancellation issues, but I'm unable to make a case in my head where this would actually be a problem.
 
 

I'm pretty sceptical.  It's using reflections to add space.  I like space, and therefore reflections, but it comes at the cost of clarity (Bose anyone ?).  Waves reflecting off each other ???  I doubt there are no 'sour spots' close up and can't see there being any real stereo sweetspots anywhere. There's a lot of BS in the description, but you already know that.
 
To simulate, just put one monitor in the center of your room and stick another one underneath turned 90 degrees.  Play with the phase or encoding.  Let us know how it sounds.  If you're going to use two, I'm sure you'd be better off spreading them in stereo with sides speakers going to opposite sides for space.
 

i actually know someone who has this system and is using it...
 
link to conversation here:
 
http://www.vsplanet.com/u...er=1376924#Post1376924

Mike, the inventor says no to any two-spacestation configuration.
 
I don't play keyboards in a band , but if I did this seems like it is the ticket. Thanks for the link Bat. That was better than 100 reviews. 

Bit - this is a mid/side transducer, not unlike a mid/side microphone pair. I think two of them would cause all sorts of problems. You'd end up with two mids - which probably is not the end of the world - and four sides, and that would get really messy, stereo imaging would either collapse entirely, or just become unpredictable.

For the skeptics (I was when I first read about it) go ahead and try the experiment. Keep in mind that if your "side" cabinet is a sealed back cabinet the effect will be greatly reduced, if it is an open back cabinet you can get pretty close. Nothing is as dramatic as one of these cabinets though!
 

Yes, of course you'd have "4 sides", but I'm thinking that might not necessarily be a problem if they're close enough together. They'd be separated by 18", which is nearly 3x the speaker diameter. I know in hi-fi enclosures that would be a no-no. But I'm thinking that might only be an issue less than 2' away from the cabinets.
 
Bat, thanks for the link. I'd actually found that link during my google research. "Holy Crap" seems to be the common reaction when people first use this box. They all rave about how good simulated Leslies sound, as well as ping-pong tremolo EP patches. Organ, Rhodes, Wurly and Acoustic Piano make up 99% of what I do live, so if the thing is loud enough it sounds like just the ticket.
 
As for relying on room reverberation as Paul points out, I don't see that being a major concern. You can adjust the M/S balance to compensate for more- or less-reverberant rooms. The big problem would be outdoor venues, but in that case my keyboards would be going to the FoH and the Space Station would just be for monitoring. I've blown up speakers and amplifiers (talking actual smoke) on outdoor stages so I don't even try that anymore.
 
Prior to finding this device, I'd been planning on using a pair of Roland keyboard amplifiers set as far apart as possible. But that's heavier (got a bad back) and more expensive, and the audience really only experiences the stereo effect if they're directly in front of the stage. The Space Station is supposed to give a stereo sense even in an adjacent room.