Another active boxes thread (groan)

Silas Pradetto

Silas Pradetto

Graduate Student
Jan 11, 2011
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Well I'm always on a mission to get better, more flexible gear. After 10 years in business, I'm much less of an "I like it" buyer and much more of an ROI driven buyer.

That said, I'm in the market for a quad of medium- to high-power active boxes that need to be great as pole mount speakers, monitors, and flown (with eyebolts, no need for flyware).

I really like a bunch of the RCF NX series (NX M25a?), the Fulcrum FA-ac series is nice, but what else is out there? JBL VP is a bit expensive, but it is under consideration.

The boxes need to be significantly louder than the MI powered offerings - nothing QSC makes is loud enough, the JBL PRX series is out as well.

I don't have as much time to keep up with new products in the industry anymore, so I'm relying on you guys to let me know what's out there.
 
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Re: Another active boxes thread (groan)

Not new, not cheap and not powered, but d&b M2 and M4 are great both as pole mounts and as monitors.
 
Re: Another active boxes thread (groan)

Since you're a Fulcrum fan, what about the Presonus Studiolive 312AI?

I've used all of these and was impressed but would still choose Fulcrum FA12AC's:

KV2 EX12
L'acoustics 112P
Meyer UPA 1P

Haven't heard these but would like to:

EAW KF394NT
EAW JF29NT
RCF TT22A
 
Re: Another active boxes thread (groan)

We have several of the VP (the 3 way box with the absurdly long product ID)and have been more than happy with them. I'd compare their output with an KF850z and give the JBl a slight edge in SQ. This particular one isn't pole mountable, but the horns are at the top of the box so stacked on 2 subs they are above head height. We've pushed them hard for extended periods of time and they simply don't get warm. In the middle of the rave 5 hours into dance marathon, my IR probe read 28c on the heatsink. I've heard the others in the line and they sound good, but this box is at another level above thanks to their new mid horn. They have both A-track and m-10 mounting points all over so flying them is a breeze.
 
Re: Another active boxes thread (groan)

I'll throw in another vote for the VP boxes. They were introduced right about the time I was looking for a versatile box to use as a front fill and side fill (minor side fill needs). We went with the 10" VP box and they were always the star of the show. We carried pole mounts and eye hook adapters and ended up hanging both sets of speakers from some downstage vertical lighting truss. There were some days those front fills were all the PA there was for the first couple rows of punters (or sometimes more depending on how bad a venue's coverage was). The speakers took a beating and never gave up.

I recently used the larger, 3-way VP box, and was equally as impressed with their performance. JBL did a good job with this line of speakers.
 
Re: Another active boxes thread (groan)

dB Technologies DVX line seems well regarded. Doubt it's as nice as Fulcrum though.
 
Re: Another active boxes thread (groan)

I'm a big fan of ISP Technologies. Certainly meets your requirements for louder than MI and they can custom do pretty much anything in regards to dispersion pattern, adding M10 points, etc. They always seem to be competitively priced and I've seen them have excellent ROI. Their HDM line seems to meet your needs exactly.

HIGH DEFINITION MONITOR 212
 
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Re: Another active boxes thread (groan)

I've used a pair of the non- network VP 12" and was impressed how loud that little box could get.
 
Re: Another active boxes thread (groan)

Marjan Milosevic said:
I know that is against the forum policy making statements about your own products, but i don't think you will find a louder and better sounding package then our BA12.
Mods delete if you think it is inappropriate.
Click to expand...
Actually, Marjan, there is no such policy. The only real policy is to not speak negatively about others products, and to only post about your own if you use B&C drivers (just kidding!).
 
Re: Another active boxes thread (groan)

Brian Frost said:
RCF TT is what you are looking for.
Click to expand...
Yup. And while it might be nice to have them all the same the ART series RCF cabs are a LOT less expensive for monitor duty - lighter too and plenty loud enough to destroy the talent's hearing :D~:-D~:grin: .
 
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Re: Another active boxes thread (groan)

The Yamaha DSR112's do a good job of going loud and retaining good tone while going all the way to clip. The woofer in particular stands out above the rest of the MI powered gear. They also have a 5 year warranty which isn't too shabby ;)
 
Re: Another active boxes thread (groan)

Do they make a powered version of the SM 80? If you have the budget they would be hard to beat.
 
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