Best plastic powered loudspeaker?

E

eytan gidron

Freshman
Jan 14, 2011
46
0
6
Tel Aviv - Israel
Hi all,

I am interested in purchasing some new powered plastic pole mounted speakers. Why plastic? Because they cost less and weigh less.

The important factors for me are reliability, sound quality and looks (appearance). These are going to be used mostly in industrial and high class events so looks are important.

I also prefer 12" over 15" but that is not a must.

What do you people recommend? I couldn't find previous posts on this subject. I have also posted this on the PSW lounge.

Eytan
 
Re: Best plastic powered loudspeaker?

I bought RCF 522s when I was shopping this type of speaker. Not sure what the difference is to the 7-series, they were just introduced and not shipping yet when I was buying. I've been very with the 522s.
 
Re: Best plastic powered loudspeaker?

Ive heard the fbt and it sounds great, and Im guessing from other rcf speakers Ive heard, they sound fantastic as well. Unfortunately they dont look very corporate for my tastes and clients. I went with qsc k10 and k12s as I felt they offered the best combination of lightweight, sound, price and clean corporate look.
 
Re: Best plastic powered loudspeaker?

If price isn't too large an issue, the RCF TT25A is my current favorite. For cheap, the K12's aren't too bad.
 
Re: Best plastic powered loudspeaker?

eytan gidron said:
The important factors for me are reliability, sound quality and looks (appearance). These are going to be used mostly in industrial and high class events so looks are important.
Click to expand...

Appearance is subjective, of course, but the exposed look of the two most highly regarded plastic speakers for sonic quality, the RCFs and the FBTs, put them at odds with your desire for having great sound and good looks from a plastic speaker. This is a dilemma which is not present with plywood cabinet speakers when trying to obtain both superior sound and a pleasant exterior, since many plywood models meet these requirements.
 
Re: Best plastic powered loudspeaker?

The new JBL eons aren't as offensive looking to me. The price/performance for them has been pretty decent too.

Plastic boxes may be harder to keep 'pretty' for your professional gigs. And if they do get scratched up, they are nearly impossible to get back to like new. More things to consider.
 
Re: Best plastic powered loudspeaker?

If the looks are very important then check out the NX series from RCF. They are essentially ART7 components in plywood cabinets. At this time they are only selling versions with 1" exit horns in the US, but should soon offer models with larger HF drivers. They have powered coax wedges in the line too. You would pay a premium over the cost of the plastic cabs, but it sounds like it would be worth it in your circumstances.
 
Re: Best plastic powered loudspeaker?

If you are willing to consider wood in the right size range, for size/performance ratio, I would consider the ADR U61. This is trim, actually tiny at 13 kg with a box size of 366H x 210W x 305D. It is rated at a peak of 124 db with music (a figure that I find believable based on what I saw at the expo)

Slightly larger is the U103 at 27 kg at 570 x 300 x 345 with max 129 db.

For comparison, a QSC K10 is 14.5 kg and 519 x 320 x 300 with max 129 db.

If you have a decent exchange rate with the euro, these would be worth considering.
 
Re: Best plastic powered loudspeaker?

Tim McCulloch said:
Phil Graham recommended http://www.fbt.it/ENG/PAE/PRODOTTI/SPEAKERS/ProMaxX/ProMaxX-14/ to me when we were discussing this very topic.

Tim Mc
Click to expand...

If looks matter, that is tough, and the FBT is not excelling. The FBT Mitus 12"/2" active box would be a good choice then.

The problem with a thread like this is that I feel several of the (unnamed) products mentioned by others are poor sounding, and "the best" means different things to different people. Several of the products mentioned are great in every category but sound quality.

The larger reality is that many people in the industry are happy with average sounding speakers, and the general public even more so. So if looks and ROI are what matter most, simply buy on those criteria, and ignore the sound quality.

Personally, I voted with my sound quality hat on, and the active ProMaxx 12" and 14" both offer a high level of sound quality.
 
Re: Best plastic powered loudspeaker?

Hey Jay, thanks for the plug.

While the U61 will undoubtedly keep up with plastic box speakers many times its size and perhaps weight, the reason for that is excellent components and painstaking design. Those things cost money, I suspect the driver parts cost alone exceeds the street price of many plastic box loudspeakers. Eytan may have a much better view on the Euro than those of us in the US, ADRaudio products are about 1/3 "cheaper" abroad, but even at a discount the U61 will likely be in a different price category.
 
Re: Best plastic powered loudspeaker?

Bennett,

I am sure of the difference price catergory, and I usually have a hard time comparing relative cost because I am not sure of the availability in other parts of the world. I thnink, but am not sure that a couple of the other product lines are italian in origin and have prices here in the $1200-$1300 range compare with the $700 for the K10.

If I had a secure corporate market and wanted a very clean looking, high performing box, I would be willing to step up to the next level in price, especially if I was geographically located in a position that made those prices closer. After all, there is that word "best" in the original post. It never hurts to ask for a quote.
 
Re: Best plastic powered loudspeaker?

Thanks for all the replies, I have learned about speakers that I was not aware of. I am sorry for the confusing title - "Best". I took the title from another thread in this forum - "best kick drum mic". Some of these best that were mentioned here are above the price range that I planned on spending. I am sure they are the best sounding. When I said "best" I was not even aware that such prices existed in plastic speakers.

The speakers I need will mostly be used as a distributed system at high class events and corporate events. They will be used for background music and announcements at large open air buffet areas and reception areas. They will hardly be ever used as a main PA system at live performances. They will even not be used as delay speakers for live performances. For this I have other systems such as Apogee and L-Acoustic products.

So, I actually don't need the "best". I need something that will sound "decent". What does that mean? Well, I've heard some (very cheap) plastic powered speakers that were honky, middy and had no low end. I want something better. I need something that will sound full bodied at a decent price ($500 - $800 in the US, I know how it translates it to my local pricing). The QSC K12 (which I was not aware of) looks like a nice option, I will demo it. It has the clean look that I am looking for.
 
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Re: Best plastic powered loudspeaker?

If K12 is on the table then you should also give the Yorkville NX55P a listen to. Dependable, sounds reasonably good and looks good (to me anyways). And it's in your price range.
Cheers,
BJ
 
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