Best powered speaker for less than $1800?

Rob Spence

Rob Spence

Senior
Jan 11, 2011
897
4
18
Boston Metro North West
www.lynxaudioservices.com
A while back I asked about powered speakers that sounded better than QSC K12s when driven loud. I wanted ones that cost less than $2000 each.

At the time the EV ZXA5 was a contender.

What's out there now? I do want loud. It is rock & roll after all. I would use them with subs most of the time.

Thanks for any ideas.


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Re: Best powered speaker for less than $1800?

Rob Spence said:
A while back I asked about powered speakers that sounded better than QSC K12s when driven loud. I wanted ones that cost less than $2000 each.

At the time the EV ZXA5 was a contender.

What's out there now? I do want loud. It is rock & roll after all. I would use them with subs most of the time.

Thanks for any ideas.


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Mackie HD1531?
I don't know how loud you are talking. I never find myself in a situation where I can't get tops loud enough to outrun Subs.
 
Re: Best powered speaker for less than $1800?

Tim Perry said:
Turbosound Milan M12 or M15.
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Have you compared the new ones to the older ones? Sonically I love my M15s, they sound amazing but I would never put them out for rock and roll level SOS...... They are the original blue ones.

If you have compared I would love to hear your thoughts, even in a PM so we dont swerve this thread.
 
Evan F. Hunter said:
Have you compared the new ones to the older ones? Sonically I love my M15s, they sound amazing but I would never put them out for rock and roll level SOS...... They are the original blue ones.

If you have compared I would love to hear your thoughts, even in a PM so we dont swerve this thread.
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We can take a small swerve can't we? :p

I demo'd a pair of new M15 against my old PRX512 recently. At lower volumes the M15 was the clear winner in sound and low end, once things got louder the M15s fell apart much quicker than the PRX.

I'm still considering the M15 for Blues and Jazz style SOS gigs because they do sound very nice when kept within their limits.


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Re: Best powered speaker for less than $1800?

Spenser Hamilton said:
We can take a small swerve can't we? :p

I demo'd a pair of new M15 against my old PRX512 recently. At lower volumes the M15 was the clear winner in sound and low end, once things got louder the M15s fell apart much quicker than the PRX.

I'm still considering the M15 for Blues and Jazz style SOS gigs because they do sound very nice when kept within their limits.


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Thats what I have noticed with my M15s, they sound fantastic. They get loud enough for exactly what you are talking about and even some Texas Country over subs. But they just run out of gas for louder applications. They fit well into my line up just for those applications.
 
Re: Best powered speaker for less than $1800?

Evan F. Hunter said:
Thats what I have noticed with my M15s, they sound fantastic. They get loud enough for exactly what you are talking about and even some Texas Country over subs. But they just run out of gas for louder applications. They fit well into my line up just for those applications.
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My limited experience with them was at a indoor rock show. They worked just fine. It was a true theater not a bar gig. They were the black ones.

Personally, my usual active tops are the no longer made PRX535's They take just about anything I throw at them except direct sunlight in the backs.
Ill be using them for loud gospel this week, loud glam-rock next week (by specific request) Then I reload to the big rig for an EDM show.
 
Re: Best powered speaker for less than $1800?

Tim Perry said:
The question is what is loud to Rob.


QSC KW153 would cost more then the Turbosound and perform better then k-12 as mains.
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My frame of reference, from Rob's original post: " I do want loud. It is rock & roll after all." I am the biggest Turbosound fan you will find on this board. M10/M15 sound fine. They would not be on my short list for rock & roll loud.
 
Re: Best powered speaker for less than $1800?

I've been told my RCF 310a's sounded great 1/2 mile away (measured on a map) when hard into the red - I'd take them over the K12's any day for sound quality "at the edge and beyond". I measured 110dBC (not peak - continuous) at 20 feet in a 60x60 room last week and I still had at least 3dB left (stoopid loud drummer, my ears still haven't recovered :( ). And they are inexpensive compared to the K12's too. One will keep up with a PRX618S-XLF no prob. Wish they had full grills though, they did have a model that did but it's discontinued :( .
 
Re: Best powered speaker for less than $1800?

Rob Spence said:
I should have included that they need to pole mount.

I have run out of headroom on the k12s when I needed a bit more.


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My experience... K12's sound great with playback/DJ music. The sound pretty good with acoustic and light rock...all up to a certain level. When that level is reached they do a Jekyll and Hyde thing and get weird....not in a good way. The Yamaha DSR's sound way better loud IMO. I used the Mackie HD1531's over 2 single 18 subs in a small club with loud rock bands and I was pleased at every show. They have some EAW FIR stuff going on i think and sound more Hifi with a live band than the QSC K stuff...at least to me.
 
Re: Best powered speaker for less than $1800?

I think for $2K a box you can have any of the current crop of mid-market powered 2 and 3 way boxes. The real pro boxes are around twice that, but I can't think of a mid-market powered box off the top of my head that costs more than $1,500. If you get a chance to do some comparisons I'd love to hear what you think.
 
Re: Best powered speaker for less than $1800?

Rob Spence said:
I should have included that they need to pole mount. I have run out of headroom on the k12s when I needed a bit more.
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I'm curious as to what size venue you ran out at? And by "ran out" do you mean the clip limiter lights just started to flash or were you into them 3-6 dB? As I alluded to no-one sane should be within 30 feet of my 310a's even when their bottoms are up 6 feet off the deck. OTOH I've found K speakers to be "meh" at best in output. The RCF that Silas mentioned should get the "Zone of Death" out to 50 feet with that big-arse 2" exit HF driver 8O~8-O~:shock: .
 
Re: Best powered speaker for less than $1800?

John Chiara said:
My experience... K12's sound great with playback/DJ music. The sound pretty good with acoustic and light rock...all up to a certain level. When that level is reached they do a Jekyll and Hyde thing and get weird....not in a good way.
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Absolutely! The RCFs just sound better and better until you notice that your ears are bleeding 8O~8-O~:shock: . In many ways similar to Danley's they just don't sound "loud" even when you're well into hearing damage territory - I know the OP used to run JTR subs that have the same "problem".
 
Re: Best powered speaker for less than $1800?

Another DSR112 vote here. They will go louder and punch harder than either the K12 or PRX612. One can carry itself we'll over 2 618S-XLFs. They are a diamond in this price range.
 
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