Fulcrum FA12AC and TS212 subs?

R

Richard Penrose

Freshman
Jan 3, 2015
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I'm interested in the Fulcrum FA12ac speakers. Fulcrum has said they will be releasing active versions of the TS212 subs at InfoComm in roughly three weeks and I'll be interested in checking those out at some point as well.
At the moment I have a MI system of Yamaha DXR15's over QSC KW181 subs which has been ok but I'd like to step things up at some point. I don't want anything that will be much heavier (preferably lighter) as I will need to move the speakers by myself.
I would ideally like a system that goes a little louder than my current DXR15/KW181 system. I'd like subs that will go a little louder and deeper than the KW181's. I've heard the RCF 8003's as mentioned in the original post and the new 8003asII model would certainly fit my requirements. RCF are also releasing some new speakers to the NX range (NX45a, NX32a) which would pair nicely with the 8003asII subs. I'm also interested in some products by Netherlands company Brooklyn Audio :-

http://www.brooklyn-audio.com/products

They make a Coax 12 top with Prospect Kick 15" sub that is regarded to be in the Meyer / L'Acoustics league which would be very impressive if they are!

My shortlist is :-

Fulcrum - FA12ac + TS212 (new upcoming active version)

RCF - NX45a + 8003asII

Brooklyn Audio - Coax 12 + Prospect Kick

Can anyone on here comment on how the Fulcrum FA12ac compares to the Yamaha DXR15 or the TS212 with the KW181?
 
The 212 is a nice subwoofer, but it's not especially loud or deep. There's only so much a pair of 12" drivers can do.

The single vs dual 12" Fulcrum tops - get the dual 12". A single 12" coax driver doesn't have the low mid grunt to keep up with the HF horn, hence the second 12" driver to fill in where needed.

The Fulcrum FA22AC over TS215 sub(s), or better yet TS221 sub, sounds great. The single 12" top over dual 12" sub is great for smaller events where quality trumps sheer SPL, and where deep bass isn't needed.

Your best bet is to take your current system to your local Fulcrum dealer to compare, both the single and dual 12" top versions, and both sub models.

I personally would take FA22AC over US221 subs. I've moved them by myself, and they aren't bad.





 
Many thanks for the reply. Those are interesting points regarding the Fulcrum system. I will need something that goes at least as loud and deep as my current system so maybe the upcoming RCF boxes are the solution.
I live in the UK and there is a Fulcrum distributor a few hundred miles from where I live. I'd definitely want to hear the speakers before I buy so will see if the distributor has any of the speakers to demo.
I'm also pretty interested in the Brooklyn Audio system but there is very little info about these. I read on a forum about someone replacing QSC KW181's with the 15" Prospect Kick subs and said they were louder and went deeper!? Apparently the Coax 12 tops are very loud and capable of a very deep full range sound!? Unfortunately there is no UK distributor for Brooklyn Audio so I wouldn't be able to compare them. I only have one persons experience to go by and he is the US distributor.

The extra weight of the dual 12" Fulcrum tops and TS215 subs would be too heavy for me to handle.
 
Regarding the Brooklyn-Audio products:
They are certainly a step up in quality. All Sander's products sound smooth and can be mixed&matched (they all have similar phase-response). They use high quality components (Beyma/BMS/Powersoft). But, I'm not sure that the coax 12 will provide more output than your current tops: it's still a conventional front-loaded top.

If you want more output wrt your current system, then the BA Prospect top might be a better choice. It uses the BMS 4592 on a asymmetric horn with a very low x-over frequency and a high power 15" low. It can be scaled to a 1000-2000 pax system with sufficient kick and sub boxes.

If you are really looking for more output in a small(er) package, then I think you should consider light-weight horn-loaded tops. E.g. TW audio T24N, or the PM90 DIY from Peter Morris (in the DIY section), and maybe others. These designs make a significant step in output compared to front-loaded systems.
Similar for subs: if you want high output in a small package, then the hybrid / tapped horns are the way to go.

 
Unfortunately the Brooklyn Prospect Top is almost the same weight as my QSC KW181 Subs. I'm really looking for pole mounted tops over subs. The Yamaha DXR15's are pretty much at the top of my weight limit for mounting on poles ( approx 23kg ). Without being able to try the Brooklyn system or compare its output to what I already own I don't want to take an expensive risk.
I'm in no hurry so will at least wait for the RCF NX32a and NX45a to be released later in the year. Also, there is a UK company called Sherman Audio and they are making various active systems using BMS, Beyma, Fatial Pro and B&C drivers along with Powersoft amp modules. They also have a special design department for custom builds to customer specification.
 
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