Meyer or Fulcrum or...

J

John B. Miller

Freshman
Sep 13, 2011
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Waterloo, ON, Canada
www.audiocraft.ca
I've currently got a hole in my inventory. I'm in need of a powered 15" box that sounds great (top priority) and has a lot of output. I'd like to use it alone and over a double 18" for small/medium rooms for live entertainment, or loud playback. Speaker stand-mountable is required. I'm prepared to pay for premium quality. Riders are not an issue.

Most of my inventory is Meyer, but I'm wondering if the UPQ at 108 pounds is really going to outperform the FA15ac by enough (if at all) to justify the extra 43 pounds...and can you even really put a 108 pound box on a stick?

I've never heard the Fulcrum stuff, and I suspect a demo is going to hard to come by in Canada, so I'm after some opinions on how they might compare to Meyer in performance before I jump through all kinds of hoops to get my hands on one.

Then there's always the Yamaha DSR115 that everyone keeps raving about, at a small fraction of the cost. I'm trying to arrange a side-by-side with a UPQ just to see if I'm nuts for even considering the Yamaha...

Any thoughts?
 
Re: Meyer or Fulcrum or...

I just picked up a pair of FA22AC today. I'll be using them for a show tomorrow over TS215's with FA12 monitors and FA28 front fills. I have only used UPQ as a fill box on a Milo rig, but have used CQ boxes a lot and like them. I'll report back after the show.
 
Re: Meyer or Fulcrum or...

Tim Weaver said:
It's the DSR112 that everyone likes actually.


Why the need for a 15" box?
Click to expand...

Thanks Tim,

I've heard good things about the DSR line in general, punching above it's weight class.

As for the 15" thing...I think it's the only way to get the output I need while still having the flexibility of stand mounting. I'd rather not buy a speaker that must be flown or stacked on a sub to get it above head height. The next smallest speakers I have are Meyer UPJ-1Ps which are a 10"; these are great sounding speakers, but run out of gas a little too soon for some of the work I do. If I can get a few more dB out of a 15" speaker than a 12", and still have it be manageable by one person, so much the better. This is why the Fulcrum is interesting to me.

I actually just looked at the specs for the FA22ac (dual 12") and it's very interesting too...even lighter, and a little more output than the 15". Hmmm...
 
Re: Meyer or Fulcrum or...

John B. Miller said:
Thanks Tim,

I've heard good things about the DSR line in general, punching above it's weight class.

As for the 15" thing...I think it's the only way to get the output I need while still having the flexibility of stand mounting. I'd rather not buy a speaker that must be flown or stacked on a sub to get it above head height. The next smallest speakers I have are Meyer UPJ-1Ps which are a 10"; these are great sounding speakers, but run out of gas a little too soon for some of the work I do. If I can get a few more dB out of a 15" speaker than a 12", and still have it be manageable by one person, so much the better. This is why the Fulcrum is interesting to me.

I actually just looked at the specs for the FA22ac (dual 12") and it's very interesting too...even lighter, and a little more output than the 15". Hmmm...
Click to expand...

You have to remember, output is measured within the intended bandpass. So given the amp modules are the same between the FA15ac and the FA12ac (same input power), and the fact that the FA15ac goes lower (going lower is more work), it means the FA15ac is probably not going to beat the FA12ac. If you high-passed them at the same frequency (say 100Hz) then the FA15ac would likely pull ahead ever so slightly.

If you want massive output, go with the FA22ac. Nothing (in the size/weight class) can touch it, period.
 
Re: Meyer or Fulcrum or...

Silas Pradetto said:
You have to remember, output is measured within the intended bandpass. So given the amp modules are the same between the FA15ac and the FA12ac (same input power), and the fact that the FA15ac goes lower (going lower is more work), it means the FA15ac is probably not going to beat the FA12ac. If you high-passed them at the same frequency (say 100Hz) then the FA15ac would likely pull ahead ever so slightly.

If you want massive output, go with the FA22ac. Nothing (in the size/weight class) can touch it, period.
Click to expand...

Good point about the band pass thing. Understood. But this FA22ac...your comments make it even more interesting. I'll have to call Fulcrum in the morning and see if they have any dealers near Toronto.
 
Re: Meyer or Fulcrum or...

Not sure about Canadian distribution, but we've had demo units of Vue Audioteknik a15 and a12 speakers. Other than LF transducer size I'm not sure if there is a difference in drivers, but the H series is powered. The "A" series sounds neutral. I call it "hi-fi without sounding hyped." The 15" goes lower and might be a little louder under 150Hz (a dB or 2) than the 12", but both sound very good. I'd put them up against similar products from Meyer or D&B.
 
Re: Meyer or Fulcrum or...

John B. Miller said:
I've never heard the Fulcrum stuff, and I suspect a demo is going to hard to come by in Canada, so I'm after some opinions on how they might compare to Meyer in performance before I jump through all kinds of hoops to get my hands on one.
Click to expand...

Fulcrum has distribution in Canada. we're a dealer but a bit too far from you.
if you contact Fulcrum they'll definitely help you out. there is a rep in the GTA and at least a few companies down that way that I know actively sell them.

If you don't get anywhere, let me know!
Jason
 
Re: Meyer or Fulcrum or...

Tim McCulloch said:
Not sure about Canadian distribution, but we've had demo units of Vue Audioteknik a15 and a12 speakers. Other than LF transducer size I'm not sure if there is a difference in drivers, but the H series is powered. The "A" series sounds neutral. I call it "hi-fi without sounding hyped." The 15" goes lower and might be a little louder under 150Hz (a dB or 2) than the 12", but both sound very good. I'd put them up against similar products from Meyer or D&B.
Click to expand...

I believe the H-class offers the Beryllium version if I remember correctly. And I agree with you on your assessment of the Vue.
 
Re: Meyer or Fulcrum or...

Silas, having used the DSP4 unit present at the Fulcrum boxes, i wonder is the dsp left totally accessible to users? Meaning can a curious but not that cleaver customer be able to fuck up the presets and damage the drivers?

BTW i would give Fulcrum advantage over pretty much anything powered out there. Simply by the fact that i am aware how powerful the dsp and the amps in those boxes are.
 
Marjan Milosevic said:
Silas, having used the DSP4 unit present at the Fulcrum boxes, i wonder is the dsp left totally accessible to users? Meaning can a curious but not that cleaver customer be able to fuck up the presets and damage the drivers?

BTW i would give Fulcrum advantage over pretty much anything powered out there. Simply by the fact that i am aware how powerful the dsp and the amps in those boxes are.
Click to expand...

They are mostly locked out. You can adjust things like eq, delay, high pass.

Sent from my SCH-I545
 
Re: Meyer or Fulcrum or...

The DSP4 allows us to load our TQ Processing into the "back end" of the DSP, where it is locked down. However, there are two user-accessible EQ sections, each with a comprehensive set of filters, delays, level control, etc. Its really quite a lot of user-accessible stuff. The "front end" eq (accessed via PC/Armonia software) can be bypassed/activated by a pushbotton on the rear of the speaker. The "middle" eq (also configured by PC) can be stored in one of the user-accessible presets. There are 10 presets total. The first 4 are locked by fulcrum and cannot be overwritten. The next 6 can be created by the user. Presets 1-8 can be selected via pushbutton, 9 and 10 by PC only.

In Canada, feel free to contact SF Marketing (the fulcrum distributor). They can steer you to a dealer. Or, contact us directly at [email protected] . Of course, you can also contact us directly with any other commercial or technical questions.

Best,

Stephen Siegel
President, Fulcrum Acoustic.

PS - i hope that i didn't violate any posting rules related to manufacturers on the board. Apologies in advance for any transgressions.
 
Re: Meyer or Fulcrum or...

John B. Miller said:
Good point about the band pass thing. Understood. But this FA22ac...your comments make it even more interesting. I'll have to call Fulcrum in the morning and see if they have any dealers near Toronto.
Click to expand...
John,
SFM handles Fulcrum, but pricing is not in line with US.
I may be demoing a unit in the early new year if you can hold that long. I'm near Stratford.
 
Meyer or Fulcrum or...

Loving our new Fulcrum FA-15AC's! Full range is deep, loud and crisp, zero distortion. Biamped over new RCF Sub 8004's, an unprecedented powerhouse combo. We can get as loud as we want and have yet to hear a client asking anything to be lowered. Very happy with our new system and contemplating FA12AC's for a lighter traveling option when working together with our 18" RCF subs. FA15AC most flexible option out there when needing full range SPL or biamped with subs.
 
Re: Meyer or Fulcrum or...

The FA22AC's performed very well. It took a while for it to sink in how well they performed. It wasn't until after the show that it hit me - I hadn't thought about the PA at all. I just mixed. I often spend a lot of time tweaking the system eq. Not so with this PA.

The show consisted of 8 inexperienced bands ranging from a cappella to an all girls rock band. I had 6 Heil PR35's across the front of the stage for vocals and 20 instrument inputs. I mixed house and provided 4 monitor mixes on 5 wedges from an Avid S3L. I used AES outputs on an S3L stage box to feed the AES inputs of the FA22AC.

We did a full run-through in the afternoon after the organizers hemmed and hawed about stage setup for most of the morning. I had to keep moving things on stage to accommodate their changes and had no time to tune the system. But it didn't matter. The house sounded great.

The FA22AC processing gives you more depth than a traditionally processed speaker. You can hear things that are further down in the mix. This was particularly useful since I was "busking" the whole show.

I'm not sure what else to say. Fulcrum is still making a few tuning tweaks that I think will improve them even more, but we're talking about 1 or 2 db changes, nothing dramatic.

I don't think you can get this combination of features and quality from another manufacturer at any price. I hope I get the opportunity to use them outside and really open them up.
 
Re: Meyer or Fulcrum or...

Hi John,
I have one here on evaluation if you care to check it out in person. Probably have it for a few weeks, unless I keep and order it's twin. Sounds very good in my small shop, but I haven't had a chance to let her loose yet. I'm going to test them against our other current stock of DSR12 and KW153. No doubt the FA will get louder and sound better doing it, it's just a matter of -how much- better it performs and if it's enough of a performance increase to justify the substantial price difference.
Anyone know if there are padded covers available for these?
BJ
 
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