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Author Topic: Kv2 KX 1.2 Compact Subwoofer  (Read 8858 times)

Marlow Wilson

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Kv2 KX 1.2 Compact Subwoofer
« on: December 19, 2010, 04:30:25 PM »

A local SR company I work with regularly had a couple of these for SOS duty and I had the opportunity to try them out when my existing active stuff was in use or double booked.

I've had such a good experience with them that I ended up buying a pair, so I thought I'd share.   This isn't a really technical review, but just me sharing my thoughts on the product.  If you have any specific questions I can try to answer them.  I'll also try to get pics of them out in the wild with time.

These are quite compact.  22.44 x 21.65 x 14.57 and 70.4 lbs.  I can easily carry a pair of these and they are short enough that they can be carried like a briefcase in each hand without strain or bumping against my legs as I walk.

I'll get the images in early to put your curiosity at ease:

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I've used these primarily for small corporate events and weddings with DJ's.  For small events I've found that one is often enough and can set it up under the DJ table with SOS at the sides.  For slightly larger events I'll either center cluster two or use extension rods in place of tripods.  The tops I used with these varied from very small (FBT Jolly 8ba) to more standard SOS (FBT Maxx 4a or EV SXa250).  The tiny FBT and single sub were used in an art gallery and provided very good sound in a very small package.

I used them a few times with small bands but the applications were not very demanding.  I also used it once and a drum fill with an FBT Maxx 4a where I was worried my regular Maxx 6a drum wedge wouldn't be enough.  It did everything I asked it to.

What's great about these little subs is that they actually have decent LF extension.  Their stated -3 and -10 points are 38 and 32 hz respectively.  Come spring I may actually try to measure them outside against some other small subs, but for now it's kind of besides the point.  These are loud enough for small gigs and very full sounding for a small box.

On the back are a pair of inputs and high-pass outs as well as standard full range outputs.  The crossover is fixed at 125 hz, and the only real control on the back of the unit is gain and a polarity swap.  One of my only issues with the speaker is actually that the gain control which only +/- 6 dB.  This has been a problem a few times when less bass is requested and you can't turn it down anymore at the speaker itself.  I sometimes do distributed small systems across multiple rooms and a little more play with being able to lower the levels without having to fiddle with other gain stages would be useful.

Another mini-gripe is likely the result of the enclosure design.  The pole mount for the extension rod is like those found on most tops and doesn't extend all the way into the box.  I've found I prefer the stability of pole mounts that go deeper but at the end of the day they are very workable for lightweight tops.

One feature I DO like is that there is an IEC outlet and inlet, letting you plug in the top box directly to the sub if you have the right cable.  I picked up some 8 foot c14 to c13 IEC plugs to do this I really like not having to throw twofers into the SOS cable kit.  The M/F IEC cord was only $4 so I bought enough to not have to worry about misplacing them.  I'm not a powercon guy, but I'm sure some labsters would have preferred that option.

An additional cool feature are indents on the top of the speaker to facilitate stacking (the rubber feet sort of lock in place when stacked).  It helps with transport and would make them safe to stack two per side and still use the extension rods.

On a final note I should say that I've used the KX 1.5 as well, but not in as many different applications.  It's essentially the same box with the same footprint but about 5 inches taller and 10 lbs heavier.  If you can manage the extra size you gain 3 dB of output, so  for some that may be the perfect box.  

Hopefully someone can chime in with street pricing in the US and abroad because the Canadian distributor is changing and I got mine on closeout from the old distributor.  These should come in as a bit pricier than some of the mainstream offerings, but not completely out of line.

I may be missing some obvious products, but for me this is the best small subwoofer with professional looks and good sound at a price my clients can afford.  The speakers I would like to do direct comparisons with are the RCF ART 902AS and DB Tech SUB12 which are a bit more money and less money respectively.  

I've had a lot of return business from DJ clients who use these at their small events.  A whole compact PA can actually fit in a compact sedan if needed, and I love not having to play tetris to get everything into my wagon or SUV like I did with bigger 18" subs. I can fit 6 FBT Maxx 4a's, two subs, a DJ kit or 01v96 and all the required mics/stands/cabling in Jeep Liberty.  The less I need the trailer the better in my books.

To be sure, these aren't going to be thunderous subs for larger events, but I'm sure there are some providers like me out there would want to be able to deploy a professional and full range sound system in a tiny format.

These really do the trick for me.
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Marlow Wilson

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Re: Kv2 KX 1.2 Compact Subwoofer
« Reply #1 on: December 19, 2010, 04:38:06 PM »

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Ales Dravinec 'Alex'

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Re: Kv2 KX 1.2 Compact Subwoofer
« Reply #2 on: December 20, 2010, 10:36:13 AM »

Tiny mistake in the 'input impedance' field .... nothing we would not be able to interpret correctly.
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Ales Dravinec
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ADRaudio
Slovenia

'There's no replacement for displacement' Carroll Shelby (Jim Bowersox, Tim McCulloch)
'Put speakers up in the air, where they belong' Bill Hanley

Bob Kenton

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Re: Kv2 KX 1.2 Compact Subwoofer
« Reply #3 on: December 20, 2010, 12:42:18 PM »

Thanks for the review. These just might be the sub Im looking for. Ive been trying out a pair of VRX powered subs and for the local stuff I do there fine but for a traveling band there still a bit bulky for a tight pack space in a mid sized van.
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