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Author Topic: More powered speaker testings.....  (Read 21477 times)

Jay Barracato

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Re: More powered speaker testings.....
« Reply #10 on: April 01, 2011, 09:01:21 AM »

I recently bought a pair of Yamaha DRS112 and I am 100% satisfied with them. They are great speakers. But, even though I am probably gonna get another pair of the DSR's as monitors, when I drive by a music store, I stop to take a look at what's available, and how some stuff sounds.

Last weekend was a sound test weekend. I stopped by at Solotech, in Montreal, and was introduced to EV's live X series.

I admit I was pretty impressed, both by sound quality, and price. The least expensive of the bunch by quite a bit, and not bad sounding at all. It sounded just a bit scooped, but not really lacking in any way. Then we started to A/B a bunch, including my DSR's. The DSR's are still the winner in my book, but at that price, many will opt for a very good box, with a decent mixer built in, and a sound that no one will complain about.

I have used my DSR's on 3 medium venues now, and they are perfect. In 2 weeks, I have their biggest gig yet. Can't wait to see them shine. Oh, and while I was at Solotech, I tried the DSR sub. It is really nice too, first time I heard it. Again, maybe not the best for boom boom dj dance stuff, but with ''real'' music (R&B, acoustic rock, etc...), it sounded great. Perfect match to the 112.


So when will the "testing" occur. No offense, but all you have posted is a subjective review of listening under unknown conditions.
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Jay Barracato

Scott Bolt

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Re: More powered speaker testings.....
« Reply #11 on: April 02, 2011, 09:56:27 AM »

I think I understand what you are talking about; however, the "testing" being done here is the subjective personal ear testing of people that supposedly know a thing or two about speakers and live sound (and how to get a decent live sound).

Phase and frequency charts in a sterile environment are just numbers on a page IMHO.  I much prefer hearing other professionals opinions on the sound of a speaker personally.

I would be interested in a detailed graphical analysis of the current crop of powered speakers; however, I am a senior electrical engineer and geek extrodinare ;)

I think it would take a bigger geek (with more money and time than me) to want to put together a real testing environment and put these speakers to the test with a program like SMAART (or the shareware ARTA program).
 
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Kurt Stephens

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Re: More powered speaker testings.....
« Reply #12 on: April 02, 2011, 11:31:15 PM »

I would be interested in a detailed graphical analysis of the current crop of powered speakers; however, I am a senior electrical engineer and geek extrodinare ;)

I think it would take a bigger geek (with more money and time than me) to want to put together a real testing environment and put these speakers to the test with a program like SMAART (or the shareware ARTA program).

I would be extremely interested in this as well - the market with the PRX's DSR's K's etc... is real crowded right now - it would be fantastic to have some comparative testing done on them.
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Jon R Smith

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Re: More powered speaker testings.....
« Reply #13 on: April 03, 2011, 11:05:07 PM »

Greetings,

As so many people have pointed out on these forums, "it's all about the ears." Also, I have never been hired for a job because my speakers looked good on paper or not hired because they didn't. Never been asked really. Hmmm. I have been hired because of great sound and professional attitude.

Anyway, I recently did a A/B between all of the below listed. This was not in a small GC room but in a large showroom that would actually hold 200 water bags in a show. Great acoustics and built just for this type of testing. Various musical styles and genre were used and none was damaged or injured in the process. Power wise they are all 1000 watts with the Yamaha's topping the others at 1300 total watts.

Yamaha DSR112
EV ELX112P
QSC K12
JBL PRX 612M

The JBL's were mine and I wanted to compare them to the rest. i was very happy with my PRX. They held their own against all of the above. As has been mentioned before, the monitor angle sucks but is cured by a little audio wood. In the end I found myself happy with my PRX 612 and 615 purchase. The remaining 3 speakers have great monitor angles especially compared to the PRX.

Any of the above is a great speaker and the purchaser will be happy. If economics are a concern to you then you will love the EV's. They are a great speaker and for under $500 and you will love them. I am going to pick up at least one for a great little utility speaker. RCA inputs and dual XLR ins with separate control and a master control. It is close to the K12 on individual controls but kicks butt on price ($300 less) and matches the sound quality. (my opinion)

Myself, I walked away with the DSRs from Yamaha. I felt them to hold up in volume level and sound quality better than the rest. I can't wait to get them outdoors! My 612s were right there but the DSR surpassed even them. My dealer is selling all their PRX 5XX stock and moving to the DSR for their rental inventory. The PRX 5XX speaker covers also fit the DSR perfectly.

To wrap up these are all great speakers and any one will work well for the buyer. I suggest you listen and let your ears tell you what to buy. I don't believe anyone will tell you your speakers suck with any of the above. As with any speaker how you use or abuse them with your chosen genre will determine your success or failure.

I hope this review helps and is not to middle of the fence. I love my JBL's and am very happy with my new Yamaha purchase.


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Jon

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Dave Ferris

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Re: More powered speaker testings.....
« Reply #14 on: April 04, 2011, 03:24:53 AM »

I finally did get to hear the Yamahas yesterday in the GC. First off my application or wants are probably a little different then most.
I'm looking for a speaker/speakers that will basically give me the most detailed, non-harsh, non-digital, smooth as silk sound for my "digital" ( ;D) piano....without having to spend between 5K to 6K on a pair of L'Acoustics, Meyer or Turbosound NUQs. :o
DPs are the hardest instrument to get right live imo, especially when the context is more Acoustic based music like Jazz. And piano players are among the pickiest bunch of pias around. ::)  ;)

The DSR112 does sound good ! Especially at that price point. I wasn't able to bring my Yamaha CP5 in as space was tight but I was able to persuade them to bring a Korg SV-1 from the adjoining keyboard room to demo with. Since my RCF TT08As are very small and don't take up a lot of space I brought one along just has a point of reference.

The DSR112 has a big sound in the low end and clear in the highs. Almost "too" big in the lows for me. In Jazz too much low end on piano can smother the Acoustic bass's sonic territory; that's a no-no.
After A/B ing the Yamaha with my RCF, even though it's an 8" to 12", I still preferred the RCF's more open, natural detailed sound to the DSR112 box.
The Yamaha with its 12" speaker obviously sounded "bigger", but through the DSR112 , the Korg's Acoustic piano, Rhodes and Wurlitzer sounds all came across a bit more digital or jarring as opposed to more of a smoother studio monitor vibe from the TT08A.

So while I think for someone using the DSR112s in a more rock application for foh vocals would be very happy, this was not the sound I was looking for.

I was told by the local RCF rep that he's working on getting the 722A and TT22A , one of each, for me to compare. I've been working on this since last Oct. so I hope it can happen next week or very soon after.

I'll post my thoughts, after getting a chance to hear both boxes, for anyone interested in a dedicated RCF thread..
« Last Edit: April 04, 2011, 10:05:59 AM by Dave Ferris »
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Billy Crabtree

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Re: More powered speaker testings.....
« Reply #15 on: April 04, 2011, 10:16:38 AM »

 
Does anyone know which ones are made in china, heard the ev's are. QSC's are made in Cali? (seems I remember reading that somewhere) I have hpr 153i's and they are chinese but are really sweet, but they weigh in over a hundred pounds each and are not pole mountable, so thinking of moving up to something lighter.
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Derek D Sanchez

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Re: More powered speaker testings.....
« Reply #16 on: April 04, 2011, 04:49:20 PM »

What do you guys think about the jbl prx 615 vs the yamaha dsr 112?  I want to upgrade to powered monitors and i was set on the jbls but now the yamahas seem like a good contender. Would the 15 in the jbl give it more of an edge over the yamahas 12? Thanks Derek
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Derek D Sanchez

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Re: More powered speaker testings.....
« Reply #17 on: April 04, 2011, 04:53:59 PM »

Also on a side note since i have been using passive monitors, what happens when musicians spill beer or water onto powered monitors? The jbls have a port on the back so the water would not get in while the yamahas have two front ports and if you look through can see the amp below. Just asking because i always wondered, my passive jbls have gotten water on them with no problems. Derek
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Rob Spence

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Re: More powered speaker testings.....
« Reply #18 on: April 04, 2011, 10:34:56 PM »

One thing I have noticed in some of these "comparison" threads are comments about the sound at the upper limits of the speaker.
What I wonder about is what SPL are we talking about for each of these units.
It is one thing if they all get to the same SPL but one or more sound bad at the level that some others sound ok. But, if there is no measurement of actual loudness, it could be that they all sound fine up to some SPL level?
Ears are good for EQ determining but not so much for comparing loudness.
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rob at lynxaudioservices dot com

Dealer for: AKG, Allen & Heath, Ashley, Astatic, Audix, Blue Microphones, CAD, Chauvet, Community, Countryman, Crown, DBX, Electro-Voice, FBT, Furman, Heil, Horizon, Intellistage, JBL, Lab Gruppen, Mid Atlantic, On Stage Stands, Pelican, Peterson Tuners, Presonus, ProCo, QSC, Radial, RCF, Sennheiser, Shure, SKB, Soundcraft, TC Electronics, Telex, Whirlwind and others

Scott Bolt

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Re: More powered speaker testings.....
« Reply #19 on: April 04, 2011, 10:55:22 PM »

Jon,

I wished that I could have auditioned these speakers in a larger (more realistic) venue than the tiny speaker area at GC as you did.

I had a very similar opinion and ended up purchasing the DSR112's as well.  I thought that the PRX612m was a close second and a better sounding speaker than the K12 at a lower price.  I do miss that side handle on the JBL and the 34lbs weight when I am putting my DSR's up on the pole ;)

Hi Dave,  I believe that we have spoken on another forum.

After hearing your review, I do remember that I felt that the DSR112 was a bit too hot on the HF when I was close up.  I did eq the speaker at GC to cut some of the top off using a PEQ in that small space.

I found that once I had the speakers home and was able to get into a larger space (a real gig), I needed that top HF back and ended up with the eq flat on the mains ;)

I can see where the attack (top and bottom) on the DSR might not be optimal for a keyboard monitor (without first going through an eq of some kind).

Thanks for the great feedback.
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ProSoundWeb Community

Re: More powered speaker testings.....
« Reply #19 on: April 04, 2011, 10:55:22 PM »


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