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[Scott Bolt]

I have heard many speakers at many different price ranges.

My favorite was the MEYER UPA 1P's..... but my second favorite is still the DSR112 (for tops over sub duty).

I have never had the opportunity to A/B these speakers, but my guess is that I wouldn't hear $3500 difference

The new SRX812p is a really nice sounding speaker.  I am not so sure that I would put it in a different class than the DSR112 though.

For the money, and for the bass output, the DXR15 is still unbeatable IMO.  I am sure that the DSR's will outrun it by a noticeable amount, but the fact is that the DSR's are more than what most bar bands need.  A single DSR can hang with a pair of subs per side.  Most bar bands don't bring more than 2 subs to a bar gig (neither do I in most cases).

I think that we have reached the point of diminishing returns with powered speakers.  They may well improve some over the next 10 years, but I doubt they will improve so much as to make speakers like the SRX 800's and DSR's sound "bad".

IMO, Yamaha (NEXO really) simply jumped ahead of the competition out the gate.  The DSR had better drivers, and better DSP than any of the competition at its release. 

The DXR line really found the sweet spot in price and performance.

It really is a shame they didn't make a sub worthy of competing with the JBL PRX XLF.  Despite the bandpass design, I hear good things about the new DXS18.  I really need to test drive a pair

[Richard Penrose]

I have to agree that Yamaha have done a fantastic job with their DXR & DSR ranges. I went with the DXR's because I wanted something full range that could handle bass and kick. The DXR does this brilliantly. I had an event in a large marquee last weekend where the music didn't need to be loud but the bass amp was a tiny practice amp and the drummer had a very small kit (18" kick) and played quietly. Putting the bass and kick drum through the DXR15's made a huge difference and sounded great. I love being able to do a gig like this with just two FOH speakers

The new update to the QSC K.2 range doesn't look that impressive. It would appear they've just changed the DSP and maybe a little more power from the amp!?

Er, that's what the limiter's for.  With any decent active speaker, you can drive them with the limiter light on all day with no ill effects, as the limiter's doing its job.

Yes true but that's not always the case! Ive known people to have drivers fail on some speakers when driven into the limit.

[Brian Bolly]

I have heard many speakers at many different price ranges.

My favorite was the MEYER UPA 1P's..... but my second favorite is still the DSR112 (for tops over sub duty).

I have never had the opportunity to A/B these speakers, but my guess is that I wouldn't hear $3500 difference

I have to chuckle at this a bit, and point out that while most manufacturers roll over product every couple of years (isn't that what this thread is about anyway?), how well-engineered the UPA is to stand the test of time.  Effectively it's a 35 year old speaker design, or at least 20 years old if you are only counting the powered version.

I agree that the DSR112 is a great speaker, and in terms of how MI-grade powered speakers have developed in the last decade, Yamaha has done a fantastic job.  On-board FIR filters?  Unheard of 10, or even really 5 years ago.  So comparing a 'dinosaur' like the UPA mostly favorably to a new speaker design with 21st century tech really says something.

[Mark Wilkinson]

My favorite was the MEYER UPA 1P's..... but my second favorite is still the DSR112 (for tops over sub duty).

Scott, I have the same experience.  I've had a pair of UPA-1P's for over 15 years, and they still sound better to me than any of the self-powered boxes I've heard at MI stores.  I also like the DSR112 over the usual JBL, EV, QSC, etc contenders.

My local store will let me borrow a DSR112....I keep meaning to do that and compare to the UPA....maybe I haven't done it yet, cause I'm afraid of hearing far less than a $3500 difference, lol

[Jay Barracato]

This starts to sound to me like "will my 2017 Chevy Cruze compete with a 1984 Nascar Malibu".

Sent from my XT1254 using Tapatalk

[James Paul]

In response to the initial question, I might expect an upgrade to the DSR line as it was introduced in 2012, prior to the DXR series, nearing the end of the 7 year warranty period of the first to market.
Best obvious guesses for a MKII upgrade would be, drivers (cast frame, 3" compression), increased wattage, cooling fan, ply construction, networkable (Audionate).

I do find it rather fascinating the amount of discussion and a general consensus about the DSR112 solely, and not of the other family 115 & 215, from my count of over thirty owner/users on this board alone, myself included.

An a/b comparison of the venerable UPA1P and DSR112 is intriguing.

Meanwhile, I still pine for a pair of Mackie HD1531`s at the right buy-in price for the man cave.

[Debbie Dunkley]

This starts to sound to me like "will my 2017 Chevy Cruze compete with a 1984 Nascar Malibu".

Sent from my XT1254 using Tapatalk

ha ha... I was thinking something similar myself Jay.

[Mark Wilkinson]

This starts to sound to me like "will my 2017 Chevy Cruze compete with a 1984 Nascar Malibu".

Sent from my XT1254 using Tapatalk

Funny ... !

maybe there's a parallel truth in the old vs new car comparison  ...I mean, some models, some years, were super, now collectors items...some models/years (perhaps most) were turds... every manufacturer has made both...

Tis a shame the market rather constantly wants to bet on a new unknown with a good probability of turd-iness, to a known old gem.... haha

[Scott Bolt]

I have to chuckle at this a bit, and point out that while most manufacturers roll over product every couple of years (isn't that what this thread is about anyway?), how well-engineered the UPA is to stand the test of time.  Effectively it's a 35 year old speaker design, or at least 20 years old if you are only counting the powered version.

I agree that the DSR112 is a great speaker, and in terms of how MI-grade powered speakers have developed in the last decade, Yamaha has done a fantastic job.  On-board FIR filters?  Unheard of 10, or even really 5 years ago.  So comparing a 'dinosaur' like the UPA mostly favorably to a new speaker design with 21st century tech really says something.

Brian,

I first heard the UPA's about 6 years ago at a Train concert on the beach in Cancun at an exclusive resort with a crowd of <300 people.  My wife's favorite part of the trip was having a conversation with Pat Monahan (btw, he is so tiny that a stiff breeze would blow him away, but man can he sing ).  My favorite part was the incredible sound of the Meyer system that was put up for the gig (2 UPA-2P's per side, center and sub).  Just .... wow.  Nicely done.

I ran back to our room and looked up the speakers (which I hadn't heard of until then) and was totally disheartened at the price such a system costs .  Perhaps some day I will win the lottery!

Since then, I now recognize them when I see them and have always been impressed with the sound at any venue that I find them at.

Of course, there is a bit of slant to this when you think about it.

What kind of venue/event would have a Meyer rig to begin with?  Really only those that were well funded and backed by a professional sound crew.

How much of that great sound is the talent of the sound crew vs the quality of the speaker system?

I don't really know the answer.  I also have yet to hear a band with an SRX7XX, 8XXp, DSR112, etc that sounded "bad".  Again, I think that the type of people that pick such systems may be more discerning.

I have A/B'd my DSR112/PRX618XLF rig to many of my friends rigs around the local area.  It is impressive.  I may slightly prefer the sound of a friends KW153 over KW118 rig, but I certainly don't envy his load out

As an aside, I was stationed on a nuclear submarine for some time in my youth.  I did a tourist run through an old WWII sub in San Francisco a few years ago and was amazed at how much of the submarine technology had stayed exactly the same.  Some designs just work well and there is little need to change them I guess.

We have all been privileged to see a revolution in powered speaker technology as well as digital mixer technology.  It wasn't that these things didn't exist, they were simply not so good at so low a price.

FWIW, I suspect the dinosaur would win the shoot out.  I have never heard such a smooth horn as the UPA.

[Richard Penrose]

In response to the initial question, I might expect an upgrade to the DSR line as it was introduced in 2012, prior to the DXR series, nearing the end of the 7 year warranty period of the first to market.
Best obvious guesses for a MKII upgrade would be, drivers (cast frame, 3" compression), increased wattage, cooling fan, ply construction, networkable (Audionate).

I do find it rather fascinating the amount of discussion and a general consensus about the DSR112 solely, and not of the other family 115 & 215, from my count of over thirty owner/users on this board alone, myself included.

Yes I have to say I'm pretty intrigued by the DSR series based on the sheer amount of positive reviews they get! Ideally I'd love a lighter version of the DSR115's! If the DSR112's had a little more depth of bass I would have gone for those a will back! If I had the budget I'd quite fancy adding another pair of QSC KW181's and get a pair of the DSR112's. That way I could have a single DSR112 over a pair of KW181's per side but this is more of a pipe dream!

[ProSoundWeb Community]