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[Bob Cap]

Alright guys we are now starting to narrow down the monitor speaker choice.

We were using an RCF 15x2 powered box.

Now it looks like everyone (yes, including the guys that have called me) are into the RCF NX series.

Now the question is 12" or 15". According to the RCF page the freq response is the same...the output spl on the 12" is 129 and on the 15" 130.

That isn't a hill of beans difference.

Smaller, lighter....

If you guys have a preference shoot it to me. And why would I want to go to the 15"?

Thanks

Bob Cap

[Tim Hite]

RCF dealer here, don't know anyone who's recommended the NX15SMA. At this price level the 12" is getting it done in a smaller package.

Even with other product lines, I'm not seeing anyone recommending a 15" wedge because the 12" have such high output, these days.

Alright guys we are now starting to narrow down the monitor speaker choice.

We were using an RCF 15x2 powered box.

Now it looks like everyone (yes, including the guys that have called me) are into the RCF NX series.

Now the question is 12" or 15". According to the RCF page the freq response is the same...the output spl on the 12" is 129 and on the 15" 130.

That isn't a hill of beans difference.

Smaller, lighter....

If you guys have a preference shoot it to me. And why would I want to go to the 15"?

Thanks

Bob Cap

[Luke Geis]

I own 6 currently and am looking to get another pair to have 8 NX12SMA's!!! What I can say is that I initially got them for monitor use only, but that has changed a bit and I am using them more for corporate and smaller more intimate band use as well.

I went with 12" because the added cost of the 15" along with the weight and bulk didn't make 1db worth anything to me. I knew that if the speaker had any output at all down to 100hz it was going to function just fine as a monitor and since the HF section was the same, there was no point in spending more for no real performance gain. I was shocked when I cranked the NX12SMA up because it has a really full and warm sound to it. Almost too warm. There is plenty of woof and low end in the box even with the Monitor setting being used. I find I have to roll off quite a bit of low end when used as a monitor to make them cut a little more. As a full range SOS speaker in full range mode, it is equally happy providing a full sound with perhaps a little bit too much low mid oomph. It sounds very much like the specs suggest. I have an older spec sheet that has the frequency response and it has a hump that exists between 200hz and 600hz with the highest output existing right around 250hz - 400hz. This hump is audible when listening and is easily tuned out. It sounds good though, don't get me wrong. When in monitor mode and used as such it has a flat response from 100hz to essentially 16khz. It was designed and meant to be used as a monitor wedge. For SOS it sounds great and works just as well despite needing a small bit of tuning to reduce the woof around 250hz or so.

The thing weighs in at roughly 35lbs. and looks good on a stand. The connections all being at the top is kind of a bummer, but with some foresight is an easy issue to overcome ( make all the connections before you put it on the stand ). The coaxial nature of the box really does shine. It is not too big and it just has a very nice proportion. The 60* conical horn is pretty true to form and it has a very smooth off-axis sound. When I A/B'd them against my SRX 812's, they honestly have a similar sound. The SRX is more even in the low end has a little more high-end air, but the NX12SMA could easily integrate with the SRX's and are close enough in sound to seamlessly do so. Overall sound quality is great and while I won't say the NX12SMA is better sounding than the SRX's, it is also designed to be a monitor, not a main speaker.

[Dave Garoutte]

+1 to Luke's post.
Also, with a powercon in and thru, you can daisy chain the speakers, which makes a nice clean stage.
Or split out a stage power outlet.

[Miguel Dahl]

I own 6 currently and am looking to get another pair to have 8 NX12SMA's!!! What I can say is that I initially got them for monitor use only, but that has changed a bit and I am using them more for corporate and smaller more intimate band use as well.

I went with 12" because the added cost of the 15" along with the weight and bulk didn't make 1db worth anything to me. I knew that if the speaker had any output at all down to 100hz it was going to function just fine as a monitor and since the HF section was the same, there was no point in spending more for no real performance gain. I was shocked when I cranked the NX12SMA up because it has a really full and warm sound to it. Almost too warm. There is plenty of woof and low end in the box even with the Monitor setting being used. I find I have to roll off quite a bit of low end when used as a monitor to make them cut a little more. As a full range SOS speaker in full range mode, it is equally happy providing a full sound with perhaps a little bit too much low mid oomph. It sounds very much like the specs suggest. I have an older spec sheet that has the frequency response and it has a hump that exists between 200hz and 600hz with the highest output existing right around 250hz - 400hz. This hump is audible when listening and is easily tuned out. It sounds good though, don't get me wrong. When in monitor mode and used as such it has a flat response from 100hz to essentially 16khz. It was designed and meant to be used as a monitor wedge. For SOS it sounds great and works just as well despite needing a small bit of tuning to reduce the woof around 250hz or so.

The thing weighs in at roughly 35lbs. and looks good on a stand. The connections all being at the top is kind of a bummer, but with some foresight is an easy issue to overcome ( make all the connections before you put it on the stand ). The coaxial nature of the box really does shine. It is not too big and it just has a very nice proportion. The 60* conical horn is pretty true to form and it has a very smooth off-axis sound. When I A/B'd them against my SRX 812's, they honestly have a similar sound. The SRX is more even in the low end has a little more high-end air, but the NX12SMA could easily integrate with the SRX's and are close enough in sound to seamlessly do so. Overall sound quality is great and while I won't say the NX12SMA is better sounding than the SRX's, it is also designed to be a monitor, not a main speaker.

I'm just curious. I compared the specs for the 15 and 12, and the only difference I could see was 1dB more output in the 15. So two "identical" boxes, just one is 12 the other 15. Why is there a 15 (or 12) box if they are "the same", on the paper? For instance, how would the 12 compare to the 15 in a live setting with a metal band?

[Luke Geis]

The 15" I'm sure has more low-end output available, but is it usable and is it worth the extra weight and $$$?

The 15" model would be more suited for a drummers wedge where a sub isn't used. For vocal use, I reduce a fair amount of low-end media already. Since the HF driver is common between the 15" and the 12", it is the limiting factor in performance.

I think either the 12" or the 15" would have only just enough to handle what I consider to be a metal band. My gut tells me ( I have yet to measure true results ) that the NX12SMA is about 3db louder before instability than my other monitoring options ( EAW LA212 and Renkus Heinz CFX121M ). 3db isn't a whole lot. I'm basing this off of two simple facts. Most metal bands are using the cheapest stuff available and getting away with it. The ones that do own good stuff or even play at venues that have " good stuff ", still don't typically have stuff as good as the RCF NX series. I say just enough because it should do it, but I can't guarantee it will.

[David Morison]

Overlaying and scaling the graphs so that they're as close as possible from 2kHz to 10kHz suggests that there's a couple of dB higher level from 120Hz on down for the 15, plus the 12 seems smoother around 1kHz.

Neither of these seem like night and day differences though.

[Sean Chen]

Alright guys we are now starting to narrow down the monitor speaker choice.

We were using an RCF 15x2 powered box.

Now it looks like everyone (yes, including the guys that have called me) are into the RCF NX series.

Now the question is 12" or 15". According to the RCF page the freq response is the same...the output spl on the 12" is 129 and on the 15" 130.

That isn't a hill of beans difference.

Smaller, lighter....

If you guys have a preference shoot it to me. And why would I want to go to the 15"?

Thanks

Bob Cap

Is this for drummer or bass player? Nothing thumps like a 15”, if that is what they prefer. Bode plot only tells part of a story in a steady state response. If the users have an opportunity to A/B the options in person, it outweighs all paper talk, no pun intended =)

[Kirby Yarbrough]

If you guys have a preference shoot it to me. And why would I want to go to the 15"?

+1 to Luke's post.  I also have six of the NX12sma and rent more locally for larger shows.  The only downside I've run into is the drummer or bassist who wants a lot of low end in a monitor mix, and remembering to set the attenuator and check the switches BEFORE it goes up the stand for an SOS gig.

[Curtis H List (Too Tall)]

Alright guys we are now starting to narrow down the monitor speaker choice.

We were using an RCF 15x2 powered box.

Now it looks like everyone (yes, including the guys that have called me) are into the RCF NX series.

Now the question is 12" or 15". According to the RCF page the freq response is the same...the output spl on the 12" is 129 and on the 15" 130.

That isn't a hill of beans difference.

Smaller, lighter....

If you guys have a preference shoot it to me. And why would I want to go to the 15"?

Thanks

Bob Cap

The physical size (Diameter, Xmax) changes the dispersion
When does the distortion kick in?

[ProSoundWeb Community]