[jack hale]

I've been looking to buy a few monitors. I'm on a limited budget. I've come across the W Audio SM12 but I've never heard of them before. Does anyone know how they sound?

This post has been edited by paulears: 10 July 2012 - 07:23 AM
Reason for edit: spag

[MisterJames]

Hey!

I've used a whole W-Audio PA... Zenith range 12" and active 15" subwoofer and the SW12 Passive stage monitors. They sound good for the money... Low end is limited but it'll do a bass guitar and mid/high is very clear for the price. Like I said ive ran whole shows of the kits. Our school is on a tight budget so thats reason we brought otherwise it be EV or JBL however W-Audio do look the part.

I brought mine through CPC. They have a 7 day cooling off period if you dont like them.

Hope that helps!

[ferretwrangler]

We have 8 of the 15A Active version.

Build quality is very good for the price bracket and they sound very acceptable.

We chose the 15s over the 12 because they gave a little better bottom end and a fuller sound.

For the money they really are a very safe option - The active units work very well and are certainly worth considering.

[ojc123]

We have two PSR 12A which are bomb proof and sound better than they should do at the price. They have Mic inputs too which makes them very versatile. They stand up to student misuse quite well.

[Dave SA]

Have been taking a close look at these lately. What do they look like in the flesh?

If anyone has experience of the passive versions would like to hear from you too.

[ferretwrangler]

Construction is very good. Decent ply enclosure - metal grille with a subtle logo plate. On the back face large metal plate with connections and two handles.

Handles are also routed into the ply either side. Top hat in one end and fly bolt holes are also included.

The active versions have XLR/JACK combo connector in and an XLR Loop out. Mic Line Switch Volume Pot and IEC Input.

Fairly weighty but not too bad.

[JDLX]

I own a pair of the passive PSR-12 boxes with their own branded amp. Not bad at all for the price but they do struggle on the bottom end.

[Stuart91]

We're dealers for the W Audio brand, and have sold quite a few of the SM12 and SM15 wedges, both powered and unpowered versions. They're very good for what they don't cost, and seem to be pretty robust.

The only thing I'd be worried about is people feeding line level signals into the mic input.

[Dave C]

 Stuart91, on 11 July 2012 - 01:03 PM, said:

We're dealers for the W Audio brand, and have sold quite a few of the SM12 and SM15 wedges, both powered and unpowered versions. They're very good for what they don't cost, and seem to be pretty robust.

The only thing I'd be worried about is people feeding line level signals into the mic input.

Hi, whereabouts are you based? I'd like to hear the SM12 and SM15 passives to compare them. How do you think they would compare to EV SX300 (I'm thinking of changing from them as I keep losing or breaking the little monitor feet).

Thanks,

Dave.

[Stuart91]

 Dave C, on 22 July 2012 - 12:35 AM, said:

Hi, whereabouts are you based?

Glasgow, so a bit impractical for you unfortunately.

Best bet is probably to drop Prolight (the importers/distributors) a line here, and see if they can point in the direction of a more local dealer. Unless anyone else on the forum can recommend anyone?

[Dave C]

 Stuart91, on 23 July 2012 - 12:13 AM, said:

 Dave C, on 22 July 2012 - 12:35 AM, said:

Hi, whereabouts are you based?

Glasgow, so a bit impractical for you unfortunately.

Best bet is probably to drop Prolight (the importers/distributors) a line here, and see if they can point in the direction of a more local dealer. Unless anyone else on the forum can recommend anyone?

Cheers,

I'd still be interested to hear your opinion on how they compare to an EV sx300 (I am kind of assuming everyone's heard the EV at some point...)

Dave.

[Stuart91]

 Dave C, on 23 July 2012 - 10:33 PM, said:

I'd still be interested to hear your opinion on how they compare to an EV sx300 (I am kind of assuming everyone's heard the EV at some point...)

I haven't done a direct comparison, but my hunch is that the SM12 is definitely in the same ballpark as the SX300, and wouldn't disgrace itself if they were put head to head. Certainly the notion of using SX300s as monitors doesn't appeal, I just can't be bothered with the additional feet etc.

[Dave C]

 Stuart91, on 24 July 2012 - 03:34 PM, said:

 Dave C, on 23 July 2012 - 10:33 PM, said:

I'd still be interested to hear your opinion on how they compare to an EV sx300 (I am kind of assuming everyone's heard the EV at some point...)

I haven't done a direct comparison, but my hunch is that the SM12 is definitely in the same ballpark as the SX300, and wouldn't disgrace itself if they were put head to head. Certainly the notion of using SX300s as monitors doesn't appeal, I just can't be bothered with the additional feet etc.

Neither can I (with the feet), that's why I'm looking to change. The EV's are 10 years old, and have paid for themselves a number of times over. However, for gigs where I have no assistant, the feet are just one more thing to setup and one more thing to remove after the gig. Two things actually for each speaker. multiplied by the number of speakers. It's not a big deal in the grand scheme of things, but at 2am after a function, it's another minute or two before I get home to bed!

Any opinion on the SM12 vs the SM15? I'd assume the 15 is better for drums and bass, but it seems to be nearly 10 kg heavier from the specs! Is it that much better?

Thanks!

Dave.

[Stuart91]

 Dave C, on 24 July 2012 - 11:35 PM, said:

The EV's are 10 years old, and have paid for themselves a number of times over.

The nice thing is, your SX300s will still have resale value, especially if they have been kept in good nick. I'm a big fan of eliminating as many "2 minute tasks" as possible - the amount of time you save in the long run is huge.

 Dave C, on 24 July 2012 - 11:35 PM, said:

Any opinion on the SM12 vs the SM15? I'd assume the 15 is better for drums and bass, but it seems to be nearly 10 kg heavier from the specs! Is it that much better?

It depends on what you need them to do, really. We've only supplied a handful of SM15s, and they have gone to drummers and bass players. There's certainly more bottom end there, the question really is whether you need it or not, and whether it's worth the additional weight.

If you are playing smallish function suites, you may well get enough bass back at you from the main speakers, especially if you are running subs.