dirkenstein Posted February 20, 2012 Share Posted February 20, 2012 Hi, Anybody have suggestions for the above criteria? Mainly to be used for theatrical reinforcement and occasional (rock) band vocal reinforcement use. Don't need trouser-flapping bass or earfrying loudness but the option of matching subs would be appreciated. By 'lightweight' I mean sub 30Kg each, preferably in the low-mid 20Kg range- easily one-wimpy-man liftable. I guess that largely limits me to plastic cabs, but willing to consider wood if it results in significantly improved sound and similar pricing. I'm not looking for ultimate SPL, power handling or dB/W at 1m efficiency, more of a balanced and clear sound free of midrange harshness with at least a little more bass than a 12" can provide. Basically what I'm after is a lighter, poor man's EM Acoustics EMS 152. Sonething like an RCF ART 315 passive seems to tick all the boxes, but I'm not sure how their passive boxes compare to the very nice ART 415a soundwise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skdimark Posted February 20, 2012 Share Posted February 20, 2012 Hi, Anybody have suggestions for the above criteria? Mainly to be used for theatrical reinforcement and occasional (rock) band vocal reinforcement use. Don't need trouser-flapping bass or earfrying loudness but the option of matching subs would be appreciated. By 'lightweight' I mean sub 30Kg each, preferably in the low-mid 20Kg range- easily one-wimpy-man liftable. I guess that largely limits me to plastic cabs, but willing to consider wood if it results in significantly improved sound and similar pricing. I'm not looking for ultimate SPL, power handling or dB/W at 1m efficiency, more of a balanced and clear sound free of midrange harshness with at least a little more bass than a 12" can provide. Basically what I'm after is a lighter, poor man's EM Acoustics EMS 152. Sonething like an RCF ART 315 passive seems to tick all the boxes, but I'm not sure how their passive boxes compare to the very nice ART 415a soundwise. There was a fellow who posted about the achat M15 active cabs here a while back, maybe they would be of use, seemed to be very impressed by them. Here's a link to that post: http://www.blue-room...aded&pid=356308 Edit: Though they are the active cabs, the same cabs without the amp are a shade cheaper again, so long as your power amp can give them the headroom. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alec Posted February 20, 2012 Share Posted February 20, 2012 I'm not looking for ultimate SPL, power handling or dB/W at 1m efficiency, more of a balanced and clear sound free of midrange harshness with at least a little more bass than a 12" can provide. Sonething like an RCF ART 315 passive seems to tick all the boxes, but I'm not sure how their passive boxes compare to the very nice ART 415a soundwise. Based only on my experience of the active cabs in the ART range, I felt that the 325 (and so, I presume the 315, as it's only the HF driver that differs between these two) was the most bass-light of the whole ART range. And I think this is significantly because the 300 series used the same cab for both 12" & 15" drivers. Even the ART 710 had a bigger perceived bottom end. Compare them side by side, and I'm sure you'd be super-impressed by the ART 715/712 or even 725/722 (or their 400 series equivalents). Though I preferred the bottom end of the 722 over that of the 725. While the 725 had more to give, it was more flabby and less refined than the 722 was kicking out. Don't discount 10" speakers if it's mainly for vocal work - I never fail to be astounded at what my ART 710s kick out - and they weight a mere 11kg! There was a fellow who posted about the achat M15 active cabs here a while back, maybe they would be of use, seemed to be very impressed by them. Here's a link to that post: http://www.blue-room...aded&pid=356308 They certainly look interesting... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skdimark Posted February 20, 2012 Share Posted February 20, 2012 Don't discount 10" speakers if it's mainly for vocal work - I never fail to be astounded at what my ART 710s kick out - and they weight a mere 11kg! I was wondering about them, though I'm budgeting for some 312's, I wondered if some 410's would be a better option. You could take a bus with them on your back for a gig! For a solid full ranger, these are a really good box: http://www.thomann.de/ie/dynacord_d153_dlite_serie.htm but a little over your budget. The Ev ZX 4 are a nice speaker too and if you're going to be doing rock stuff, the tour-x tops from EV are pretty solid as well. Though I've only heard them with the matching subs, they are nice for vocals in rock situations, seem to take a lot of abuse quite happily. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doug Siddons Posted February 20, 2012 Share Posted February 20, 2012 I would suggest you have a look at the HZ Z500 3 way full range 16kilo passive as asked for here Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J Pearce Posted February 20, 2012 Share Posted February 20, 2012 My experience is that with two way cabs you either get that extra bass of the 15" or the smooth mid of a 10" or 8". A 12" is a reasonable compromise. To get both the bass and the mid I would think that you'd have to go three way or add a sub, or spend real money on d&b or l'acoustics etc. I have a pair of EV Zx1s at work, and I was very surprised by their bass output for such a little box. Definitely smooth in the mids, crisp but not shouty. There are several different subs you could add if you wanted the bottom end. I'd very happily spec them for theatre vocals or lighty duty rock and roll. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dirkenstein Posted February 20, 2012 Author Share Posted February 20, 2012 I'd heard good things about the Thomann achat range, especially at that price. Hadn't considered them due to the weight penalty(which is not as bad as I'd feared), and inabilty to listen before buying. Those dynacords would be ideal at 30% off the Thomann price... The EV sounds like quite a sensible suggestion but I've got this funny and probably irrational objection to EV and JBL as not being good value for money- and having listened to too many JBL and EV pub/club installs in the 90's that I fundamentally didn't like the sound of. The Hz sound speakers are new to me- the Z500 3-way design appeals as providing a more refined sound with a smaller 12" driver. I have no idea what market they're aiming at, or of pricing. I'm not absolutely set on the 15"- I was really looking for a passive equivalent of the RCF425a, which has plenty of bass for my purposes. If the 3-series cabinets have much weedier bass even in 15" than that's not really an option. What are the DB Technologies arena series like (the pro is slightly out of budget again, but uses RCF drivers, which would make me happy)? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skdimark Posted February 21, 2012 Share Posted February 21, 2012 I'd heard good things about the Thomann achat range, especially at that price. Hadn't considered them due to the weight penalty(which is not as bad as I'd feared), and inabilty to listen before buying. Those dynacords would be ideal at 30% off the Thomann price... The EV sounds like quite a sensible suggestion but I've got this funny and probably irrational objection to EV and JBL as not being good value for money- and having listened to too many JBL and EV pub/club installs in the 90's that I fundamentally didn't like the sound of. The Hz sound speakers are new to me- the Z500 3-way design appeals as providing a more refined sound with a smaller 12" driver. I have no idea what market they're aiming at, or of pricing. I'm not absolutely set on the 15"- I was really looking for a passive equivalent of the RCF425a, which has plenty of bass for my purposes. If the 3-series cabinets have much weedier bass even in 15" than that's not really an option. What are the DB Technologies arena series like (the pro is slightly out of budget again, but uses RCF drivers, which would make me happy)? Perhaps you could open up some money by selling the power amp that you are going to drive these passives with and get a pair of active RCF 722's? They're a really nice speaker and very well rounded. A very nice amount of bass, but would be better for vocal projection due to the 12" speaker and the 2" horn. I haven't heard the DB arena series unfortunately, so cannot recommend them from my own experience, but I would imagine them to be a nice going by reviews. The best way to check out is to get a pair in and test them, I'd say. Any reseller worth their salt would let you demo them I would hope! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doug Siddons Posted February 21, 2012 Share Posted February 21, 2012 HZ is a British manufacturer been around 20 odd years, built as competition to EV SX range Z500's retail £755 a pair plus VAT Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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