New Alto Truesonic 2 series

[dickiefunk]

I've just picked up a TS210 to try a out as I'm curious to hear it. Whilst I didn't particularly like the TS212a I thought the change to the TS2 series voicing could work better with the 10" version.I've just checked it out briefly and the speaker TS210a feels noticeably lighter than the previous TS110a version. I also much prefer the look of the new version and the extra handle and double wedge monitor angles are very useful. I've given the speaker a very brief tryout with some iTunes tracks played from an iPhone and the 210 sounds noticeably less boxy than the 110a due to crisper high frequencies and deeper bass response. This gave the an impression of the TS210 sounding bigger and more open and clear. Also, when on idle with nothing connected, the TS210 has less noise. Whilst this brief test was not thorough and far from conclusive I preferred the sound of pre-recorded music through the TS210.Tomorrow I'm going to take both speakers to a rehearsal to hear what vocals and keys sound like through them as this is how I will be mostly using them.On initial impressions the TS210 has a few things in its favour :-

1/ Lighter weight2/ Dual wedge monitor angles3/ Lower self noise4/ Bigger more open sound5/ Volume pots have a smoother feel to them6/ Smarter appearance

However, one thing I don't like about the TS2 range is the finish on the cabinet marks really easily. Just picking them up leaves white finger marks on the cabinet. These marks do wipe of but I'm not sure how suitable they are going to be as wedge monitors.

 

[dickiefunk]

Back from the rehearsal and have to say I'm really impressed with the TS210a. I tried both vocals and keys through this little speaker and they sounded great. On thing I didn't like about the TS212a was vocals sounded pretty harsh and thin through them. With the TS210 vocals sounded pretty full and clear and the vocalist really liked the way her vocals sounded through it. Keys also sounded really good with a nice full clear tone. Compared to the TS110a the TS210a had more extended highs and lows but didn't sound scooped like the TS212a. This gives the impression of sounding bigger and more open which I was hoping for as my only criticism of the TS110a is it can sound a little boxy. Also, whilst I don't find the TS210a any louder than the TS110a, it did seem to handle being driven a little harder.I'm going to try them out further over the weekend before I finally decide on these but first impressions are positive.

[dickiefunk]

I've been able to do some more comparisons of the TS110a and 210a and have to conclude that to my ears the TS210a is a very noticeable step up in audio quality over the previous version. I'll definitely be picking some more of these up in the near future! In fact, I've been so impressed with the TS210a that I'm considering adding the TS212Subs to make a small very lightweight acoustic PA!