Alto TS312 vs EV Live-X 12

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rickryan.com

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Dec 9, 2009
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I hate that Steve can't be here to rebut my post.

I just bought a pair of Alto TS312s yesterday and just finished doing my first A/B comparison against my older EV, Live-X 12 speakers. I got these bad boys at $249 each. A cheap speaker, yes, but just wow! The Altos are clean and clear, with more power than the EVs. I had the contour engaged at first but then took it off as I didn't want the extra EQ punch. I don't know how they'll perform, long term, but for now let's just say it's a major upgrade of the EVs. This is a lot of bang for the buck. I'll try to compare them against my QSC K10s but honestly, I don't think there's going to be much, if any, difference. These dudes are clean, clear and lightweight. I'm VERY pleased with this purchase. Will be headed down to the coast this weekend to do a couple of live gigs. I should have some more feedback by then.
 
Allow me to speak for Steve:

One cannot be wowed by Alto's. Maybe a woop woop, but not a wow.

Just kidding. Glad you like them.
 
Allow me to speak for Steve:

One cannot be wowed by Alto's. Maybe a woop woop, but not a wow.

Just kidding. Glad you like them.

LOL. Just say no to Alto.............sure do miss that bugger.
 
Those Altos are probably pretty nice. I wouldn't compare them to QSC's. Anyhow let us know long term how you like the. Let me ask what did you like about the sound for those speakers? I bought the Yamaha DSR 115 because I loved the highs in them.
 
Just got back from my road gigs down by the coast and first time to use the TS312s. Compared to the Live-Xs, these things kill. Strong and clean and clear. The tone is evenly balanced with headroom for days. The only bad thing I can say is that the XLR inputs do not have a locking mechanism. The plug can get pulled out easily. I remedied it by wrapping the cables thru the side handle on the speaker. The speakers also do not have a low-end filter so if you're going to use these with subs you'll need an external crossover. Next week I'll be putting up my extra K10 and pair of Live-Xs for sale. This was a very good purchase.
 
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Just got back from my road gigs down by the coast and first time to use the TS312s. Compared to the Live-Xs, these things kill. Strong and clean and clear. The tone is evenly balanced with headroom for days. The only bad thing I can say is that the XLR inputs do not have a locking mechanism. The plug can get pulled out easily. I remedied it by wrapping the cables thru the side handle on the speaker. The speakers also do not have a low-end filter so if you're going to use these with subs you'll need an external crossover. Next week I'll be putting up my extra K10 and pair of Live-Xs for sale. This was a very good purchase.


I use mine with the Alto TS212S Sub, and they sound great. No crossover needed.
 
Wanted to share an updated on the TS312s. I used them for the first wedding DJ gig this past weekend. I am so glad I made this purchase. These cabs are clean, clear and with lots of power to spare. Below is a pic from behind my DJ table. Small wedding, under a tent. The dance floor is the open area, nearest to me. I had the speakers on the floor, to my right and spread about 20 feet. For lighting, 2 colorstrip minis along with a single Martin Acrobat. Looking back, I really don't know why I've been carrying around so much gear for these wedding gigs. This little setup is more than enough for 90% of the wedding gigs I've ever worked.
Springhaven-6-12-2021.jpg
 
Wanted to share an updated on the TS312s. I used them for the first wedding DJ gig this past weekend. I am so glad I made this purchase. These cabs are clean, clear and with lots of power to spare. Below is a pic from behind my DJ table. Small wedding, under a tent. The dance floor is the open area, nearest to me. I had the speakers on the floor, to my right and spread about 20 feet. For lighting, 2 colorstrip minis along with a single Martin Acrobat. Looking back, I really don't know why I've been carrying around so much gear for these wedding gigs. This little setup is more than enough for 90% of the wedding gigs I've ever worked.
View attachment 52770


That's what I tell people. Two Good 12" Speakers on stands is all I ever really need. There are only a few weddings here and there where I truly need a Subwoofer. Weddings are even getting smaller because of the Pandemic for me at least. This last wedding I did on Saturday had 52 people there including bride/groom. I actually just used my 10" older Alto TS110A speakers for it, and used my Bose S1 for the ceremony.

I think I will have one wedding in September where I think 180 guests are suppose to be there. I will use my Sub for that one.

My light show is the Boombox FX2. Plenty of coverage for an all in one light show. Only downside is it's a bulky unit, but I like using it, and I don't need to set up various different lights. Just one and done.

If weddings continue to stay small going into next year, I may sell off my other lights in storage, and scale down my equipment. I just sold my set of Alto TS215 15" speakers to my Sister. She needed a new pair, and I knew I wouldn't use them again on any of my events. Gave her a hell of a deal on them with the covers.
 
It would be worth re-testing them after running them hard for an hour or so. I'd guess they sound good when they're cold and get harsh when they've been run a bit.
 
Of course Rick hardly needs any equipment - no one's dancing!! :laugh:

Alto started making a name for themselves with the TS112A - a good sounding speaker that looked bad, and weighed 35 pounds. Next, the TS212, a bad sounding speaker that looked good @ 28.4 pounds. Now the TS312, a good looking speaker that apparently sounds good, and weighs 36 pounds. I think they really screwed the pooch with that TS212 by taking almost 7 pounds of who knows what out of the earlier model, and it wasn't by using expensive neodymium magnets. It's not nice to fool mother nature!
 
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Of course Rick hardly needs any equipment - no one's dancing!! :laugh:

Alto started making a name for themselves with the TS112A - a good sounding speaker that looked bad, and weighed 35 pounds. Next, the TS212, a bad sounding speaker that looked good @ 28.4 pounds. Now the TS312, a good looking speaker that apparently sounds good, and weighs 36 pounds. I think they really screwed the pooch with that TS212 by taking almost 7 pounds of who knows what out of the earlier model, and it wasn't by using expensive neodymium magnets. It's not nice to fool mother nature!
You’re right. The TS-112A did sound really good. I had TS-112W’s and I liked them a lot. They looked DIFFERENT, but I’m not sure they looked “bad”. I guess it’s a matter of opinion. I never went for the TS-212’s. They had no cooling fans. While the fans in my 112’s did not run constantly, they did run occasionally, which means they must have gotten hot enough to trigger the fan on. The other thing about Alto’s is you had to know how to keep from driving them too hard. I never had any issues with mine, but I know many did.
 
Of course Rick hardly needs any equipment - no one's dancing!! :laugh:

Alto started making a name for themselves with the TS112A - a good sounding speaker that looked bad, and weighed 35 pounds. Next, the TS212, a bad sounding speaker that looked good @ 28.4 pounds. Now the TS312, a good looking speaker that apparently sounds good, and weighs 36 pounds. I think they really screwed the pooch with that TS212 by taking almost 7 pounds of who knows what out of the earlier model, and it wasn't by using expensive neodymium magnets. It's not nice to fool mother nature!

The 212 and 215 sounded clear and good. The problem was they installed cheap tweeters that would easily over heat, and the woofers were light weight with like a 30 or 40 oz magnet so if you really pumped the volume eventually the woofers would blow. On one of my 212s I had to replace a tweeter after the 4th event using them! Alto Tech people said to keep the dial at 10' oclock to be safe and no more than 11 o clock. They put too much of a amp for those tweeters/woofers to handle.

They got it right with the 312s though. I STILL think they should go back to having a fan back there though. The 312s are not my choice speaker for doing a wedding outside in the summer on a 90 degree plus day. The backs get really hot after a couple hours on a hot day in a tent wedding.

I actually think it would be cool if the next line came with fans and a cover that can be opened/closed with a switch so the user can decide whether to have a fan on and running or not.
 
Glad you like the purchase. Let us know how they hold up over time. Tou should be fine because you've been a DJ for a long time and know not to over drive speakers. I like the volume level to be at 12 o"clock. Anything after that is risky to me.
 
It would be worth re-testing them after running them hard for an hour or so. I'd guess they sound good when they're cold and get harsh when they've been run a bit.
All of the “budget brand” speakers I have ever tried suffer from this, Alto, Peavey DM, Mackie Thump, JBl EON, the list goes on
 
Product value is what I care about and all I care about is the balance of performance versus the price. Do I love QSC? Sure do. They're great. However, had I bought a pair of QSC K12s, it would've been $1600-$1800. This pair of Altos cost me $500 and frankly, I see very little difference in the performance quality. If I were doing outside (in the sun) gigs then perhaps the heat issue would weigh in but as is, it's a non-issue. For me, this was a great value and I'd make the same choice again tomorrow.
 
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