Speaker upgrades - your opinions please

Rcf art series is a great option if funds allow… but personally for the level of events done there and needs.. qsc k12 is more than adequate

I would just keep the K12s. They work fine. Just keep maximizing your income and keep expenditures to a minimum. I don't like how current ongoing inflation is, and the lay offs at companies are occurring right now. The company I work for is barely hiring people when they were hiring all sorts of people 1 year ago, and only currently hiring for the worst shifts that hardly anybody wants, and actually making moves to try to get people to quit. They changed our schedules around. My schedule was changed to weekend 12.5 hour shifts (WTF wants to work 12.5 hour shifts Friday thru Sunday?) when they have known since I was hired in 2021 that I need Saturdays off, and am a DJ. After multiple talks with upper management, they say I am stuck on the schedule they gave me for at least 6 weeks before there is any potential move to the schedule I should have been given. I have been dealt a totally unfair card. Been there for 18 months, and got the worst schedule while others in other departments who only been there 6 months got the best schedule... So I'm going to be earning less money at work thanks to them after this week, way less money

Anyway, enough about my current situation and what I perceive to be a time period to be more frugal with our wallets and carefully consider spending money on expensive items.

If you really want to buy speakers and want Line Array, and don't want to drop BOSE or EV asking prices, I suggest the Harbinger MLS1000. I bet you really like them, and they are cost effective! Also, don't buy them now. Wait until close to Memorial Day Weekend. I bet they will be on sale at least $200 OFF when that sale starts at Musicians friend or Guitar Center.

QSC 12"s are great speakers and well worth the money. I heard them and it sounded AWSOME!!!!!!!!!!

rickryan.com said:

I don't have K12s, I have K10s. I do love the K10s, but they need subs in any kind of DJ setup. For live band situations, I've been putting them on the floor instead of stands. When they're coupled to the floor, there's a big difference in bass. Of course when you stick any speaker on the floor, then you're up against coverage issues.

As for the Harbinger, that name just scares me. As you may remember, I have Alto TS312s perm-mounted in my venue and they're also "budget" speakers from GC. The Altos have less air and clarity than do the QSCs, but they're good enough and they're cheap enough to replace if any of the DIY clients mess them up. Back on the Harbingers, I guess I need to go audition them at GC. At this price, it might make sense to just sell 1 of my QSCs then buy a single MLS1000. After just watching a review video, that built-in mixer would be a huge improvement and apparently it already handles stereo signals. I'm currently using a bulky percussion tray to hold both the mixer and a laptop. With an MLS1000, I could switch to a smaller tray that mounts to the mic stand (to hold the laptop). Much better setup for a single, duo or trio. Thanks for the fresh perspective.

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I really like my TS312s. However, my MLS1000s have a THUMP to them that just sounds nice, and the MLS1000s get real loud as a pair. The TS312s make sense in venues that don't allow Subs, OR outside receptions like under a tent where I might be setting up on grass, and would want to use speaker stands and regular conventional speakers. They also make more sense where I need to get the speakers higher up and direct a lot of sound on the dance floor like a high school dance or event of that nature. However, for the typical 120 guest or less indoor wedding reception, my go to is going to be the MLS1000s for now on. I could even bring out the Alto 12" Sub if I think I need some added bass.

rickryan.com said:

I have to admit, the RCF speakers have always had me curious, but I don't have anyway to audition them. I've always been pleased with the QSCs and they've been nothing short of rock solid. I'm also curious as to how much punch the .2 (on either 10s or 12s) adds to the equation. Just recently, I've been asked to design a sound system for a small church (60 people) and I've specified QSC K12.2 for the mains and K10s for side fills.

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I have read there is some sort of defect with the .2 series that some DJs have complained about. I can't remember what it was.

The .2s imo have a far better digital/hi fidelity sound to them compared to the legacy series. The legacy series get's harsh when they are pushed too.

They seem to have an edge over TS312s on the bass output when I A/B them. Perhaps they get a bit louder too. I am actually going to head to Guitar Center right now and listen to speakers! It's only a 21/22 minute drive away...It's lunch time too. Time to go and enjoy the nice weather today! Grilling steaks in the yard for my bro in law's birthday tonight at 6

I would not swap K10 for K12.2 unless as you say, it can be done at nearly even money. The Kxx.2 series only really differs with the addition of an onboard DSP. This allows a simple or analog setup to access features that would otherwise require a digital console or a lot of external processors. I use the .2 remotely when I need audio delay in systems that have no console, such as cinema and over-flow spaces.

I have not heard of any inherent 'defects' in the .2 series. It would make sense however, that the less experience a user has the further they might stray with the DSP and perhaps create issues they don't understand, or cause actual damage.

If all you want is more bass you may already have a way to do that with old speakers you're no longer using. For example, any 2-way box with it's high end disconnected is essentially a sub woofer. Greater the diameter, lower the bass reach. If it's ugly, hide it under the table.

I just got back. I listened to the K12.2s They have a great sound to them! They had the EV EKX 15 speakers that I could listen to, and I certainly thought the K12.2s are a better sounding speaker.

I asked the sales man if he knew of any issues with the K12.2. THe sales guy there is also a DJ. He said the only thing he has seen is that the K2 series has a built in protection that will shut the speaker down when the user is maxing it out to the point of clipping. QSC put built in protection into the speaker that essentially turns the speaker off. Some DJs have brought them back complaining about that. Having that occur during an event would be embarrassing, but that means the DJ was playing way too loud any way. That is user error though. Not a defect with the speakers.

Another DJ was there testing out Subs. I took a picture of this RCF SUB...It was CRAZY Room Shattering. A bit too bulky for my taste, but for how large this Sub is, the weight on it isn't bad.




Also, you missed the previous sale on the MLS1000 by 2 days...darn! They still had the sign up though. I bet they would honor the price if your local GC still has the sign up and you are ready to buy on the spot!

rickryan.com said:

I checked both GC in my area and neither of them have either the 900 or 1000 in stock. Probably for the best as I don't need to spend the money right now. Speaking of over-driving a speaker, the last time I had an outside DJ at my place it was simply amazing to watch. He played way too loud and his EVs clipped the entire reception. He was setup in front of my perm DJ booth and I sat there doing lights and watching him. He was driving them to the point of distortion and I watched the entire evening, just waiting for everything to shutdown.

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I bought a 900 for cocktail hours, and maybe ceremonies. The 1000 is a BIG step up in terms of volume/throw over the 900. I'm not even sure the 900 is any louder than one of my Alto TS110A. Maybe more thump in how the bass sounds. Definitely get the 1000 if you are planning to use these for mains. A pair of the 900 can be used for mains, but they are a bit limited on the top end.

Rumor has it that Mixxy has a pair of big speakers he's considering trading in for a more compact and lighter weight system....

rickryan.com said:

I checked both GC in my area and neither of them have either the 900 or 1000 in stock. Probably for the best as I don't need to spend the money right now. Speaking of over-driving a speaker, the last time I had an outside DJ at my place it was simply amazing to watch. He played way too loud and his EVs clipped the entire reception. He was setup in front of my perm DJ booth and I sat there doing lights and watching him. He was driving them to the point of distortion and I watched the entire evening, just waiting for everything to shutdown.

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Do you have a gate/limiter installed in your system? That helps that no matter how hard a DJ tries to crank a system it will only go but so far. That way you don't run into clipping issues and the sound being distorted.

I also forgot to say to put it in a locked box so someone can't tamper with it.

Have used DBX for years and wouldn't leave home with out one. let the bass thump . Also help with poor Mike technic with the toasts.

MIXMASTERMACHOM said:

Do you have a gate/limiter installed in your system? That helps that no matter how hard a DJ tries to crank a system it will only go but so far. That way you don't run into clipping issues and the sound being distorted.

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What product are you using Adrian ??

rickryan.com said:

Yes, I run a dbx266 compressor (at my venue) in over easy mode. It's amazing how much headroom it gives, no pumping/breathing, and eliminates all clipping. It's funny you mentioned this as I've suggested this many times in this forum and have been chided for it.

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My experience is an inexperienced DJ will have the speakers screaming that the sound is distorted and can damage the speakers. They feel the music has to be super loud to impress the crowd.

What it needs to be a loud enough for people to enjoy the music depending on the type of event they are doing and not have people's ears ringing.