What are your thoughts on the QSC 12.2 active speakers?

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MIXMASTERMACHOM

DJ Extraordinaire
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Oct 16, 2011
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I was in GC the other day with my partner. I went in the room where they have a bunch of speakers on display and hooked up so you can hear them to see how they sound
We heard the QSC 12.2 active speaker and it blew us away. I had to admit as much as I love my Yamaha DSR 115 speakers, that one speaker sounded much better than my Yamahas. That speaker had great bass and the highs were super clean! There was so much bass that in certain applications you won't need a sub. I really want a pair of those. I just can't afford them right now. If I could have brought them that day I would have for sure!!! So for those who have heard them what are your thoughts?
 
People have had lots of issues with the .2 versions of QSC's K series (shutdowns and driver failures, and no built-in amplifier protection). There's a memo from QSC that addresses it and the steps needed to update the firmware.
 
That is strange. I wonder if your DSR speakers have degraded over the years. Perhaps the Amps are not100% any more?

I heard the Yamaha DSR Speakers before, and are among the best sounding two way speakers I have heard outside of RCF. I have not heard the DZR series since nobody has them on display any where in my area. Yamahas have higher clarity and more present mids over the QSC. QSC might pound a bit harder on the bass below 60 HZ, but the overall difference in room shaking is likely small.

The QSC k.2 series sounds real good, but I wasn't that impressed with them in comparison to Yamaha or RCF.

QSC does have a better resale value than Yamaha speakers do when being resold.
 
His partner has his login ID to this forum
He's not on here at all. He doesn't himself have a vehicle. His GF along with himself have a vehicle. He has a pair of Mackie Thumps that he modified.

Now I still love my DSR speakers and they are still working and sounding great! I made a great choice buying those speakers. As I've said before I could have picked a pair of speakers that were cheaper and yet I wanted a pair of speakers that sound great and last a long time.

I didn't know that those QSC speakers had an issue with a heat sinking problem. I remember the original Mackie 450's had the same problem. They realized the problem and made a different model that solved the problem.
 
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He's not on here at all. He doesn't himself have a vehicle. His GF along with himself have a vehicle. He has a pair of Mackie Thumps that he modified.

Now I still love my DSR speakers and they are still working and sounding great! I made a great choice buying those speakers. As I've said before I could have picked a pair of speakers that were cheaper and yet I wanted a pair of speakers that sound great and last a long time.

I didn't know that those QSC speakers had an issue with a heat sinking problem. I remember the original Mackie 450's had the same problem. They realized the problem and made a different model that solved the problem.

If you have a Music gear shop that is also an authorized Yamaha retailer up in your area, it might be worth it to see what kind of trade in credit they would give you for your speakers towards the new DZR series. The DSR series came out back in 2011. Great speakers, but newer models are going to be more feature rich, and likely have improved sound...even if the sound improvements are minor, they will be included.

Just me, I seem to let go of speakers at about the 9 to 10 year mark. I had Yamaha Concert series passive C112 speakers for 9 years before I sold them. My old Alto TS110A speakers I only keep around for situations where my only option is to carry speakers up a big flight of stairs for setting up. I used them for that in 2022 at one wedding. They only weigh 26.5 lbs and are the lightest speakers I have for mains. I likely won't use them again outside of strange set up situations like that. The old JBL JRX speakers I used back in the day were sold at the 10 year mark as well. They sat for almost 3 years since their last use before I got rid of them.

Then again, you are also getting older. It may not be worth getting more speakers if you don't believe you will be doing this another 4+ years down the road. If I knew I were in my final years of deejaying, I would be riding the events out with whatever equipment I have, and maximize profits as best as I can.
 
I don't know how much longer I plan on DJing. My friend is 72 and still going. June 2nd I will be 65 and still feel like keep going. I can still play my butt off. I haven't lost my hearing and my mind is still great. I still love being a DJ. It excites me to see people enjoying themselves when I'm doing what I love to do.
 
I don't know how much longer I plan on DJing. My friend is 72 and still going. June 2nd I will be 65 and still feel like keep going. I can still play my butt off. I haven't lost my hearing and my mind is still great. I still love being a DJ. It excites me to see people enjoying themselves when I'm doing what I love to do.
how much do you make a year to justify the purchase of ANY speakers? It's one thing to say you'll get your money back in one or 2 parties or even 5... but in your case it'll be 2 years before you can break even on it. Why do you consider such things?
 
how much do you make a year to justify the purchase of ANY speakers? It's one thing to say you'll get your money back in one or 2 parties or even 5... but in your case it'll be 2 years before you can break even on it. Why do you consider such things?
Because of my addiction. I have things I want. That doesn't mean I need it. What we have right now is great stuff and works very well. I just love the way those speakers sound. The bass in those speakers are mind blowing! The highs which is my thing sound great.
 
Let me add this. I was talking with my buddy today and the other day too. He's considering selling a pair of active double 15's. I surely would love to have a pair of the ones he has. We have 4 double 15's but they are passive. Which means you must use an amp to power them. We have 2 QSC amps to power them. A 2450 and a G5. The speakers sound awesome. It would be nice to have active double 15's to eliminate having to bring a amp.

He said he would sell a pair for $1,500. As much as I want them I don't have the money to buy them right now and as I told him we're not that busy right now to justify buying them. I have 2 pending events in April that are a possibility. Just waiting to see what the decisions are. One is dealing with a convention committee and I have to wait for the committee to decide on what they want to do about booking a DJ. The chair person called me about possibly me playing for the event. He's heard me before which is why he contacted me. I thank him for the compliment.

Last Sunday I went to the venue where the event is to take place. A group was having their anniversary there. They decided to have a DJ to play at the anniversary. I knew him. He was using a Pioneer controller and a pair of RCF speakers. Those speakers sounded great!

The parking lot easily can hold 100 cars and the venue inside is so big that you can put the upstairs room at the Kenilworth Veteran Center in that room with room to spare. So we'll see how things go.
 
I was in GC the other day with my partner. I went in the room where they have a bunch of speakers on display and hooked up so you can hear them to see how they sound
We heard the QSC 12.2 active speaker and it blew us away. I had to admit as much as I love my Yamaha DSR 115 speakers, that one speaker sounded much better than my Yamahas. That speaker had great bass and the highs were super clean! There was so much bass that in certain applications you won't need a sub. I really want a pair of those. I just can't afford them right now. If I could have brought them that day I would have for sure!!! So for those who have heard them what are your thoughts?
Speaker ratings/recommendations are subjective. What one person loves the next person might hate. To me the 12.2 is/sounds ok at best, nothing special. Also be aware that most demo rooms are setup to make speakers sound as best as possible. What you should do is go back to the store with one of your dsr and compare it to the 12.2 back to back, with same program material. Try to run both close to their limit and see which one sounds best to you. The QSC's sound harsh to my ears when pushed close to limit.
 
I just love the way those speakers sound. The bass in those speakers are mind blowing! The highs which is my thing sound great.

And here's the thing... when you're in the store, you're facing the speaker just like if you were on the dancefloor. When you're actually using your speakers, you're usually behind or beside them.

Your current speakers probably sound great, too. Bring one to Guitar Center and A/B test it with one of those QSCs and then decide if it's worth the money to upgrade.
 
The QSC K-series is the best selling powered speaker line in history with well over 1 million sold. Are they the best? Well, that is subjective. They have many features DJs don't really need but rental houses seem to love. I see the K-series kind of like the Shure SM-58... not the best but good enough for most applications and you won't get complaints from the users. They are generally a great workhorse.

The one caveat about the K-series is that the dispersion decreases with cone size. Their 8" has a 110 degree dispersion, the 10" has a 90 degree dispersion and the 12" has a 75 degree dispersion. QSC has done this so that the horn and woofer have matched dispersions in vertical and horizontal planes. This makes for better mounting flexibility. It also lets you project further as you go up in size. As DJs, we are often set up in the middle of a long side in a rectangular room. In such an environment, the wider dispersion is better.
 
The QSC K-series is the best selling powered speaker line in history with well over 1 million sold. Are they the best? Well, that is subjective. They have many features DJs don't really need but rental houses seem to love. I see the K-series kind of like the Shure SM-58... not the best but good enough for most applications and you won't get complaints from the users. They are generally a great workhorse.

The one caveat about the K-series is that the dispersion decreases with cone size. Their 8" has a 110 degree dispersion, the 10" has a 90 degree dispersion and the 12" has a 75 degree dispersion. QSC has done this so that the horn and woofer have matched dispersions in vertical and horizontal planes. This makes for better mounting flexibility. It also lets you project further as you go up in size. As DJs, we are often set up in the middle of a long side in a rectangular room. In such an environment, the wider dispersion is better.
The thing that sucks to me is when the DJ is stuck in a small space in a corner.

Let me ask these 2 questions please since I started this thread. To everyone here what are the main speakers you use and why did you buy those? Myself I bought the Yamaha DSR 115 speakers because I love the highs in the speakers and they were made by a well known company that makes quality gear from speakers to mixing boards. As I've said before I could have bought a cheaper pair of speakers. I wanted real quality that would sound great and last a long time. Not a pair I would quickly want to replace.
 
The thing that sucks to me is when the DJ is stuck in a small space in a corner.

Let me ask these 2 questions please since I started this thread. To everyone here what are the main speakers you use and why did you buy those? Myself I bought the Yamaha DSR 115 speakers because I love the highs in the speakers and they were made by a well known company that makes quality gear from speakers to mixing boards. As I've said before I could have bought a cheaper pair of speakers. I wanted real quality that would sound great and last a long time. Not a pair I would quickly want to replace.


I have a question since the discussion has went to my Yamaha DSR 115 speakers. What speakers do you use and why did you buy them?
I don’t think much has changed for most since you asked this question 1/21/23.
 
I don’t think much has changed for most since you asked this question 1/21/23.

He's forgetful.