Turbosound IQ18b - New Sub

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djmagicmoments

DJ Extraordinaire
Jan 16, 2016
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After much research, I picked up a Turbosound IQ18b sub to compliment my two DB Technologies ES 1203's.

I am going to put 80hz and below to the sub and everything above that to the ES1203's.

The ES1203's tend to drop off between 60-80hz. That is a frequency that I really like to hear at my events. So, hopefully this will help with that.


  • Front loaded powered subwoofer for portable PA and installation applications
  • 3,000 Watt power featuring Klark Teknik Class-D technology
  • Klark Teknik Digital Signal Processing for total system control
  • Speaker modelling includes accurate models of industry standard speakers
  • ULTRANET digital audio networking connects to mixers and other sources
  • High excursion 18" low frequency driver with 4" voice coil and double suspension
  • Fully featured user interface with LCD display for ease of navigation
  • PC remote control software downloadable at turbosound.com
  • Birch plywood enclosure with hard wearing semi matt black paint finish
  • Rugged powder coated perforated steel mesh grille
  • 35 mm pole mount to support satellite speaker
  • Plated steel castors with rubber tires
  • Mains input and link output on Neutrik powerCON* connectors
  • 10-Year Warranty Program*
  • Designed and engineered in the U.K.

  • 8848242475038.png 8848252207134.png
 
Welcome to the world of Behringer ...
 
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I'm curious, do you put compression in front of your subs? After I started doing that, I noticed a huge increase in working headroom.
I do not. I should consider that, for sure.


Welcome to the world of Behringer ...
I certainly considered that. All families of products have their good, better, best. I am hoping this brand is their best. The sub was cheap, less than $1000. And, I only do weddings, so I thought I would take the leap.

The specs looked decent and the cabinet fit the specs that I needed, without breaking the bank. I only have 4-5 years to play, so I am hoping my current rig takes me to the end of my full-time career.
 
I do not. I should consider that, for sure.



I certainly considered that. All families of products have their good, better, best. I am hoping this brand is their best. The sub was cheap, less than $1000. And, I only do weddings, so I thought I would take the leap.

The specs looked decent and the cabinet fit the specs that I needed, without breaking the bank. I only have 4-5 years to play, so I am hoping my current rig takes me to the end of my full-time career.
It was a joke .. the Turbosound (and the Midas/Klark-Teknik) seem to be fine pieces .. there's even a few decent Behringer boxes .. though very few .. :)
 
It was a joke .. the Turbosound (and the Midas/Klark-Teknik) seem to be fine pieces .. there's even a few decent Behringer boxes .. though very few ..

I actually gave it some serious thought. So many people have luck with the IP series of speakers by Turbosound, that I thought I would give them a shot. I had the IP3000 and LOVED the sound... hated the weight of the sub. They SHOULD be a decent addition to the DB Technology gear.

I will give my garage review a bit later. No events until late June, for now because of the corobo. TWENTY TWO events have rescheduled or cancelled.

Not a ton of posts about new gear, except for Mix's crappy laptop and speaker skrims, so I figured I would post.
 
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I do not. I should consider that, for sure.

Make sure it's a decent-quality compressor. I use dbx 266s and love them. To me, adding these things into my chain was a game-changer on sub performance and I'll keep preaching its usage.
 
Magic...what is the weight of this speaker?

Steve...how does this speaker compare to RCF and Yorkville?
 
87 pounds.

I compared it to the RCF. Not a fan of Yorkville. The RCF 18" would have been nice too. I looked for used ones and there were none. Even with the 25% off sale from ProAudioStar, it was still a bit much.


The Turbosound has a few more features that I liked, even though RCF and DB Technologies are sister companies.
 
I was thinking of getting a Driverack... That way, I have compression and crossover.

The Driverack compression sucks (so does Behringer). When I was using my Driverack I still used the dbx for compression. Big difference. Trust me, try that dbx unit.
 
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Steve...how does this speaker compare to RCF and Yorkville?
I haven't heard it, but Turbosound used to make good audio gear (though their old purple paint job was unusual). I think the RCF might have an edge, but would also be more expensive, and the Turbosound has a nicer DSP to fit it into a system. The old Yorkville LS801s would be another 30 pounds heavier .. no thanks .. :)
 
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The ES1203's tend to drop off between 60-80hz. That is a frequency that I really like to hear at my events.

Everything drops off between 60-80Hz. There just isn't a whole lot there to be reproduced. While an 18" driver could better deliver on that range than any 12" could, you're still going to be scratching your head as to why they don't blow you away at 60-80Hz.

Part of the reason is that 80Hz and below is a frequency range you feel more than you hear, and to feel it both the wave form and a transmittable medium need to be present. The physical structure of where you use these is going to vary quite a bit and so will your experience with them. Consider how rare it is for us to actually hear the "Hum" of a 50 or 60 Hz ground loop. We typically identify the issue by the "Buzz" of higher frequency harmonics and noise.

Compression alone might not be enough for your taste. This is essentially just turning up the bass after you've applied the coss-over's low pass filter (assuming you're using one.) You may be happier if you can tighten up the "kick" of your over-all bass range and perhaps even apply some parallel compression, to double up on your bass frequencies. How to accomplish this with a DJ mixer is a bit tricky because your combined signals have to remain time aligned to avoid comb filtering, and you want to apply it only to the appropriate bands of an already full mix. To pull this off you'd want a multi-band compressor (sometimes referred to as a combinator.)
 
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I haven't heard it, but Turbosound used to make good audio gear (though their old purple paint job was unusual). I think the RCF might have an edge, but would also be more expensive, and the Turbosound has a nicer DSP to fit it into a system. The old Yorkville LS801s would be another 30 pounds heavier .. no thanks .. :)
IN the 80's through Early 2Ks Turbosound was delivering AMAZING sound gear. I was fortunate enough to play on the TS house system at Tipitina's and I was always amazed at the great sound. It has been a long time since I've heard or used a TS pro rig.

When I went to replace my tried and true EV systems, in 1998ish, I considered EV, Turbosound, and JBL. The EV line I had relied on was discontinued and the line I was most impressed with, was a good fit for my amp rigs, I was willing to use but was, unfortunately, measurably more than I had budget (by a factor or 2x), and Turbosound even more-so (by a factor of 5xs). I went with JBL SRII gear and it served me well. When my JBL stuff was beginning to show its mileage and age, I again considered Turbosound and the company now had a more Mobile DJ friendly line and it was in my budget. Unfortunately, that line was unappealing and I decided on the JBL SRX line. A most fortuitous decision.

Turbosound was purchased by the Behringer parent company in 2012 and, therefore, permanently off my radar for future purchases.
 
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I have used an Aphex 204 in the past, and even on the ES1203. It's basically acts as a sidechain compressor for the low end, and it definitely helps. Just can't go crazy with it.
 
"87 lbs."...
I had a road case that weighed that much and it was a bear to lift. The Yorkville LS801PB weighed in at 137 lbs., but was extremely balanced for moving on wheels. I had a DJ trailer with ramp back then, too. Rick can attest to the easy of moving it. Lifting...definitely not!
 
"87 lbs."...
I had a road case that weighed that much and it was a bear to lift. The Yorkville LS801PB weighed in at 137 lbs., but was extremely balanced for moving on wheels. I had a DJ trailer with ramp back then, too. Rick can attest to the easy of moving it. Lifting...definitely not!

The yorkies aren't bad to move.......until the wheels starting shattering (after a bit of age). I still miss some of that monster boom but I don't miss that bulk at all.
 
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The yorkies aren't bad to move.......until the wheels starting shattering (after a bit of age). I still miss some of that monster boom but I don't miss that bulk at all.

It would be cool to have as a permanent install at the venue ;)


After much research, I picked up a Turbosound IQ18b sub to compliment my two DB Technologies ES 1203's.

I am going to put 80hz and below to the sub and everything above that to the ES1203's.

The ES1203's tend to drop off between 60-80hz. That is a frequency that I really like to hear at my events. So, hopefully this will help with that.

I think you will be very happy with it. I heard a TS rig last year it was quite impressive

It was a joke .. the Turbosound (and the Midas/Klark-Teknik) seem to be fine pieces .. there's even a few decent Behringer boxes .. though very few .. :)

I got to say I've had some pretty good luck with a couple of Behringer pieces...i'm not ready to commit to a full system but they are a lot more solid than they used to be
 
I got to say I've had some pretty good luck with a couple of Behringer pieces...i'm not ready to commit to a full system but they are a lot more solid than they used to be
I've mentioned it before, but over the years I've had 7+ mixers, 1 speaker, oodles of rack gear (effects, compressors, etc.) and some accessories (like the Shark) made by Behringer.

Every mixer but 2 had something break .. usually a rotary control that snapped off. I never had an issue with sound quality (they all were adequate) but build or part quality was atrocious. I didn't pay a lot for the gear .. but for some, that was too much.

The only pieces I actually liked and were built well was the aforementioned Sharks (I have 3) that I use for level matching, speaker delays and other audio swiss-army knife duties, an older DJ mixer (DX1000 .. that was a TANK), and the XR12 digital mixer.

For home/studio use they are fine .. for professional use, they need to be babied way too much to be reliable in general.

This was the DX1000 ...

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