Budget 12" Powered Speakers

[Sound In Gloucestershire]

I tried to listen to as many as I could guys, thanks for your help. I didnt want to travel around too much as this wasnt exactly a huge purchase!

 

went for the Warrior PSR 12A's, had another listen and was impressed, they also go very loud (Louder than I was expecting). Didnt really want to fork out as much as the Mackie's, £749 for something with a 50% failure rate doesnt really appeal to me :) When I unboxed the Warriors, I did a quick check to see how easily they would clip, I had to turn the volume up bloody high and still turn the bass past 3/4's, so im happy I wont ever need to get to those volume levels, I doubt ill be pushing these hard!

 

The reason I went for active, was for versatility and space. Whoever uses these speakers, will likely be throwing them into the back of the car, so thats one less box to carry round. if they have any technical problems, they could get by with just 1 speaker (if amp or driver failed). For smaller uses, you can plug a Mic and a CD Player/Ipod straight into the back of one, great for small annoucements, quiz nights etc, it even links out to the 2nd if required. It also has basic 2 ch EQ for when used like this.

 

Upon closer inspection, the bags are pretty cool as well. Not only do they seem pretty rugged, they are designed to be able to stay on for outdoor gigs. The front unzips for performance time and the small back panel unzips for ventinlation and to access the sockets and controls on the back. Quite clever designing! Also the Horn can be unscrewed (4 screws) and turned 90 Degrees for when the speakers are used as monitors, so if I ever have the need for some cheap but loud monitors, these are perfect!

[KevinE]

mackie's or behringers which are very cheap

 

Surely a mistake to suggest Mackie as being on a level with Behringer?? Mackie are a recognised higher-end make.

[TonyMitchell]

mackie's or behringers which are very cheap

 

Surely a mistake to suggest Mackie as being on a level with Behringer?? Mackie are a recognised higher-end make.

 

I suppose Mackie are higher end than Bellringer, however they're still at a rather low rung on the loudspeaker ladder and certainly not high end.

[KevinE]

I dunno, I suppose it's a matter of opinion!

[johndenim]

Personally, I'm not a fan of the Mackies either.

 

Too harsh for the price tag IMO.

Plus those nasty blue LED's on the front... :)

[RoyF18]

Mackie are absolutely NOT high end speakers. It's not a matter of opinion - they're not even close. At least Behringer stuff is priced a realistic level for what you get

[KevinE]

I'd put them on a par with JBL, RCF, DB, HK, OHM, Peavey, that type of thing.

 

Behringer are more on a par with Skytec, Warrior, Soundlab, The Box etc.

 

But feel free to argue that point as well.

[Rob_Beech]

I'm feeling free.

 

When we talk about where manufacturers stand and what manufacturers are similar to them. What exactly are we talking about?

 

Skytec, cheap as chips, sound rather pathetic, fall to bits,

The Box, cheap as cheaper chips, often don't sound great but not bad either, built ok,

Behringer, cheap as chips, sound good for the price point, built reasonably well, use P Audio drivers which is a massive step up from cheap far eastern junk, Widley accepted as budget but useable.

 

All very different in my opinion.

 

The behringer boxes I used to own (b1220pro's) and used as monitors for some gigs sounded great and I was always more than happy with how they performed. I've never yet been impressed with a peavey, mackie, rcf, hk, db box to THAT extent. That's not to say I've not been happy at all, but just not to the same standard as the B1220pro's.

 

Of course, I only speak from my own experience, other peoples may differ, especially those who speak with experience from what Disco Dave's son in law has said, though I don't think we've seen any of that yet in this thread.

[Sound In Gloucestershire]

ill give my 2p's worth

 

im not the sort of person who studies the exact stats of speakers, I tend to listen to them and see what I think, this goes with volume too, whether this is the correct way or not, im not sure, but its always done me well.

 

Personally I have Mackie down as a Middle range and I have behringer down as Budget/cheap. Now this is based upon prices and not actual quality. Ive never been a fan of Behringer sound equipment and im always weary of the stigma attached to the brandname, ive heard some of the speakers in the past and just thought they were cheap but acceptable ( certainly above Skytec ) . As for brands such as Skytec and Prosound, they seem to have been left behind, the cheap brands have improved substantially and they dont seem too willing to move with the times, the Skytec powered cabs just seemed to lack any balls and the unpowered ones are very bad.

 

As for Mackie, the sound seems a little harsh, but we do have EQ for that! However I wound seriously compare the Warrior PSR12A's to the Mackie SRM450's, I already like the sound and was astounded by the sheer volume levels they generate (if required) . I cant wait to really use them in anger (this fri sat and sunday) in 3 different venues should give me a good chance to test the cabs out in various uses and locations. I know I mentioned the bags already, but I love them! Why cant every plastic speaker include the bags??? They are great, I can use these outdoors with the covers on!!!

[KevinE]

OK Pete, I'll agree with you I think! Maybe just how I phrased things ..I did, after all say 'higher-end' not 'high end'. Maybe we should start a new thread awarding points out of ten to portable powered loudspeakers and how we perceive their standing in the marketplace!!???

 

I kind of grouped my choices based on build quality and price-point above anything, in particular the quality of amps used and how long I expect them to last before they fail..and why they've failed. (I am a service engineer and have worked for several highstreet DJ and PA equipment retailers). After all, the sound a speaker makes is down to personal taste and the job they're bought for; whereas reliability and quality affects all of us.

[squarewave]

I have used the Mackie SRM 450 a few times as a DJ monitor. I don't like the sound quality but most of all I don't like the way that it cuts out when it get's too hot.

 

It doesn't have a fan on the back just a big heat sink. When it cuts out it can take a little while to come back on.

 

I prefer the Yamaha MSR 400. It is a copy of the Mackie but sounds better, doesn't cut out and is half the price of the Mackie.

 

I would agree with the previouse comment about Mackie and Bellringer being in the same catagory and I would have a Bellringer over a Mackie.

[KevinE]

I don't like the way that it cuts out when it get's too hot.

 

Well we had a batch of Behringers (6 eurowave B300s to be specific) which certainly didnt cut out when they got too hot. They went bang.

[Sound In Gloucestershire]

"It doesn't have a fan on the back just a big heat sink. When it cuts out it can take a little while to come back on."

 

I think youll find they all have heat sinks on them! But yes they do run warm, normally

[johndenim]

As for Mackie, the sound seems a little harsh, but we do have EQ for that! However I wound seriously compare the Warrior PSR12A's to the Mackie SRM450's

 

Eh?

I may have said that the mackie SRM450's are a bit harsh, but to compare them to a warrior cab is just silly.

EQ can smooth out the sound on the Mackies yes.

I have heard both, the guy with the warriors must have done something wrong, they sounded plastic and gutless to me.

[Sound In Gloucestershire]

john, its possible its personal preferance or like you said, perhaps something wrong with the setup on the Warriors or the EQ etc. Friday is the first time they will be used in anger, so will be able to give better feedback !