10 inch PA speaker for a modeller?

[Digitalman]

Was just looking at the ELX200 10P actually! Have you ever had a chance to compare it to either QSC K10.2, Yamaha DXR10, or Presonus Air10?

I would've already ordered the K10.2 by now but it won't be available at my retailer for another 2 months. Same goes for the DXR10. Just stumbled upon the ELX200 and it does look good for sure. I don't mind paying a little extra for the K10.2 however if it means I'm compromising on sound in any way with the ELX (I might mind the 2 month wait though...)

You only using the EV for your Fm3? Or do you use it for vocals also?

I had been on a waiting list for a DXR10 since last year. I finally gave up and realized the ELX200 10P was EV’s equivalent. And I’ve had nothing but good luck with EV powered monitors. Never got the DXR10 but don’t regret getting the ELX200 10P one bit. It sounds killer. Whether on the floor as a wedge monitor or up on a pole. If I can afford it, I’d get a second one. This is for either personal monitoring at a gig with a PA, or a backline for smaller shows without.

So far it’s just for my FM3 rig. But I am an Ableton user that live loops and launches synth sequences, drum beats and I sing as well. So it would be used to monitor quite a few things. Which is why I stuck to powered PA speaker FRFR over amp and guitar cab. It covers a lot of bases for me.

I’m playing thru it tonight with some clean Fender models and a slightly hairy JTM45 and it sounds fantastic.

 

[Fireheart7]

Thanks guys! Some great answers here. Seems like I definitely don't have to be afraid of getting a regular PA cab for a monitor.

Fyi I just got the Mackie SRM210 V-Class on loan from a local store and I've been very disappointed with it. To my ears it just doesn't sound good. And while I'm sure I could tweak the Fm3 to make it sound good, what was surprising to me was the fact that my Sennheiser e935 didn't even sound good at all for vocals through the SRM210. No matter how I tried to tweak the 3 band eq or the monitor setting. Getting a good vocal sound is equally important for me but I just figured every PA speaker would nail that easily. Guess not.

Ironically I have a friends' old Mackie SRM450 (original version) now at hand as well and it sounds great with the Fractal! And that's just straight in (with only the low cut switch engaged). Same goes for the vocals. It smokes the new SRM210 and it doesn't even have any of its features like the 3 band EQ. It does make me wonder if it's partly because it's a 12 inch vs the 10 inch...but I really hope it isn't.

Gonna have to check out some Yamaha's and QSC's and others I guess...

Any of you guys tried the Bose S1 Pro system?

Just a thought, is the loaner brand new, like out of the box? If so, play some loud bass heavy music on it for several hours. The speaker may need to be broken in.

 

[Lele]

Was just looking at the ELX200 10P actually! Have you ever had a chance to compare it to either QSC K10.2, Yamaha DXR10, or Presonus Air10?

It seems to me that the Presonus Air10 does not belong to the same category; it is much less powerful than the others you listed unless their datasheet is wrong (Presonus states 121 dB SPL as maximum output)

 

[hendrik7]

Just a thought, is the loaner brand new, like out of the box? If so, play some loud bass heavy music on it for several hours. The speaker may need to be broken in.

Yes it was brand new so perhaps it would've sounded a bit better when broken in. But music I streamed through it sounded great tho.

It seems to me that the Presonus Air10 does not belong to the same category; it is much less powerful than the others you listed unless their datasheet is wrong (Presonus states 121 dB SPL as maximum output)

I actually had a chance to try the Presonus Air10 and a Mackie SRM 450 v3 today and the Air10 sounded really big. I was surprised. The SRM sounded a little bigger though with its 12" but the Air was hard on its heels. Where I found the Air lacking a little bit was in the vocals department. Again it might be a question of speaker break-in, not sure how much it opens up with that. But I felt my voice sounded a little bit boxy in the Air...at least when the speaker was only a few feet away from me on the floor. It had a fuller sound when I was about 5 meters away (25 feet I think). But I would mostly be using it pretty close to me.

Of these four speakers that I've tried now, what I've found out in this quest so far is that a 10" speaker can definitely make a modeller sound good but I still feel the 12" sounded more full. That might have less to do with the size of the speaker however and more to do with the design quality of each cab in question, not sure. Of those two 10" I've tried I've definitely felt the vocals were lacking while the 12" gave me the full body and space/air I wanted to hear from my e935 mic. This has me thinking maybe I just need a 12" cab for the vocals to shine....maybe I'm just used to 12's for my voice (all I've ever used)? Or maybe these two 10" just weren't hitting the sweet spot like other 10's out there might do for me?

Wish I could try out the big dogs before ordering anything (the QSC, Yamaha, and EV). I've been on the fence about ordering the QSC K10.2 or the EV ELX200 10p but now I'm a bit afraid of ordering a 10 incher without hearing it first. The smaller size and weight definitely matters so I'm not too eager to just order a 12" instead when it might not be needed

Also one other thing I realized after trying out that SRT line from Mackie is how nice it is to have a bluetooth connection with the speaker. To be able to adjust the volume and eq on your phone without having to walk up to the speaker is super nice. Not to mention turning on Spotify to stream some music while you're jamming along on the modeller.

But having said all this, I definitely recommend check out the Air system from Presonus. It sounded surprisingly good and might be the perfect fit for some DJ's and acoustic performers etc.

 

[donnievaz]

10" works great for me. I have a JBL610 and an Alto whatever it's called. Both work well, the Alto is a bit bassier which I kind of like but I'm sure the JBL is a more accurate representation. If they weren't so expensive I'd get a QSC but it's hard to justify when I'm happy with the others. Never tried a L6 Powercab but would love to. I'm using a Helix and a Stomp with these BTW.

 

[LordByron]

I'm a long-time DBR10 user and the only monitors I have come across that outright beat them has been the Atomic CLRs. I've tried a lot of others and keep coming back to trusty DBR10s.

I do have to say, my QSC CP8 is also pretty darn good and I would place it pretty much in the same camp as the DBR10s.

 

[Mike_Stone]

ID love a pair of CLR but @ $3,500.00 CDN that's way out of my league, which is why I'm looking at the Yamaha DBR-10 or CP8, but leaning more toward the Yamaha

 

[phil_m]

I have two of the Line 6 StageSource L2t speakers, and I sometimes use them with my Helix as an FRFR depending on the gig, and they sound awesome. They are not light speakers by any means, though. But they’re based around a 10” speaker.

 

[PBGas]

I have a couple of Friedman ASC-10s that I use. They are a bit more cabinet sounding (if you can call a monitor that) and I have them tilted up at me when playing. They sound great, are plenty loud, and cut nicely in the mix with the Axe III and the FM3.

 

[Fireheart7]

I'm a long-time DBR10 user and the only monitors I have come across that outright beat them has been the Atomic CLRs. I've tried a lot of others and keep coming back to trusty DBR10s.

I do have to say, my QSC CP8 is also pretty darn good and I would place it pretty much in the same camp as the DBR10s.

Just curious, what exactly did the CLRs do better?
Would you place the DXR models on par with the CLRs?
I don't own any of those 3 but did hear a DXR at a rehearsal and it rocked. So I have always thought of the DBRs as a great cost effective alternative. And the CP8s just seem like a great compact solution at the same level.

 

[LordByron]

The CLRs were more flat and neutral and you got a bit less of the tweeter high-end sizzle that keeps PA speakers from sounding just like a guitar cab, regardless of how good the IR/Cab-sim used. Don't get me wrong the CLRs still sounded like PA speakers... just very, very good, flat response PA speakers with less sibilant tweeter characteristics. Ultimately, the CLR was not enough better than the DBR10s to justify the cost (and the weight.. mine were the OG non-Neo CLRs), at least to me, so I sold the CLRs and happily kept the DBR10s.

I have never A/Bed the DBR10s to the DXR10s, although I have tried the DXR10s in a store. While there may be some slight differences in the frequency curves between the two, my impression was the two sounded largely identical, the DXR10s just had more Watts on tap.

 

[MusicLaw]

The DXR10s also have more I/O for signal routing.