Anyone compare the QSC K12's to the EV EKX12's?

[petty1818]

I have a pair of K12's and just recently bought a K10 as a monitor. The sound is good, they are super reliable and I love the tote bag set up. I really have no reason to upgrade but of course, I am always looking into better speakers. The EV EKX's were recommended to me by a local PA shop. Apparently they have a nice smooth sound that's more natural than the K12's. In fact, a few stores I have spoken to, have mentioned that the K12's can have a bit of a harsh mid range, which I admit I have noticed on occasion. I have discussed this before on here, just really wondering if the EKX line would be a step up?

 

[Papanate]

I would not describe the EV series as 'smooth'. We do not buy any EV Speaker gear - I think
they miss the point and the ergo dynamics of the work flow are pretty bad. And I don't
like the way they sound.

The QSC line - the K10 has the best balance of performance and price...I kind of
agree about the K12s - they have a bit of a 'peaky' response - and usually need to
be 'tuned' a bit in live performance. I think QSC Made a mistake using a 75° conical
horn in the K12s. The K10 uses a 90° conical horn - which smoothes out the
crossover transition a bit better to my ears.

 

[petty1818]

I would not describe the EV series as 'smooth'. We do not buy any EV Speaker gear - I think
they miss the point and the ergo dynamics of the work flow are pretty bad. And I don't
like the way they sound.

The QSC line - the K10 has the best balance of performance and price...I kind of
agree about the K12s - they have a bit of a 'peaky' response - and usually need to
be 'tuned' a bit in live performance. I think QSC Made a mistake using a 75° conical
horn in the K12s. The K10 uses a 90° conical horn - which smoothes out the
crossover transition a bit better to my ears.

Thanks for the reply. Are there comparable speakers to the K12's that do sound better? I could invest in the KW122's as well.

 

[Papanate]

Thanks for the reply. Are there comparable speakers to the K12's that do sound better? I could invest in the KW122's as well.

The KW122s fixed what was 'wrong' in the K12s IMO. They also come
with Flyware (Important for us). And the tend to be louder before
clipping - which becomes apparent if you use them outside.

 

[3dognate]

Don't over look the Yamaha DSR112 as an option... generally more pleasing than the K12 and higher SPL. Nothing wrong with QSC esp the KW series... but don't pass up the Yamaha.

 

[petty1818]

Don't over look the Yamaha DSR112 as an option... generally more pleasing than the K12 and higher SPL. Nothing wrong with QSC esp the KW series... but don't pass up the Yamaha.

I was actually interested in the DXR models at one point but heard that they were noisy. I am assuming the DSR's are much improved though. A few PA shops did mention that they prefer the tone of Yamaha speakers to QSC. They were referring to the DXR's but I am sure the DSR's are nice as well. I will have to look into them.

 

[3dognate]

I was actually interested in the DXR models at one point but heard that they were noisy. I am assuming the DSR's are much improved though. A few PA shops did mention that they prefer the tone of Yamaha speakers to QSC. They were referring to the DXR's but I am sure the DSR's are nice as well. I will have to look into them.

Not a thing noisy about the DSR series... we have a quad of DSR112 and a pair of DSR118W subs and they are just fabulous.

 

[Floyd Eye]

I definitely like the DSR12s better than the K12s. Not an EV fan either.

 

[3dognate]

I definitely like the DSR12s better than the K12s. Not an EV fan either.

My other drummer has a prosumer level RCF system that is outstanding as well.

 

[sants]

judging speakers for live music in a non live setting is tough. I owned ev elx and qsc k12's and kw152's at the same time. I think the ev did have a smoother sound listening to music but that smoothness is more from being scooped. I found the qsc's much better in a live setting where the more forward sound works better.

 

[3dognate]

judging speakers for live music in a non live setting is tough. I owned ev elx and qsc k12's and kw152's at the same time. I think the ev did have a smoother sound listening to music but that smoothness is more from being scooped. I found the qsc's much better in a live setting where the more forward sound works better.

I also owned the ELX112P... they sounded just fine for program music and really did nicely with speech amplification. Completely unoffensive speaker... extremely polite but a little wooly on the low end. Not a good live band PA.

 

[petty1818]

It seems as though there isn't enough incentive for me to upgrade at the moment. I still want to go listen to the KW122's and DSR models but there are still so many pros to the K12's that it's difficult to justify letting them go. I appreciate the insight though!

 

[3dognate]

It seems as though there isn't enough incentive for me to upgrade at the moment. I still want to go listen to the KW122's and DSR models but there are still so many pros to the K12's that it's difficult to justify letting them go. I appreciate the insight though!

It's really hard to say bad things about the K12s... they are a really solid speaker choice... they are plenty loud and sound great in a live setting. There are probably a few better speakers in it's class... but it's a great choice for a working band and hold value nicely because they are so well thought of..

 

[sants]

It seems as though there isn't enough incentive for me to upgrade at the moment. I still want to go listen to the KW122's and DSR models but there are still so many pros to the K12's that it's difficult to justify letting them go. I appreciate the insight though!

Imo the only real upgrade worthwhile would be at a minimum the dsr, srx812p and rcf 732 or 745. To get far superior performance you'd be looking at lower level pro boxes.

 

[BadAssBill]

I did a LOT of comparing before buying speakers. I'd always read that 12's were better for vocals, especially if you have a sub. We had 12's, but we had played a few places that were complaining about sound being thrown in the back of the bar. One day I went to a large sam ash and had them run all the speakers $800 and below. I stood across the room and listened while he switched brands. The two I were looking at were the QSC 12, mid level Yamaha 12 (I forget the model) or the ZLX 15P.

What I found was the 15 threw sound better than any of the 12's and was as good as the QSC IMHO. I ended up buying the EV's and have been very happy with them since.

I've shown this example a few time....but I think live examples is the best way to show what they sound like. This was our first gig with them and weren't even dialed in yet. No sub either....just FOH. It's a large room with concrete floors...but they sound really good...nice and clear. 16 channel Yamaha board.

 

[NamaEnsou]

It seems as though there isn't enough incentive for me to upgrade at the moment. I still want to go listen to the KW122's and DSR models but there are still so many pros to the K12's that it's difficult to justify letting them go. I appreciate the insight though!

Did you ever decide on a replacement? Lately I've been thinking of selling off my K12 and picking up one of the newer K12.2 models which are supposedly smoother in the mids and highs, on top of having a lot more headroom.

 

[modulusman]

Did you ever decide on a replacement? Lately I've been thinking of selling off my K12 and picking up one of the newer K12.2 models which are supposedly smoother in the mids and highs, on top of having a lot more headroom.

What headroom?

 

[sants]

Thanks for the reply. Are there comparable speakers to the K12's that do sound better? I could invest in the KW122's as well.

Check the the k12.2. Nice step up from the original k12

 

[petty1818]

What headroom?

The new K.2 speakers have quite a bit more headroom. They don't get as harsh when pushed.

 

[petty1818]

Did you ever decide on a replacement? Lately I've been thinking of selling off my K12 and picking up one of the newer K12.2 models which are supposedly smoother in the mids and highs, on top of having a lot more headroom.

I actually waited and will be replacing my K speakers with the new K.2's.