K12 vs DXR12 vs ELX vs EKX

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IceBurghDJ

IceBurghDJ

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Apr 17, 2015
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I'm wanting to upgrade my speakers / system and keep going back and forth on what to get.

Last night's wedding the DJ has a pair of EV speakers - not sure if they were elx or ekx, but they sounded very good and he had no sub but it was hard to tell.

It was a huge ballroom (will hold 350-400 no problem) and 200 guests and the 2 12" speakers did great. A bit more sound off to the sides would have been nice but the room is what it is (long and narrow, dancefloor in the middle of the room with the dj on a long wall shooting across the narrow part of the room so the tables at the far ends of the room didn't get to hear much, announcement wise).


So...
I have yamaha speakers (love them) and ev subs (zlx and like them a lot). And I"m cheap...I mean, the acc't in me wants max ROI so the less I spend the better, but I also know that longer term better often means spending a bit more upfront.

I've considered a line array system but that's gonna set me back $3-4k, including subs. And if i'm to believe their lit the system will be good to at most 200 people.

It seems the QSC k12's are THE standard. But a pair will run $1600.

the ELX is sold as a 'live sound' speaker..does it matter? A pair runs $1200. the EKX is a step up..not sure what more the extra money buys, and we're back at $1600 again.

Yamaha has a $100/speaker rebate now, so the DXR12's are $1200/pair.

All have essentially the same weight, SPL, not sure I can tell the diff between 48hz and 52hz.

The reviews on the yamaha's seem overwhelmingly favorable (which is what i found on the stagepas 600 I bought).

Anyone heard/used any/all of these? Thoughts, experiences? the good/ the bad?
 
Upgrade and cheap don't go well together.

If I was looking for a decent pair of 12s, I would short list the K12, EKX12, DXR12 and the RCF HD12.

If I was looking for a killer set, I would shift to the QSC KW112, EV ETX12, and the RCF HD32.

I have listened to them all .. my 2 faves are the KW112 and the HD32 .. one will replace my JBL PRX612 at some point (they both can be had for about $900 a piece). From the lower group, they all sound different, but all are good.
 
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If you use subs, then any of my picks in their 10 in version would do just as good. The 12s have an advantage that they CAN be run without subs for small gigs without losing too much low end.

K10s are special because they have a different dispersion pattern than the 12 and actually may be a better fit in some instances.
 
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steve149 said:
If you use subs, then any of my picks in their 10 in version would do just as good. The 12s have an advantage that they CAN be run without subs for small gigs without losing too much low end.

K10s are special because they have a different dispersion pattern than the 12 and actually may be a better fit in some instances.
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I haven't tried the 12s, so I can't speak to the dispersion pattern, but it makes sense. I've done a few 4k-5k square foot rooms where I was on the long wall. On the first, I really thought I would have needed additional tops to spread the room but after setup I decided it wasn't needed. The coverage on these K10s is amazing and I have to mention the tone is smoother than anything else I've heard. The only thing I don't care for is the plastic cabinets that appear to be easy to scratch. So far though, I've kept mine in the cases consistently so they look brand new.
 
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The K12 has a 75 deg conical horn .. the K10 has a 90 deg. For very small rooms, the K8 has a 105 deg horn .. wider coverage at the expense of less energy in any one direction.
 
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My 10" P.O.S. tops sound better than my good 12" tops - it's all about the midrange - but running the tens without a sub is not an option.
 
I run the K12's .. and I do like them. I prefer the sound of the ELX12's (wooden box), but the K12's have a fan.
 
OK...more explanation from me...need more input from you guys and i'm now more lost than before maybe...

I have 10" tops (yamaha stagepas) and a pair of 12" subs. I think this will hand up to 125 no problem for a wedding. Maybe 150.

Do I need a sub for a wedding? Do I WANT a sub for a wedding (offering more / better than others, justifying a higher price, etc)?

I've had a few weddings with younger brides where 12" PR12 tops and 12" subs (it's what I had) sounded good but the bride/crowd seemed to want more volume (one asked 'turn it up!', another they danced about 2' from the speakers). Usually I have more volume than needed.

I would do (and have done) lower end gigs without subs - like an upcoming christmas party, a HS reunion, graduation party. So here a better top would probably negate the need to bring a sub or two - less work and setup time .. IF there's no major compromise in sound quality/volume.

Where I feel 'underpowered' is weddings of say, 175-250. That's what impressed my about the guy saturday - he sounded pretty damned good in that large room. And the difference is (was) the speakers. One issue would be hearing him all over the room...music was fine but announcements were nearly impossible to hear. May have been more his setup/use than the gear itself.

Dispersion.. I figure less dispersion means more volume on the dance floor and less around the room, right? the K12's are 60d, the others 90d

So...watts.
The K12 is 1500, the EKX 1500, ELX 1000 and the DXR 700.

wood vs plastic..the EKX are getting heavy at 50lbs vs 38-41 for the others. All are plastic except the ELX..does it matter? Sound? Appearance (over time..plastic can scratch and be harder to fix than wood/carpet/paint)

Does tilt have any benefit? the K12 and DXR offer it.

price..
for a pair
K12 - $1600
EKX 12p - $1600
ELX 112 - $1200
DXR12 - $1200 after rebate

or do you have a better source than the sweetwater/GC /musicians friend?

If it was YOUR money..what would you do? And why?
What if it was a rig for a second DJ you hired? Would you go cheaper? Why (or why not)?

---------
This is going to be my most expensive one time investment to date...and I"m not sure my business volume/sales justifies the expenditure, but I know I gotta invest to grow and improve the biz.
I'd rather buy once and be done, I would like to move up in price point for my services, I plan to be in the biz for 10+ years.
 
MY take, I like Yammy tone but those cabs are too heavy for my tastes. As for EV, I personally just never liked EV tone. For MY rig, the QSCs seem to have the best tone of anything I've heard and those 12s should handle the vast majority of your events, even without a sub. Now that said, I personally like to have a lot bigger hammer than is necessary. I you're running tops-only, and you're having to push them, it's going to be harsh tone and people just know it's not right. Now as for buying a rig for another DJ, no, I wouldn't buy premium. I'd use something like the PR12s or maybe some Carvins (BTW, their low-end 3-ways sound really good).
 
dxr..42.5lbs according to yamaha's website.
K12.. 41 lbs
EKX..41.5lbs

Currently carrying two PR12's (33lb ea) and a sep amp and BBE...50lbs, maybe more.)
I'll pick up one of my ZLX subs and see if I want to put it on a stand..46lbs and very cubist compared to a top but a good weight comparo.

Why buy low end for a second DJ?

(my thoughts...better ROI, don't let them beat up the good stuff...but if it's your name on the sale then why offer lesser gear/sound?)

Not sure i can hear all the brands/models and even if i do it's in a store, not a live gig, with my sound card, etc. Only gonna be a close approximation.

I like teh sound of my yamaha's..not idea if the DXR would be the same or not.
I've never heard the QSCs that I"m aware of.
Not sure what specific EVs the guy had..certainly acceptable, good bass..not harsh highs (my usual complaint) Didn't look to see how hard he was pushing them.

I'd rather have too much than not enough.
 
If I were buying today with a $2K budget, I might go with a pair of Yamaha DXR10 tops with a RCF 805-AS II (or the 12" 802-ASII) for a single sub.

Yes, with 10" tops, you NEED a sub for anything other than ceremony or speaking events. For the $$s, the RCF ($750 at the DJ Expo) is a great sub. The DXR10 is a great sounding compact system (there are others as well) .. and can be had for under $1K for the pair.

For the tops, you can sub in the K10, the RCF HD10, RCF 410, and a host of others.
 
I have the EV- ELX 115p's and love the sound...... They can easily handle a wedding with quality sound up to 150 person wedding without a sub, but personally like to use my QSC kw181 when possible for a rounded sounded for my taste. But the boxes can handle without a sub no problem. I guess an important part will be size of the cabinet and weight you are looking for. I plan to eventually upgrade to the EV-EKX line.
 
Believe it or not I stopped by a local tavern the other night after my gig and there was a DJ using some powered 15 inch Behringers, I was thoroughly impressed with sound, I have no clue what model they were, they looked relatively new. If they had someway to remove that yellow triangle, I might consider them
 
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tunes4046 said:
Believe it or not I stopped by a local tavern the other night after my gig and there was a DJ using some powered 15 inch Behringers, I was thoroughly impressed with sound, I have no clue what model they were, they looked relatively new. If they had someway to remove that yellow triangle, I might consider them
Click to expand...
Gaf/Duct tape ..
 
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tunes4046 said:
Believe it or not I stopped by a local tavern the other night after my gig and there was a DJ using some powered 15 inch Behringers, I was thoroughly impressed with sound, I have no clue what model they were, they looked relatively new. If they had someway to remove that yellow triangle, I might consider them
Click to expand...

I know people that swear by the powered Behry tops (12 and 15). Not one issue with them.
 
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I have a Behringer B108D (dropped the other) .. use it for a karaoke floor monitor .. can't say I would rave about the sound.

Since Behringer has acquired Klark Teknik, Midas and TurboSound, I can only assume that all 3 will help in the "sound" category.
 
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I'd really like to hear what I'm buying 'in action'..difficult I know.

I've heard the bose setup..don't like. HK, DO like. But $3-4k is a lot, and if i believe the HK info I'd need their bigger setup for 200+ and now we're into 100lb subs and closer to $5k. That loses on price and weight.
I've heard the PR12's i have before I bought them- for the price I think they're hard to beat. the 15s..ok, but nothing great.
the EV I heard last sat had nice bottom end, but overall I wan't that impressed with their sound.
I am impressed with my 10" yamahas...that and the price of the DXR12's has me leaning that direction...but the K12 seems to be the one speaker everything is compared to.

Usually when that happens with an item it's the one to get.

So 10" vs 12" top...for 200 people?

Seems a 10 requires a sub..I have a yamaha stagepas 600 - which is 10" tops and I have a pair of 12 subs..have run this for a couple of events, probably will for this saturday's wedding...could probably do a pair of 12 tops and no sub..75 people in a barn (real barn) and with cocktails, dinner, main dances I've got 90 minutes of open dancing and much of their music preference is country, slow and some older pop - aka, not the hip hip dancy stuff where a sub is needed.

did a wedding as a photog last april, dj had a behry eurolive sub, 18"..it had serious output.
 
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IceBurghDJ said:
I'd really like to hear what I'm buying 'in action'..difficult I know.

I've heard the bose setup..don't like. HK, DO like. But $3-4k is a lot, and if i believe the HK info I'd need their bigger setup for 200+ and now we're into 100lb subs and closer to $5k. That loses on price and weight.
I've heard the PR12's i have before I bought them- for the price I think they're hard to beat. the 15s..ok, but nothing great.
the EV I heard last sat had nice bottom end, but overall I wan't that impressed with their sound.
I am impressed with my 10" yamahas...that and the price of the DXR12's has me leaning that direction...but the K12 seems to be the one speaker everything is compared to.

Usually when that happens with an item it's the one to get.

So 10" vs 12" top...for 200 people?

Seems a 10 requires a sub..I have a yamaha stagepas 600 - which is 10" tops and I have a pair of 12 subs..have run this for a couple of events, probably will for this saturday's wedding...could probably do a pair of 12 tops and no sub..75 people in a barn (real barn) and with cocktails, dinner, main dances I've got 90 minutes of open dancing and much of their music preference is country, slow and some older pop - aka, not the hip hip dancy stuff where a sub is needed.

did a wedding as a photog last april, dj had a behry eurolive sub, 18"..it had serious output.
Click to expand...
10" tops need a sub (or 2) for anything other than speaking or background music. 12s can get by (marginally) without one for slightly larger groups. If you use a sub and high pass above 100 Hz, the 10" top might sound cleaner because the 10" driver is slightly better suited to midrange frequencies. It' a trade off.

For 200 people, I would always bring at least 1 sub .. probably 2 .. you might get away with 12" tops and no sub for 50-75 people max.
 
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