Product Reviews - Direct Pro Audio

Pro Audio

Pro Lighting

Pro Video

Portable Systems
- Anchor Audio
  - Beacon
  - Xtreme
  - Liberty
  - Explorer Pro
  - AN-1000X
  - AN-130
- Fender Audio
  - Passport Systems
  - Passport Accessories
- ALTO Pro Audio
  - OEX 400
  - OEX 600
  - OEX 900

Accessories

Product	Subject
Alto Elvis 15S 15" Subwoofer	Elvis 15 Sub - GREAT for the money by Brian... I bought one of these from you guys right as you started carrying them. I have it hooked up to a Samson S1500 Amplifier, and for what I spend, I couldn't be happier. The crossover on the sub doesn't do the best job of cutting out high frequencies, so I use an EQ. I must say though, after tweaking my EQ to best fit this speaker, this thing is incredible!! For our small DJ jobs, it puts out more than enough bass to rock the house! Great sub for the money....and extremely durable too!
Alto Elvis 15SA 15" Powered Subwoofer	ALTO ELVIS 15SA by DON... HAD THIS POWERED SUBWOOFER ABOUT 2 WEEKS.I HAVE THE BEST RESULTS FOR MY ACOUSTIC DRUM MONITOR THAT I HAVE EVER HAD.I RUN MY DRUM MIKE SNAKE INTO 10 CHANNEL PEAVEY MIXER. MIXER OUT TO THE ALTO POWERED SUB. WHAT A KICK DRUM RESPONSE,WOW !! IT WILL KNOCK YOU OFF YOUR THRONE.ANY DRUMMERS OUT THERE LOOKING FOR THAT ON STAGE KICK. THIS IS IT BY FAR !!!!
Alto Elvis 15SA 15" Powered Subwoofer	Alto Elvis 15SA by Neil... I have had this powered sub for about 6 months an I use it with Powered speakers for for monitor of my Yamaha Dtxtreme II drum kit. I must say..this thing kicks! First time I used it my band members commented on how you could feel it in your chest! Eureka! That's what I wanted....Overall very satisfied.
Alto HPA6 6-Channel Headphone Amplifier	Clear and cost effective by John... I wondered about this thing since the cost was so low. I must say I am very happy and feel that it is worth much more than what I paid for it. Not too often that that happens!
Alto MAC 2.3 1600W Professional Power Amplifier	Buy it by J.... If you need a good, inexpensive, great sounding amp, well, buy this one; I have three of these, and they are simply excellent. Once I had a 12 hour event, with the amps working @ 2 ohm at high volume, and didn't have a problem. Don't worry, they won't overheat and you will have hours of cristal clear sound, seriously recommended, you won't be disappointed, I don't understand why they are so cheap, they worth two times that price, definitely the best option in the market for semiprofessional applications...
Alto MAC 2.4 2500W Professional Power Amplifier	alto macro 2'4 by warren... dont know this amp but have had the old model 2400. it is worth double the asking price. i would recomend it to anyone who is looking for a quality power amp if the new 2.4 is the same or better then you will not be the first to think the same as i do a very good amount of expression the whole bandwidth and loads of clean top im trying to get one more soon as work has improved i need more power and please will you note i have a camco vortex 6 so i know this amp is good. no its not the camco but im happy with it and it didnt cost me 2 k. hope you all power hungry guys have fun with your alto 2.4 im sure its the best value power amp on the market warren pereira md maximum musical exposure aka dj snoopy
Alto MAC 2.4 2500W Professional Power Amplifier	Alto MAC2.4 by Benoit... The Mac 2.4 is a great power amplifier. high sound quality, great clip and thermal protections, and low price. I would recommend this amplifier to anyone who needs it's power. I use the MAC2.4 to power my 2 Yorkville elites in DJ application and it's never fails me. Great day don't forget it's the best DJ Binoy
Alto MS12MA Powered Coaxial Floor Monitor	WOW by John... All I can say is WOW. These are some of the best sounding floor monitors in the mid-size market I've had a chance to try out. They are loud, clear, and TINY! These would be great for crowded stages, or stages with poor sight lines. Great for lead vocals and/or music reproduction. Be prepared to EQ out feedback hotspots, as you might not be used to having monitors this loud in compact spaces. Also, having a hyper cardioid mic will help tremendously. Did I mention they look good too?
Alto S-16 16 Channel Compact Mixing Console	Behringer look out! by Tom... Cheaper than a Behringer and does not pop when you engage the low pass filters! Yippy! Aux buss is quieter too.
Alto S-8 8 Input Compact Mixer	Great little mixer by Phillip... This little mixer is great- it is super quiet, has eq, two auxes, phantom, and inserts, and the extra mic input on the 5/6 stereo channel is very handy. You can't beat the S-8 for the price.
American DJ DJ Spot 250 250 Watt Moving Head	A GREAT little light by Rob... With all the features you need for a basic moving head show the DJ SPot 250 hits the mark. The movement is smooth and quick, their are enough colors, and the effects are great too. Althought the gobos are not what I would have chosen, they're still good enough. I would highly recomend this unit. Its roughly the same price as some higher end scanners but with alot more coolness.
American DJ Mister Kool Low Lying Fog Effect Generator	Short fog duration by Shadows Edge... Great effect but needs to reheat after one minute of continuous usage.
APEX APEX435 Wide Diaphragm Condenser Microphone	Great Mic by Ashton... A very nice inexpensive mic works wonders for Tom-Tom mic'ing, as well as underneath a snare, not good for electric instruments as it self compresses. Works great with acoustic guitar and piano, very warm, only downside is no -10 switch or bass rolloff. -Ashton Parsons Sentimental Dreams Studios
ART HQ-231 Dual 31 Band Graphic Equalizer With Feedback Detection Circuitry	Makes Ringing Out Easy by John... This EQ takes the guesswork out of ringing out your sound system. All you have to do is raise the aux send levels on your stage mics (that are prone to feedback) untill it starts ringing. As it rings, you can see the freq. that is causing the trouble. Knock it down a bit, and repeat untill you have knocked down about three freqs. You should have attained significant more gain before feedback. Works for me every time! I love this unit. John - DPA
ART XL231 Professional Dual 31 Band Graphic Equalizer with 45mm Sliders and Trim Controls	What a sweet sounding EQ by John... I used this eq from a rental company that ran out of typical rental stock and they substituted this for me. What a sweet surprise. I had hum issues among other things with my own eq (which I still use regularly)that I usually use for mains at this venue. When I tried this in its place the hum completely disappeared as well as the noise floor as a hole went through the floor. The head room ie: S/N ratio gained from this EQ was so noticeable it changed the way I mixed for that place. What a great sounding EQ. The system I'm putting together now has these for mains and monitors. GREAT JOB A.R.T.!!! Yes I like it that much!!!
Audio Technica AE4100 Cardioid Dynamic Vocal Microphone	AT 4100 by Tom... This mic is unreal. How long have these been on the market? I first used one at the Wednesday night jam at my local sports pub. I asked the vocalist what it was and was shocked that it cost so little and sounded so good. AT has a good thing going here.
Audio Technica AT4040 Cardioid Studio Condenser Microphone	AT4040 is a superb Mic by charlie... This mic has it all.If you like the AT3035,which is a great mic you'll absolutely love the AT4040.It's the best vocal mic I've tried and I own a Neumann u87,Neumann TLM103,RODE NTK and a BEYERDYNAMIC M88. It's got a rich full sound and it's very well balanced! It's also super on acoustic guitar and piano.Also great on overheads! Bravo Audiotechnica !!!!!
Audio Technica AT4053a Hypercardioid Studio Condenser Microphone	AT4053a by JEFF... Absolute great mic on snare.
Audio Technica ATM250 Artist Series Hypercardioid Instrument Microphone	AUDIO-TECHNICA ATM250! by JOSEPH... Last week I ordered an ATM250 kick drum mic from Direct Pro Audio. They were selling demos for $130.00. This mic sells for $180.00 usually. I've wanted to get one of these for some time now, but the drummer in the band I run sound for has a Beta52 I use instead if my Shure PG52 (the PG52 really isn't terrible!). So I put off getting/trying the ATM250 because I really didn't NEED it and I hadn't heard one with my own ears. I've used the AT25 several times, and I've always thought it was a killin' mic. So, Saturday night I get the kit all mic'd up and I can't wait for soundcheck. The hotel provided a spider box that had some terrible buzzes. They didn't get it switched out 'till after we were supposed to be done with soundcheck. Two hours later, the bands starts and somethngs not right. I'm tweaking the channel's EQ and changing the position of the ATM250 the whole first set. It was terrible! I switch back to the Beta52 during the break. The band starts again - it was still terrible! So I knew it wasn't the mic. I check all that I know to check and the low end of my four JBL MP418S's was just muddy(?) and not very loud. So I'm all pee'd off because now I think there's there's something very wrong with my rig. So yesterday we have another show. I wanted to give the ATM250 another try. I set the channel flat, call for the drummer's kick, and there it was. Pure kick drum destruction! I had the gain all the way down (I have a Mackie SR24-4 with no much needed pad...) and the meter was almost into the yellow. Once I cut some 250 (his kick is a little cardboardy...), the level was OK. Man, this mic was just killin'! I don't know any big technical terms and I can't give any data or readouts, but I liked the ATM250 more than the Beta52. I felt right away that this was a very natural sounding mic. I've used the Audix D6 before and I felt like it was killer for SOME things (I'm not slamming the D6, I just think it's best suited for fake, watered-down, punk-emo type mess...) but if I HAD TO only have one mic, I couldn't get away with only having a D6, or a D112. Oh yeah, as far as the low end issue from Saturday night goes, well somehow something accidently got changed in the Driverack PA's low crossover. I remember a server bumping in to me while I was turning the low crossover gain up a bit. The "LR" slope(?) got changed. It's usually LR24 but I thought I remember it showing LR12? So when I powered up for Sunday's (yesterday) show, everything was back to normal and I can look forward to life with an ATM250! I'm loving this mic!
Audio Technica ATW-3141aC 200 Channel UHF Wireless Handheld Microphone	Value and Reliability by Jeff... I have had my 3141 for about six months. It has been a welcome addition to my live PA setup. I always have crystal clear reception and I look forward to adding more of these to my system in the very near future.
AUDIX i-5 Performance Instrument Microphone	SM57 Killer! by Dave... I used to use the 57 in my live sound and for years. However, I heard a demo of the i5 and they sounded great! I bought two and now they it is all that use for snare drum and guitar cabinets. Highly recomended!!!
Community S-1296 12" 2-Way Professional Full Range Speaker	Real World Review of the S-1296 by Bob... I have had some time to live with Communitys Sonus-1296 Loudspeaker for a little time now, but long enough to give some feedback on its operation and sound. In some ways it is the Swiss Army Knife of two-way 12 loudspeakers. With threaded rigging points, poll mount for stand use, and enclosure angles for stage monitoring; the designers at Community have addressed a large range of uses. Ill address a number of positives first. The S-1296 sounds good. So good in fact that you will not have to add very much equalization, if any at all, when used in a musicians stage monitoring configuration. Its even frequency dispersion was very pleasing to hear, making it easy for the artist to wonder without significant changes in tonal quality. Add to that the flexibility of angling the enclosure at either 125ﾰ or 145ﾰ up toward the artist makes it an instant winner when used for stage monitoring. The loudspeaker is efficient as advertised. It does not take loads of power to get it loud. I one time had to use a 150 watts per channel Urei 6250 to power a pair of the S-1296 in the role of stage monitoring. Because it was at an outdoor stage at the time (the reason for stealing the larger amplifiers for front of house use), I was worried about the clipping of the monitors audio signal in handling the high SPL of rock band. As it turned out, I still had 3 to 5 db of headroom left on the amp, and the band was more than happy the levels and sound quality. I have used the Sonus-1296 on sticks also. Here, you will definitely need to couple them to a sub-woofer if you are handling music programming. Up in the air, out in free space, the bottom end drops off quickly below 100 to 110 Hz. For PA use (voice reinforcement) it will not mater much, but they lack the necessary low end for silo music reinforcement. Here again the loudspeaker, with its wide even frequency dispersion and good efficiency, handles the task well. There was no audible distortion, even at fairly high SPLs. The speakers seem comfortable playing at all volume settings. I have not used the rigging points on the enclosure, so I cannot address how those come into play in field use. But looking at the eight threaded spots that you can tie into, it should be adequate for most needs that I can think of. Now something different. This could be a positive or negative, depending on your use. The Community S-1296 is advertised as both a full-range single-amp operation and a switch able bi-amp operation. To most of us in the sound reinforcement world, this would mean that you use either the passive crossover network in the loudspeaker or an active crossover before the amplifiers. Not so with the Sonus-1296. The passive internal crossover is always in series with the signal path, even when switched to bi-amp mode. This means you can bi-wire the system (playing full-range audio to both the low frequency and high frequency drivers) with the same amplifier; or you can have two channels of amplifications going to the loudspeaker without the need for an active electronic crossover before them; both while have the speaker switched to bi-amp mode. Hmmmmmm, you say; what if you really want to run them bi-amped. Well, if you use a cheap electronic crossover (say a Behringer Super-X Pro) in line with your amplifiers and the S-1296, it just does not sound quite right. Moving the single crossover point up a little to 1.6 KHz or 1.7 KHz makes is sound better and very livable. Changing the phase of the high frequency driver at the crossover can help or hurt, depending on the crossover frequency you choose (1.5 KHz through 1.7 KHz). In short, I am not quite sure what is going on yet. But I suspect that horn driver is reversed in phase in respect to the 12 driver. Now, take a DSP like the DBX 260 or 480, and set the low frequency driver to band-pass at 3 KHz and below (24 or 48 db per octave) and set the high frequency driver to band-pass at 800 HZ and above (24 or 48 db per octave); all sounds just fine. Dont touch the phase or delay, leave as is. Does it sound any better than having two amplifiers drive the S-1296 without an active crossover? Well, no! Maybe I need to play a little more with an active system or talk with the designer at Community. But one should know that running the Sonus-1296 bi-amped is not quite what you would think, and there are no guidelines to what might be used for settings in the Operation Manual. In closing, have yet to take advantage or the Dyna-Tech dynamic driver protection circuitry. It is nice to know that it is there if someone gets a little out of control. I rarely let anyone else change the gain from my set-ups, and I dont plan to get overly loud. But things happen on stage that I cant even predict, and it always happens before I have had time to dial in the compressor/limiters. Therefore, someday the Dyna-Tech will save a driver or two. It will be interesting to see if Community ever makes a powered version of Sonus line. I for one would be very interested in hearing want will come next from this very capable company.
Crest CA 12 Stereo Power Amplifier	Blows away my Crown by Jarvis... I heard a rig using Crest amplification and was surprised it was not Crown. I have always used Crown MA's to run my larger full range and subwoofer cabs. I asked the guy why he did not use the MA series stuff as I thought anybody who was anybody used Crown. He told me he DID use Crown but switched to CA series Crest because of a buddy of his in the touring industry. To make a long story short, I sold my MA's for CA's from Crest and I am STOKED!
Crest CA 18 Stereo Power Amplifier	Holy Mackrel! by lance... I never knew a speaker could be as loud and clear as this amp made it sound. We hooked this up to some SR4719x's and the world came tumbling down. Simply a FANTASTIC amp for the money!
Crest CPX 2600 Stereo Power Amplifier	Great sounding at low cost by Tracy... The CPX2600 from Crest is great! Depending on the type of show, I either use it for my dual 15" full range speakers or for my dual 15" subs. I am very pleased with the sound no matter what I am using it on. I really like the output choices I have, some other amps are only MDP or ONLY speakon, I have both!
Elation Opti Tri Par Black RBG Tri Color LED Par	Elation Opti Tri Par by Steven... These lights are amazing!!!! Great color mixing, powerful and low heat/power. By one yesterday!!!!
Galaxy Audio CM-130 CheckMate SPL Meter	I won't leave home without it by John... Hi... I just want to say that this SPL meter is invaluable. I am a sound engineer, and I need to know how loud I am to comply with local laws. This little meter has saved my butt several times. It even comes with a battery. This one even works as well as the big expensive one at my old company!
JBL Control 24CT Micro (Pair) In Ceiling Two-Way Speaker With Transformer	pure audio bliss! by Timothy... The 24ct Micro's are beautiful sounding. They stand out very well against the background noise of our dental office. We hung them ourselves and it was much less painful than a root canal!
Lexicon Lambda Studio Desktop Recording Studio	Good for Metal by Mike... My brother picked up this unit a while back. He has recorded some pretty high quality (for being in your basement) music recordings, mixing drums and guitar with the provided Cubase LE program. After working out a few bugs with Windows Vista he has been pretty satisfied with it. It has good response and is very easy to use.
Lexicon OMEGA Desktop Recording Studio	Well done Lexicon by Mike... I've had this unit for about a year now and have been using it on a daily basis. I am running my computer audio, my iPod, and a DVD player through it, all at the same time. I really like that it has it's own power supply instead of being USB powered. I have also used it to record voice overs when I do video editing and it has worked great! The SPDF in/outputs are nice for digital audio for my DVD player too. I am happy with this unit and would recommend it to anyone who is looking for a standalone recording interface for moderate recording usage with multiple different inputs.
Marantz PMD570 Pro Installation Solid State Recorder	The One and Only by Paul... I do lots of on-site/location audio recording for classical music groups. For years, I have had a pair of rack-mounted DAT recorders (for redundancy) in my road case, and all was well. However, I have been looking for new DAT machines as the old one grow long-in-the-tooth, and there are not so many models available anymore. Furthermore, DAT seems like such an old and quaint technology, I hated to commit to it for another bunch of years. Finally, the real-time download to my computer for editing was slowing up the work. I started to look at quality professional solid state recorders and hard disk recorders. All the hard disk units were either too expensive for buying two for redundancy, or they were too big for the application (too many channels, to big physically, etc). All the solid state units were portable, handheld types, not good for my rack mounted road case setup. Enter the Marantz PMD 570, the only machine of its type (Marantz has since come out with the lower priced PMD 560, but it lacks some key features like S/PDIF and balanced inputs). At only about $800 and change street, and one rack unit high, I could afford to buy two for the price of a single DAT deck, and they both fit in the space of a single DAT. They don't weigh very much either, so the road case is a bit easier to cart around now. The PMD 570 comes with a demonstration use only 64M Compact Flash card - there's no way you would really use this. I bought several 2GB cards from SanDisk for about $60 each, and get about 4 hours from each at 44.1/16bit (CD quality). After a gig, it takes less than 2 minutes to pop the card out, plug it into a card reader on my computer, and download the WAV file(s) to the hard drive for editing. How nice it is! The specs of the PMD 570 are comparable to those on my pro DAT decks, so nothing lost in terms of audio quality. The unit can also be set for any of a host of other more efficient formats, including low quality MP3 that would let you record almost forever on a card; good for certain non-musical applications like board meetings, etc. The controls are easy to use and intuitive, and the recordings sound great. Physical build quality is very high. I took a peek inside mine, and it's like looking at something made by NASA. Immaculate boards and neat wiring, high quality components, and clean assembly in evidence. mkes me feel like I am dealing with a first rate company. My onlu quibb;e is that the unit will not play back the audio at faster rates, as DAT decks and CD players can. If you press the FF or RW buttons while playing, the speed picks up very slightly, seems like maybe 10% faster or so. You need to pause the playback, then advance or go backwards with the audio muted, then hit Play again. The PMD 570 has some odd remote control connectors on the back, and I still don't really see their utility for most applications. Presumably, these address the needs of some users somewhere. The PMD 570 has unbalanced line-level stereo I/O using RCA jacks, balanced line-level stereo inputs using XLRs, and coaxial S/PDIF I/O. There is also a so-called I/O jack in the Remote Control area that appears to be USB, although I have not tried to use it and Marantz curiously does not label it as such. I think you can use it to read the memory card without needing to remove it from the unit.
Martin Magnum Pro 2000 1600 Watt High Output Fog Machine	Only one you need by Paradise DJ's... I used one for a huge frat party and it made the fog so thick you could not see the person in front of you! Good thing you can turn it down.
Martin T-Rex Special Effect Light	Bitchin! by Dj... Trex is the best light I have ever owned. Puts out more light than two of any other light I can think of!
Martin T-Rex Special Effect Light	Best Light For the $$ by Shizzle... the trex is the best light youcan get for the money - i run two every night a my gigs, and they last long look great and keep the crwd moving - screw the duty cycle with a trex
MCﾲ Audio E15 Lightweight, Tour Class, Switchmode Power Amplifier	MC Squared amps by Dom... MC Squared amps are STUNNING. Sonically, they are IMHO the best sounding amps available - consequently why many companies in the UK use them including Turbosound, Funktion One, and us in R&D. I've had a bit of a play with the E-Series, and they are excellent amps - very lightweight, very powerful and (certianly in the UK) extremely cost effective. Obviously try them out and use your ears, as well as weighting up size/weight/cost comparisons, but they are definately well worth a look.
MCﾲ Audio E15 Lightweight, Tour Class, Switchmode Power Amplifier	E15 by Jan... I have just got my new E15 amp. It is the smallest in the new E-line, but it sounds great. I compeered it whit a QSC PLX amp, and the E15 was a bit better. It is a great amp compeered to the low price.
Peavey 32FX 32 Channel Mixer With Effects And USB Ports	flexible for real world churches by Daryl... We are a small church of christ in mississippi. The mixer arrived last Tuesday and was eagerly moved into it's new home. It was clear to me that although this was all the mixer we could afford, we would also be well served by it. The effects sound good and are easy to learn. This is very important because many different people will need to learn how to run this in our church. I have not hooked up the USB ports yet but I plan to send the sermon out from the mixer directly into our laptop. This should make it easier and less expensive to get our recorded sermon to those who miss service.
Peavey PR-15 15" 2-Way Full Range Speaker	PR-15 They're Almost free by Manny... These sound better then you would expect for under 200 bucks. I like em cause they are light. I wasn't expecting to like the sound quality but it is decent. I bought them because they were cheap and I read that they are the most popular 15" speaker on the market today. I use them for karaoke and they work fine.
Peavey PR-15 15" 2-Way Full Range Speaker	PR-15 by Lee... I have been in the audio industry since the 60's. I have always been impressed with Peavey. They didn't let me down with the PR-15's. I put them in an Aerobics room. Coupled them with the Rolls MX28 mixer, the Rolls Eq101, and the Alt-1 amplifier and the customer was extremely impressed.
Peavey PV 118 400 Watt Single 18" Subwoofer	Pv 118 what a sub by Mike... I got 2 Pv 118 for a night club I dj at the room is 4000 sq feet an that is the dance floor room and we shack the front bar area with the bass if you need bass then get 2 of the Pv 118 you will be very happy with them
Peavey PV 12M 12" 2-Way Floor Monitor	PV 12M by FRY... I am a classic & southern rock musican. I've had these monitors for about a month now. They are clear & sound great, and I have used other name brands of monitors. They are very basic without anything fancy. For the price, they are a good deal compared to other monitors that are of camparible value. Only worry is that I am used to a monitor built with thicker wood, but these seem sturdy enough---I don't jump on them!!! Only bummer is that they are not American made, they are made in China. Pretty common now-a-days, but there are still a few other brands currently made in USA...but give it time!!!
Peavey PV 20USB 20 Channel Mixer With DSP Effects And USB Port	I learned the PV20 fast by Tina... I did not go to college to learn how to hook up and run a sound mixer. This is simple to run with easy color coded knobs for eq. The knobs to use the effects are also easy to understand. If you need a mixer to use with many microphones but don't want to read a big manual, get this PV20 mixer.
Peavey SP-5 15" 2-Way Full Range Speaker	sp5 sounds big by jacob... this is a small speaker. much bigger output then you would think. clear and good vocals.
Peavey SP-5 15" 2-Way Full Range Speaker	SP5 by Matt... I am NOT a Peavey freak, in fact I used to hate Peavey. I needed something small and light and cheap so I didn't have much choice. I went into DPA and saw these on the sales floor. The price was just what I was looking to spend. When John was showing me the speakers he used a switcher to go between the different models. I liked these better than many others I heard that day, some were even more money. So I now have a pair of Peavey speakers. They have worked good for my mobile DJ biz, and they look mean too.
Pro Co BP-10 TRS Male To TRS Male Balanced Patch Cable 10ft.	A Staple by John... BP-10s are a staple of our rental department, they go out to get used and abused time and time again. NEVER AGAIN will I use molded patch cables for critical rentals, or any purpose for that matter. I have thrown away too many of them that have gone bad! Spend a little extra money on BPs and you will have a patch cable for a lifetime. John - DPA
QSC RMX 4050HD Professional High Output Stereo Power Amplifier	qsc rmx 4050hd by honele... this is truly a very ,very serious amp. I have one bridged to 2 dual 4ohm voice coil rockford fosgate subs. I wired them down to a 4ohm load and its absolutely no joke, this amp is so powerful i have mine set at volume 3 and shakes everything on the walls and my neighbors too.
RCF 4PRO 6001-A Dual 12" 3-Way Active Full Range Speaker	Very Sweet! by Cliff... I found you guys online and looked at these RCF's for about a month. The college I attend had some RCF 4001's hanging in the band room for playback purposes. The 4001's were good but I thought my needs may be a little more than they could handle. So I open up my 6001-A's (they are heavy by the way) and I hook them up to my Spirit M12. First thing I notice is lack of hiss. Second thing I notice is I can hear parts of recorded music that I never heard before. I would expect that from a studio monitor, but not from a huge PA speaker. This speaker really is the be all end all. It has stunning vocal clarity and great projection. Get a sub if you really want one, but I'm happy with my pair of 6001's all by themselves.
RCF MR 55 Black Monitor Series Compact Installation Speaker	Monitor 55 by Paul... I have worked with many speakers, genelec, mackie, and JBL to name but a few, these speakers are fantastic speakers for all round use, I personally use them in a home recording studio setup and they have quality that rivals the top makes, You could even use them as a PA system! at 175 watts each there enough to power a small venue at best. for the price they are are a really good deal! Just a tip - make sure you buy the correct power of amplifier to get the best out of these speakers. Im really glad i bought these speakers and i love them to bits.
Rolls DB25b Direct Box With Pad/Ground Lift	I remember when..... by Kent... I remember when a good direct box was a hundred bucks! This has worked great for me for a lot less money.
Rolls SE162 Red Square Direct Box	Amazing! by Jay... I play a Rickenbacker 4003. It has a unique, bright sound to put it mildly thanks in huge part to the two single coil passive pick-ups. Whether I go through an amp (I use an SWR)or straight into the house, I play with both the bass and treble pickups engaged and back off about a quarter of a notch on the tone knobs for both pickups. For a long time I traded the "fatness" and warmth of a humbucker or J pickup for the feel, fast neck and sustain of the Ric, but struggled to find a way to deepen the Ric's bottom. I bought a Red Square from Direct Pro Audio "sight unseen" in 2003 and it changed my life as a bass player. Read on. Stage amp volume is no longer an issue for me, since 99% of my playing I go straight into the house board and only use the on-stage amp as a monitor. My bass goes directly into a Line 6 Bass Pod where I get my effects, amp modelling, compression and do most of my EQ. From the Bass Pod I go into the Red Square, and from the Red Square into the house. I use the Red Square in the "active" DC-powered mode and adjust my input volume into the house with the volume control. Where the Ric takes on a new dimension and sounds like a totally different, fatter axe is with the Red Square's "Bottom" control. You can add a small amount of "fatness" or add enough to qualify for any reggae or sub-dub gig. I usually set the bottom control at about 2'o clock. The tone is insanely fat and doesn't muddy any of the signal coming from the Bass Pod. The sonic exciter feature really adds noticeable clarity, but tends to make the signal somewhat brighter, so I keep it at about 10 o'clock. When I run my Carvin LB75F fretless five string through this combo of Bass Pod and Red Square, I notch up the exciter to about 2 o'clock and back off the bottom to about 11. The Carvin has both a humbucker and a J pickup which are active. The construction of the Red Square is solid. The pots on the knobs are smooth as silk and the power and active lights are visible without being overpoweringly bright. The DC converter (has power and DC input cords) is well made and durable. It comes in a plastic see through box with foam padding for the D - box. Even without the Bass Pod, this D - box is a tone monster. I can't believe that Rolls doesn't have ads for this gem in Bass Player. I will take it any day over a SansAmp or any other active D-box. It's a unique, and in my workd, an indispensable item. And at $80.00 (I think I paid $69 when I bought it). The price is a STEAL.
Sennheiser HD212 Semi-circumaural Closed Headphone	Great full-bodied sound by Anthony... I needed a set of good sounding headphones. No special application, just for around the house. The HD212's looked like a decent pair of headphones that I could sneek under my wifes "no more audio purchases radar screen". They are awesome! She even borrows them when she is working out.
Shure Beta 57A Supercardioid Dynamic Instrument/Vocal Microphone	Shure Beta 57A - Simply the Best! by Tim... I use this mic primarily to mic my amp. My drummer wants to use one for his snare and is also considering it for his toms. I've read many a review about people using it to mic their vocals and they were happy with it. This mic is, simply put, the most versatile, useful microphone - every musician should own one. In regard to miking my amp, this mic is simply amazing. It's a step up from the old SM57 (which are now being made in Mexico, by the way) and there is a definite difference in performance quality. Also, depending on it's placement, I can get so many different sounds from this mic! At first, I placed it -center of my amp speaker and found that I got a higher-pitched, more aggressive sound. But by moving it a mere 2.5" down to the left, the sound was completely changed! Now it was smooth, even, and real - much more natural. So now, in addition to the many sounds that I can get from pedals and my amp, I can switch my mic position around for even more sounds! So cool... Also, I should mention that I have experienced absolutely NO FEEDBACK! Just ashort while ago, my band practiced for 7 hours straight - no feedback. So neat. So clear. So practical. This mic was worth every penny! Go get one.
Shure Beta 87A Supercardioid Condenser Handheld Vocal Microphone	Shure Beta 87A - Can't Be Beat by Tim... I'd like to be critical about this microphone, but I am at a complete loss of complaints on this product. This mic is so amazing. It is crystal clear, natural, smooth, and just so real. I love this mic. Durability is ni issue, because even though this mic is a condenser and supposedly "more fragile" than a dynamic mic, it does survive the legendary Shure Drop Test. Pretty much this is a studio quality condenser microphone in a rugged, hand-held, compact, live peformance package. This mic was well worth my money and would be well worth yours. In my opinion, the best live performance mic that money can buy.
SLS CM141CC-BK Pair - Black Finish Coax Mounted Ribbon Installation Speaker	CM141CC Cubes SLS by Mad... I have purchased these cubes in order to retrofit some Bose Jewel cubes that I had up. The sound difference is amazing. The highs are piercing and without distortion. I would highly recommend anyone needing to replace there jewel cubes with these and for the price will not be let down. The Ribbon technology in these will not be surpassed with anything out on the market available that I have found. Sincerely, The MadGreek
Turbosound TXD-218 Dual 18" Subwoofer	Blows away my JBL subs by Doobie... I bought these for a friend in the DJ business. When he couldn't pay me back I took them. They sound tight like a dual 15 and they sound like a speaker that costs more money. I carry these to my big jobs and leave my SRX jbls at home.
Yorkville C170 100W Installation Speaker	We install a lot of these. by Michelle... My husband and I have a small audio/video installation company. We got in a tight spot with a job that had a very small budget and a very quick time frame. We ran out of our normal speakers in this price range (Atlas) and the factory was out. In desperation we turned to the C170 on the advice of a friend in the business (John at DirectProAudio). These have surpassed all expectations and they are now the first speaker we look to for bar/tavern/restaurant installs. They have a nice full sound, they are slow to distort, and have a surprising amount of bass for their size.
Yorkville C2285 12" Two Way Installation Speaker	C2285 by David... Someone broke into our church and stole our Bose column speakers. We are a small congregation and we lack the big dollars to replace what was stolen. The elders gave me a budget of $800 to find a suitable replacement. These fit the price so I ordered them and we are quite happy. These are quite a step above what we used to have. The preacher has a very full sounding voice that was not well reproduced through our old speakers. I can not speak highly enough about these speakers and the service I received from Direct Pro Audio.
Yorkville E10P 10-inch 350 Watt Active Speaker	Yorkville E10P by Jeffrey... I rented a set of these this past weekend for a jam session. I was stunned by their amazing performance. As much as we pushed these compact bombshells to the limits of our ears, they responded with clarity and punch. I could not even get them to the point of clipping. My ears couldn't take it. With a bit of EQ trim on the back panel, they performed exceptionally well with recorded music. I now want a pair of my own for the home theatre !! GREAT PRODUCT.
Yorkville E15 Elite Series 15" 2-Way Full Range Speaker/Floor Monitor	We use them in rentals by Jason... When you rent something, your harder on it then if it was yours. We have six pairs of these in our rental department. They are quite tough and well built, with strong handles and real metal corners. They work well for us because they have both speakon and 1/4" inputs allowing us to send them out when our cables are running low on busy weekends. They have a strong bass output and a clear but not harsh high frequency driver. In 3 years we have had one blown diaphragm. They are very reliable considering they all go out almost every weekend.
Yorkville E15 Elite Series 15" 2-Way Full Range Speaker/Floor Monitor	Yorkville Speakers makes other brand looks like toys!!!! by Jim... I've always used JBL's in the past, but now I only used Yorkville's with no regrets! I use these Yorkville E15 with pride. The Mids & Highs in these speaker are amazing!!!. The Lows are great!!! I used these E15 with a pair of LS608... I'm not afraid to challenge any body with JBl, EV, Mackie, Cerwin Vega Speakers....
Yorkville E2152 Elite Series Dual 15" 2-Way Full Range Speaker	elite 2152 by jason... These are simply in a league of their own. Crisp with no harshness, bass with no distortion. I am a trunkslammer, a guy who does freelance audio work for whoever needs me. I got turned on to these a year or two ago by Jason at direct pro. Now they are my go-to speaker. Inside or outside use, these are able to handle it all. I have 3 pairs so I can handle large outside gigs. With a big amplifier these can really punch even outside. I biamp mine with a cc4000 to the bottoms and a cc1800 on the tops thru a driverack processor.
Yorkville EF500P Elite Series 15" 2-Way Full Range Powered Speaker	WOW when used with LS 800p's by John... I use these speakers quite frequently. I recently put a system together with an Allen & Heath ZED 4/28, ART XL EQ, and BBE 882 maximizer for the front end. These speakers with LS800P subs and especially when you put two a side of both you have yourself a killer rig that will do most any show. I run out of pleasant people before I run out of volume. I'm not overly a fan of the semi conical horn for the tweeter but that doesn't hurt the way they sound. I have about three years experience off and on with these speakers and they get tons of great compliments from most venue owners as well as clients and bands. For the money you'll be hard pressed to find more good quality sound out there without spending much much more. As for the LS800's subs they'll rock your world with any tops you use, but they're a great match to these.
Yorkville Elite Excursion EX2 Powered Sub/Sat Carpet Covered Speaker System	Great little system by Brian... I bought my Yorkville EX2 for use at smaller djing venues such as bars and private parties. My larger rig consists of Yorkville 18in subs and dual 15in elite series cabinets, along with 3 heavy amps. So getting into a bar was sometimes difficult because of the weight, size, and pure intensity of it. First of all the EX2 system is compact, I can fit it in a small sedan and still have ample room for my other gear. The first time I used the EX2 was at my gig, no practice before hand. I use a DBX Driverack PA so I took it from the outputs of that into the inputs of the EX2 and then connected the speaker cables and power cable. It took a matter minutes and I was playing music. Sound quality is well, crisp and punchy. Now if you are looking for a bass dropping system then please find another product&may I suggest 2-Yorkville 1208s? The EX2 is a system for the DJ that wants a COMPACT system that can play LOUD. I would use the EX2 at most venues. I would not use it at larger venues or even an area where there is a high concentration of people directly in front of the system. Whats really funny and hard to understand is that I have been told on more than one occasion to please turn the system down. Never have I been told to turn my bigger rig to a lower volume. The sound on my bigger rig is more even from the front to the back of the room or area. With the EX2 its in your face if you are anywhere near it and can be a little uncomfortable to the ears. Why did I purchase the EX2? Its compact and easy to setup and besides its another bulletproof product from the great guys at Yorkville. Am I happy with my purchase? YES DJ Brian--Cleveland, OH
Yorkville Elite Excursion EX2 Powered Sub/Sat Carpet Covered Speaker System	Portalble, Loud... but shy on bass by DJ... Much like DJ Brian, I bought my Yorkville EX2 for use at smaller dj'ng venues such as bars and private parties. One of the best features of the EX2 system is that it is compact, I can fit it in the back seat of a Alero and use the truck for my CDs and Other Gear. The first time I used the EX2 was at my gig, no practice before hand. I feed the inputs of the unit from the output of my mixer, without any EQ and then connected the speaker cables and power cable. The Sound quality is crisp and punchy, at moderate volumes, HOWEVER, I did notice that the system tends to get edgy, at the top of its power. I was surprised at how quickly the sound disappears 20 - 30 feet away....especially the bottom end. I have to agree with Brian on this so I will simply quote him to underscore the truth of his statement..... "I would not use it at larger venues or even an area where there is a high concentration of people directly in front of the system." I am considering changing the set for larger venues to include the Yorkville UCS1 folded horns, since the music I play is... well... Club sounding dance music.
Yorkville Elite Excursion EX2 Powered Sub/Sat Carpet Covered Speaker System	ex2000 by steven... Very loud, clear, crisp sound. I'd say its a good set for small-medium gigs. The sub. won't fit in a normal sedan.
Yorkville Elite Excursion EX2 Powered Sub/Sat Carpet Covered Speaker System	perfect dj system by Jason... The ex 2000 is by far the system any mobile disc jockey should own. It allows us Djs to set up quickly and have a great sound at any normal sized event. It has a moderate low range output and with the satellite speakers above the audience, they sound great. They are not to hard on the ears. Just be very careful where the subwoofer is placed in the room it makes all the difference on the low output. When I have very small gigs I take my car, a Pontiac Sunfire to the job. Yes, I can fit the unit in my back seat. It is very heavy but fits in great with lots of room for stands, backdrop, music, and lighting. If you don't believe it visit my site, mobilenightclubdj.com. This is another great innovation by the Yorkville team and I am looking to buy three more complete units.
Yorkville Elite Excursion EX2 Powered Sub/Sat Carpet Covered Speaker System	I should have bought this system a long time ago! by Cory... After using a 1200 watt amp and (2) 15" Elite loudspeakers previously, I was a little hesitant on downgrading to 12" satellites. HOWEVER, after a little research and positive feedback from the helpful people at Direct Pro Audio, I purchased the system anyway. WOW!! Why didn' I buy this system a long time ago! The clarity is great and the bass is unbelievable compared to my old rig. As a mobile dj, I really like the fact that the system pieces together and is super easy to load and unload (Enclosed trailers with fold down doors are handy also). It truly is a plug and play unit. I would definityly recommend this unit to anyone looking for a very portable PA that sounds great without breaking the bank. I will definitly be buying another system in the near future! Thanks Yorkville on another great product!!! Cory Burgett Premier Entertainment Mobile Dee Jay's www.premierdeejays.com
Yorkville LS1004 Elite Series Dual 18" 1200 Watt Subwoofer	boom from the tomb by dark elf... i spin at a trance/jungle club. the boss got these cause they cheap with much power handle. my first night at the club was haloween and they got so loud in their it scared me. other owners of clubs, this is good sub to get.
Yorkville LS1208 18" 1200 Watt Elite Series Subwoofer	Heavy Hitter by Brian... I bought 2 Yorkville 1208s about 2 years ago and have used them nearly 100 DJ shows since. I can't say anything bad about them except that they are big and heavy but they do have casters and are easy to roll around. These subwoofers hit really hard and are in my opinion a best buy for any serious band or DJ. I have used these in small and large venues and they really shine outdoors. It's hard to tell the difference in sound pressure levels from the front of a venue to the rear because they are so even. You will not be disappointed in these subs..I promise! Notable: I have never on my amp (Yorkville 6040 1200W @ 8ohms stereo) clipped or even seen a clip light blink red no matter what my volume was. The bass output is truly phenomenal!
Yorkville LS200P Elite Series 10" Powered Subwoofer	LS200P by Hit-Man... These are some good sounding subs especially for small to mid size gigging venues. The only problem I have with them is the low sounding feedback when I use XLR mics. It has a very annoying hum even when I EQ the low frequencies down/out. If ever I can balance the feedback, I'm satisfied! By the way, I am a one man band operation.
Yorkville LS200P Elite Series 10" Powered Subwoofer	Perfect DJ Subs by brian... I love these little subs for venues less than 250 persons. Just the right amount of bass for most applications. If you play a lot of rap than I suggest something else with a little more power and range. I've been using these subs in a DJ set-up with 2 x yorkville EF500p's and a DBX DRPA. Very Easy to transport..
Yorkville LS608 18" 800 Watt Elite Series Subwoofer	LS608 Mobile boom in the room by ryan... I hate powered speakers. I went with these 608's and push them hard with a PV CS2k. I am obliterated by the butt kicking lows that come out of a box this small. Why don't more people have yorkie speakers. I love to show these of at my gigs. Very small and professional looking. I can load them in and out at my shows without help.
Yorkville LS608 18" 800 Watt Elite Series Subwoofer	Big Overachiever In Little Box by David... I've tried a lot of different enclosures, and these stand out as some of the best subs I've heard. Period. One time I had a big dance to do so I took my friends EV Gladiators to help and these things just blew them away. In sound quality, volume, everything. These are the best value subs I have been able to get my hands on.
Yorkville LS608 18" 800 Watt Elite Series Subwoofer	Absolutely Amazing subs by Shawn... I have very little experience with using subs and have a full Yorkville set up with two LS608's and the two satellite 12" w/horn speakers that sit on the pole coming out of the sub. I am just running it all through a Yorkville powered 12 channel mixer right now and I think it has only a 800-1000 watt amp built in to it. I just did the sound for a City Parade and was blown away by the superb sound these things could provide to the event. People came up all evening telling me how much they were happy to have a sound system provided that they could hear!! The theme was superheroes and I rocked downtown with Superman, The Incredibles and Batman Theme music. These things rock!!
Yorkville LS608 18" 800 Watt Elite Series Subwoofer	The Killer Subs by Jim... I've always used JBL's in the past, but nothing comes even close to these speakers. I own two of these LS 608 and most the times all I really need is just one sub. These speakers are amazing!!!! I have got rid of all my JBL's and now I only used Yorkville's with no regrets!
Yorkville LS800P Elite Series 18" 1500 Watt Powered Subwoofer	Plenty of nice low end by Jeff... The boys at Yorkville have created a beast. I am in Omaha and rented a pair from DPA. Totally rocked the house. I returned them and bought one. The LS800P is a bass explosion!
Yorkville LS800P Elite Series 18" 1500 Watt Powered Subwoofer	LS800P by Brian... Most DJ's throw money around and don't research the gear they choose so for those of you that actually read these reviews and care about your money I can say undoubtedly that these are worth every single penny. I recently added 2 LS800Ps to my arsenal of fine Yorkville products to accommodate some of my more popular venues which are hotel ballrooms. I tried the Mackie SWA 1801's and B52s ACT18 before purchasing the LS800Ps. Both manufactures had great sounding subwoofers and both are more than capable of producing low frequency signals at high output levels. The Yorkville product to me is the better buy and harder hitting subwoofer of the active group. After trying these on my Dj system using a DBX DriverackPA I was convinced that I made the right decision. I also tried them without the DBX and used the speaker level connections/internal crossover. It worked but at the same time I highly recommend that you use an external crossover/eq to achieve maximum results. So in conclusion for slightly over 2,000 bucks you have 3,000 watts of nearly endless bass in an active system that would be hard pressed to be outdone by a traditional passive system at the same price.
Yorkville LS800P Elite Series 18" 1500 Watt Powered Subwoofer	Yorkie LS800P by tommy... This is my single favorite piece of audio gear on this planet! Makes the most annoying low rider you have ever heard sound wimpy by comparison. The ls800p is so much better than any other sub in this price range that I can't even begin to explain. Very tight bass, I love the contour adjustment in the back. I can tighten the bass up like a 15" sub or I can go for the loud boom of an 18" sub just by spinning a knob. They are big enough to stack a large dual 15" speaker on them with no fear of them falling off. They also have a croosover frequency knob to tweak them perfectly.
Yorkville LS800P Elite Series 18" 1500 Watt Powered Subwoofer	Yorkville LS800P by Ayman... This subwoofer is a beast. one is plenty, two will make the guests leave the wedding or party hall to avoid it. Honest to God, an eye witness. I was so impressed with them I bought one. the only problem is it's weight. 143 lbs. but it's worth every dollar spent on it.
Yorkville LS800P Elite Series 18" 1500 Watt Powered Subwoofer	LS800P by Steve... This subwoofer IS a beast! When other bands rent my PA, they look at this single sub in disbelief. That won't handle our bass needs !!! Right.. !! It handles it real well !! After watching many bands set up dual 18's in clubs, I'm amazed at how much bass this thing puts out, and you can tweak to taste. Why carry a pair of dual 18's when this baby does it all. I'm so impressed, I'm planning on buying a second, as soon as budget allows !
Yorkville LS808 18" Dual Tuned Elite Series Subwoofer	don't move it alone! by nate... Let me say these are great! Let me say that moving these sucks! It is a little bit easier with the casters, but they are big to get in a car alone. I have roadies so I don't care but when they drink too much these are hard on one guy to load. Bass is well worth the trouble.
Yorkville U15 Unity Series 15" 3-Way Full Range Speaker	Yorkville U15 by Gerry... I saw an ad for these and was interested by their new technology. These perform very well in the midrange and HF areas. The projection is fantastic. You can hear the ride on a cymbal like never before in a professional loudspeaker. Vocals are beautiful and they seem like they are right next to you. I will be adding several more of these to my rig very soon.
Yorkville U15B Unity Series 15" 3-Way Full Range Speaker	Incredible! by DJ... Probably the best speaker system I've used in a long time! Even preferred these speakers over Yorkville's TX8's! I rented a pair of these Unity's for a DJ gig for about 500 school kids, and had more than enough sound to fill the large gym! The added mid-range drivers on this box really added volume, and a ton of clarity to the sound! I was getting compliments all night from High School students on how CLEAR my voice was!! These speakers are also pole mountable, which is also a huge plus when playing larger venues. I recommend these speakers to any DJ or musician looking for a serious but very affordable sound solution! You will not be disappointed! And who can argue with their two year even if you break it warranty!
Yorkville UCS1 Unity Series 15" Horn Loaded Subwoofer	UCS1 - Big tight bass by Tom... I had read some reviews on other sites so I decided to get one of these UCS1's. What I was trying to do was to have enough bottom end in one easy to move speaker so that I could use only one sub instead of taking two subs with me. I do rock and roll PA and it has plenty of nice sound that works well with a decent mic for tight kick drum sound. I use it with my old QSC amp that I hope to replace it with a more powerful amp soon. I use it with a PV crossover and it works real well.
Yorkville YX15 15" 2-Way Full Range Speaker System	YX15 Not bad! by Ray... Metal corners, real handles, speakon and 1/4" inputs, a steel grille, a pole mount, a real compression driver (not a piezo), two year warranty and decent sound quality for only $199! What is the world coming too! I love it!
Yorkville YX15 15" 2-Way Full Range Speaker System	the yorkville yx15 by james... this speaker ROCK.BEING A MOBILE DJ I NEEDED TO REPLACE TWO 2 WAY 15 SPEAKERS .LET ME TELL YOU YORKVILLE guys,GOOD, job. awsome sound,good clean bass .
Yorkville YX150 15" Two Way 400W Multi-Angle Loudspeaker	Reliable by Kyle... Positive- lightwheight, small space friendly design, the right push for mid, high mid, high frequency applications. These had the right push to make people complain within a 3 block radius from setup. I set up a week long show for a fundraiser to beat a hockey world record (youll find it in the 2009 guiness book) and i ran the 2 yx150 and a yx18s. I set up roughly about 5 acts a day whether it be full 5 peice bands to an acoustic act. At first i was terrified i didnt know if these speakers would be enough to throw an outdoor event, truth is they blew my mind. From the lows of the yx18s to the mids and highs of the yx150 everything was crystal clear, from the bass guitar lows and the crisp sound of an acoustic guitar. And usually The hardest to cut through (vocals) every word was loud and clear. Negative-......... Nothing so far, almost forgot to mention, i fit these three monitors in the back of my zx3 focus with a rack mounted mackie onyx 1640

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