QSC HPR-Powered Loudspeakers
By Jamie Rio
When my fearless leader and editor Bill Evans called me to review the new QSC HPR powered series loud speakers, I was pretty excited. When he told me I had to test the hell out of them and have the piece done in a little more than a week, my excitement began to wane. However, the first real amplifier I ever bought was a QSC, and to this day I have a great deal of respect for the company. I honestly don’t know how long they have been building amps, but I think Noah had a rack of them on the ark. In other words, this company is an icon in this biz and I expected to field test some high-quality gear.
The Gear
When I first saw the QSC boxes at the NAMM show I thought, “Those are some handsome speaker enclosures, I wonder how they sound?” In the past, appearances have not been that important, but in the last few years, I have been doing a lot of corporate events, and my thinking has come around to the point where I either need to make the speakers invisible or use something cool looking. Anyway, QSC is offering up five good-looking boxes in their HPR line. The HPR122i (12-inch 2-way), the HPR152i (15-inch 2-way), the HPR153i (15-inch 3-way), the HPR151i (15- inch sub) and the HPR181i (18-inch sub).
All the cabinets are built of rugged birch plywood and have a textured black paint covering. Rigging points using M10 bolts are on all the 2-way and 3-way enclosures. Of course, all models sport ergonomic handles and bullet proof-grills. Power amps are all QSC and matched to the various models’ speaker and driver components. On board electronics include active EQ, electronic crossovers, limiting and thermal overload protection. This is what I call standard fare in the powered speaker biz. However, QSC added a couple of very smart additional features. On all 2- and 3-way units, there is a 100 Hz low-cut filter. If you are using the boxes with the subs, engage the switch. If you are going sans subs, forget the switch and let the enclosures drop down a little lower. The subs also have a full range and 100 Hz hi-cut outputs. Another brilliant little feature is an LED on/off switch. If you don’t like your LED, turn it off! The rubber feet offered on the 2- and 3-way models are actually low profile rubber strips. Another very handy feature.
The HPR181i sub has four beefy casters bolted to its back. At 127 pounds, you will obviously need them to move these babies around. QSC was gracious enough to load their toys into some really nice road cases for me, but I did wheel the subs over grass (the sound guy’s nemesis) and they went just fine. I think that should give you an idea of what we are dealing with here. So, why don’t we take a look at how these powered speakers performed in the world of live music?
The Gigs
Three shows in three days, with gear that I had zero experience with. That was my mission and I jumped into it feet first. Day (or should I say night) one was at a big church in Los Angeles with a six-piece gospel band and a fivepiece choir. I decided to use the HPR122i boxes as monitors for the choir. This 2-way enclosure features a 12-inch woofer with a neodymium magnet and 3-inch voice coil, powered by 400 watts and a 1.4-inch diaphragm neodymium compression driver pushed by another 100 watts. The box weighs in at 60 pounds and is suitable for monitor or front of house applications. In the monitor position, they worked beautifully. They have plenty of power and are tuned so nicely that I used very little EQ on the overall mix. This model was definitely my favorite of the ones I tested. The choir has very happy with what they heard, and, as you know, good monitors make the performers happy, and that makes for a good show. Just a note here, if you engage the low cut switch on these enclosures you can push them quite hard without getting any bass tubbiness.
The following day, I took the 122is to a very upscale golf awards dinner in the Santa Clarita Valley (about 50 miles north of L.A.). I was servicing about 200 bodies with light background music and vocals for an M.C. and an auctioneer. I set the QSCs up on sticks at FOH and added two other powered bins as side fills. Once again, the 122is sounded smooth and rich with very little EQ. I used the boxes full range, which gave me a little more punch in the low end, and I turned off the LEDs. The M.C. even commented on how good the speakers looked. That’s pretty rare in the business. The main thing, though, was that the coordinator was satisfied, which means I’ll be back next year.
Next day, next gig, — this time with the 181i subs and the 153i mains. The subs are loaded with one 18-inch speaker featuring a 4-inch voice coil and 700 watts of power. The 153is are 3-way boxes with a 15-inch speaker and 3-inch voice coil backed by 400 watts, a 6.5-inch horn-loaded midrange powered by 100 watts and a 1.4-inch diaphragm compression driver, also powered by 100 watts.
I was doing a little Sunday-in-the-park gig in Sierra Madre, California. It was a beautiful afternoon for some rockin’ blues, and I was hoping I wasn’t underpowered for the show. I had about 500 bodies, and I wanted to rock them. I was relieved and thrilled to hear the subs slugging out some real bass. Nice, tight and precise, these bins sound bigger than they are. The 153i 3-way boxes also felt and sounded like they had more energy than their 600 watts. They emit a very smooth hi-fidelity sound from low to mids to highs. I successfully blanketed the audience with some very nice blues. The show ended and I couldn’t have been happier. Every event went well, and QSC was a big part of my success.
If you noticed, I didn’t write anything about the HPR152i or 151i. That’s because I didn’t have those models to test. With regard to the models I did test, they are all great sounding, well built and attractive. Especially considering how inexpensive they are.
What It Is: Powered speaker enclosures
Who It’s For: Bands, sound companies, schools, churches and clubs
Pros: Great sound, small price
Cons: I want to see bigger boxes (2X18 sub or maybe a 2X15 three-way)
How much?: HPR122i – $1,199.00 HRR153i – $1,699.00, HPR181i – $1,849.00
Web site: www.qscaudio.com
Yamaha SP2060 Speaker Processor
By Jamie Rio
When I bought my first crossover as a teenager I thought, “Now I’m a sound expert.” Well, I haven’t been a teenager for a few decades, and I’m still not a sound expert. What does that have to do with the Yamaha SP2060? Not much, really, but I just had a birthday, and I have been thinking about how far sound technologies have come over the last 25 years.
It’s mind-blowing what a piece of gear like this SP2060 can do compared to what was available from Yamaha in the early ‘80s.
The Gear
The Yamaha SP2060 speaker processor is a multipurpose digital speaker management device. It features two analog inputs, an AES/EBU connector and six analog outputs. You can basically crossover anything from multiple 2-way systems to a 6-way system and set up multiple zones of speakers. There is also onboard EQ, delays, level and limiting. You can also control your SP2060 via DME Designer. This downloadable software allows you to run the unit from a laptop. You can get this at the Yamaha Web site along with the latest firmware versions for the SP2060. These two features will give you lots of flexibility and keep your Yamaha working at its best.
OK, back to the speaker processor. The SP2060 features 12 configurations of crossover and speaker distribution settings. These 12 configurations are only one piece of a “scene.” A scene is a combination of a configuration, EQ, delay, etc. There are 12 preset scenes, and you can edit the different parameters and store your own user scene. The combinations are pretty deep, but very easily accessible. I don’t have space to run through all possibilities, but I will tell you about one I used and why.
For one of my shows, I set up zones. Using a three-zone system (via the Multi Zone feature of the SP2060), I was able to control my front of house system and its EQ, as well as control the delay, EQ and output volume level of two separate satellite systems. This feature alone dramatically improved my mix. As I mentioned earlier, this is only one of the many speaker-processing possibilities.
Let’s look at the unit and see what the buttons do. First, we have the display screen, which displays the parameters selected for editing and information about the currently recalled scene. To the right of the screen is the Back/ Store button, which selects previous parameters and stores a selected scene. The Inc/Yes and Dec/No button are stacked one above the other. These buttons change the parameter values and confirm or decline the changes. The Next/Recall button selects the next parameter and recalls a scene. The next nine keys are pretty much self-explanatory: the level key adjusts the input and output levels; the routing key is a little harder to figure out, it routes the input connectors and the output channel signal sources; the Scene key displays the scene store or recall options; the Delay key displays the delay settings; the X-Over key displays the crossover settings; the Utility, EQ, Limiter and Mute keys display the settings for their various names. This description may seem a little boring, but there is nothing like having a button, switch or key do what it says.
Anyway, next we have eight buttons that select a corresponding channel for editing. These channels all have level meters and limiter indicators for the six output channels. Last, there’s an On/Off button.
The Gigs
I used the SP2060 on two stages I ran at a two-day festival event in Los Angeles. As I mentioned earlier, I used the Multi Zone feature. This was because I was using self-powered speakers. However, the crossover function is only one feature of this speaker management system — all the other features can be used with a self-powered set-up. At any rate, the main FOH was set up as you would usually expect (left and right at the stage), but the satellite speakers were set in some unusual areas. This was as a result of some vendor locations and the pig racing show just left of the stage. (Yes. Pig racing.) With those various obstacles, I needed to use delays and equalization on all the satellites so the 1500 – 2000 person audience would have a great audio experience.
The Delay feature allowed me to control signal input delay through input A/B and SUM and output delay through output channels one through six. I was also able to apply eight-band parametric EQ through input channels A/B and SUM. Each EQ was adjustable for the specific width of each frequency range, the center of each frequency range and the gain or reduction (up to plus or minus 18 dB). There is also a six-band parametric EQ routed through output channels one to six. The bottom line on the parametric EQ section is that you have enough frequency adjustment tools to correct and improve any EQ deficiencies. The output limiter features allow you to adjust threshold, attack and release levels of all 6 output channels. Along with the limiting function, volume levels can be adjusted to all output channels/zones.
The end result for my particular show was more control and better audio for my audience. And I only scratched the surface when it comes to the myriad possibilities available with the Yamaha SP2060. Yamaha didn’t just build a nice digital crossover, they built a tool that takes a bundle of essential features and makes them work together seamlessly. The end result is that we have more control over our sound systems and, consequently, better sound.
What It Is: Digital speaker processor
Who It’s For: Everyone who wants more control over their sound.
Pros: All-in-one toolbox of essential tricks
Cons: None yet
How Much?: MSRP $1,499.00
Web site: www.yamahaca.com
Dynacord D15-3 3-way Speaker
By Mark Amundson
When I saw the Dynacord “D-Lite” D15-3 speaker at the winter NAMM show, I thought, “Great, another plastic stage monitor.” But when Jeff Taylor of Dynacord fired the D15-3 up, I was truly impressed — it rocked my socks off. During the quick briefing, I was told that this was a 15-inch + 6.5-inch +1-inch 3-way cabinet tuned for flatness, with Neo-Dymium magneted drivers, except the DH3 HF driver. What caught my immediate attention was the DH3 mention, because I have been using DH3 drivers for upgrades and homebrew 2-way wedges for a long time, but I’d never heard it sound this good.
Of course, the secret of this cabinet is the careful selection of the drivers and their crossover points. When I received a pair of these D15-3 cabinets, I read the datasheet, which revealed how the magic was done inside these polypropylene cabinets. Most quality touring wedges are just two-way, as compact size and high-power drivers dominate wedge needs. But when you are the Dynacord designers, and have the whole line of Bosch/Telex/EV raw driver components at your fingertips, you can create some great combinations.
The Gear
The Dynacord DND 15400 LF driver is used for its 15-inch size and 500 watt RMS power handling. And its upper-90s to 100 dB SPL sensitivity from 80 Hz to 700 Hz is just the ticket for professional usage. Covering the allcritical 700 Hz to 4 kHz vocal mid-band is a Dynacord DND 6120 MF driver at 6.5-inches in size, with plenty of sensitivity to keep the SPLs and power handling with the passive crossover in place. And then there’s the DH3 covering the 4 kHz to 20 kHz range on a constant directivity 90 by 50 degree horn. I liked Dynacord’s bravery in publishing the crossover schematic, showing the no-frills passive networks, plus a fancy relay drive circuit for each driver, which would open a relay and power-on a halogen light bulb should any one driver see excessive power in its frequency band.
While I am no fan of plastic speaker cabinetry, the Dynacord D15-3 weighs in at 53 pounds, which is not bad for a 3-way speaker. Its weight would be a beast if a wood cabinet were substituted. The 17.6 inch by 27 inch by 16.26 inch dimensions means that it still meets the spirit of compactness a wedge needs, yet doesn’t leave much baffle un-drivered. The D15-3 also has a pole socket on the bottom for stick usage, a single carrying handle and a rear jack plate for a pair of NL4 Speakon jacks. The jacks are wired for +/-1 use with the +/-2 wired through, but not used. The grille is a nice acoustic foam-covered perf steel assembly that provides the strength and beauty for this all-black cabinet.
Bring on the Power
Dynacord couldn’t resist sending me an amplifier worthy of powering a pair of D-Lite wedges, so an LX3000 was provided. From its P3000 ancestry, this LX3000 can deliver 2100 watts per channel into 2 ohms, 1500 watts per channel into 4 ohms and 900 watts per channel into 8 ohms. Weighing only 19.2 pounds and taking up just two rack spaces with a 15-inch depth, the LX3000 fits the description of “light weight and touring capable.” Spec-wise, the LX3000 has 32 dB of channel gain, a 15 Hz to 40 kHz (-1 dB) frequency response and less than 0.05% THD with its Class H design and switcher power supply. I do not need to mention all the over specs, but this amplifier exceeds all my standards for a great amplifier, and I would not mind having a bunch of them racked up for my needs.
The Gigs
Out in the shop, my first no-EQ demo test was a bit of a surprise, as I was getting crystal clear mids and highs, and a lot of them. After consulting with the details of the frequency response curve, the first thing I did was insert a speaker processor, just for a few low-Q filters on the low and high ends to counter the slow upward slope of the frequency response. By doing this, plus a modest medium-Q dip in the 2 to 4 kHz band for Fletcher and Munson’s sake, I had a killer high fidelity speaker, making it an enjoyable afternoon listening to MP3 tracks in the shop. And with that 100 dB sensitivity, the LX3000 never even indicated some warmth driving the D15-3 cabs to ear crushing levels.
Out at the gigs, it was readily apparent that the musicians were going to fight over which two giggers were going to use the D-Lite wedges for their smooth and accurate reproduction of the vocals. During the couple of gigs where I tested them, the D15-3 speakers and the LX3000 amplifier never gave me any trouble.
Looking for shortcomings, my only minor complaint is that I could have used a second carrying handle on the other side, especially when pole mounting or lifting vertically. Other than that, the Dynacord products certainly proved their worthiness, and I would be pleased to work with these speakers and amplifiers any time.
What It Is: Touring-grade monitor wedge
Who It’s For: Anyone who wants a lot of power and crystal clear mids in a wedge
Pros: Pristine sound, plenty of loudness, flexible application
Cons: A second carry handle would be nice.
How much?: Dynacord D15-3 $1,500.00 SRP, Dynacord LX3000 $2,490.00 SRP
Web site: www.dynacord.com
