Need a powered speaker for live/rehearsals. 12 or 15?

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Speaker cone size has little to do with anything other than (perhaps) volume. Since studio monitors routinely use 8" and smaller LF drivers that continue down to 35Hz (and below), and have adequate power to drive them, there's really no excuse for the "listening with your eyes" mentality regarding speaker cone size.

I've been using a pair of KRK Rokit 8's for keys (Korg Kronos, PA3X), modeled guitar and bass in a relatively small practice room (maybe 10' x 12').

On the other end of the spectrum, I've got both a fEARless F112 and a fEARless F115 to handle about the same range at a much higher volume. Both of these cabinets are quite light for their output (34 lbs and 43.5 lbs), use neo-based drivers (12" / 15" Eminence Kappalite 3012LF and 3015LF low frequency drivers, respectively, plus a 5" Faital mids and a 1" tweeter). These cabinets are essentially PA-style cabinets with stunning bottom-end capabilities. The F115 will easily and accurately handle the low B on a five-string bass without farting out. The cabinet's got 98dB efficiency and will handle 900W. I'm driving them with either of two Carvin solid state stereo power amps of around 1500W (800W bridged/mono at 8 ohms, 1500W bridged/mono at 4 ohms --- both cabinets). Both weigh 9-10 lbs each.

The F112 sounds identical to the F115, but is a bit less efficient (due partly to the smaller cone size). But for most applications, it's more than enough punch and a treat to cart around due to the small size and weight. The larger cabinet and/or the pair of them together will put most birch ply bass rigs on the trailer. And they're both extremely clean with piano output.

The Altos (to me) just don't sound very good with piano, sorry, especially at volume. The QSC K12s I've used (with the subwoofer) do a decent job, but there's a reason that I've moved to the fEARless cabinets.
 
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You cant possibly be saying that a 1x8 can do the job of a 1x15 in a live environment with a band playing? A pair of 8’s yes, as thats twice the cone area so more air moving. Its all about moving air surely? The box they are in will also make a difference. Studio monitors are not designed to fill a room, so I’m not sure thats a good analogy.

As i said above, ive had a F112 cab. It certainly wasnt as light as yours, probably around 42lbs IIR and hard to carry with one hand, definitely didnt have a neo driver in it, and i didnt like it. This was when i was playing Bass. In fact the band didnt like it either. I did 3 gigs with it and gave in. Ended up with a Berg CN212 which is lighter, even though its larger, and much nicer sounding. I prefer something more coloured for bass.
I’d like to try another F112 with my synth, but wouldn’t bother as i dont need that sort of weight. Not sure I’d want to overpower the rest of the band with any instrument, so not going to pay more money to be able to. More power is better than underpowered, but i cant see a point of a huge amount that will never be used and havin got pay for it.
 
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You cant possibly be saying that a 1x8 can do the job of a 1x15 in a live environment with a band playing?

Not the same job, but very often a sufficient one.

QSC K8.2 (8") is 6 dB down at 59 Hz, SPL is 128 dB @1 M, peak 122 dB @ 1 M, continuous

They don't make a 15" version, but they make a 12" version... it's 6 dB down at 50 Hz, SPL is 132 dB @ 1 M, peak 126 dB @ 1 M, continuous

So yes, the 12" goes deeper and louder, but in many live gig situations playing keys, the 8" is enough for the keys to fill the room. You don't necessarily need that deeper response or that extra volume. There's also a trade-off in that the 8" model has 105 degree dispersion, the 12" model has 75 degree dispersion... which means that the 8" model actually sounds better than the 12" model as you move further off-axis.

Personally, the only sound I play that goes down to the deep frequencies is piano, and I roll off the bass on my piano sound anyway so as not to step on the bass player. (Exception for gigs where I'm playing LH bass and there is no bassist. In that case, unless it's a really small/quiet gig, I also bring my Markbass Mini CMD 121P bass amp and send my bass sound to that.)

I can't swear that the 10' or 12" version of the QSC might not actually sound better for keys... but I know that the 8" sounds darn good, and good enough for me.
 
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I’d love to try a QCS, and also an 8’, as i admit I’m not up to speed on how well a single speaker can reproduce my tones, but cant afford a QCS (let alone two), and i still have PA support both at rehearsals and gigs, so i cant really justify spending more at the moment. Ive got my first rehearsal with my own amp (DBR12) in two weeks time. This will be the first tiem ive not used a PA. It may, or may not work out as expected, but getting heard isn’t going to be a problem. I’m more worried about depth and fullness, mainly for the brass stuff. I’d hate for those to sound thin and weak.
The DBR12 has a 90/60 throw, so will be fine, and 131db SPL. Seems like a decent spec, at least on paper).

Another reason for a 12 is I’m not giving up on playing bass, but am selling off all my bass heads and cab, so i need something i can use for Bass as well. Not that I’m expecting to need it, but its nice to know i can if needed. Obviously its not a bass rig as such, but would cover it in an emergency, especially with my Zoom B1-Four/B3n or a Helix.
 
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I know the QSC is out of your price range, I just used it as an example to illustrate my point because they offer essentially the same design in 8" and 12" versions. The EV ZXa1 is a really nice sounding lower priced 8" but they don't make a version with a larger woofer, so I couldn't use that as an example. Regardless, I see you bough the Yamaha, and I expect you'll be happy with it! And yes, if it has to occasionally double as a bass amp, then I'd agree there is additional reason to choose the larger woofer.
 
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I really would like to try a QCS though. Everyone recommends them. If/when i get a job next year I’ll certainly aim to get one if i can.
The DBR12 arrived today and yers, I’m very, very happy with it. Its very smooth sounding, nothing like the PA’s ive been using. Ive gone though all the performances that i had to put a LPF on and taken it off. None of the harshness i have been getting.
I hooked up my B1 and that sounds great through the cab. Probably wont have the heft my proper bass rig has, but as thats getting sold off i will at least have something i can play with a band with.
 
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I bought a Harbinger Vari VA2215 15-inch powered speaker about a year ago for a stupid low price online. It is loud, and really has too much bass. I frequently have to EQ my patches to cut down the low end to keep from stepping on the bass player. In fact, when his bass amp blew out, he plugged into my amp for a few rehearsals and sounded great. However, it's a beast that weighs 41 lbs and is very bulky. If I had it to do again I would have gotten the 12-inch version for the portability factor.
 
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Old thread i know, but as it’s mine thats ok lol.
Since my last post ive done a few gigs a where i used the DBR12, and its been faultless. Plenty of volume and fullness. No complaints.

But….i think if i had something smaller id be able to use it for rehearsals as well.
So now im going back on what i said and looking at a K8.2. I did want a DXR8 MKII, but it’s not angled so not ideal for floor use, where it will need to be.
So, any more thoughts on a single 1x8 as a floor monitor for keys? We arent a loud band as such, both guitarists use small combos. I just cant get my head around a 1x8 sounding full and clean loud.
 
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In terms of what you project to the audience: If you have any sort of modern keyboard w/ stereo outputs, you are throwing away a lot of sound benefits if you go mono. This is ESPECIALLY true if you play any organ or anything else w/ a Leslie sim.|

In terms of your own monitors: An 8" speaker can get very, very, loud. How close will it be to you? How loud is the rest of the stage? It's frankly difficult to imagine a situation where a decent 8" won't be able to be heard, though I suppose it won't be balanced if you play a lot of bass parts.

That said: IIf you're literally worried that an 8" won't be "loud enough" you should reconsider the entire approach. As a 51-year-old guy who is regretting many past band practices, I will strongly advise that you take the money you plan to spend on a monitor speaker, and buy yourself some IEMs instead. It really really REALLY sucks to be losing some hearing at 51, trust me on this.
 
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In terms of what you project to the audience: If you have any sort of modern keyboard w/ stereo outputs, you are throwing away a lot of sound benefits if you go mono. This is ESPECIALLY true if you play any organ or anything else w/ a Leslie sim.|

In terms of your own monitors: An 8" speaker can get very, very, loud. How close will it be to you? How loud is the rest of the stage? It's frankly difficult to imagine a situation where a decent 8" won't be able to be heard, though I suppose it won't be balanced if you play a lot of bass parts.

That said: IIf you're literally worried that an 8" won't be "loud enough" you should reconsider the entire approach. As a 51-year-old guy who is regretting many past band practices, I will strongly advise that you take the money you plan to spend on a monitor speaker, and buy yourself some IEMs instead. It really really REALLY sucks to be losing some hearing at 51, trust me on this.
Thanks but im 59 and have IEM's. I'm asking about a speaker in this thread. My resurrection is asking about an 8"" speaker, placed on the floor. Im just over 6ft and worried it will be loud enough, but with a degraded quality of sound. I have no experience with a speaker this size, so that's why im asking. Not doubting as such, just looking for confirmation.
Im ok with using IEM's, as long as I can set an ambient mic up, but this is not what im asking about here. Just looking to save a bit of space on stage, without having got use the IEM's as I don’t anyway enjoy using them.
Band is not, nor will not, be going IEM's (other than the singer) so they don’t always work for me. Setting a speaker up is a lot easier and works, but I think I could get away with smaller than the 1x12 I already have.
 
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I would just repeat all the same things I've already said in this thread... 8" is usually fine, you can go back and re-read for the details. But besides the QSC K8.2 and EV ZXa1 I mentioned months ago, I've also found that the Alto TS308/TS408 are quite good. A pretty close third behind those other two, for significantly less money. (Though also as alluded to in another post, for any of them, you should get a small mixer.)
 
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I would just repeat all the same things I've already said in this thread... 8" is usually fine, you can go back and re-read for the details. But besides the QSC K8.2 and EV ZXa1 I mentioned months ago, I've also found that the Alto TS308/TS408 are quite good. A pretty close third behind those other two, for significantly less money. (Though also as alluded to in another post, for any of them, you should get a small mixer.)
Thanks. I use a small mixer (Mackie 802 VLZ4).
Its the floor aspect im not sure about. I have no issues believing these speakers works really well when stand mounted, but with a 8-10ft distance im not so sure the sound will be clear and punchy. Loud im sure, but in my head i cant get around turning these small speakers up loud will keep the clean sound in my case.
Im aware that there are many options on the market, but i want to splash out a bit and not get a 3rd best etc, even though im sure something like that will work almost as well.
 
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Its the floor aspect im not sure about. I have no issues believing these speakers works really well when stand mounted, but with a 8-10ft distance im not so sure the sound will be clear and punchy.
You can look at the horizontal/vertical dispersion characteristics to get an idea as to whether you will get a clean throw from the speaker's position to your ears. Some speakers have the same dispersion horizontally and vertically, most don't. The ZXa1-90 has a rotating horn so you can get the preferred horizontal/vertical dispersion regardless of whether the speaker itself is placed horizontally or vertically. But ideally, while you want to be within its dispersion radius, you also want to minimize floor reflections. Which is why using many speakers designed primarily for "mains" use instead as a floor monitor may be usable but not always ideal. Something designed for floor use is likely to be able to be angled such that the horn won't radiate much to the floor, as shown in these examples...




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Whether those designs work well at 10-12 feet away is another question, though. They may shoot "over your head." Monitors are usually not that far away, your setup sounds unusual.

It's not like speakers less angled (therefore generating more floor reflection) are unusable, you just probably won't be hearing them at their best. (Some speakers even have an EQ option to try to compensate for the "boundary effect" of floor use.) Same with a speaker that you can't quite get optimally on-axis to your listening position, but only "close."

You can also consider putting your monitor on a short pole, perhaps slightly off to your side. There are lightweight, compact short poles available which are not much of a hassle to use.

Also notable in context of this discussion is that these are all issues that have nothing to do with speaker size. The exact same things come into play whether your speaker is 8", 10" or 12".
 
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i have a Korg Pas 3x , I use the Mackie self powered 12"Thumbs .i use the pair in bigger places & a single cabinet in smaller places ...these cabinets work great in either situation ..puts out plenty a sound ..
 

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