Powered PA cab instead of dedicated bass rig?

[FuturePrimitive]

Anyone using a powered PA cab as a bass amp? I was planning on buying a pair of Turbosound iQ12s for my band since I'm already a bit invested in the Behringer ecosystem. I'm wondering if I could also use one of the cabs in situations where I needed a separate bass amp. For instance, I sometimes sub with another band whose PA does not handle bass guitar well. Anyone using a similar PA cab with success? (Or failure I guess.) Thanks.

 

[WayneP]

Well, I’ve run my bass through my little passive EV ZX1 speaker (8” woofer) just for grins (they make an active version of it as well), and it sounds great, except of course for limited extension. The Turbo has a 12” woofer so it should do a respectable job, as long as you don’t expect it to perform as low and loud as say, a dual-12” rig.

Regards,
Wayne A. Pflughaupt

Administrator, Pedulla Club #45
Administrator, Tobias Club #133
Fretless Club #943
Big Cabs Club #23
My Basses
Pedulla Club #45

 

[happycat]

I have been using a db technologies opera 15 for a few years. It sounds similar to my Hartke rig but weighs less than half as much. Much easier on my back !
It doubles as a powered monitored if needed as well.

 

[scowboy]

I've used my QSC K10's many times. They work excellent.

 

[FuturePrimitive]

Thanks for the feedback guys, much appreciated.

 

[EastCoastThump]

I was planning on buying a pair of Turbosound iQ12s for my band since I'm already a bit invested in the Behringer ecosystem.

I've used K12s (alone and in a pair) and tried a K10 and a Mackie DLM12. The pair of K12s worked pretty well, but not so well that if they hadn't been provided I would have preferred them over my Bergie AE212.This kind of set-up works for relatively low-SPL stage monitoring. If the band is loud on stage (or there's a lot of PA spill), I'd rather have a robust stage rig or IEMs.

I haven't had ears on the iQ12s, but two things to listen for:

• I'd be shocked if (like the DLM12's 2000-watt rating) the iQ12 made anywhere near full use of its 2500-watts-worth of amps. In boxes of this size, speaker+cab design to my ears makes the better designed ones sound like ~300-watts through a good stage wedge. If you are used to a more efficient, high excursion bass cab, these will almost certainly feel like a step backwards.

• I don't see anything about the iQ12s that makes them any more suited to a Behringer "ecosystem" than any other musician's-grade active PA cab.

 

[FuturePrimitive]

I've used K12s (alone and in a pair) and tried a K10 and a Mackie DLM12. The pair of K12s worked pretty well, but not so well that if they hadn't been provided I would have preferred them over my Bergie AE212.This kind of set-up works for relatively low-SPL stage monitoring. If the bandd is loud on stage (or there's a lot of PA spill), I'd rather have a robust stage rig or IEMS.

My current rig is a Markbass LMIII and NY151 cab. I do use IEMs and most of the time my bass is also in the PA (if it can handle it). My "plan" (such as it is) is to sell my rig to help fund a bit of the new PA for my band and go ampless. But in those other circumstances where I'm not playing with my main band I still would need a way to be heard, hence the question if one of these PA cabs would do the job. Ideally, I'd just keep my rig and use that as needed but, you know, I also need money!

• I'd be shocked if (like the DLM12's 2000-watt rating) the iQ12 made anywhere near full use of its 2500-watts-worth of amps. In boxes of this size, speaker+cab design to my ears makes the better designed ones sound like ~300-watts through a good stage wedge. If you are used to a more efficient, high excursion bass cab, these will almost certainly feel like a step backwards.

Oh yea, I'm sure those "2500" watts are peak and RMS is somewhere around 1000.

• I don't see anything about the iQ12s that makes them any more suited to a Behringer "ecosystem" than any other powered musician's PA cab.

You can drive (and configure) them via cat6 cable through the Ultranet port on Behringer and Midas digital mixers, that's what I was referring to. I'd have even more control if I stepped up to an X32 Rack from the XR18.

 

[Jim Ingraham]

thought I'd chime in here as i am using the iQ system for my PA. I have a pair of 15's, a pair of 10's and a pair of the iQ15b subs. I havent used their 12's however. The iQ 15 would better your lm3, ny151 rig. I have a Mark Bass 121 rig with ny121 extension and the iQ15 will keep up with it. A single iQ10 will not, at least in bottom end. It does get very loud, just not real deep. Fine for small gigs.

I have, on occasion taken out my iQ10 and set it on top of a 15 sub as a rig. That rig will rattle your teeth and cover a fairly large room but it's a heavy rig at around a 100 lbs. All the Turbosound speakers are heavy because they use old school ferrite magnets which sound great but are not back friendly.

As far as connectivity goes, I love the convenience and versatility of the ethernet system. I'm using an x32 Compact and I like being able to control most of the parameters right from my board. That being said, however, I use my system almost exclusively in my studio and rarely take it out. I don't trust the cat 6 connections on a gig as Berhinger cheaped out and did not include ethercon connectors on these speakers, it's just a regular cat 5-6 socket. Somebody trips over one early in the chain and the whole system goes down. So when I do take these speakers out I use the xlr connectors anyway. I also think the analog connection sounds better, but that may be in my head.

The other problem to be aware of, is there is no corner protection on the cabs and if you don't buy covers there going to get pretty beat up.

 

[EastCoastThump]

Oh yea, I'm sure those "2500" watts are peak and RMS is somewhere around 1000.

Not even that for the system. The two amps are rated for a combined 2500 watts, but these kinds of cabinets don't effectively use anywhere near that kind of wattage.[/QUOTE]

You can drive (and configure) them via cat6 cable through the Ultranet port on Behringer and Midas digital mixers, that's what I was referring to. I'd have even more control if I stepped up to an X32 Rack from the XR18.

That makes sense. Missed it on a skim read. I'm w/ Jim Ingraham on this one: cool for the studio, but I'm not a fan of cat-5 cable runs on the kinds of stages I use the XR18 on (that is, not fully taped down and with the occasional sub, punter, or bridal party member wandering around). Especially w/ the XR18 positioned as a stage box, it's exposing just a bit too much soft underbelly for my comfort. The XLR and USB (dear lord, the USB!) connections are bad enough.

 

[DonaldR]

EV ZLX12P here, added an EV ZXA1 sub last year for shaking the walls at home
I play ampless for the last 10 years, bass tube preamp or Avid Eleven Rack.

 

[FuturePrimitive]

Huh. Apparently the price has gone way up on the Turbosound iQs. The 12s are now $750 and the iQ18B is $1000! That's $150 and $200 higher (respectively) than they were just a month ago! That prices them out for me, looks like I'll be taking a hard look at the Yamaha DXRs series.

 

[Jim Ingraham]

Huh. Apparently the price has gone way up on the Turbosound iQs. The 12s are now $750 and the iQ18B is $1000! That's $150 and $200 higher (respectively) than they were just a month ago! That prices them out for me, looks like I'll be taking a hard look at the Yamaha DXRs series.

Not sure how much of a hurry you are to get your speakers but very good deals can be had at the Music group Ebay store ( musicgroup1 | eBay ) if you are persistent. They had iQ12's there last weekend for 450. Free shipping and full warranty. These are factory seconds and refurbs but the ones I got from there were as new. The iQ's go very quickly so you have to check in daily.

 

[And I]

I'd recommended plugging into a bass preamp of some sort before a powered PS speaker cab.

 

[fokof]

Been using active PA stuff exclusively for the past 20 years.
I would never go back to "normal" bass monitors.

Currently using an L'Acoustic 108p and an RCF 902as when I need more meat.
The 108p is surprising alone for an 8''

 

[Rocksolid]

QSC K12 user here. Often use 1 as a rig/ monitor. Usually for smaller shows, but there are times the gig has got loud and it's kept up OK. Great on smaller gigs, as I run my monitor send into the second input if I'm not using IEM.

Usually driving it with a VT Bass deluxe or tone hammer DI

 

[FuturePrimitive]

Not sure how much of a hurry you are to get your speakers but very good deals can be had at the Music group Ebay store ( musicgroup1 | eBay ) if you are persistent. They had iQ12's there last weekend for 450. Free shipping and full warranty. These are factory seconds and refurbs but the ones I got from there were as new. The iQ's go very quickly so you have to check in daily.

Oh yea, I check there weekly. Definitely the way to go. I was looking to take advantage of Sweetwater's 0% financiing though. But not at nearly double the cost!