• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

QSC K12 for bass...

#3
the yeti said:
it seems like the cab would have some trouble w/the very low end. maybe not? i guess not (to you anyway)..
Click to expand...

it's the bass amps that sound anaemic there - this thing blows them away, especially when you think of what you can get for $800.00.

AND it's got midrange and treble as well!

Cheers,
Cameron
 
#4
I bet it would work very well provided that you set all the levels with care. I saw a guitar player blow one of these in one of our rehearsals. He was using it as his only guitar amp. I'm not sure why he blew it up. It's an excellent product no doubt. It must have been "pilot error."

I've had better experience with this:
I tested the QSC KSUB. I patched it in to extend the range of my regular bass rig at the time. So, my bass rig ran full range and then the KSUB did it's thing for the extended lows. It sounded great.
 
#6
seamonkey said:
QSC even has a web site dedicated for this:
Link Removed

They do need to explain that for larger venues you may need to add a sub. increase power by adding a sub, the top will keep up.
Click to expand...

Yeah, that link does not show the configuration that I used. I placed my powered sub on the stage right under my bass rig. I patched in the sub to a pre-eq out on the back of my rack preamp. It sounded awesome. I did have to set my overall levels very carefully though. Bandmates liked the added low end support. There were no FOH concerns either. But I wrote everything in the past tense because I don't use that powered sub any more. But you know, just beware of your levels on that K12 and you should be fine.
 
#7
I've played a few small outdoor stages where I went from bass preamp straight into the board (no stage amp), and FOH was K12 and stage monitoring was side-fill K10s.

The context was vocal-oriented acoustic rock, with fairly quiet stages. That said, the bass in the K12 and K10s sounded very good. (The pre-amp in one case was a Aguilar DB659, the other couple of times it was a Universal Audio solo/610, so that probably helped.)

IDK at what SPL the K12 and K10s would start sounding taxed by bass, but at low to moderate volumes they are capable of sounding quite good.
 
#8
K12's are very nice speakers, although I haven't tried one for bass. I did do a show and the tranny in my B15 went out and I had to finish the gig with my Avalon into a JBL Eon 15G2. It sounded fine to me, but the thing I really noticed is those composite cabinets really flex with nothing but low end going through them. The vibrations actually unscrewed the barrel from the 1/4" connector several times throughout the set! I would definitely try it in a typical gig situation before I committed myself.
 
#10
DrumsAndBass said:
I bet it would work very well provided that you set all the levels with care. I saw a guitar player blow one of these in one of our rehearsals. He was using it as his only guitar amp. I'm not sure why he blew it up. It's an excellent product no doubt. It must have been "pilot error."

I've had better experience with this:
I tested the QSC KSUB. I patched it in to extend the range of my regular bass rig at the time. So, my bass rig ran full range and then the KSUB did it's thing for the extended lows. It sounded great.
Click to expand...

Was the guitarist going directly in with a pedal? It possible it could fry the horn.
 
#11
The K series tops are wildly popularas keyboard cabs. I play bass through my K10's with the k Sub or without when they are foh. Seems to work fine though I avoid playing in real loud situations - not due to the gear, due to my ears... I have heard screaming loud keys, a full on 88 through a K12 on a stick amd it sounded fine to me.
 
#14
Hey Cameron,

If you were impressed with this design, check out Duke LeJeune's amazing Thunderchild cabs (TC112 and TC115). Massively powerful woofers (OEM 4ohm versions of the Eminence 3012LF or 3015LF), massive mechanical specs, real low end that you can POUND on a gig, and the most amazing crossover (the crossover itself in the TC115 weighs almost 6 pounds) that makes the big horn sound like the top of the best driver you've ever heard.

500 watts pushes these cabs to pretty much full performance, but they will take more.

The TC115 comes in a composite form that Mike Arnopol (amazing bassist and TBer and master carpenter from Chicago) builds, getting the weight of the TC115 Compact Composite to around 34 pounds.

Amazing stuff, and you don't have to hunt around for a preamp or whatever. Any good bass amp of your choice will work.

Just FYI.
 
#15
KJung said:
Hey Cameron,

If you were impressed with this design, check out Duke LeJeune's amazing Thunderchild cabs (TC112 and TC115). Massively powerful woofers (OEM 4ohm versions of the Eminence 3012LF or 3015LF), massive mechanical specs, real low end that you can POUND on a gig, and the most amazing crossover (the crossover itself in the TC115 weighs almost 6 pounds) that makes the big horn sound like the top of the best driver you've ever heard.

500 watts pushes these cabs to pretty much full performance, but they will take more.

The TC115 comes in a composite form that Mike Arnopol (amazing bassist and TBer and master carpenter from Chicago) builds, getting the weight of the TC115 Compact Composite to around 34 pounds.

Amazing stuff, and you don't have to hunt around for a preamp or whatever. Any good bass amp of your choice will work.

Just FYI.
Click to expand...

...and was intrigued. I'm not really looking for another system, my Berg IP rig still sounds great (esp with the Sonic Farm Je-DI Tube DI), but am looking for a bass-in-one-hand, amp in the other solution that sounds good. This QSC does sound freaking great - have you tried one yet?

Cheers,
Cameron
 
#16
Bassflute said:
...and was intrigued. I'm not really looking for another system, my Berg IP rig still sounds great (esp with the Sonic Farm Je-DI Tube DI), but am looking for a bass-in-one-hand, amp in the other solution that sounds good. This QSC does sound freaking great - have you tried one yet?

Cheers,
Cameron
Click to expand...

Yeah, you are in good shape with the IP rig! The primary difference with the Thunderchild is that the horn is crossoved over quite a bit lower (due to the almost subwoofer type driver), which results in a much more even transition from the top of the driver to the horn (i.e., none of the upper mid dip that occurs in almost all 'woofer/tweeter' designs (although that upper mid dip can sound quite nice, as it does in the HT112ER).

I've never been very impressed with 'PA cabs' for bass. The horns are typically not voiced correctly and the drivers are typically not designed to handle the transients of a non-compressed/live bass guitar signal.

That is one of the cool things about Duke's cabs... he went into this not only thinking about 'a studio monitor type cab' for live bass performance, but he actually used components that are appropriate for those big, non-programmed transients, etc. Really works nice.

I will surely try one of these for the heck of it if I run across one in a store though.

K
 
#17
I'm sure Duke has fine cabinets.

In defense of the QSC K's
They don't have "voicing"
They're not meant to color your sound. Just amplify.

No need for a 6lb passive crossover because they bi-amp, add another amp, and a little circuitry (DSP) for a crossover is just a few ounces.

It would be interesting to see a side-by-side, or double blind test with some bass amps/cabs.
 
#18
I'm a huge fan of active boxes as bass monitors.

I use a 10" for smaller gigs and add a sub when I need more juice. There are so many choices in that category , not all created equal but still.
In price/weight/performance , small bass amp manufacturer can't compete with the knowledge and industrial infrastructures of JBL , RCF, QSC etc....

Have a look at RCF stuff.
 
#19
seamonkey said:
In defense of the QSC K's
They don't have "voicing"
They're not meant to color your sound. Just amplify.
Click to expand...

Ummm.....

Actually, they do.

I work with QSC HPR's and K's every weekend. Love 'em. Great speakers for the size, weight and price. They sound better than most competitive PA speakers, and pretty darn good with bass.

But they are definitely coloured.

You have to be talking from a purely theoretical standpoint. Because if you had used them in the field or A/B'd them against some reference speakers, you'd know that they are far from flat.

Better than a lot of midrange PA gear, to be sure. But miles away from a good Hi-Fi speaker.

Also, I have one of Duke's bass cabs, the little 12" one. Back to back with a K12, and driven full-range by a kilowatt class power amp, it tears the K12 a new one:
- more volume before breakup, especially down low
- less compression on peaks at high volume
- less harsh and coloured when listening to recorded music
- lighter, including the weight of a separate power amp and preamp

Of course, Duke's cab is more expensive when you factor in the cost of separate amplification. But you definitely get what you pay for.
 
#20
seamonkey said:
I'm sure Duke has fine cabinets.

In defense of the QSC K's
They don't have "voicing"
They're not meant to color your sound. Just amplify.

No need for a 6lb passive crossover because they bi-amp, add another amp, and a little circuitry (DSP) for a crossover is just a few ounces.

It would be interesting to see a side-by-side, or double blind test with some bass amps/cabs.
Click to expand...

EVERY cab has a voicing.
 

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back