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QSC KW-181... I'm curious.

drummer5359

drummer5359

Jan 10, 2011
4,675
4,582
Pittsburgh PA USA
#1
I'm in multiple bands. I have been supplying the PA for two different acoustic projects that I'm involved in for the past couple of years.

Last December I joined a classic rock cover band and they have a QSC system using K-12s with K-Subs for the mains and K-10 monitors. I liked it so much that I duplicated most of the setup. I went with K-12s for the mains and the monitors with one K-sub. It works fine for that use.

The front man for the acoustic project wants to put together a separate electric project doing blues covers. I play hand percussion in our other project, I'll be playing bass in this one.

The issue is that the K-subs seem great for acoustic work. They are adequate for the other electric band, less so when things get heavier.

I'm thinking of picking up a pair of KW-181 subs. I rented one and thought that it solved our dilemma.

I'd like to hear other opinions.
 
#2
They are really nice. I was on the fence for a while between those and the JBL 618XLF (I think that is right). It was before they rolled out the 700 series. I thought the JBL's sounded meatier, and the QSC's sounded much cleaner. I think the JBL's seemed a touch louder, but they both rattled you pretty hard when doubled up. I wound up going in a different direction, but probably would have gone with the QSC's and the 3-way tops.
 
#7
I had a k sub for a couple of years. It is still a great choice for the acoustic environment. The 181 hits a lot harder, goes noticeably deeper. We have one on our sound co. I'll add another one in by next spring. Just waiting to pounce on an attractive deal... With the 181 you'll need to pull out some of the lows on occaision. That never happens with the k-sub. Not a big deal but you have to pay attention where the k-sub is very plug 'n play. Still the 181 has nads that the k-sub lacks.

We did a DJ tower at an outdoor event, blasting out over the Columbia river. 3 prx612's splay arrayed on top (3 stories of scaffolding high) and the 181 down on the ground. It was simply uncomfortable directly in front of the sub... Had that time aligned with our FOH on the entertainment stage about 50 feet back. I love doing the outdoor sports gigs... You just never know what they'll throw at ya... Not much left in the gear pit at that one...
 
#9
Jerry Ziarko said:
The K-12 and the KW-181 is a fantastic combo. Do yourself a favor and get 2. Scrap the stands and put the 12's on sticks.
Click to expand...

Thanks. Yes, I intend on buying two, although I'll likely buy them one at a time. My intent is to buy one shortly after Christmas and the other in the spring so that I'll be ready for outdoor shows with the upgrade in the summer. And, yes I will have the K-12s on poles like I do now.
 
#13
There's a scientific reason for that. I'll post the article I found on it if I can find it again. Basically, having the sub separated creates phasing issues. Typically, the low end is loud when you stand centered with the stage. When you stand in front of the subs, towards the side of the stage, the low end gets really quiet. Putting the subs next to each other or stacked fixes the phase issues. We tested this in my backyard and, sure enough, the out of phase areas matched the diagram in the article. Once we stacked the subs, the low end was full no matter where we stood.
 

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