Members Soulgolem Posted August 5, 2012 Members Share Posted August 5, 2012 Hi all, here's my situation, I play in a band which uses mostly synths (lots of analog) and I'm looking for an amplification system solution for on stage monitoring (we have 2 keyboardists). I've read a lot on this forum about the QSC K10 and the EV ZXA1 powered speakers, and at 19lbs, the ZXA1 seems like the best contender... except that I'm wondering if it will have enough low end to really bring out the analog synths' fatness (and also some drum machines). It's only for monitoring on stage, but I'm really wanting something that will give us a full sound. I could always get a small sub for it, but that would be overkill i'm sure, the band has a bassist. I used to own two Roland KC300 but the sound quality left me unhappy, although they had a decent amount of low end... So i'm wondering, is the EV ZXA1 gonna give me less low end ? (it's an 8" speaker afterall). What about the QSC K10 ? Probably has more low end, enough to compete with a Roland keyboard amp but it's heavier at 32lbs and I have a bad back, so I'm preferring the ZXA1 if it has enough bass) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members AnotherScott Posted August 6, 2012 Members Share Posted August 6, 2012 The ZXa1 has a surprising amount of bass. I've also used a Roland SA300 -- which Is very different from a KC300 -- but just as a point of interest, I thought the Rolands's 12" went a bit deeper, but the EV's 8" went louder. Whether you need the deepest bass is something only you'll know, but I think it would be worth your auditioning them. In general, the KC series does have a rep for plenty of power, the EV for being more neutral (which matters more for acoustic sounds like piano than it does for synth) ... there's always a trade off somewhere! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Soulgolem Posted August 6, 2012 Author Members Share Posted August 6, 2012 The ZXa1 has a surprising amount of bass. I've also used a Roland SA300 -- which Is very different from a KC300 -- but just as a point of interest, I thought the Rolands's 12" went a bit deeper, but the EV's 8" went louder. Whether you need the deepest bass is something only you'll know, but I think it would be worth your auditioning them. In general, the KC series does have a rep for plenty of power, the EV for being more neutral (which matters more for acoustic sounds like piano than it does for synth) ... there's always a trade off somewhere! From what I've read and what I can attest (owning two kc300s) I don't find it has plenty of power at all, in fact, it's only 100 watts, and it craps out easily when you pass 50% volume, I really hate that amp, and I've had it for so long. I don't want something bass heavy nor bass light, just something that brings out an analog synth's fatness without competing with the bass, hopefully while being lightweight, still unsure what. It'd be easy if i could try them all. I'll be waiting for others to chime in. Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members evildragon Posted August 6, 2012 Members Share Posted August 6, 2012 Stay away from Roland KC series. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members AnotherScott Posted August 6, 2012 Members Share Posted August 6, 2012 From what I've read and what I can attest (owning two kc300s) I don't find it has plenty of power at all Maybe it was a different KC I had read about, where basically the one good thing the owner had to say about it was that it got loud. ;-) In general, they don't have a good rep for tonal quality. The only KC I played through (years ago, I don't know which model) sounded pretty bad to me. I like the EV a lot. It does not go as loud as, for instance, the QSC K8, but it sounds better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members c4racer Posted August 6, 2012 Members Share Posted August 6, 2012 I have a KC500, which is 150 watts and a 15" woofer. It does go very loud, but synth patches make it break up very badly. It isn't as bad for piano or organs. the bass is very boomy - seems to be overboosted in the 200-500Hz range and even turning the bass EQ knob all the way down doesn't cure the boominess. I just picked up the new EV EXP 12" monitor, and it sounds fantastic. I've used it now for 3 gigs and even with the heavy synth patches that caused problems with the KC500, they are clean as can be and can be pushed plenty loud. That one is a 1000W speaker and very comparable to the QSC. They sell for $599 - I would recommend taking a look at that speaker as your stage monitor. Has really good bass response. I recommend driving it with a mixer if possible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members holdsg Posted August 8, 2012 Members Share Posted August 8, 2012 Last year, I was trying to decide between the EV ZXA1 and the QSC K10s and K12s for my keyboard rig. I A/B'd them, and found the QSCs having more bass response than the EV. I'm sure most of it is due to the larger speakers, and weight was not really an issue for me. Based on my experience, I would recommend either of the QSCs over the EV (for my ears) but you gotta love the small form factor of that EV. If space or weight is your #1 issue, only then would I recommend the EV over some other lesser quality speakers. I have never owned a Roland KC. By the way, I liked the K10s so much as a keyboard amps, that I bought 2 more K12s for our band's PA mains. Very happy with these powered speakers. AFter a year of regular use, no problems whatsoever. One other thing that might help you out. I am also the band's bass player, and when I'm not on bass, I'm playing extra bass in the LH of my keys, so bass response is very important to me. You just won't get bass response out of a 8" speaker that you will out of a 10 or 12. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members c4racer Posted August 8, 2012 Members Share Posted August 8, 2012 Last year, I was trying to decide between the EV ZXA1 and the QSC K10s and K12s for my keyboard rig. I A/B'd them, and found the QSCs having more bass response than the EV. I'm sure most of it is due to the larger speakers, and weight was not really an issue for me. Based on my experience, I would recommend either of the QSCs over the EV (for my ears) but you gotta love the small form factor of that EV. If space or weight is your #1 issue, only then would I recommend the EV over some other lesser quality speakers. I have never owned a Roland KC. By the way, I liked the K10s so much as a keyboard amps, that I bought 2 more K12s for our band's PA mains. Very happy with these powered speakers. AFter a year of regular use, no problems whatsoever. EV has a new line of powered speakers called the EXP series, and the 12" version is $200 cheaper than the QSC 10". I have found that the bass response is very robust on this speaker - FWIW. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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