Members mcsdude Posted October 12, 2008 Members Share Posted October 12, 2008 We've been using crap ass stage monitors for a while now and I'm finally ready to replace them. I don't have a huge budget nor do we always play huge stages so I'm looking for somethings reasonably priced and not huge. 90% of what we run through them is vocals. I was considering the yamaha BR 12Ms and wanted to see what experience any of you had with them. Is there a huge difference between the BR and SM series? The SM12Vs are about $60 more per speaker - if the added $$$ worth it in your opinion? Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members lifeloverwg Posted October 12, 2008 Members Share Posted October 12, 2008 We've been using crap ass stage monitors for a while now and I'm finally ready to replace them. I don't have a huge budget nor do we always play huge stages so I'm looking for somethings reasonably priced and not huge. 90% of what we run through them is vocals.I was considering the yamaha BR 12Ms and wanted to see what experience any of you had with them. Is there a huge difference between the BR and SM series? The SM12Vs are about $60 more per speaker - if the added $$$ worth it in your opinion?Thanks. Yes, the difference is well worth it, the BR's are still pretty crappy. You will notice a significant difference with the SM line Winston Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members mcsdude Posted October 12, 2008 Author Members Share Posted October 12, 2008 thanks life... and i assume the 12s are cool for monitors right? Not much need in going 15s? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members modulusman Posted October 12, 2008 Members Share Posted October 12, 2008 thanks life... and i assume the 12s are cool for monitors right? Not much need in going 15s?12s are fine for vocal monitors. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members tlbonehead Posted October 12, 2008 Members Share Posted October 12, 2008 thanks life... and i assume the 12s are cool for monitors right? Not much need in going 15s?12s are better than 15s in most cases. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members guitarharv52 Posted October 13, 2008 Members Share Posted October 13, 2008 We are very happy with our Yami sm12's as monitors. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Zeromus-X Posted October 13, 2008 Members Share Posted October 13, 2008 I just sold a pair of Meyer UM-1A monitors on eBay and they went for about $400 each... there were about nine more posted at that price, too. I can't imagine anything that'd sound better, but I'm using IEMs so I didn't need them. Looks like the SM12 is $350 or so? $350 for a Yamaha or $400 for a used Meyer... Only "issue" I could see is that you'd need an M-1A processor, but they're what, $200-$250 or so used? Still talking about $1000 for a premium-grade system that will probably be the last you'll have to buy, compared to $700 for the Yamahas. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members congaron Posted October 13, 2008 Members Share Posted October 13, 2008 we use the sm12iv at church...very nice sound at the stage volumes we run...not soft, not loud. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Bryan316 Posted October 14, 2008 Members Share Posted October 14, 2008 Recommendation. Instead of getting one big 15" driver monitor, get two small 12" monitor cabs and a good EQ for dialing them flat and proper. That way you get broader coverage and lets the performers wiggle them around on stage as they need. Like singers who want them angled around them or keyboardists that want them pulled underneath their key stands. Also, having two horns with wider dispersion helps when performers move around a lot on stage and need more side-to-side coverage. An ideal would be six 12" cabinets in front, each pair getting its own signal feed and amp channel. Two 8-ohm cabs on an amp's channel gets the most wattage you can, but lets you spread the sound out. More efficiency. and two 12"s have more surface area than one 15" so you definitely push more air for more sound, letting you run your amps cooler. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members zax2000 Posted October 14, 2008 Members Share Posted October 14, 2008 An ideal would be six 12" cabinets in front, each pair getting its own signal feed and amp channel. Two 8-ohm cabs on an amp's channel gets the most wattage you can, but lets you spread the sound out. More efficiency. and two 12"s have more surface area than one 15" so you definitely push more air for more sound, letting you run your amps cooler. Guess you missed this part of his post: I don't have a huge budget nor do we always play huge stages Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members agedhorse Posted October 14, 2008 Members Share Posted October 14, 2008 Recommendation. Instead of getting one big 15" driver monitor, get two small 12" monitor cabs and a good EQ for dialing them flat and proper. That way you get broader coverage and lets the performers wiggle them around on stage as they need. Like singers who want them angled around them or keyboardists that want them pulled underneath their key stands. Also, having two horns with wider dispersion helps when performers move around a lot on stage and need more side-to-side coverage. Good advice IMO. Also more compact on smaller stages where there's only room for one per position. We typically take out a dozen or so 12" biamped wedges and they work well for our clients. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members zax2000 Posted October 14, 2008 Members Share Posted October 14, 2008 Good advice IMO. Also more compact on smaller stages where there's only room for one per position. We typically take out a dozen or so 12" biamped wedges and they work well for our clients. Good advice for someone with that kind of budget and stage space, irrelevant to the OP IMO We've been using crap ass stage monitors for a while now and I'm finally ready to replace them. I don't have a huge budget nor do we always play huge stages so I'm looking for somethings reasonably priced and not huge. 90% of what we run through them is vocals. Esp with that last part, get a few SM12Vs, think you'll be more than happy and maybe within budget. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members mcsdude Posted October 14, 2008 Author Members Share Posted October 14, 2008 thanks all - I went with the sm12's - paid about $300 each at sam ash. I'm gonna try them this weekend and if they don't cut it I'll enjoy the 30 day return policy. Hopefully they will do just fine. One last question... I realized what we were using to this point were the EV's with the 8" speaker. Sounds tiny but they are also $300 at sam ash. I'm not trying to base everything on price alone here but have I really upgraded? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members flanc Posted October 14, 2008 Members Share Posted October 14, 2008 If the EV you currently have is the ZX1-90....I think that is a very decent monitor but requires quite a bit of power as they are inefficient. I wouldn't recommend them for really loud stages but they are far from crap-ass. lol I do believe the Yamaha's will get louder and sound better on a traditional band stage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Bears Posted October 14, 2008 Members Share Posted October 14, 2008 If you have EV ZX1's they are a better sounding speaker than the Yamaha in general. However for your specific application you may like the Yamaha better. It would especially be the case if you do not have the proper power amps to drive the EV's. Also 12" 2 way is a classic sound for vocal monitors. What are your specific complaints with the Ev's? Also what are using to power them? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members flanc Posted October 14, 2008 Members Share Posted October 14, 2008 Maybe I jumped the gun assuming that the OP has Zx1's but how many 8", ~$300, EV monitors are there? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members agedhorse Posted October 14, 2008 Members Share Posted October 14, 2008 Good advice for someone with that kind of budget and stage space, irrelevant to the OP IMO Completely relevant to the OP, who seemed adverse to smaller monitors in general. I was pointing out that as you go up the food chain, 12" monitors are more the norm and it's very rare to find folks who are unhappy with the choice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Bryan316 Posted October 14, 2008 Members Share Posted October 14, 2008 I'm not saying to dump a fortune into monitors. But suprisingly, my old CGM 12" wedges from 10 years ago are still serving me well, and they cost me $150 for BOTH. Yeah, not exactly amazing studio sound quality, unless you EQ it a bit. Then they're peachy keen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members mcsdude Posted October 14, 2008 Author Members Share Posted October 14, 2008 Bears and flac - thanks for the feedback. Issues I have with the little EV monitors is either I can't hear enough from them or they are breaking up as if they are being driven too hard. At one point I thought the speaker blew. We use QSC amps but I'm not sure which model or wattage is driving the monitors. What I do love about the EVs is they are so damn small! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Bears Posted October 14, 2008 Members Share Posted October 14, 2008 The EV's may be breaking up because you are clipping the power amp. Your amp should be around 250 watts RMS at 8 ohms per side to drive a pair of ZX1's. Your Yamaha's have the same power handling so you may have the same clipping problem with SM12's as well. Your amp could be the weak link. Also you should be cutting frequencies below 100hz to get rid of low frequency bleed from stage noise. You don't need anything below 100hz for vocal monitors. (This would go for the Yamaha's as well.) All this being said, you may like the sound of 12" speakers better than the 8". Twelves are pretty industry standard for vocals only stage monitors and there is a reason for that. But again, the ZX1's are nice and compact for small stages. Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members strategy400 Posted October 21, 2008 Members Share Posted October 21, 2008 I have some EV Eliminator w/ 15's and 1 inch HF driver. They cut through really well and I can carry one in each hand no prob (they have handles on the end). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members RichCT Posted October 21, 2008 Members Share Posted October 21, 2008 I run BR12M's as my mains when performing solo acoustic. Along with the graphic eq on my mixer, I have been able to achieve great sound and often receive comments on the sound quality. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Bears Posted October 21, 2008 Members Share Posted October 21, 2008 thanks all - I went with the sm12's - paid about $300 each at sam ash. I'm gonna try them this weekend and if they don't cut it I'll enjoy the 30 day return policy. Hopefully they will do just fine. One last question... I realized what we were using to this point were the EV's with the 8" speaker. Sounds tiny but they are also $300 at sam ash. I'm not trying to base everything on price alone here but have I really upgraded? So...mcsdude, Did you try out the Yamaha monitors? I am curious as to what you found. Please let us know. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Unalaska Posted October 22, 2008 Members Share Posted October 22, 2008 Consider the sensitivity of the speaker as well. If anything above moderate volume is needed then consider a 12" with better sensitivity. Many 8's are in the low 90's, 12's tend to be in the mid to high 90's. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Bugzie Posted October 22, 2008 Members Share Posted October 22, 2008 I used about a dozen different monitors before upgrading and thougt for the price the SM series Yamaha's are the best bang for the buck. Properly powered of course. They take a bit of EQ but with a little patience they can be dialed in quite well. The 12's are decent but the 15 is a necessity for the drummer if they need to feel the thump. The diff between the 2 is very noticable. They absolutely toast the JBL JRX series. And I'm a fan of JBL. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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