Active FRFR Speaker Recommendations for Bass?

[PatrickJ]

I've spent this evening reading a number of posts across Basschat and Talk bass about going ampless, which is a direction I'm looking to take.  However, I do want a decent powered speaker to act as a stage monitor / passable bass amp for small gigs and rehearsals.  All my tone and colouration is coming from a pre-amp / DI box (which I intend to build a small collection of) so really just looking for something that can front those and give out a reasonable amount of volume as a monitor / small rig replacement. 

 

The common ones I see discussed are the:

Headrush FRFR-112
Alto TS412 
RCF ART 912-A
Electro Voice ELX200-12P (not really mentioned, but are provided by local rehearsal studio)
Yamaha DXR12mkII 
QSC k12.2

From those that have already travelled down this path, any thoughts / experiences on any of the above (or other) options and any tips on getting the most out of that sort of setup?

[jrixn1]

I've gigged RCF HD 10-A, 732-A, 735-A; Yamaha DXR10; FBT ProMaxX 112A; and QSC CP8, CP12, and K10 - mainly as a stage monitor (10+ piece function band), and occasionally as backline.  I found the QSC CP12 to be the sweet spot of sounding good, loud enough, but small, light and easy to transport.

 

 

Edited June 9, 2024 by jrixn1

[BigRedX]

I have an RCF745 for rehearsals and on-stage monitoring at smaller gigs with one of the bands I play with. For the bigger gigs I rely on the in-house PA at whatever venue we're playing for on-stage monitoring. TBH it's vastly over-specified both in terms of output level and range for my needs most of the time, and based on this experience if I ever have to replace it I would go for something smaller, lighter and cheaper as that would be more than adequate. 

 

I've needed to use it twice as a bass amp with no PA support at small-ish venues (<200) and it has performed perfectly both times. In fact due to the improved dispersion characteristics compared with a traditional bass rig I've been able to have it at only slightly louder than I would use for monitoring which certainly was an improvement on the past where at times I have need to be so loud on stage in order to fill the venue with bass sound that I could barely hear the rest of the band.

[WinterMute]

I used a Barefaced Big Twin for many years and it was glorious but way too big once I'd stopped gigging, I used it with a Line6 Bass Pod XT.

 

I now have a Quad Cortex and a QSC K12.2 which works brilliantly for everything from songwriting sessions, jams, recording and can happily keep up with a hard-hitting rock drummer and guitar backline. It's a PA speaker so you can tailor your sound in the FX and the box just makes it louder. Built like a tank too.

[warwickhunt]

As a personal monitor, a QSC K10 mounted on a speaker stand to the side of stage worked well for me.  Plenty loud enough, great dispersion (especially at ear height on a stand), easy lift and the added bonus of 2 inputs; I fed one input with a direct feed from my pedal and the 2nd with a feed from the PA of the rest of the band.  This way I got to mix a bit more of me without having to go via PA mixer.  I can't imaging that I'd ever need anything much bigger unless on a 'big' stage and then I'd need to be relying on engineer et al.  I tried the K10 on the floor as a wedge and it works well but so much better on a stand off to the side (added benefit that the drummer liked it there as well).  I tried the Alto 10" before that and too harsh, also tried the RCF310 which was better than Alto but the QSC beat the RCF.  

[fretmeister]

I have a Yamaha DXR10 and I thought it was very good. It was plenty loud enough, and coped very well with a low B.

 

At home the cooling fan annoyed me, so if I was buying now I'd get something without - like the RCF stuff

[stevie]

This thread is worth a browse: