PRODUCT
PRODUCT
TESTS
By Trevor DeSouza
QSC K . 2 Series Powered Loudspeakers
I
’ ve used QSC powered speakers and amplifiers almost daily for the past 10 years . The HPR , K , and KW series have been consistent workhorses in my rental inventory and I ’ ve toured across the country with them in almost every imaginable configuration and venue type . QSC has been a great brand to standardize on , and I have a fairly easy job fulfilling technical riders and performer expectations with them in virtually every application . When the opportunity came up to review the brand ’ s evolution of the K Series , the K . 2s , I was eager to take them for a spin .
First Impressions The series includes the K12.2 , K10.2 , and K8.2 models with 12-in , 10-in ., and 8-in . cone transducers , respectively .
For starters , they look great . In the corporate market , you ’ ll never hear complaints about ugly speakers obstructing the audience ’ s lines of sight . They ’ re fairly compact and push a good amount of air for their weight .
The obvious upgrades to this line would be the new 2000 W amp module , which offers twice the power of the K Series and more headroom , and additional third channel of “ mixing ” onboard . The internal processing can be useful as well . I can ’ t personally see myself programming and saving EQ settings into my monitors every night as I typically opt for a digital console , but that will be an attractive feature to many users . The ability to delay this speaker remotely has proven to be quite handy , especially in time-aligning balcony or room fills at the source .
The front styling has been tweaked a little as well with addition of an internal cloth lining within the grille .
In Use As a floor monitor or part of a main PA system , the new K . 2 series does the job very effectively . Another notable addition to this line would be the ability to use the K8.2 series in a monitor configuration . This was a very useful feature reserved for the K10 and K12 models in the original K Series . Placing this speaker in front of a black drape line , it almost disappears – especially with the ability to turn off the front blue LED via a switch on the back . The new K8.2 also boasts an impressive bass response despite its small size , making it a great portable instrument amp .
The K . 2 models have done away with the old RCA inputs and instead opted for a 3.5 mm ( 1 / 8-in .) connection on a third input channel . The first channel accepts mic / line levels with combination XLR F or TRS F connectors . The second channel now boasts the ability to accept Hi-Z or line level inputs , giving you the ability to present a solo performer , with vocal and D . I ., as well as background tunes between sets for when you run out of mixers on conference events or small performances . The output section gives you the ability to daisy chain easily with the XLR F connections as well as a post-mix-output if you have more than one input feeding the powered speaker .
The optional lockout panel is a welcome piece of hardware to any user who doesn ’ t want their presets tampered with .
The K12.2s felt pretty light . Weighing in at about 39 lbs ., they ’ ve somehow dropped 2 lbs . from the previous K12s without feeling any less robust . Not being a huge fan of plastic wedges or mains myself , I was surprised with how warm and tight they sounded for an ABS enclosure . The plus side here is that after a hundred or so shows , these may still look much newer than your chipped up birch wood wedges , and all the while will have been easier on your back .
On that note , the only question I would have with these new amp modules would be their ability to take a beating indoors and out . I have had my K10s in all kinds of nasty , wet , foggy weather and they ’ ve been rock solid . Most of the time , these speakers are transported in durable , but not bulletproof tote bags . My hope is that with the addition of the LCD display , we haven ’ t sacrificed durability for flexibility , but time will tell .
There ’ s really only one change I ’ m not totally sold on . Having two holes for your speaker stand is great , and I get that it ’ s nice to have a downward angle sometimes , but after placing the speaker in the wrong hole , lifting , and repositioning on almost every gig , I could see how this could be frustrating . The older K Series models had a rotatable cup for adjusting the single hole to two different angles that I found to be more practical . Despite this minor inconvenience , the two holes offer an improved centre of gravity for pole mounting .
As for the actual sound of the box , I was getting clean , clear , and powerful sound in pretty much every application I tried . They take the already great performance of the K Series models and build on it , offering just a bit more clarity and smoothness .
In Summary These speakers are great . They look sleek and professional . They ’ re loud and they don ’ t sound like a cheap , plastic box . In permanent installs or flying applications , the M10 threaded points have you covered . You ’ re not going to kill your back lugging six of these to and from shows every night . They pack up neat and tidy and you could easily tour this as a small monitor rig . In terms of bang for the buck , QSC has always been my choice , and they certainly haven ’ t let us down with the brand new K . 2 Series .
Trevor DeSouza Chief Engineer / Owner – groundSOUND Inc . ( www . groundsound . ca ) FOH Engineer – The Stanfields , Matt Mays , Christina Martin
22 PROFESSIONAL SOUND