Narrowed it down; JBL EON or Used QSC K series?

DJ Life & Community General Discussion
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Narrowed it down; JBL EON or Used QSC K series?

After getting much information and advice, I’ve decided that with a budget of ~1000$ active is the way to go.

I’ve got this down to pretty much 2 options:

My first option, I could get two of these: JBL EON615 1,000W Powered 15" 2-Way Loudspeaker System With Bluetooth Control | Musician's Friend

Coupled with this: JBL EON618S 1,000W Powered 18" Subwoofer | Musician's Friend

And if I haggle a bit with guitar center, all that could fit within my budget. I’ve heard very good things about both speakers.

The second option, which my buddy really thinks is a better idea, would be to get two used QSC Actives, probably the K series, and then add a subwoofer later when I’ve got the money, this way I won’t have to upgrade long term. I am going away to college this coming fall and I can’t imagine i’ll have much money to buy a subwoofer on par with those the QSC’s, and I’d hate to be stuck underpowered and without the bass I want. But at the same time, my buddy knows far more about sound, speakers, and brands than I do.

With my budget, I could maybe afford two used of these QSC K12.2 Powered 12" 2-Way Loudspeaker System With Advanced DSP | Musician's Friend

In my situation does it make more sense to go ahead with the JBL EON’s? Or should I take the good advice from my friend?

Thanks a bunch. Been asking on a lot of forums and you guys have been the most helpful:slight_smile:

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I have a pair of the K12’s and I couldn’t be happier with them. HOWEVER, (big however), I do have a QSC KW181 sub that I always use with them.

Now that I think of it, I haven’t used the K12’s w/o the KW181 yet. I need to check it out to see how they sound without it.

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QSC are great speakers with awesome warranty. If you find a pair that hasn’t been abused I’d strongly consider them. I would not get the EON’s, there’s better speakers in that range. I’d prefer the EV Live X series over EON’s. Also take a look at Yamaha DRX line, price i believe is between the EV’s and the QSC’s but I’ve read lots of folks prefer them over the QSC’s. Also if you plan on adding a sub go with 12 inch tops, you’ll get a better range with the 12’s + subs.

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What’s up pimp…with the pimp set up. You gotta let me hear that shit crank homey.

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can you elaborate on this?

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Generally 15’s lack midrange and provide a better low end, but if you are pairing your tops up with a sub (low end) then use 12’s as your tops so you have a fuller range. It will sound better.

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Interesting, I did not know this.

Ack, two used QSC K12’s, the cheapest I can find, which I know NOTHING about their condition, are for 650 each. two of them being 1300$ which is outside of my budget… Not to mention it could be a LONG time before I’d have money to buy a sub, because otherwise those two alone don’t sound like they’d be able to rock good size parties with the bass I want.

I appreciate the suggestions, but most of these are simply too expensive.

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Keep looking for deals. EV is coming out with a new model the ZLX that is priced really well 399.00 for active 12’s. Not sure what will happen with the ELX line. Also check out RCF’s, about two years back I grabbed two 315’s for about 700.00 the pair as the new line was about to release. Got them on eBay. The 12’s were about 650.00 at the time and they are awesome sounding, very clear speakers. Def need a sub with them though.

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pair these with a sub.

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I own the K12’s and they are righteous. Best sound out of an active speaker that I’ve ever heard. I’d even consider the K10’s unless you’re doing a ton of mobile gigs.

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Well I’ve been looking for damn near months now, but if you’re positive those jbls really aren’t worth the price and I shoiuld keep hunting i will, it’s just hard not knowing a lot because you don’t know what you’re looking for>_<

Those ZLX’s look too good to be true… How could they be an entirely new model at 399.00 and still be decent?

I want to be able to play some pretty deep dubstep. And I just get the feeling two active 12"s no matter what brand won’t deliver that, and if I drop all my money on them, I probably won’t ever have money for a sub to go along, or at least not for a LONG time.

Those RCF’s on Ebay look great, and that would leave me with a pretty good chunk to spend on a sub. Can I really trust an ebay listing for a speaker? I feel like speakers randomly die out or have problems pretty frequently, would going with an ebay listing void me of any protection if they have problems?

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My buddy and I are in the process of buying active sound. We want to have a solid system that’s going to be good for most small to medium sized bars… and in turn using this as a spring board toward throwing shows of our own.

Right now he’s purchased a pair of the K12’s. They sound great on their own, and we’ve used them for monitors with another crew’s main setup. Just jamming at his place the quality is obscene. I’ve always love the sound of QSC, it just sounds so crisp compared to many competitors.

If you go through American Musical or Zzsounds.com (and they will pricematch if you find a lower price) you can do the 8 payment plan on them. Not too long ago they also had a 12 payment plan option.

My next investment most likely is going to be into a set of the KW153’s for myself. The 3 way speaker sounds excellent, and until I can purchase a pair of subs, is going to do well over this summer for outdoor stuff without a sub. I went to a house party last weekend and one of the guys had two of those setup in the backyard and a K12 as a monitor, and it sounded /good/. Now we didn’t crank it, it was in a residential area, but the sound was crisp through the entire backyard.

The plan is to eventually get subs within the next couple months as well. American Musical and Zzsounds.com both have those as well, and after doing my research and hearing a LOT of different active subs, I’m just going to stick with it and get the KW181’s. With that you can mount the speakers above the subs if you want/need, and it just all together not only sounds top of the line, but looks sharp as well.

I’d highly suggest the QSC sound. It sounds great, looks great, and honestly? You get what you pay for.

You can probably pair together a more powerful passive system… but there is a lot of extra work involved with that. It’s something that at least in my case I want to have a solid active system to use, and then in the future adding sound I plan on making the slow additions with passive stuff. But that’s a whole different game, pairing amps and drivers, that I’m just not interested in taking that plunge yet.

All in all, go with the QSC. You won’t be disappointed. You have different settings to use depending on what you have paired up with them, and the bass boost is decent until you’ll be able to pair them with a sub. You aren’t going to get that dubstep low end until you can pair them with at least one though, and that is something to consider. But I’m a big proponent of “buy once, buy right” and not having to sell and rebuy gear.

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definitely the QSC’s. They’re a completely different league as the EONs.

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I’m with this guy!

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one more thing…

the QSC branded tote bags and subwoofer cover are the icing on the cake. they give a more professional look when showing up to a gig, all the while protecting your investment.

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True!

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i own both an QSC all the way. me and my buddies did a comparison QSC is louder warmer and punchier than the JBL. The price is a few hundred less as well. just get the 15" for now and get a 18" sub later to fill in the space.

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QSC are great, but whatever you do you need to pair it with a decent sub since that would make the most difference. I would take slightly cheaper 12s like the RCFs haze linked with a matching sub over just getting the QSC tops if that’s your only option.

If you can find a pair locally the slightly older QSC HPR122is are great if not better but are a bit bigger and a lot heavier than the K series with the wood cabinets.