I know there have been a number of threads talking individually about the K12s, K10 and K8s. I am trying to decide between the K8s and the K10s. I am hoping the K8s would be able to handle keys only (Motif ES and Electro 3) in a 4 piece band in small to medium rooms. Specifically concerned about the bass response. Has anyone had the chance to compare the K8s and K10s at a decent volume? My local music store only carries the 8s and 12s……

Thanks in advance.

The K10's sound much more like the 12's then they sound like the 8's.
Well worth the few extra pounds and cash. You can also wedge them unlike the 8's.
Bass response is actually quite good on all of them. It's the midrange that cleans up a bit on the 10's & 12's. At least that is what my ears hear.

Just did a bunch of K8-10-12 comparison listening and took K8 and K10 out to test with my keyboard. If you play a lot of solo-duo-trio gigs I'd definitely go with the 10. I didn't hear much of the midrange clean-up redkey reports, but there is more clean bass extension in the 10, and he is right on with the wedge option making it a bit more versatile.

I'd go with the 8s in a band situation though, for a cleaner mix with kick drum and bass, particularly on stage. The 8 shaved just enough off for my situation.

I plan on using them with a band. Overall was there a huge difference betwen the 8s and the 10s?

No, not a huge difference, just more low end on the 10s, and a bit more apparent volume. 8s are lighter and cheaper. Nothing the matter with either model; the 8 just works better in my individual situation. In a band context, I might opt for speaker stands to get either up to ear level.

Reidmc,

So you have the K8s and are happy with them so far?

I've selected the 8s over the other QSC options, but am auditioning Motion Sound amps, and thanks to another poster, a Roland AC-90 before I buy. (For most of what I will be doing, real stereo samples would be nice, and I don't have the budget for two QSC boxes, plus stands, covers, cart et al.) In fairness, I think most folks on this forum would favor the 10s, as they are only $50-75 more at most dealers. But the 8s tighten up my stage sound, and both lighter and cheaper are plusses in my situation. I took the 8 and 10s out from a dealer who allows a 14 day return if you bring them back clean in the original packing/box etc. Do something like that and your choice should be pretty clear.

Well said; that's a good summary on my position; I'm very happy with my 2 K8's on stands in a rock band situation (using them for either stage monitoring for larger rooms or for FOH for small to medium rooms.

If bass response is needed, I flip the Boost setting on and it gives me enough for the smaller duo gigs that I've done.

i've got a K10, because i use it as a floor monitor, i couldn't do that with a K8, i did like the bass extension on the K12, but size and weight are an issue for me, so the K10's are the best of both worlds.

I just got off the phone with my Sweetwater sales engineer, and he said he just bought himself a pair of 12s. He said when QSC first brought these in, they thought, okay these sound good. Later, they set up the QSCs vs. all the other powered speakers they have and everyone agreed the QSCs blew everything else away. He said it made the others sound like a 50s TV speaker in comparison. He said they sounded about as good as studio monitors instead of PAs.

The trick between the larger and smaller ones is the dispersion, where the larger ones have smaller dispersion than the smaller ones. To fill a small room or space, the smaller ones are better to a point. It's an interesting design approach, that's for sure.

Damn you guys for giving me GAS. I have more boat anchors, erm, keyboard amps than I need or want, and now I want one of these.

I really have to audition the K series ASAP. Everything I've read and heard make these boxes sound like Bose killers.

Somehow the term "sales engineer" never sounded quite right to me.

Now that you bring it up and made me think about it, I'm not crazy about it either. I went to college to study engineering, spent time studying while friends were partying (the engineering students who partied that much didn't get far, so it wasn't just me), etc. It's another example of the overuse of the the word "engineer."

Now I'll have to ignore it every time Sweetwater uses it.

Thanks Tom.

Beer?

Yeah, I had heard it all when they started calling the trash collector a waste management engineer.

No offense to anyone hear that picks up after others but no differential equations were involved in training to dispose of refuse.

I wonder how soon before a WME comes across working speakers tossed out in favor of a new pair of Bose killers.

I love my K12s....if I take a leslie, I only use one K12, and it's pretty loud and clean! A pair is fantastic.

Having auditioned both the 12s and the 8s at a local music store, I can tell you that this is an exaggeration. Yes, the QSCs sound very good. They may even be best-in-class among the various 12" powered PA speakers offered today. (Indeed, I certainly preferred them to the EV SxA360s, even though the salesman at Chuck Levin's far prefers the EVs, thus proving yet again that these things are a matter of personal taste.) But, do they sound like good studio monitors? Nope. Not in my view.

That Sweetwater "sales engineer" must've been trying to sell you something....literally.

Noah

Would you let a sales engineer design the least distance between two points?

http://www.rubegoldberg.com/

This is SO true.

At (THE) Ohio State University when I was studying engineering, you could sit on the quad and pick out the school that students were in by their look. Examples:

Black clothes, black and pink hair, combat boots, silver crosses on big chains = art students.

Perfectly coiffed, heavily made up, conservatively dressed = music students.

Shirtless, always cutting class to play frisbee with dogs wearing neck scarves = business majors.

Jeans and tshirts, gloomy look on the face, hunched over under the weight of a 100 lb back pack = engineering students.

I am a "Sales Engineer", however I DO have an Engineering Degree, and work in Sales. I doubt if the guys at Sweetwater have Engineering degrees.

The biggest question for the Sales Engineer is "Are you an Engineer who sells, or do you Engineer the sale?"

But in fairness to Sweetwater, I have to say that their salespeople do a better job at leaving the "BS" out of the equation when giving out info on the products they sell. If you do your homework prior to calling around its quite evident when you start calling to purchase equiptment. They get to the facts, while others seem to rely on hype.

Well I broke down and bought a pair of the K8s today. So now I can compare the K8s and the EVs in the comfort of my studio. I will provide a review after my gig tomorrow night if I decide to use the K8s live....

Can't wait to read it.

+1

Hey KeyMoe!

We're waiting...!!

I think I got the K12's and started the 1st thread on the subject... Now, I've had the K12's since they came out and I have some observations:
1. Generally nice sounding and warm... a bit too warm..
2. To get them flat you need to cut frequencies at 160 - 400 hz, and 2K - 3K as well....
3. Plastic boxes still suck compared to wood.
4. They are light.
5. I would like to see them have Neutrik power connecors which daisy chain.
6. They are not as loud as their power specs would indicate.
7. To get a better sound would probably cost a lot more and be significantly heavier.

All told, the QSC 'K' line is a good compromise... Not pro level (Meyer, JBL VP7212MDP, etc..) but then again it is 1/4 their cost (or less!)

Noah, I agree with you, but it's not that that much of an exaggeration. They are remarkably smooth. I'll put it this way: my EONs live in the gigmobile, but if I had the QSCs, I think I would make the effort to bring them in when I wasn't gigging...

OT: I played a church in Frederick Maryland last week. Beautiful town. Is that near you?

Reidmc, what was the outcome of your comparison of QSC K8, Roland AC90, and motion sound?

With some good input from fellow KCers I eliminated the AC 90. . .not quite enough quality volume for my application, and some issues with using all the capabilities of the amp in stereo.

Still trying to find a KP-200 to demo.

Per earlier post, I would buy a pair of K 8s if the budget allowed. (K 10s if I wanted a touch more low end.)

Yes, that's interesting. The K10 goes louder and deeper than the K8, but it's dispersion isn't as wide (90 degrees conical vs. 105 degrees, at -6dB), so ther's actually a trade-off (besides the obvious ones of size/weight/price). And if one were going to be using a subwoofer (and thereby engaging the HPF in the K8 or K10) the bass response difference between the two would be moot as well.

I wonder, though, if the wider dispersion of the K8 -- and the conical dispersion of the whole series (meaning greater vertical dispersion than Eons, Mackies, and the like) -- might have a downside. Any thoughts about whether they may be more susceptible to feedback, by making it easier for HF to be picked up by vocal mics toward the front of the stage? Does that require a little more careful placement?

That's a good point. I was also wondering if they would have a shorter throw than, let's say my JBL Eon's, due to the wider dispersion??

Well there's always the exceptions.

wdl If you're not getting more than enough volume out of any of the K series then there is a gain issue somewhere. Have you tried adjusting the output of what ever set of Keys that you have plugged into them? I just ran sound for a band that uses a set of K12's and a set of K-subs for front of house. The room was about 24x40 and I had the place rocking. They are some pretty ballsy boxes as far as output. I carry a couple of Peavey PV 8 mixers in a trunk that I use for mixing boards and more importantly setting gains before feeding my main console. The output of boards differs immensly. I know people will question Peavey but they are built like a tank, work very good, and are about $90 street price. Doesn't matter what small mixer you use. I just find they work and last.

I felt the K8s alone sounded a bit stressed under higher volumes. At moderate volumes, they sounded very good. In my opinion not quite as good as my EVs, but certainly in the same class. The EVs sounded a bit smoother where the K8s were just a very slight bit harsher.

WDL, I quoted your entire post because I think they are all great points.

When I used the K12's for monitors, they had a bit too much bass. However, I now think that I should have flipped the switch on the back to lessen the bass - and I didn't. By putting them on their sides on the floor, that accentuated the bass (too much).

Now - my question is: Are the K10 the sweet spot for monitoring keyboards?

I must compromise in the weight / size areas. Wood boxes are preferred, but plastic is lighter.

Sweetwater sells the K10, but I have not seen them in town.

Any comments on the K10's for overall balance of sound when used as keyboard monitors?

Thanks,

Tom

I haven't heard the 10's, but they should solve some of the boomier aspects of the 12's. I just think that the resonance of plastic boxes creates this artifact. So maybe the 10's will just end up as a thinner sounding boom than the 12's.

Well the K8s are going back and I am sticking with the EVs. While the K8s sounded great at low/mid volumes, when pushed they tended to sound a bit stressed and the amplifiers were a bit noisey. Ordered a Yamaha S70 XS instead.

Hmm - first hit for the K series.

I had been tending towards a pair of 8s, but the flexibility and presumably better low end, of the 10s has it for me. They're a mite heavier than the EON10s I've been lugging about but I might be able to get away with just one for a lot of work.

Still loving my K8s for mid to low volume jazz gigs and as stereo keyboard monitors for rock gigs.

Not too far. About 30 minutes north of where I live.

Frederick is a nice town (at least the downtown area), and the broader area has undergone transformational growth in the past 20 years. I love taking my kids up there to see the minor league baseball team (the Frederick Keys of the Carolina League). It's a MUCH more family friendly atmosphere than going to Nationals game, and there's actually a remote chance of seeing the Keys win (unlike the Nats).

Noah