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FRFR Speakers for the Helix.


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Hi!

 

So I'm about to buy an Helix Rack, that I'm gonna use live and at rehearsals with my "modern metal" band (Architects, BMTH, Deftones type of sound..).

I'm looking for the best FRFR speaker I could get for this usage between 300€ to maximum 400€. I already looked for the Mackie Thump15, Headrush 112 and ALTO speakers, and heard good and bad things about these but struggle to find good feedbacks from users with a similar situation/need.

What would you recommend? Any help would be appreciated!

 

ps: also, what would be the most suited speaker diameter? 10, 12 or 15"?

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No way to tell by the style of music you play. I have a HR FRFR112 and think it sounds great. I use it for guitar and bass, hard rock/blues. The Alto TS312 is identical except that the Alto has mic preamps. I've heard that the Mackies are very bottom heavy, you might like it. If you get a PA type speaker, put it on a short pole. Especially in this price range (no DSP), it makes a big difference in clarity to have it up off the floor. As for speaker diameter, bigger speakers move more air. Beyond that, there are no absolutes. Compare some at performance levels and decide which size you like best, YMMV, etc.

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To be honest I'm not sure the style of music you play is a major influence on the type of FRFR speaker that will work well for it.  It will either give you an accurate representation or it won't.  The degree of accuracy can become more of an issue if you cover a wide range of styles which draws some of us to the more expensive options to get a better representation, for example, between a typical rock/blues sound and a finger picked acoustic sound or a clean electric hybrid picked sound.  I would say that I wholeheartedly agree with rd2rk that getting the lower end FRFRs up off the ground on a pole will definitely deliver a much more honest representation given that most of the lower end units don't really have any DSP options for effectively overcoming bass coupling when used in a floor monitor arrangement for example.  It also has the side benefit of better projection and coverage when not using a PA for the instruments.

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Does your band use a FOH (i think so....) ?

The simplier would to go direct into the mixer from your Helix Rack. This is the way i used it. I had a Yamaha DBR10 at home to tweak my sounds and at rehearsals and gigs, i just had to come with a guitar and the Helix....

The main problem was that we have Berhingers speakers and there was a sound difference between what i've worked on at home and what i heared with the band (there's the room volume and the other instruments too...). THe best way, would be to choose the same model....

 

I don't think the 15" is a good choice only for a guitar (it'll be heavier too), except that, you'll find a huge choice of models that will correspond to your needs between 150€ and 400€....

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I play similar music (or at least similar enough; deathcore & mathcore). I have used Mackie Thump 12s for the past 4 years and they work well, but I recently upgraded to EV ZLX12P speakers and I feel like they're much clearer sounding and a little louder if need be. I use one for rehearsal and shows were there is a decent PA system, and two for places without much PA support. I think they're about $400/each new. When I use one its on a pole about head height (or at least below the tweeters on the mains speakers) and when I use two I have one on the pole and one on the floor in wedge position at the base of the pole. I tried the Altos and the cheaper JBLs and they did not hold up well with a de-tuned guitar.

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So I just got the Helix and absolutely loving it. I think I'm gonna give the Mackie Thump 12A a try (on a pole), I can always return it if I don't like it.

 

@SteveFrance Yeah that's what we're planning to do live. We just started and didn't played live yet, and we don't have a good rehearsal room yet. I still want to have a FRFR for this reason, or even if we happen to play a super small venue with no/lollipop PA. And for rockin' at home too!

 

Thanks everyone for your time and kind advices, you've been really helpful, looks like a great community.

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Have to agree with others here. I use a pair of EV ZLX-12P's in my setup with a Helix floor, a JTV-69, and other guitars and they sound great. Plenty of punch, DSP capability to fine tune your setup, and very clear and accurate. They list for around $400 US.

 

Bottom line is that most FRFR's sound good after you put some time in fine tuning everything. The EV's were not ok out of the box but after a few gigs and some offline work I have them where I like them. It comes down to your personal taste and how you want to sound in the end.

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10 minutes ago, artbraun said:

. The EV's were not ok out of the box but after a few gigs and some offline work I have them where I like them. It comes down to your personal taste and how you want to sound in the end.

Just out of curiosity, what did you have to do to fine-tune them? I selected the preset for my positions (pole and floor) and they were pretty much giving me a louder, slightly beefier version of my studio monitor tones. Wondering if I'm missing anything that might make them even better.

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I made adjustments to the Mode setting (Music, Live, Speech, Club), Location as you note (set for how I configure my setup (pole mounted on two stands), and of course the EQ settings.

 

Mode and EQ can obviously make a difference. I go between Live and Club depending upon the venue we play. And of course EQ depends on venue and your personal taste. I usually have one of the guys in the band or our sound guy listen out front while I make the final tweaks during sound check.

 

Hope this helps.

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