Lution
Inspired
I've owned the RCF for a little over a month. I really like it. It seems very accurate to me and is very loud. It also has a nice hi-fi character to it. Clean and smooth sounding. I really do like this cab, but I'm looking at some of the other wood cabs just to make sure I'm not missing out on something.
I received my JBL yesterday and have put both through their paces last night and through the day today.
~NOTE~ I noticed last night that the JBL was slightly damaged either in shipping or somewhere else. One of the corners on the bottom of the speaker cab took a blow or a drop and cracked the line-x finish and went all the way into the wood cab. So this one was going back to where I bought it regardless of the outcome. The box and cushioning that the JBL comes in is VERY minimal. I think due to their Greenedge label on these speakers. The only cushioning on both the top and the bottom inside the box is a 3-ply sheet of cardboard. So, if you guys are looking at buying one of these, inspect your speaker all-around and perhaps try to buy locally.
Right off the bat, I noticed that the JBL sounded warmer than the RCF. I also noticed that the JBL speaker broke up earlier than the RCF so the RCF could actually handle more SPL than the JBL. The JBL was a bit harsher on the high-end. The RCF was smoother on the high end. As I switched to one of my Uberschall patches and turned them both up, the JBL sound broke apart sooner and flubbed out and the RCF stayed together further up on the volume. Other folks have commented on the monitor angle of the JBL. It is about at 30 degrees or so. Not sure what JBL was thinking when they designed it that way. I guess my knees aren't complaining. . . they can hear it just fine. My ears, however had to be about 6-8 feet away from the monitor before they were hearing the whole sound.
JBL PRX612M
Pros:
Warm sounding and pretty well balanced sound - nice wood cab
Quiet
Good pricepoint for a wood cab
Light and easy to carry
Cons:
A bit harsh on the top end - nothing that a little EQing couldn't fix
Breaks up/flubs out fairly soon on the SPL level - it is loud at that point
Flimsy shipping carton - be careful to inspect your speaker if you buy these.
Monitor angle is about 30 degrees.
RCF ART 312-A
Pros:
Well balanced and fairly accurate
Hi-fi sounding - can be a good and a bad thing
Able to handle a very high SPL before speaker break-up and/or Flubbing out
Very affordably priced
Fairly easy to carry. Heavier than the JBL, but still reasonably weighted
Cons:
Not as warm as the JBL - Plastic Cab
Hi-fi sounding - can be a good or a bad thing
Had a just a touch more hiss than the JBL. Not really a bad thing, that JBL was very quiet
The winner, in my opinion, the RCF.
But I'll be ordering the Mackie HD1221 next. Something about the warmth I experienced with the JBL tells me that a wood cab might be the sound I'm personally after. I wish I could put the guts of my RCF into a wood cab. Others' mileages may vary, of course. We're all are on this trip together and getting our own sounds as we go.
Thanks
-Robbie
I received my JBL yesterday and have put both through their paces last night and through the day today.
~NOTE~ I noticed last night that the JBL was slightly damaged either in shipping or somewhere else. One of the corners on the bottom of the speaker cab took a blow or a drop and cracked the line-x finish and went all the way into the wood cab. So this one was going back to where I bought it regardless of the outcome. The box and cushioning that the JBL comes in is VERY minimal. I think due to their Greenedge label on these speakers. The only cushioning on both the top and the bottom inside the box is a 3-ply sheet of cardboard. So, if you guys are looking at buying one of these, inspect your speaker all-around and perhaps try to buy locally.
Right off the bat, I noticed that the JBL sounded warmer than the RCF. I also noticed that the JBL speaker broke up earlier than the RCF so the RCF could actually handle more SPL than the JBL. The JBL was a bit harsher on the high-end. The RCF was smoother on the high end. As I switched to one of my Uberschall patches and turned them both up, the JBL sound broke apart sooner and flubbed out and the RCF stayed together further up on the volume. Other folks have commented on the monitor angle of the JBL. It is about at 30 degrees or so. Not sure what JBL was thinking when they designed it that way. I guess my knees aren't complaining. . . they can hear it just fine. My ears, however had to be about 6-8 feet away from the monitor before they were hearing the whole sound.
JBL PRX612M
Pros:
Warm sounding and pretty well balanced sound - nice wood cab
Quiet
Good pricepoint for a wood cab
Light and easy to carry
Cons:
A bit harsh on the top end - nothing that a little EQing couldn't fix
Breaks up/flubs out fairly soon on the SPL level - it is loud at that point
Flimsy shipping carton - be careful to inspect your speaker if you buy these.
Monitor angle is about 30 degrees.
RCF ART 312-A
Pros:
Well balanced and fairly accurate
Hi-fi sounding - can be a good and a bad thing
Able to handle a very high SPL before speaker break-up and/or Flubbing out
Very affordably priced
Fairly easy to carry. Heavier than the JBL, but still reasonably weighted
Cons:
Not as warm as the JBL - Plastic Cab
Hi-fi sounding - can be a good or a bad thing
Had a just a touch more hiss than the JBL. Not really a bad thing, that JBL was very quiet
The winner, in my opinion, the RCF.
But I'll be ordering the Mackie HD1221 next. Something about the warmth I experienced with the JBL tells me that a wood cab might be the sound I'm personally after. I wish I could put the guts of my RCF into a wood cab. Others' mileages may vary, of course. We're all are on this trip together and getting our own sounds as we go.
Thanks
-Robbie
Last edited: