ALTO TS212 vs FRFR wedges AXE FX III

B

Boston-Mike

Member
Hey guys, Ive been thinking about what is the easiest, cheapest, light weight and portable, stereo live setup I could use that will still sound killer and as close to FRFR as possible without spending 900+ a pc for CLR's or Xitones.

I have a new 28lb Xitone powered speaker and I admit it is awesome but, I also have a $250 powered Alto TS215 that weighs in at 30lbs and it also does a real good job.

So I was thinking maybe picking up (2) of the smaller Alto TS212 and run them in stereo. They are powered 1100 watts and only 28lbs.

Problem is I could not find any videos of anyone using this setup. I see a few just running a single speaker and its hard to judge.
And then I ask myself am I being to cheap .. I'm spending $2600 + on AXE FX III
am I defeating the purpose? am I crazy to run such a high end FX unit through the ALTO's ?

Does anyone here use Alto's with the AXE FX ?
 
Boston-Mike said:
Hey guys, Ive been thinking about what is the easiest, cheapest, light weight and portable, stereo live setup I could use that will still sound killer and as close to FRFR as possible without spending 900+ a pc for CLR's or Xitones.

I have a new 28lb Xitone powered speaker and I admit it is awesome but, I also have a $250 powered Alto TS215 that weighs in at 30lbs and it also does a real good job.

So I was thinking maybe picking up (2) of the smaller Alto TS212 and run them in stereo. They are powered 1100 watts and only 28lbs.

Problem is I could not find any videos of anyone using this setup. I see a few just running a single speaker and its hard to judge.
And then I ask myself am I being to cheap .. I'm spending $2600 + on AXE FX III
am I defeating the purpose? am I crazy to run such a high end FX unit through the ALTO's ?

Does anyone here use Alto's with the AXE FX ?
Click to expand...

I've never used the TS212, but it just might work for you if you already like your other Alto. Nothing wrong with that...go for it!

I used an Alto for a while for price and portability. To me it felt like driving a Maseratti with $75 all-season tires. It made no sense personally. But people like them and that's fine.

Then I got a CLR and everything clicked sound wise. Still not the most portable thing, so I found a smaller option, the DB FX8, which I love to use live.

There is no definitive right or wrong, just what makes sense for your budget and for your back
 
Well, I have three Alto TS212s - we use two for our mains, so I guess i could say I use them for my fractals all the time. At some venues they are paired with my drummer's sub, which fills in nicely for the kick and bass, fwiw.

I haven't set them both up at home, but I have used one as my monitor / amp with my AX8 before and it worked great once I got the placement right (too much bass in corner of the bar we were in).

As many have found, side by side comparisons are tough and of little use to others because of setup, mic/camera placement, etc. I did one with the Xitones and ASM12 - but should have thrown in the Alto there, sorry.

I guess I could try another attempt, but in general I can say that the Altos are perfectly fine speakers...in my experience the only other mains / PA i have used have been QSCs which kill 'em in comparison but only if you A-B. Your average guy/gal at a bar wouldn't be thinking anything was wrong.

So these are a lot of words to basically say the Alto's are fine, but I tend to stick with the Xitones if I need a cab behind me and want to convince myself it is a full amp/cab there. An alto behind me is the same as one in front of my - a good monitor. Not sure if that helps or makes sense.
 
FWIW... I've been using a pair of the the Alto TS 12 inch powered speakers with my Axe FXII for several years running. They have done the job at home and out at gigs as monitors, back line, and side fill applications... I've not been disappointed except for its hard to get over the fact that the much more expensive ( CLR,Xitone, RCF, etc...) have been getting major raves here on the forum forever. At the end of the day I think @ sskkmm makes a good point in the previous post regarding the average guy/gal in a bar listening and discerning a difference - especially in a full band mix and even further yet when connected to FOH PA where the sound guy takes over..
 
Jul said:
FWIW... I've been using a pair of the the Alto TS 12 inch powered speakers with my Axe FXII for several years running. They have done the job at home and out at gigs as monitors, back line, and side fill applications... I've not been disappointed except for its hard to get over the fact that the much more expensive ( CLR,Xitone, RCF, etc...) have been getting major raves here on the forum forever. At the end of the day I think @ sskkmm makes a good point in the previous post regarding the average guy/gal in a bar listening and discerning a difference - especially in a full band mix and even further yet when connected to FOH PA where the sound guy takes over..
Click to expand...

You are probably right about the average person but when you hear the difference between the Altos and a well designed FR solution it will be very evident at how much of a difference there is.

When using a hyped speaker for monitor duty it just seems to take a lot of wind out of your sail. Once you have tuned your presets for that monitor and then listened to what your presets really sound like through a good full range speaker. I have been down the budget road for quite a while so I know what the OP is up against.

I have a CLR and a Seismic Audio SAX12PW (poor mans CLR) and use them in a stereo setting, sound wise I would take the Seismic over the Altos anyday.
 
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sskkmm said:
Well, I have three Alto TS212s - we use two for our mains, so I guess i could say I use them for my fractals all the time. At some venues they are paired with my drummer's sub, which fills in nicely for the kick and bass, fwiw.

I haven't set them both up at home, but I have used one as my monitor / amp with my AX8 before and it worked great once I got the placement right (too much bass in corner of the bar we were in).

As many have found, side by side comparisons are tough and of little use to others because of setup, mic/camera placement, etc. I did one with the Xitones and ASM12 - but should have thrown in the Alto there, sorry.

I guess I could try another attempt, but in general I can say that the Altos are perfectly fine speakers...in my experience the only other mains / PA i have used have been QSCs which kill 'em in comparison but only if you A-B. Your average guy/gal at a bar wouldn't be thinking anything was wrong.

So these are a lot of words to basically say the Alto's are fine, but I tend to stick with the Xitones if I need a cab behind me and want to convince myself it is a full amp/cab there. An alto behind me is the same as one in front of my - a good monitor. Not sure if that helps or makes sense.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the info, that would be great if you could do a demo of the Altos !
 
Jul said:
FWIW... I've been using a pair of the the Alto TS 12 inch powered speakers with my Axe FXII for several years running. They have done the job at home and out at gigs as monitors, back line, and side fill applications... I've not been disappointed except for its hard to get over the fact that the much more expensive ( CLR,Xitone, RCF, etc...) have been getting major raves here on the forum forever. At the end of the day I think @ sskkmm makes a good point in the previous post regarding the average guy/gal in a bar listening and discerning a difference - especially in a full band mix and even further yet when connected to FOH PA where the sound guy takes over..
Click to expand...

As you can see from the replies I am getting, everyone has their own taste and valid points.
I guess for me, "my situation" typical cover band playing at small clubs.. I will be fine using the Altos.
I'll have to give them a try, worse case they don't work out- sell them, always people looking for good used PA speakers.
These clubs pay us crap anyway, tired lugging 10k in gear to a 500 gig and like some have mentioned the typical bar listener can't tell the difference anyway.
 
I bought some Alto's when I first got mx Axe-Fx back in 2013. I just couldn't get along with them and returned them and returned to my 100 watt halfstacks and the Axe-Fx collected dust for quite awhile. Did some research on FRFR's and tweaking lo and hi cuts in the cab block on the Axe-Fx and took a chance on some used XiTone's from the classified's section. Never looked back. Still have the XiTone's along with some CLR's and some Friedman's and sold all my amps and cabs.
 
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