DanGuitarMan
Inspired
I recently picked up the dB Technologies Flexsys FM8, and I’m a fan.
There are a lot of 8” coax monitors, but not very many of them are powered. I was fortunate enough to do a gig at the Rainbow Room a few months ago, and everyone had their own dB FM8...sounded fantastic! First time I'd ever come across one.
I have a CLR, which I love and tend to compare everything against. In a perfect world, the CLR would be my go-to every gig, but now I tend to use it more for designing sounds and playing larger stages once in a while. I take the train a lot and also walk to my rehearsal space weekly. Portability is really important to me, and I always felt that I had to suffer through sub-par sound to achieve that. Not so much these days.
Pros
Portable - lighter than a QSC K8.2 (22 lbs vs 27 lbs) and almost the same size as an Alto TX8 (11" x 11" x 16”)
Affordable - costs $225 less than the QSC K8.2
Intelligible - the thing sounds consistent sound no matter where you stick your head
Flexible - two monitoring angles, pole mount, and built in DSP for using with vocals, instruments, or playback
Good looking - perfect shape and no ugly wires sticking out of the back
Cons
Can only push moderate volume levels (117db)
Small size makes it sound a wee bit stiff in the low end - everything’s a trade off
Ok, so that’s my rave review and I’m sticking to it
Are there any other powered 8” coax monitors floating out there in the ether?
Update:
The FM8 is a bit on the warm side. It's a net positive thing to me, because nothing gets my goat or grinds my gears like hyped treble. Sits very well in a band setting and feels natural.
There are a lot of 8” coax monitors, but not very many of them are powered. I was fortunate enough to do a gig at the Rainbow Room a few months ago, and everyone had their own dB FM8...sounded fantastic! First time I'd ever come across one.
I have a CLR, which I love and tend to compare everything against. In a perfect world, the CLR would be my go-to every gig, but now I tend to use it more for designing sounds and playing larger stages once in a while. I take the train a lot and also walk to my rehearsal space weekly. Portability is really important to me, and I always felt that I had to suffer through sub-par sound to achieve that. Not so much these days.
Pros
Portable - lighter than a QSC K8.2 (22 lbs vs 27 lbs) and almost the same size as an Alto TX8 (11" x 11" x 16”)
Affordable - costs $225 less than the QSC K8.2
Intelligible - the thing sounds consistent sound no matter where you stick your head
Flexible - two monitoring angles, pole mount, and built in DSP for using with vocals, instruments, or playback
Good looking - perfect shape and no ugly wires sticking out of the back
Cons
Can only push moderate volume levels (117db)
Small size makes it sound a wee bit stiff in the low end - everything’s a trade off
Ok, so that’s my rave review and I’m sticking to it
Are there any other powered 8” coax monitors floating out there in the ether?
Update:
The FM8 is a bit on the warm side. It's a net positive thing to me, because nothing gets my goat or grinds my gears like hyped treble. Sits very well in a band setting and feels natural.
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