Karaoke Forums

Help me decide. I am putting together a second rig for private parties, weddings, birthdays, etc. My first rig is in a permanent installation at the club where I do 3 nights of karaoke.

Already have all components I need for the second rig. Just trying to decide between the QSC K series or Bose Speakers.

Pros & Cons: Price: Pair of QSC with sub - $2,650. Pair of Bose towers with 2 Bass module - $3,400 (tonematch not included). QSC – Heavy. Bose – very lightweight (don’t know about Bass punch).

I have heard & read great great reviews about Bose L1 and how they can easily “trounce” the competition on the clearest sound & fidelity but these reviews are coming from DJ’s and mostly Bands. I have yet to hear reviews for karaoke/vocal application. Need your input or advice.

I take many of those reviews with a grain of salt as Bose is (in my opinion) a "Tiffany" brand with a price tag to match. You are paying a lot of extra money for the name/perceived prestige.

IMHO you're way better of with the QSC setup. A lot of sound, relatively light weight and perfect for Karaoke/DJ. You won't believe the sound you get out of these babies.

Thanks, Bazza & Sevarin. Pretty good so far. QSC-2. Bose - 0.

I'm using QSC HPR122i with 151i sub at the club. Excellent sound but heavy. K series are much lighter, but I don't know if they will sound equal if not better than the 122i's.

Add my vote to the QSC. I have heard the Bose - even used a system in my show for a week, can't understand what the hype is, the sound was not full, and did not fill the club. Granted I was only using the $2500 system with 2 poles & one sub. I suppose if I wanted to double that price I could have got a tolerable sound, but am happy with a standard PA setup.

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Forgot to paste the link:

For QSC K12: http://www.qscaudio.com/products/speakers/k_series/

For Bose: http://www.bose.com/controller?url=/sho ... /index.jsp

Thanks for the input/advice.

I've sung on the Bose quite a few times and in my opinion it's not the best for Karaoke. My Electrovoice speakers sound way better and put out a lot more. I have the passive Sx100, Sx300 and a pair of Zx1s.

A pair of EV Zx1s with a pair of Sb122 subs costs around $1,400 add a mixer and amp, about $600 and foraround $2,000 you get a lightweight, compact, easy to set up system that sounds great.

You can get a pair of Zx5 passive speakers for around $1,600 and get away in many situations without using a sub. Add a mixer and amp for around $600 and you have a system that will blow a Bose into oblivion for around $2,200.

Like Lonman I also don't understand the fascination for the Bose.

I've heard the QSC K series and they sound good, roughly comparable to my Electrovoice speakers, the K 8 may be a bit more powerful than the Zx1.

For most bars and small to medium places up to around 4,000 square feet a pair of K Series tops with the K sub should be plenty. There are less expensive and good powered subs out there like the Yorkville LS720P. I've read tons of positive comments about the K Series tops. Just about everyone who has bought them is very satisfied from what I've read.

my dad has the L1 at home for fun. him and my stepmom sing into it with karaoke. and she uses it with organ for church practice. they are not super happy, although it is pretty good for them. I tried it and we turned it up pretty far and sometimes it would rattle when sang into loudly. at lower volumes it was pretty good. my dad has said he wished he would have got my setup (10" pa 15" sub). he was trying to save space, but has said the space saving is not worth the loss in musical quality. I heard one at a coffee shop doing a small live show and it sounded pretty good though....but it wasn't karaoke and it wasn't crazy loud..... we are not experts by they way, so take all this with a grain of salt.

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I heard a 4 BASS MODULE Bose system at a wedding last month, Dj is a friend and he kept going on and on about how great it sounded.

It did sound good, but it was not loud and he did not get any great reviews for the sound. I did hear some wanting him to bump it and I think he was...

WAY OVERPRICED, and not for the those that like it loud(in my limited experience).


QSC all the way, I think the K12 weighs about the same as the assembled Bose tower. And the Ksub might be equal to two bass modules. So total weight should be comparable.

If you go with k12s, you might be able to do some gigs without a sub. If you want even lighter go k10s and two Ksubs to mix in as needed.

QSC - 6 / Bose - 0

This is a no brainer. QSC won hands down. My mind is made up. I definitely will buy a pair of QSC K12 & 1 Ksub. Thanks for this discussion forum. Were if not from your expertise and advice I probably end up buying the Bose and be sorry for it, not to mention the hassle of returning it back. Thanks again, guys! My appreciation.

Honestly, the Ksub is a great product for kick drum reinforcement, and it is largely useless below 50Hz. That's fine if it does what you need, and it says something about how junky the Bose stuff is.

If you are also using your PA for "dance music" I would consider other options before committing to the Ksub, but it is simple and light-weight. These are compelling advantages for many satisfied Ksub owners.

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Jeff Wheeler, moonlight DJ/KJ

check out this topic I started a few months ago. it has some hard to find smaller subs you may not have thought about, mostly european made. really good thread.


http://www.karaoke-forum.com/viewtopic.php?t=19044&highlight=

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[glow=red]Yo sucka, we need this hea CHOPTER, and we need it now![/glow]

The QSC setup is nowhere near low enough for the hip-hop style of music but it absolutely rocks for Karaoke. I also have a QSC HPR18i/ Yamaha S115C setup used for hard core club music engagements. I used to store the setup at the club and we lost our storage area. Instead of transporting those heavy cabs, amp and sub I picked up the QSC setup.

I use the K-12/Ksub setup for a medium size room and it rocks for Karaoke. Volume is great and the sub has plenty enough thump for the venue and style.

Get the QSC setup. You'll love it.

I have both, Bose is great for background music on a patio or something like that.

The QSC's will blow them away. In a few weeks they are releasing K-series that are wood vs plastic, I'd wait for them and go with a 18" instead of the K-Sub it's kinda weak.

If you go with the 18 then you're going to need an external crossover. I tried the K-12s with the HPR18i and the crossover point is much lower than the Ksub. You're going to have a hole in the frequencies if you do that.

I personally don't mind the slightly higher floor because you get a full sound. The Ksub punches and the HRP18 rumbles. If you're looking for bottom that low you're going to need 15" tops IMO.

Your mileage may vary of course.

What I am using now is the QSC 151i sub with HPR 122i. Doesn't seem like there's enough bass. I wonder how the K12 sub will perform with the 122i tops.

QSC 151i sub is 15" woof at 700w. K12 is dual 12" woofs at 1,000w

I'd opt for an 18" myself to replace the 15.

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Thanks Lonnie. Sub 18's would be great. I'm sure it will pump. But.... factor to consider is weight. QSC 18's weigh 127 lbs (ugh). What I have right now is QSC 15's at 98lbs. QSC K12 is much lighter at 74lbs. The K12 with dual 12's is what I am considering purchasing to replace my 15's. Still waiting for some positive inputs regarding this sub, though. Thanks again.

If you aren't happy with the KSub's LF performance, the HPR151i will not make you any happier, and the HPR181i is not much better.

Unfortunately, there are very few good, mid-level powered subwoofers that are efficient at a low enough frequency to make them useful for "dance music," or full-range bass guitar. It's a new market segment. If you want some other options, take a look at the JBL PRX718S or wait for some folks to get experience with the new PRX618S-XLF box, or spend significantly more money on a tour-class powered subwoofer (of which there are many excellent options that cost $2000+.)

Powered sub options on this level are getting better by leaps and bounds, but if you want more than a "kick drum sub," almost all the sub-$1000 products out there are not going to make you happy. The few that will are pretty new.

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Jeff Wheeler, moonlight DJ/KJ

All i'm getting at is listen to them before you buy (if possible). I've heard the Ksub & IMO didn't sound any better than a cheaper 15" sub. If that is your goal, you may be VERY disappointed. Sometimes a little extra 'back' work is actually worth the extra sound you will recieve/offer!

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