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Dave Rat takes apart D&B, L’Acoustics and MicroWedge Monitors

Ever wonder what is inside a world class pro monitor wedge? Take a look inside an EAW MicroWedge 15, L-Acoustics 115XT HiQ, and D & B M2.

This entry was posted on Friday, January 27th, 2012 at 9:14 am and is filed under Used Monitors. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.

23 Responses to “Dave Rat takes apart D&B, L’Acoustics and MicroWedge Monitors”

  1. @czeka2 Dave is a great guy (and a great mind), he has his own fan following, in addition to you techies, from the Chili Peppers world. We love Dave!

  2. @1956pepper Sometimes jus good, if a person, who works in pro audio field starts to use his mind and hels in the development.

  3. @www73171
    La’s rubber band is good, nut not enough. From their smaller products, like 108P it just comes off… but that is only a rubber ring. The 115 HiQ’s band is more stiff

  4. @LandRoverTeun
    I think the RM12 is better than RM15, and both are just not good. RM18 is a defferent story and the PSM12 is actually really good too…

  5. Also, the 15″ midbass from the L’Acoustics looks like a PHL driver (french-made, pricey).

  6. I’d like to see you get one of the K-Array Redline systems and take it apart. I wonder if it’s all that different from the Bose MA12 (except that the Bose uses ferrite-motor drivers, while the K-Array are neo). With the price of neo doing what it has been, I’ve been thinking about ways to most effectively use the alternative material out there, which would be ferrite.

  7. @www73171 I just watched the video again, and you’re absolutely right. Thanks for your reply.

    Totally different question; what do you think of Funktion One and Turbosound?

  8. @LandRoverTeun Actually it was the D&B that made the black marks. I was moving these around and it does not leave much room for mistaking where the marks were coming from. The rubber ring and MicroWedege feet did not leave marks.

  9. @mirceaciuciuc
    Thanks for your reply.

    You’re right that the M4 is the most logical choice for comparing, but that is just for being the same type of monitor (coax). The difference between 139,5dB and 140dB is negligible.

    What also would have been interesting, is comparing it with the Funktion One RM monitoring range.
    Those are resp. two-way (RM12&RM15) and three-way (RM18) coaxial monitors. Due the 5″ paper cone it is very clear sounding, not harsh, good for voice etc.
    In my opinion F1=best

  10. @LandRoverTeun
    Yes , you are right that he is pointing more in the L’acoustics.Also Dave you should have added the d&b M4 to compare as is has a 15 inch with a coax 1.3 inch compression driver mounted on 50X70 CD.The M2 can not be near those two as it has a different design.If it comes to specs the L’acoustics has a maximum of 139,5 dB and the M4 has 140 dB in active mode on a d&b D12.The weight is 28 Kg for L’acoustics while the M4 has only 20 Kg.In conclusion I think M4 has clear advantages.

  11. dude.. im so much like you…
    keep it coming great vid… this is the only way how we can make a more… wide decision..
    keep it coming bro….

  12. @dorinpetrean Ya know there is a MicroWedge 10 and MicroWedge 8 coming out soon as well and they are really small and quite loud,

  13. @www73171 uhhh, I have to listen Micro’s then. I’m looking for smallest wedges monitors as possible and very well balanced sound, proof made. I started with d&b, which are very nice but not as small as I want. Nexo was in my looking direction pretty small, high spl even at 2 or 3 meters very well balanced and tight sound. anyway i had to give a look to micro’s before I made my decision.

  14. @dorinpetrean I have not heard them yet. Nexo is pretty good at making good sounding, loud and small speaker products so I would expect it to sound pretty good. Since Nexo uses reflected sound for the high frequency to achieve the coverage pattern, my experience is that there are artifacts caused by that indirect sound that are less optimum than direct sound that the Microwedge offers.

  15. @www73171
    As you already said with this point “Why do these wedges have so much bottom-end? …”, that’s clearly, Dave rules!
    What about the sound? Did you compare this little boxes with MicroW?
    I hear them already and I just was amazed. I’m asking this because I didn’t have the chance to listen MicroW yet.

  16. @dorinpetrean I saw that they copied the “port to the floor” design that I came up with for the MicroWedge.

  17. some one or you guys from ratsound have a look at nexo 45°N-12 loudspeaker monitor?

  18. Really enjoyed the video, not often can one rip apart top model wedges in their dining room. One question though-you say a couple times that the 15″ on the microwedge acts as the horn-does that mean that the throat length vary with the excursion of the driver or is there a smaller horn hidden under the dust cap with the 15″ as a final flare? My rather limited understanding of horn design thinks that a throat of continually varying length would have continually varying tuning, yes? Cheers-PR

  19. @LandRoverTeun Nope, it was the D & B black paint. The L’Acoustics have rubber ‘bands around the ends that do well at preventing the paint from marking the floor.

  20. Ahhh, someone with real world experience, who talks the language from actual knowlege.Well done. Most know just enough to be dangerous and annoying,,, not here. thanks— well done demo

  21. @www73171
    Unbeliefable such prices. Have a look at the gbfb test

  22. @chazhs Rat Sound does not have Nexo gear and not familiar enough to give in depth opinions though.

  23. Hi Dave thanks for the informative video.

    Just out of interest, do you guys use any Nexo PS series as monitors or for fills? If so do you use their accompanying subs? I’ve got a couple of things I could do with your opinion on but it would do with you knowing the cabinets before hand!

    Cheers.

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