Is QSC worth the price?

So I will preface this with the fact that I am new and learning the "DJ Ropes". I have a few guys working with me to help me get myself into the business and on my way. I will be mostly looking to do weddings, parties, and events. Max crowd size would be 200-250 people in reception halls, and maybe backyard settings (private birthday parties, etc). I have been working in the wedding industry for a couple of years now, so I've had the opportunity to observe several wedding dj's with various setups. Until recently, I believed I needed a pair of 15's and maybe 1 12" for cocktail hours in separate rooms, or something like that. I've heard various speakers by Yamaha, JBL, Mackie, and recently, QSC. I will say, the setup that I was most impressed with, that sounded the best (in my opinion) was the QSC's. The setup was 2 K12's, each on top of a KW181 sub. I just felt like they had the best quality of sound, clarity, and a decent amount of low end bass.

I'm in the market for my first set of speakers, and I'd rather spend a little more and buy once, than to get something and be disappointed or need to upgrade in 6 months. I was first leaning towards two EON 615's with two 618 subs, but after hearing the QSC's, I'm not sure I'd be happy with the JBL setup. From what I've been reading online and in youtube reviews, the K12's can hang with the 615's without much issue.

Again, the setup I am now considering is 2 - QSC K12.2's, each on top of a KW181 sub.


So, since maybe some of you may have experience with one or the other, or both.... I have a few questions....

1. Do I need 15's for mobile DJ'ing, or would good 12's be sufficient?
2. The QSC setup is close to double the cost of the JBL setup. Is it worth it? (to MY ears, I thought it was...) I'm not trying to be cheap, I know it's a big investment, but I want to do it right the first time.

Any other advice or suggestions are greatly appreciated.

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Originally Posted by LittleTreeGuy

1. Do I need 15's for mobile DJ'ing, or would good 12's be sufficient?

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You're going to always be using at least 1 sub so no 15" tops are not needed unless you want to make the same mistake that nearly every other DJ makes when they buy their first speakers.

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Originally Posted by LittleTreeGuy

2. The QSC setup is close to double the cost of the JBL setup. Is it worth it? (to MY ears, I thought it was...) I'm not trying to be cheap, I know it's a big investment, but I want to do it right the first time.

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You are comparing apples to oranges, the QSC K series is equivalent to a PRX800 and both of those are probably a couple steps up from EON's, and yes they do sound better.

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Originally Posted by LittleTreeGuy

Any other advice or suggestions are greatly appreciated.

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Yes there are lots of good choices out there now, the K.2 series are new but the KW181 is a bit old now and is outclassed by some of the new boxes. You should consider Yamaha DXR's and the EV EKX series as well as the JBL PRX800 series, these are all at the same class level and are very comparable, I own a bunch of the EV boxes and they have been 100% reliable. This is a great gear level to start with too, you would outgrow the EONs pretty quickly but if you spend the money to get PRX/EKX/DXR level speakers you probably won't ever need an upgrade unless you get into significantly bigger events.

I'll back Paul up on the EV gear. Great stuff and it's what I use. I'm 47 years into the sound business.