JBL PRX612M Reviews

Rocky Guarriello
from Rutherfordton, NC
March 5, 2013Music Background:
Professional musician, studio owner, and sound man.

Tight and clean

I have always been a JBL speaker fan, and these speakers represent what i used to expect from JBL. For a long time everyone was getting into the powered speaker market, and between the weight, the neutral tight musical sound, and the overall package I really like these. They are not glassy or too high ended. In Monitor mode they sound perfectly flat, and great for a monitor. In full range mode they sound even and tight, and punchy. They are my new main speaker for my small powered PA rig. On top of the Crown amp you can couple these up to a Driverack PA plus and this speaker model is optimized, and wow what a difference!

mike
from
December 8, 2012Music Background:
live sound engineer and guitarist singer

south of the south jbl prx 612

have been with the band now for years using mackie gear just upgraded to the compact reliable jbls and what and out standing clarity im comparison the jrx series are definatly the next step but for those that cant afford to spend thousands puttting together amplifiers and road cases na my gear now performs and can pack in the back of my wagon still in saying must match with the prx 618 xlf to really make the difference

John Zucco
from Hanson, MA
December 7, 2012Music Background:
Professional DJ & Musician

Best 12" Powered Speaker!!

I torture tested them all. The JBL PRX12M's blew everything else away and are awesome in a live situation. The truly amazing part is that they only weigh 34.5 lbs and easily fit in my Volvo Wagon. Goodbye mini-van! I have done large rooms with these speaker and they even put out a large amount of low end without a subwoofer. Add in a nice sub and you'll be in tears because it sounds so good. These are the ones you've been waiting for. All my DJ friends have gottten rid of their old speakers and bought these after hearing my set up.

C McCurdy
from
November 19, 2012

Own them and love them

Excellent buy! I'm a pro sound tech, big JBL fan. These are my mains and will totally blow you away. Great quality, great price.

Nathan
from Germany
October 2, 2012Music Background:
Worship Leader

Great Response From Low to High

I was debating between this cabinet and the QSC K12. The weight of this cabinet intially concerned me–I thought it was too light to be good, but after researching the weight savings, I felt confident that quality hadn't been compromised. This speaker actually has a thicker (poplar)wood enclosure than the heavier and much more expensive QSC KW12. Pulling the 612's out of the box, I immediately noticed how light they are. After connecting them to our Presonus Studio Live 24.4.2, I ran some CD tracks and couldn't get the signal to the speaker high enough. Then I remembered the mixer has an attenuation knob on the back for the main lines out. So I brought it to "0" and that gave me plenty of signal to the speakers. I couldn't believe how much punch these speakers give. I've gone with 15" cabinets for the last three systems I've bought and was a bit concerned that I would miss some of the low-end that 15" cabinets produce. To say I'm not disappointed would be a huge understatement. I'm debating whether I should connect the 18" sub to the system. The low-end is so tight and punchy. All this to say: as soon as I had the keyboardist do a sound check, I had to take one of the speakers back because of rattling. It sounded like vibration caused by a "blown" woofer. As soon as the tech hooked the speaker to his sound generator it made the vibration really violently around 100hz. So he took the grille off, sent the sound through the speaker again and...nothing. I then noticed that the wire that connects to the power indicating LED had a lot of slack. It turned out to be the problem. The slack was pressed against the woofer and "rattled" with the lower frequencies. It turned out to be a really easy fix. That aside, I'm really happy with the speakers.

AVS
from Michigan
September 4, 2012Music Background:
20 years in Event Technologies

Excellent Product!

Absolutely the flattest response in any powered speaker we have ever used. The coverage is very impressive as well as the quality of sound and build. Used for six events, all in challenging venues.
Wandering lavaliere mics, minimal processing, outstanding results.

Great Job JBL and Thanks Sweetwater!

James
from usa
February 26, 2012Music Background:
Live sound Engineer full time, Part time DJ Biss

Good not great

I have 4 of these that I run with 4 JBL srx718s subs(highrer end then XLF stuff) and a driverack pa+ through a yahama LS9. the system sound Really Good. I have experence with D and B, L acustis and basicly every other high end produc sold on this web sight. I have been running sound for 10 years...I can tell you for 100 "sure" Two of these with XLF subs did not sound beter then an 8 peice mayer ridg. if thay did the installer did not know what they were doing. Still this is a really good speeker for the money. they are relly light and sound great once eq ed corectly...I run at 102 db also and they really can do that...

Disco Johnny
from Sacramento, CA
July 11, 2011Music Background:
Live sound company, musisican in 7pc band

Excellent Improvement - Best in Class

I own 6 PRX 512M and they are great as monitors or coupled with PRX 718 subs. I just bought PRX 618 XLF and a couple of PRX 612Ms. The 612Ms are a vast improvement over 5 series. We have a smaller QSC KSUB and K10 system that does quite well. The K10 have way more bass than PRX 512M. BUT not the 612M! Sit down QSC!! Plus the JBLs don't rip your ears apart like the QSC K stsuff. BTW, QSC K10s sound better than K12 and are cheaper.

Way to go JBL! Who want's to buy my 512Ms??

Rick Birmingham
from New Paltz, NY USA
July 6, 2011Music Background:
Live Engineer, Guitarist, Arranger, Teacher, Keyboard Tech, etc forever..

Nice!

I "almost" wish the back panel of this didn't have so many options! Sounds great, no weird frequency spikes. The only complaint I have is the wedge doesn't seem to angle back quite enough for some monitor applications BUT that doesn't detract from it's amazing bang-for-your-buck...ness.

the professor
from nyc area
June 4, 2011Music Background:
pro musician

my final pick

For my Yamaha S-70XS, it came down to this speaker and the QSC K12. I felt this speaker had a tighter bass , more bass and it sounded great with the piano sounds. It is lightweight and easy to carry.
My only complaints are that is doesn't have a nice bag like the QSC and the warranty is not as good. The cover you can get doesn't fully cover the speaker at the bottom. There have been complaints about how reliable it is ..on the Net. But they may have fixed that issue. If you are nervous about it, go with the QSC K12. Both are better than any of the keyboard amps out there.

Marco Guarino
from Richmond, VA
April 4, 2011Music Background:
Live Sound Engineer, Sound Production Director, Technical Systems Director at Bethany Place Baptist.

Amazing Portable Touring Rig

WOW! Just installed last weekend two of these PRX 612M mains on top of two PRX618XLF Subs. Amazing results! This system fills a room that holds 1047 people in a huge church at 102db with all clarity, and TONS of thumping bass. There is a of high end extension, even at over 100 feet away at the back of the room, and the 12" woofer was better than getting a 15" woofer due to its size and ability to produce sound with quicker transients than having a larger woofer. The horn sounds amazing and doesnt distort barely at all even when being slightly overdriven. The XLF is the sub you want to get with these, not the regular PRX618S. It hits harder, lower, and is much more effective in most situations. I'll also say that the brains behind the room sounding so great is a DBX DriveRack PA+, crucial in dialing in Feedback problems and Room Phasing. All around, this turned out to be a great system installed, and its filling a room that took a 8 speaker Meyer Touring Rig to fill.

Raully D
from Bakersfield, Ca
April 1, 2011Music Background:
DJ over 25 yrs

Just Opened

Just wish they put a easier eq setup on the rear.

Christopher
from Greensboro, NC
March 2, 2011Music Background:
Live Sound

JBL PRX612

These speakers sound awesome and keep sounding awesome as they get loud, I also have two PRX618SXLF subs with them,and the built in crossovers work really well. I also have a dbx driverack px with them but I still sometimes just use the subs crossovers because they sound so good. I use a qsc kw system and think these sound better or just as good. They are well built and have a very rugged exterior. I highly recomend these speakers.

Brad Lawson
from Honolulu, HI USA
September 27, 2010Music Background:
Mobile DJ, Live Sound Engineer, Amateur Musician

Top-Notch Sound in a Lightweight Package

The JBL PRX612M is the latest and by far the greatest when it comes to portable, powered PA speakers. I recently purchased 2 of these and a PRX 618S subwoofer to match and I was blown away by the power, accuracy, and all around ease-of-use that this speaker affords me in almost any situation. From bass-heavy hip-hop to lighter acoustic sets, the PRX 612M handles almost any application with precision, even at the highest sound levels. While I did find myself clipping the 618S during one of my recent DJ sets, it was understandable considering the venue that I was trying to fill. However, when it came to the tops, I found that when I needed more volume, the 1000-watt 612M's always delivered. Additionally, unlike other powered speakers in the same wattage and price range, the 612M's weren't harsh at high sound-pressure levels.

I've also used the 612M's to reinforce a 7-piece band and I've found that the audience is always blown away at the clarity and punch that these speakers deliver. Even regulars at our shows noticed a difference when we upgraded to our current system.

In addition to superb sound quality and power to spare, the 612M's are also extremely light and easy to transport. Being a mobile DJ and the sound engineer for my band, I found these 34.5 pound speakers easy on the body, especially after a long show.

My one minor complaint about the PRX612M's (and the reason I gave them 4.5 stars instead of 5) is that they only have one handle, which makes them a bit awkward to carry. Other than that, I am extremely happy with my purchase and would recommend these speakers to anyone who needs a powerful yet lightweight PA solution.

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