Knee-jerk DR250 review from first-time hearer

[Tim A]

Is hearer a word?

Anyway,

I set #1 up when I got it done and A/B'd it with my 12" mon/mains. This is a cabinet built by SoundStage Technologies, not a top brand, or even a known one. I bought them used along with a Crown amp for $300 and they've been my monitors every since. They sound ok and have held up well over the years.

At first I thought the DR's were midrange heavy, the 12's had more bass. But as I listened, I realized the problem wasn't a lack of bass on the DR's, it is a major midrange deficiency on the 12's.

As an example, the acoustic guitar in Fleetwood Mac's 'Go Your Own Way' is there using the 12's, but just barely. Through the DR's though, it is loud and clear. It jumps right out at you and sounds very real. The vocals pop too. I was really expecting the exact opposite due to the horn. I figured the mids would suffer, but they don't.

Bass response is good, plenty for kick, keys, and bass if we ever needed to. With recorded music they are a little light in the low end, they'd be better off with a subwoofer. But for live music they go low enough.

The second one was completed the next night. I wasn't sure what to expect regarding the bass extension phenomenon when coupling horns. I though it was one of those things where it does, but it's more of a 'spec'. BULL! It jumps up and smacks you in the face. The sum of the 2 cabinets together is greater than 1 + 1 by a long shot. They'll rumble a room when placed like that, and could probably handle a DJ gig with no sub.

The volume is absolutely unbelievable. I have to run the 12" about 15-20dB hotter to get them equal. At some point, the 12" just can't take it anymore. The DR keeps going though, to the point of pain if you want.

Overall sound is great. The bass driver and tweeter bank compliment each other, both where they should be and neither one overriding the other. For the most part I left the EQ dead flat for this trial run, and at this point I'm not sure I'll need to do a whole lot to them, although this is a small room and is not very live.

I have to admit, the single most impressive thing was the one I didn't expect: The clarity. These cabinets are so clear and articulate it's hard to describe. Every little nuance is there, stuff that is normally hidden in the cabinets I usually use. I would have never thought it possible to make cabinets that sound like this at home for the ridiculously low amount of $ involved. Sound like this is typically reserved for cabinets I can't afford.

All in all, I am very, very happy. They'll go to rehearsal Saturday for a shakedown cruise and to adjust the channel EQ's for the vocals. At that time I'll A/B them with our 15" trapezoid mains. More later!

[DJ Big Ronn]

Tim. when you listened to both of them, were they out to your sides, or one stacked on top of the other?

[Tim A]

Stacked. I understand the response will be different when placed out to the sides, that was just an observation from a first time listener.

[LelandCrooks]

Ijust keep tellin ya and tellin ya. Build 250's. There's nothing like them. You will not believe how good 4 will sound.

Now you know why it's all I talk about.

Pound for pound, dollar for dollar, it is hands down the best cab on the planet.

[Tim A]

Review, Phase II

To start with, let me say that my reviews are always going to be practical. There's not going to be any technical crap, no meters, no analyzers, nothing more than an amp, a board, a music source, and my opinion.

The reason for this is twofold. A) I don't have any of that stuff, and B) I don't really give a rat's fat ass what a meter says.

I am a musician, not a technician. I determine if equipment is good or not based on practical experience and (GASP!) my ears.

Any A/B comparisons will be with whatever I can get my hands on, usually a loner from a friend. It may be low end, mid-range or top drawer equipment. Why? Because in my world that's what people are using. In this case it was a $250 Fender 1-15 with dual element horn. Top line? Not by any stretch. But it is reality.

At first blush, it appeared the volume between the two cabinets was fairly equal, but after listening to them individually it was obvious the Fender had a fairly large spike in the upper mids that made it appear to be as loud. Clearly an audible illusion, those particular frequencies were the only ones that sounded as loud, everything else went to the DR.

The Fender sounded ok on it's own, but when compared to the DR that mid spike made it sound tinny and raspy. The DR was warmer and fuller with more presence throughout. The guys all commented how crisp it was, yet smooth. The Fender would've benefitted from some EQ'ing.

As much as I did NOT expect it to, the DR with it's little 10" driver had more bass than the 15". It was thumpin' like a mofo! My drummer liked putting his hands over the ports and feeling the vacuum, but then drummers are easily ammused! The DR ate the Fender for lunch in this respect.

Both cabs were the same width in the front (22"), both were the same depth (22"). The Fender is narrower at the rear, but taller than the DR by several inches. The DR weighs about 8-10lbs less.

I cranked them both until the Fender shouted for mercy. With the input just clipping and the amp cranked the Fender was at it's end. The DR stayed tight and full with just the smallest amount of distortion showing up in the piezos. There was probably distortion in the low end too, but I couldn't hear it.

The DR was the clear winner. It did everything better, including getting moved. They had to go up and down a set of basement stairs, and those who moved them were surprised at the weight.

So far, so good. I'm trying to hook up with a friend who has some 1-15 w/comp horn SoundTech's to do another A/B.