Tapco Thump TH-15A Vs. W-Audio active speakers

[jamie.t294]

Hi,
I am looking for a new pair of speakers and I have narrowed it down to three speakers
1. Tapco Thump TH-15A
2. W-Audio PSR15A
3. W-Audio PSR12A

My first question is which one should i choose the tapco thump or the w-audio and my second question is, which W-Audio speaker?

My budget is £400 and the PSR15A would slighty push this budget so thats why I am aksing whether it is worth getting them over the PSR12A's. Also I have limited space in the car.

Also I have heard that the Tapco's can fill a medium-large venue with 150-200 with ease but I dont understand how you can get this with 200wrms per speaker!?!

Thanks very much,

Jamie

[Tony Scott]

Hi,
I am looking for a new pair of speakers and I have narrowed it down to three speakers
1. Tapco Thump TH-15A
2. W-Audio PSR15A
3. W-Audio PSR12A

My first question is which one should i choose the tapco thump or the w-audio and my second question is, which W-Audio speaker?

My budget is £400 and the PSR15A would slighty push this budget so thats why I am aksing whether it is worth getting them over the PSR12A's. Also I have limited space in the car.

Also I have heard that the Tapco's can fill a medium-large venue with 150-200 with ease but I dont understand how you can get this with 200wrms per speaker!?!
Thanks very much,

Jamie

Check out the SPL, how many db for 1watt@1mtr specification.

I would guess the Tapco have a higher SPL than the W-audio??

[Totally Plucked]

Jamie,
Sorry to pee on your parade, I have heard the Tapco thump and was not overally impressed. It would definatley struggle as you state its only 150 watt rms.

You may laugh but the Active Skytech range (JBL Copies) will urinate all over it and its 400 watt R.m.s.
Was talking to Grahaeme (Soundshop) and he reckons these are well built and very underatted

[Tony Scott]

Jamie,
Sorry to pee on your parade, I have heard the Tapco thump and was not overally impressed. It would definatley struggle as you state its only 150 watt rms.

You may laugh but the Active Skytech range (JBL Copies) will urinate all over it and its 400 watt R.m.s.
Was talking to Grahaeme (Soundshop) and he reckons these are well built and very underatted

Take back my SPL comments, just checked out the Tapco Thump spec and on paper it's PANTS! :( 116db MAX output, I could fart louder!! :D

The w-audio15" has a 128db max.

[deltic]

w-audio speakers are fantastic value for money and pack a fair punch
the only downside they are quite heavy

[jamie.t294]

Jamie,
Sorry to pee on your parade, I have heard the Tapco thump and was not overally impressed. It would definatley struggle as you state its only 150 watt rms.

You may laugh but the Active Skytech range (JBL Copies) will urinate all over it and its 400 watt R.m.s.
Was talking to Grahaeme (Soundshop) and he reckons these are well built and very underatted

Thanks very much for telling me! I would hate to buy them and then find this out!!!! I will have a look at the skytech range!


Take back my SPL comments, just checked out the Tapco Thump spec and on paper it's PANTS! 116db MAX output, I could fart louder!!

Hi Tony,

So does that mean the w-audio looks rubbish as well? I already think that I have decided not to go for the Tapco's!

[Sapphire Disco]

These may be worth a look.

http://www.disco-world.co.uk/speakers/soundforce-15-active-speakers-pair-/prod_259.html

Price seems good but not sure what db output is.

[Tony Scott]

Hi Tony,

So does that mean the w-audio looks rubbish as well? I already think that I have decided not to go for the Tapco's!

With a Max spl of 128db the w-audio is quite respectable, they should be plenty loud enough. I've never heard them so don't know how good they sound but I know a few DJ's who rate them highly. :)

[flatliners]

sure tom has some fortissimo active speakers in dj bids

[nigelwright7557]

Hi,
I am looking for a new pair of speakers and I have narrowed it down to three speakersAlso I have heard that the Tapco's can fill a medium-large venue with 150-200 with ease but I dont understand how you can get this with 200wrms per speaker!?!

Thanks very much,

Jamie

You could buy 2 Eminence 15 inch speakers for a hundred quid and build your own cabs for another hundred.

I built my own 18 inch cabs with a Fane 600WRMS and a Emincence sigma pro 650WRMS for £200ish each.

[Penfold42]

You could buy 2 Eminence 15 inch speakers for a hundred quid and build your own cabs for another hundred.

I built my own 18 inch cabs with a Fane 600WRMS and a Emincence sigma pro 650WRMS for £200ish each.

Have you ever thought he don't want too make his own?.......as the OP stated.....I've narrowed it down too 3.....:confused:

[nigelwright7557]

Have you ever thought he don't want too make his own?.......as the OP stated.....I've narrowed it down too 3.....:confused:

Well he has 4 options now.
Nothing like expanding your choice ! :bang:

[Bouncy Dancefloor]

i have a pair of the Warrior PSR12A's

my only thoughts are WOW, £400ish for a pair of 350RMS cabs, and it is genuine 350w too, they are loud. When i first got them i like to make the lights flash, just to know where my limits are, my ears started to hurt (and the bass on 3/4) before i could get them to flash the red light. Since then, not seen a single red light, never had to push them too hard. They are fairly weighty, but great that they include bags, they are cool bags too that enable you to access everything important whilst still in the bag (for outdoor use - note not waterproof, but handy to zip up if the rain comes)

Sound quality? Very nice

the Skytec ones mentioned, unless there are other ones out there, i had a demo of some 250W 15" ones, sounded good, not as loud as the warriors, but one of them smelt of burning and then switched off and smoke poured out the top, from new, this put me off them, much to the salesmans dismay lol

[Tony Scott]

........the Skytec ones mentioned...........

.....one of them smelt of burning and then switched off and smoke poured out the top, from new, this put me off them, much to the salesmans dismay lol

No you fool, that's the patented smoke machine module, it's an extra but worth the money! :D :D

[Corabar Steve]

You could buy 2 Eminence 15 inch speakers for a hundred quid and build your own cabs for another hundred.

I built my own 18 inch cabs with a Fane 600WRMS and a Emincence sigma pro 650WRMS for £200ish each.


Well he has 4 options now.
Nothing like expanding your choice ! :bang:

Shame that it's totally irrelevant to this thread as the OP wanted a comparison between the ones he mentioned.

We all know you build your own kit, we all know you bought a dodgy CD player off eBay. Do us all a favour & change the tune!

[Bouncy Dancefloor]

No you fool, that's the patented smoke machine module, it's an extra but worth the money! :D :D

ah its a FEATURE!!

bad bad salesman for not bringing that to my attention lol

[Cj_The_Dj]

Tapco Thump TH-15A
The're made by mackie so you'll ive love'm or hate'm

but there not bad, iIcant coment on the other ones.

[welby]

I use a pair of W-Audio PSR15A and I think they are brill.

Yes they are a bit heavy, but they are so versatile and they certainly pack a punch when needed.

A recent customer stated "how good my sound was".

These are well made speakers are are great value for money and are very well made and the build quality is excellent.

As an owner and user I would recommend these any day!

[Totally Plucked]

As its been well discussed before a lot of it is down to 'badge snobbery'
With over 28 yrs experience I have used just about everything over the years from Peavey, Carlsboro, Ohm, Bose etc to Class d & Skytec

And yes the class d's and the newer range of Skytec do a pretty fine job !!

[welby]

As its been well discussed before a lot of it is down to 'badge snobbery'

Most of us would love to own a Rolls Royce or something similar, but the bottom line is buy to suit your pocket and your intended audience. They are not gonna give two hoots what speaker system you have.

All they care about is that you sound good without any hiss and pops, and that you play good music, together with a nice humourous banter to go with it.

Job done! Simplistic approach I know, but I'm fast learning! :)

[pagan_flame]

Last night I was tucked in the corner of a HUGE room while a band got the stage... Xmas biker party at the bottom of the M11, they were the WORST covers band I have heard for years, but of course duly deafened everybody while playing.

So (to the point) - I took in my Tapco Thump's to beef up the usual rig (Mackie SRM 450's and single dB Tech sub 15), expecting the aforementioned band deafness syndrome from the audience - I only had one 'turrnipp upp' complainant and she was over the other side of the room by the bar!

Very lightweight, they do what it says on the front (i.e. Thump!), can be happily cranked past the '12 O'clock' volume setting that the Mackies like / recommend.

They are good for small room / audience, and as a backup / reinforcement (as I use them) but for a main playout set you need a bit more power.

Used and recommended, however. :D

[DJS]

I have used both Skytec and now Tapco, and the Tapco's for what i need sound great and have a great build quality, which can kind of be expected considering their made by Mackie.
Skytec are a cheapy option, and you get what you pay for.
-mine broke.

Scott.

[Totally Plucked]

Totally Disagree with Scotts above post.
Had a pair of Tapco thumps and was bitterly dissapointed with them, so sold them and bought a pair of DB 400 Basic's (Active 12's) in my honest opinion much much better than the Thumps, BUT and a BIG but at that I bought a pair of active skytec 15's for one of my other shows and was so suprised at the sound of these I ended up selling the DB's, and we are now running 3 pairs of these on various shows and are unbeatable for the money. Too many people tend to still stick with the unreliability feature that was all to evident on some of their early 'El Cheapo' products. Yes I suppose anything with in a certain budget range will always have questionable performance, just look at the Class D debate that has gone on here on the forum, BUT I can honestly speak from experience we run 3 pairs of these skytec's with great performance and reliability second to none.

[Spirits High]

With a Max spl of 128db the w-audio is quite respectable, they should be plenty loud enough. I've never heard them so don't know how good they sound but I know a few DJ's who rate them highly. :)


I use a pair of W-Audio PSR15A and I think they are brill.

Yes they are a bit heavy, but they are so versatile and they certainly pack a punch when needed.

A recent customer stated "how good my sound was".

These are well made speakers are are great value for money and are very well made and the build quality is excellent.

As an owner and user I would recommend these any day!

I've got a pair of PSR15As and they are great, highly recommended.

You'll get used to the weight :D :D

[jamie.t294]

Thanks very much for everyone who has helped out. I think i am defnitely going to go for a pair of w-audio's in fairness. At one point I was going to leave it for a couple of months but now I am fairly convinced and will go and get them at the weekend. If you look back at my original post, you will see that i said psr 12's or psr 15's. Personally I would prefer to go with the 12's just because they are smaller, but what suffers? Sound quality?

If there anything particularly different about them or is it only the 50watts rms per speaker for the extra 3 inches?


Thanks!!!

[Corabar Steve]

Might be an idea to check their SPLs as well. In all honesty 50wRMS isn't goint to make a hell of a lot of difference.

[jamie.t294]

Might be an idea to check their SPLs as well. In all honesty 50wRMS isn't goint to make a hell of a lot of difference.

will the bass be that different? I have heard some 15" speakers are dramatically punchier when it comes to bass

[Corabar Steve]

Quite possibly. I think your best bet will be to find a dealer & listen to both the 12 & 15 inch versions

[TonyB]

Difference will almost definitely be the bass, I've got the PSR12's as I always use bass bins but have used them on their own once for a wedding where the guests were all pretty young. They wanted some house played and I had it maxed out and the bass turned up a bit and to be fair it was pretty deafening but they asked for more bass!

PSR15's should be better for the bottom end if you don't want to use bass bins.

[jamie.t294]

Difference will almost definitely be the bass, I've got the PSR12's as I always use bass bins but have used them on their own once for a wedding where the guests were all pretty young. They wanted some house played and I had it maxed out and the bass turned up a bit and to be fair it was pretty deafening but they asked for more bass!

PSR15's should be better for the bottom end if you don't want to use bass bins.

Well I'll have a look in my car and see if the 15's will fit. If not then I will have to sacrifice the bass a bit!!!!!!

[Totally Plucked]

Would definatley try all ways to make the 15's fit in !!

[spin mobile disco]

Will be able to add to this thread later with any luck. I have just ordered a pair of the new Tapco thump speakers. I have a lot of upstairs gigs this coming year so thought iwould opt for a lighter alternative to my usual amp / speaker combo. I will give a better review later. Worst comes to the worst I can remove the amp mosules and swap for my spare db amp modules and ugrade the drivers. But for a £400 outlay for a powered speaker im not expecting much above average. As long as they sound ok i can always run my sub with it.

[spin mobile disco]

Well just got my new speakers, took them down to my local hotel and tested them out in the main room. Im pretty impressed to be honest. They are lighter than my passive speakers and are still active. I cranked them up to just on the clipping light while testing and they were pretty loud and kept their punchy bass right up to the limit.
Mic cut over it fine as well. Should be fine for smaller parties on their own but would require reinforcing for larger gatherings. As they have quite good bass anyway im not sure of the best way to reinforce them. A sub will only add to the lower frequency but not sure if the 100 watt tweeter would be able to match it.
Anyone used the tapco's with a sub before and what did they think?