paulg
12-04-2013, 11:47 PM
I bought a HK Audio Lucas Alpha this week for a knock down price - below £2450 - shop display but full warranty and a spotless piece of kit. It's been on test now for quite a few hours and then tested in a couple of venues so I thought I would post a few words because there are very few other reviews on the net for this particular kit - probably because these things were originally pushing £4K. I think Google will crawl reviews like this for general consumption so it might help someone?
Anyway, it was time for a change - I tend to change PA every 3 years or so - not because there is ever anything wrong with what I have but that's about the best time to sell to recoup as much initial outlay as possible and it means the new stuff will be warrantied. I fancied down sizing just a little but still wanted some oomph if I needed it. Rightly or wrongly I went for the HK Audio Lucas Alpha - mainly because I had the similar but older HK2000 a few years ago, and I loved it. It was also amazing how many people commented about that particular piece of kit.
So, onto the Alpha. It seems very solid and well made - the passive tops have 12 inch drivers with 1.25 inch horns (400w RMS rated / 129db SPL) and are made from 18mm plywood. The sub is also plywood with an 18 inch driver and 130 db SPL. The sub is amazingly compact bearing in mind all of the amps and the DDO system controller are also built into the housing. It has carry/lift handles on both sides and remarkably, on the top and bottom. The simplest of ideas can be such a bonus! Amplification is 400wx2 for the tops and 1200w for the sub.
After switching it on first time it confirmed something that I had suspected for years. Manufacturers quoted figures for PA sound output are hopeless to use for comparison purposes. My RCF kit had similar specs but knocked this thing for six. In fact, it knocked it for seven or, in the amplifier world, even eleven. Damn, I thought, a couple of grand wasted! I adjusted the mixer levels, the input levels, the gain on the amps but no, nothing improved - it ran into the limiters far too quickly. I think we have all been here where a purchase didn't turn out quite as useful as planned. I plonked myself down on my settee and stared blankly at the manual. I took another look at this 'dog' of a PA system but, nothing doing. Back to the settee for another sulk. Finally, I noticed the manual showed a little red switch and wondered if that was the problem. Worth a try I thought, so I duly switched it to position 2 (-6db instead of +4db). It's one of those switches where you aren't really sure if it's indicating on or off so with bated breath I moved the mixer sliders......... and it was even quieter. A lot quieter. RCF fans (like me) may now adopt a smug grin. Ripe, vile and sometimes violent language ensued and I even felt a touch of the vapours similar to those Fergie had when he got dumped out of the European Cup and didn't want to talk to anyone. I banged the mixer sliders right to the top hoping the PA might explode in a cartooon stylee. It didn't. But it did sound better so I added some gain and then a little more and a little more until....wow!!..that's loud. A quick check showed the limiters weren't active so I added even more gain. I kept doing this until my ears could stand no more in such a small room.
It then became clear that this is a serious bit of kit. Incredibly good output from tops that are bright enough to cut through the admittedly heavy bottom end. Although it has been on the market for six or seven years and it is not cutting edge technology, one thing is for sure - it is very, very loud and it also seems capable of throwing sound quite some distance so listening levels at the back of the room can be comfortable without the front being deafened. The DDO controller processes the sound output very nicely indeed so it always sounds as though something is in control. In fact, set everything to 12 o' clock and it sounds great in a big room. Do the same in a small room and it still sounds right. Amazing. In terms of performance, it isn't that far away from the HK Actor and those of you who use them will know what that means in terms of sound output. It is a big improvement on its predecessor the Lucas 2000 for clarity, output and balance.
It is hard to describe sound in words but 'cinema sound' isn't far off the mark. Can you imagine how that deep, gravely sounding bloke sounds when he does the film trailers at the cinema through the big dolby systems? - then he'd sound very similar through this bit of kit. So, unlike RCF's (where it's fair to say that what goes in to the speaker at the back comes out the front) the Alpha produces a very warm, deep and listenable sound that is ideal for disco's. At background music levels it is just as stunning as it is at very high SPL's with just the right amount bass, middle and top. I assume this is mainly due to the DDO processing because the speakers and drivers are nothing revolutionary or special. I am not sure how HK Audio do this, but many of their products do sound sweet at both low volumes or very high volumes. There are two DDO settings - CD (or disco) for pre-recorded music and a Live function that helps push vocals to the front of the mix. Both do exactly what it says on the tin. I've already used it for solo vocal performances in a very small venue and although its power could be completely OTT, at low levels it is absolutely stunning for backing tracks with vocals. I'm sure it will be as good at higher levels.
On the sub, it is nice to see speakon type mains connectors that won't get pulled out accidentally and castors are fitted as standard. On the tops, there is nothing fancy - just a plain black acoustic foam front to match the black painted plywood cabinets.
Now, onto the things I don't like. The sub unit is quite heavy at 56kg but I knew that before I bought it. It is no problem at all for me to lift it into the back of a van or onto a stage but a flight of steps are a challenge. Stairs are a no no without two people. On the plus side, the tops are very capable units on their own so I will get a small amp to run them where the sub is impractical or not needed. This is essential anyway because it would provide back up if the bass unit and in-built amps all failed together - a major disadvantage of this sort of set up. Just occasionally, I got the impression that the DDO controller was doing a little too much and the sound was more processed than I would like. The sub has an M20 thread in the top hat. Why??? Two locking casters on the sub would also have been useful for transit.
In summary, I'd recommend this if you are after a PA that is easy to use and set up and you want to deliver some big rig oomph where you need it or subtle sound where you don't. For sound output, it exceeded expectations. Most of the manufacturer db ratings, Db half space, calculated SPL's etc that you read mean very little but I can confirm that the Alpha is very loud, offers clarity and it performs well throughout its minimum and maximum range.
Anyway, it was time for a change - I tend to change PA every 3 years or so - not because there is ever anything wrong with what I have but that's about the best time to sell to recoup as much initial outlay as possible and it means the new stuff will be warrantied. I fancied down sizing just a little but still wanted some oomph if I needed it. Rightly or wrongly I went for the HK Audio Lucas Alpha - mainly because I had the similar but older HK2000 a few years ago, and I loved it. It was also amazing how many people commented about that particular piece of kit.
So, onto the Alpha. It seems very solid and well made - the passive tops have 12 inch drivers with 1.25 inch horns (400w RMS rated / 129db SPL) and are made from 18mm plywood. The sub is also plywood with an 18 inch driver and 130 db SPL. The sub is amazingly compact bearing in mind all of the amps and the DDO system controller are also built into the housing. It has carry/lift handles on both sides and remarkably, on the top and bottom. The simplest of ideas can be such a bonus! Amplification is 400wx2 for the tops and 1200w for the sub.
After switching it on first time it confirmed something that I had suspected for years. Manufacturers quoted figures for PA sound output are hopeless to use for comparison purposes. My RCF kit had similar specs but knocked this thing for six. In fact, it knocked it for seven or, in the amplifier world, even eleven. Damn, I thought, a couple of grand wasted! I adjusted the mixer levels, the input levels, the gain on the amps but no, nothing improved - it ran into the limiters far too quickly. I think we have all been here where a purchase didn't turn out quite as useful as planned. I plonked myself down on my settee and stared blankly at the manual. I took another look at this 'dog' of a PA system but, nothing doing. Back to the settee for another sulk. Finally, I noticed the manual showed a little red switch and wondered if that was the problem. Worth a try I thought, so I duly switched it to position 2 (-6db instead of +4db). It's one of those switches where you aren't really sure if it's indicating on or off so with bated breath I moved the mixer sliders......... and it was even quieter. A lot quieter. RCF fans (like me) may now adopt a smug grin. Ripe, vile and sometimes violent language ensued and I even felt a touch of the vapours similar to those Fergie had when he got dumped out of the European Cup and didn't want to talk to anyone. I banged the mixer sliders right to the top hoping the PA might explode in a cartooon stylee. It didn't. But it did sound better so I added some gain and then a little more and a little more until....wow!!..that's loud. A quick check showed the limiters weren't active so I added even more gain. I kept doing this until my ears could stand no more in such a small room.
It then became clear that this is a serious bit of kit. Incredibly good output from tops that are bright enough to cut through the admittedly heavy bottom end. Although it has been on the market for six or seven years and it is not cutting edge technology, one thing is for sure - it is very, very loud and it also seems capable of throwing sound quite some distance so listening levels at the back of the room can be comfortable without the front being deafened. The DDO controller processes the sound output very nicely indeed so it always sounds as though something is in control. In fact, set everything to 12 o' clock and it sounds great in a big room. Do the same in a small room and it still sounds right. Amazing. In terms of performance, it isn't that far away from the HK Actor and those of you who use them will know what that means in terms of sound output. It is a big improvement on its predecessor the Lucas 2000 for clarity, output and balance.
It is hard to describe sound in words but 'cinema sound' isn't far off the mark. Can you imagine how that deep, gravely sounding bloke sounds when he does the film trailers at the cinema through the big dolby systems? - then he'd sound very similar through this bit of kit. So, unlike RCF's (where it's fair to say that what goes in to the speaker at the back comes out the front) the Alpha produces a very warm, deep and listenable sound that is ideal for disco's. At background music levels it is just as stunning as it is at very high SPL's with just the right amount bass, middle and top. I assume this is mainly due to the DDO processing because the speakers and drivers are nothing revolutionary or special. I am not sure how HK Audio do this, but many of their products do sound sweet at both low volumes or very high volumes. There are two DDO settings - CD (or disco) for pre-recorded music and a Live function that helps push vocals to the front of the mix. Both do exactly what it says on the tin. I've already used it for solo vocal performances in a very small venue and although its power could be completely OTT, at low levels it is absolutely stunning for backing tracks with vocals. I'm sure it will be as good at higher levels.
On the sub, it is nice to see speakon type mains connectors that won't get pulled out accidentally and castors are fitted as standard. On the tops, there is nothing fancy - just a plain black acoustic foam front to match the black painted plywood cabinets.
Now, onto the things I don't like. The sub unit is quite heavy at 56kg but I knew that before I bought it. It is no problem at all for me to lift it into the back of a van or onto a stage but a flight of steps are a challenge. Stairs are a no no without two people. On the plus side, the tops are very capable units on their own so I will get a small amp to run them where the sub is impractical or not needed. This is essential anyway because it would provide back up if the bass unit and in-built amps all failed together - a major disadvantage of this sort of set up. Just occasionally, I got the impression that the DDO controller was doing a little too much and the sound was more processed than I would like. The sub has an M20 thread in the top hat. Why??? Two locking casters on the sub would also have been useful for transit.
In summary, I'd recommend this if you are after a PA that is easy to use and set up and you want to deliver some big rig oomph where you need it or subtle sound where you don't. For sound output, it exceeded expectations. Most of the manufacturer db ratings, Db half space, calculated SPL's etc that you read mean very little but I can confirm that the Alpha is very loud, offers clarity and it performs well throughout its minimum and maximum range.