QSC extends K and E Series with new subs and a full range speaker
3 new products from QSC drop the bass at NAMM 2017
QSC K Cardioid Subwoofer · Source: qsc.com
QSC E215 Loudspeaker · Source: qsc.com
QSC E218SW Subwoofer · Source: qsc.com
QSC, perhaps more associated with solutions for larger venues, are introducing three new products for smaller locations at NAMM next week that extend their K and E Series. The products represent some interesting new angles for QSC, offering solutions to their customers that haven’t been available before. Their active K Series receives its first K Cardioid sub, while the E Series adds a dual 18″ sub and single very tall, full-range speaker.
QSC K Cardioid Subwoofer
The K Series have been out for a few years now, and yet every time I come across one of these boxes in the wild I am quite surprised at their performance considering their price. This new addition should prove very useful for most applications where a system of this size is required. Normally, cardioid subs are associated with larger rigs, but here QSC present a solution suitable for smaller events.
Inside the K Cardioid Sub are dual 12″ long-excursion drivers, each arranged in a 6th order bandpass chamber. The result – according to QSC – is 15 dB more output at the front of the cabinet than at the rear, which is quite impressive. Just as the other K Series, these new cardioid subs are powered by a 1,000 Watt Class D amplifier using their DSP technology. The practicality of these new subs demonstrate traits of larger touring rigs and potentially more useful than the existing K Subs. For example, there are two M20 sockets for 35mm speaker poles in either vertical or horizontal orientation. They also sport aluminium handles and four rear-mounted casters for easy loading.
QSC E215 and E218SW
Extending QSC’s point-source passive system range to 6 models are the E215 and E218SW. The E218SW is the largest sub in the E Series with dual 18″ drivers. It’s rated with a max power handling of 1800W continuous (6400W peak). This results in 132 dB Max SPL and will deliver the goods down to 32 Hz @ -10 dB. These are very good specifications, so a larger option included in the E Series is welcome, but it doesn’t appear to be the most compact dual 18″ sub on the market.
The E215 is am interesting design, though, which we are starting to see from other manufacturers. I expect we will see more of them this year. The E215 has dual 15″ low range drivers and a 1.4″ tweeter. Arranged in a tower, the units are quite tall but the result is a full-range response down to 40Hz. These provide a new solution to those who want full-range sound without additional boxes. Rated at 1200W continuous (4800W peak) and with a 75 degree coverage, these should be a very neat solution.
More Information
The K Cardioid subwoofer has a recommended retail price of 1,399 USD, which seems very fair and in-line with the rest of the K Series. The K Cardioid Sub should be available in the first half of 2017. The E218SW and E215 will have recommended retail prices of 1,199 USD and 999 USD respectively. It will be interesting to see how amp and speaker packages for the E215 add up. These new E Series models will be available in the Spring.
For more information about the K Cardioid Subwoofer visit this webpage.
For more information about the E Series and the new additions visit this webpage.
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One response to “QSC extends K and E Series with new subs and a full range speaker”
Nice that QSC finally realized that a vertically oriented dual 12″ sub with a pole mounted speaker atop is a recipe for the stack falling over….