skidder652003 Posted April 8, 2016 Share Posted April 8, 2016 Sorry, slightly Geeky question here! Does anyone know the difference between these two speakers? I believe the Mk 1's were made in Italy as opposed to the Mk3 which are made in China? Different drivers? Neo vs ferrite? The reason being Ive seen some second hand mk1's for sale at only £150 less than a new pair of MK 3's at Thomman. We desperately need to upgrade our speakers as we get constant complaints that the punters can't hear our singer (although I think thats a bit of a blessing) Thanks chaps Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alec Posted April 8, 2016 Share Posted April 8, 2016 (edited) Here are the specs, straight from the horse's mouth: Art 312-A (original): [url="http://www.rcf.it/products/pro-speaker-systems/art-series/art-312-a"]http://www.rcf.it/pr...eries/art-312-a[/url] Art 312-A Mk III: [url="http://www.rcf.it/products/pro-speaker-systems/art-series/art-312-a-mk-iii"]http://www.rcf.it/pr...rt-312-a-mk-iii[/url] Without delving into them in detail, the originals were heavier and slightly less potent. Having been through a few ART systems over the years, I'd advise going for something newer, as the original 312s are quite an old design by now. Not sure quite how cheap your pair on offer is but... Things you could think about (which all have higher peak output than the 312s): Art 722 - phenomenal output. Plus, with the larger HF driver, they do a way better job on vocals than the 1" driver (they are to the 712 what the 322 was to the 312) - which would help you in your situtation. Quite pricey, though if you're near Preston, there's a pair on ebay for £700. I have a pair that I spent too much on, but they sound fantastic. Art 710 - don't write these off. I've got some of these, and they hold up well to even the old Art 325s I had for a while. Brilliant bottom end extension, and only 11kg if you get the original version. A pair on ebay for £710. Very portable - and sound much better than they have any right to. I frequently put these into action on foldback duty - if they can cope with Bad Manners' horn section, as they did the other week, then they can cope with almost anything) Yamaha DXR12 - these receive much love, and sound great, though I haven't played too much with them. A pair new for £850 from Bonners Edited April 8, 2016 by Alec Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Dare Posted April 8, 2016 Share Posted April 8, 2016 Good advice from Alec. I had a pair of mk 1s. They needed a bit of driving - at least 300w a side to give their best. Heavy but decent sounding and tough. Better bass response than EVs. Sold them as bought a lightweight PA. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alec Posted April 9, 2016 Share Posted April 9, 2016 The 312As are active, so they drive themselves, and have suitably rated amplification (presume you were looking at the rather rarer passive versions). But yes, with PA as with bass gear, things have moved on so much in the last few years that you don't have to put up with heavy/big/poor sounding any more. Light, compact, fantastic sounding gear is now well within reach. Which makes me superbly happy - it's a great time to be putting together bass or PA kit! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JTUK Posted April 10, 2016 Share Posted April 10, 2016 I'd go for the Mklll as I think the active element would be better... The good/bad thing about RCF 1" horn is that it can be pretty harsh... which means it is going to cut thru and benefit the vox... but you don't want to be standing right in line at a short distance. That is what I meant by harsh... I'd say RCF are right up there for bang for buck... The 2" is a lot smooher... and the larger horn..(not 2") from QSC tends to make them the cab to measure against...along with the warranty. But QSC and RCF would be my shoot-out Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ghost_Bass Posted April 11, 2016 Share Posted April 11, 2016 My PA is RCF. I had a pair of ART 312A MKII but one of them developed a fault and we had to replace it and now have an MKIII on it's place so i can compare both at the same time. MKIII's are lighter, produce the same great tone and a bit louder. Can't speak for the MKI's though. We're in the process of selling the remaining MKII to get another MKIII to pair with the other one. I don't have any sound issues using both live, i just have to turn the MKIII's volume down a couple of notches. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sunburstjazz1967 Posted April 11, 2016 Share Posted April 11, 2016 I've got 735s dig deep and get some, you won't regret it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alec Posted April 12, 2016 Share Posted April 12, 2016 The 300 line is a pretty old design, albeit slightly pimped in its latest guise. Price/performance improvements have been pretty bountiful in the last few years, which mean that some of the good more modern kit is just fantastic in comparison. Fine to get the older stuff if there's a really sizeable discount on contemporary gear. But if the difference in price isn't too much, get some newer better stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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