FBT X-PRO 112A

[Hamster]

Hi. Time to replace the tops for my band and I was recommended to have a look at these.

 

Seems a good deal with a 5 year warranty?

 

Is anyone using these and can comment?
 

Cheers

[Phil Starr]

No direct experience with this model but I quite like what FBT are offering. It’s nice to get a wooden cab at this price. If you are looking at this the RCF 912 is around the same price and has a similar spec. Definitely worth a look as well. Generally speaking I’d say RCF are the ones to beat at the moment, both make fantastic speakers. I think @skidder652003 was using FBT’s when I saw his band in Sidmouth a few years back but that may be a false memory.

[Al Krow]

11 minutes ago, Phil Starr said:

No direct experience with this model but I quite like what FBT are offering. It’s nice to get a wooden cab at this price. If you are looking at this the RCF 912 is around the same price and has a similar spec. Definitely worth a look as well. Generally speaking I’d say RCF are the ones to beat at the moment, both make fantastic speakers. I think @skidder652003 was using FBT’s when I saw his band in Sidmouth a few years back but that may be a false memory.

 

Again no experience with FBTs, sorry, but I can vouch Phil's comment that the RCF 912As are good, and maybe worth adding to your shortlist if they are comparably priced? I was really happy with the sound we were getting at our last couple of pub gigs, fulsome low end without needing a sub. (Very short clip here to give you an idea of how they were sounding on Saturday night, recorded on our singer's phone).

[skidder652003]

8 hours ago, Phil Starr said:

No direct experience with this model but I quite like what FBT are offering. It’s nice to get a wooden cab at this price. If you are looking at this the RCF 912 is around the same price and has a similar spec. Definitely worth a look as well. Generally speaking I’d say RCF are the ones to beat at the moment, both make fantastic speakers. I think @skidder652003 was using FBT’s when I saw his band in Sidmouth a few years back but that may be a false memory.

They were the House PA and they did sound great.

We use RCF's as our PA and they have also been fantastic

 

[Phil Starr]

1 hour ago, skidder652003 said:

They were the House PA and they did sound great.

We use RCF's as our PA and they have also been fantastic

 

Hi Steve, thanks for that, they did sound great. Hope all is good with you 😀

[Al Krow]

1 hour ago, skidder652003 said:

They were the House PA and they did sound great.

We use RCF's as our PA and they have also been fantastic

 

Apologies to the OP for the RCF fanboi thread derail! But...which RCFs are you guys using?

[stevie]

I've had a look at the published specs of the RCF 912 and the FBT and they're fairly similar. Both bass drivers have 2.5" coils - so they're what you'd call 300W cabs in a non-hyped world. The RCF has a pressed steel chassis and ceramic magnet and I reckon the FBT is the same - otherwise they would mention it. This is budget PA, not high-end.

 

The FBT compression driver has a 1.4" coil, while the RCF has a 1.75" coil, which puts the RCF ahead on points. However, the horn is likely to make more of a difference than the HF units. RCF horns are normally excellent; I can't comment on the FBT horn, as I can't find any photos.

 

The kicker for me is that the FBT has a plywood cabinet, as @Phil Starr has pointed out. I can't stand the "boxy" sound of plastic cabs personally.

 

It looks like they're close. Price and weight are similar. The five-year warranty is another plus point for the FBT. I can't see any downsides for either cabs at the price, although the proof is always in the pudding.

Edited 1 hour ago by stevie

[Al Krow]

34 minutes ago, stevie said:

I've had a look at the published specs of the RCF 912 and the FBT and they're fairly similar. Both bass drivers have 2.5" coils - so they're what you'd call 300W cabs in a non-hyped world. The RCF has a pressed steel chassis and ceramic magnet and I reckon the FBT is the same - otherwise they would mention it. This is budget PA, not not high-end.

 

The FBT compression driver has a 1.4" coil, while the RCF has a 1.75" coil, which puts the RCF ahead on points. However, the horn is likely to make more of a difference than the HF units. RCF horns are normally excellent; I can't comment on the FBT horn, as I can't find any photos.

 

The kicker for me is that the FBT has a plywood cabinet, as @Phil Starr has pointed out. I can't stand the "boxy" sound of plastic cabs personally.

 

It looks like they're close. Price and weight are similar. The five-year warranty is another plus point for the FBT. I can't see any downsides for either cabs at the price, although the proof is always in the pudding.

 

V. helpful A/B based on the spec sheets, although I guess the proof of the sound has got to be in the hearing?

 

Not sure about the power ratings you've suggested though - the 912A's are stated to be:

LOW FREQUENCIES: 1400 W Peak

HIGH FREQUENCIES: 700 W Peak

 

Which I reckon should translate to 700 + 350 = 1050W RMS per speaker, which is decent?

 

How rugged is plywood typically vs toughened plastic?

 

Edited 3 hours ago by Al Krow

[Phil Starr]

15 hours ago, Hamster said:

Hi. Time to replace the tops for my band and I was recommended to have a look at these.

 

Seems a good deal with a 5 year warranty?

 

Is anyone using these and can comment?
 

Cheers

 

2 minutes ago, Al Krow said:

V helpful A/B based on the spec sheets, although I guess the proof of the sound has got to be in the hearing?

 

How rugged is plywood vs toughened plastic?

Hi @Hamster I wonder what your old PA tops are? I'm a little concerned about the description of these speakers as 'budget' which would for me cover things like Alto, Thomann's own brand The Box and such like. I'd think of both of these speakers being in the well made family saloon bracket, the VW Golf of speakers if you like. I'd think of these as at least mid priced speakers for the average pub band. Both can sound magnificent in the right hands. The Jefferson Archive ( @skidder652003's band) are a great band with a wonderful vocalist and sounded fabulous through the FBT's, really loud too.

 

I'd spotted the 1.75" horn drivers on the RCF, in theory this should mean they carry a bit more of the mid range and this would help the sound of vocals. In practice RCF have really sorted out their crossovers with phase correction applied so the midrange is especially good. There's no mention of phase correction in the FBT speakers so no assumptions about how they might sound. I believe in the past FBT have used RCF drivers and I would suspect these speakers would be very close in sound.

 

I wouldn't expect a huge difference in toughness between the cab in practice, My 10 year old plastic RCF 10" cabs have a few scuff marks from being used as floor monitors and carried without covers but nothing structural has broken. Any wooden cabs I have of that age would have similar scuffs if painted or small tears in the vinyl if covered. FBT also talk about internal stiffening of their wooden cab which is encouraging, it isn't just a box and they have at least put some thought into it. I'd anticipate a slightly tighter bass from a well built wooden cab and a clearer midrange from the bigger horn driver but The proof of the pudding is in the eating.

 

 

[stevie]

49 minutes ago, Al Krow said:

 

V. helpful A/B based on the spec sheets, although I guess the proof of the sound has got to be in the hearing?

 

Not sure about the power ratings you've suggested though - the 912A's are stated to be:

LOW FREQUENCIES: 1400 W Peak

HIGH FREQUENCIES: 700 W Peak

 

Which I reckon should translate to 700 + 350 = 1050W RMS per speaker, which is decent?

 

How rugged is plywood typically vs toughened plastic?

 

 

What matters for power handling is not what the amps are rated at, but what the drivers will take. Both the RCF and FBT drivers have 2.5-inch coils, which limits them to around 300 watts at most. Although some high-end components will handle more, a good 1.75" voice coil compression driver will handle about 50 watts. So, the 700W peak rating for high frequencies is, shall we say, optimistic.

 

I wouldn't say there's any difference in the roadworthiness of plastic and plywood cabs. What bothers me about plastic cabs is the sound. I appreciate I may be more sensitive than most to this because plenty of people on here are happy with their plastic cabs - and they sell by the bucketload.😀

[Al Krow]

24 minutes ago, stevie said:

I appreciate I may be more sensitive than most to this because plenty of people on here are happy with their plastic cabs - and they sell by the bucketload.😀

 

The plastic bucket load, right? 😅

[Hamster]

Currently using QSC.K12.1

1 hour ago, Phil Starr said:

Hi @Hamster I wonder what your old PA tops are?

[Al Krow]

51 minutes ago, Hamster said:

Currently using QSC.K12.1

 

Oh that's interesting! What do you feel they are lacking?

 

Consensus seems to be they are comparably good to RCF speakers and, I guess from what's been said, the FBTs also.