Hi Guys

We are upgrading the gear we use in our guitar duo.... at this time we use some old Passive Peavey Impulse 1015 cab's.

We are now going down the active cab route and I had been looking at some 15" EV's, or JBL's, but then came across the FBT ProMaxx 14a.
I don't know much about the name but the more I read and having talked to a few shops, I am getting very positive coments. They are made in Italy, and use b&c components.

I just wondered if any of you out there had used them or had and views on them....

Many thanks
Dave
www.the2fbs.co.uk

Hmmmmm.... well no replies, seems nobody has any experience of the FBT's. Well we are of to the London PA center on Monday to try some out.

If anybody is interested I will post after my visit.

Visited London PA today, very impressed with the cab's, we brought a pair and the Allen and Heath zed 10fx desk.

Cab's are being delivered tomorrow...hope to get to try it all asap... with luck we can use them for two gigs we have over the weekend.

Will post again then.

Well IF anyone is interested.... we tried out the new FBT's and the Allen & Heath Zed10fx tonight...

I have to say it sounded bloody amazing, the FBT cab's are outstanding!! More studio time again tomorrow and gigging with them on Saturday and Sunday.

Glad to hear it Dave, the lack of response may be due to the low numbers who have bought speakers from this manufacturer. I have heard decent about them but they always seem to fall somewhere between the higher end plastic boxes and the cheapies, so I think end up not being bought by many. Hope they last a while without any problems! Dave

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My head hurts!

Quote turbodave:

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Glad to hear it Dave, the lack of response may be due to the low numbers who have bought speakers from this manufacturer. I have heard decent about them but they always seem to fall somewhere between the higher end plastic boxes and the cheapies, so I think end up not being bought by many. Hope they last a while without any problems! Dave

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Very true Dave, and I can understand people being unsure of a brand that is not well known. We felt the same, FBT seem to be quite well known and liked over in the US.

We did quite a bit of research and then went to listen to them, we have now practiced with them twice and the sound really is great.

Its our first gig with them tonight so fingers crossed.

As you say lets hope they stand the test of time and serve us well... I guess they will sound even better when we have done enough gig's to pay for them

The nicest sounding speaker is the "paid for" speaker!

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My head hurts!

Hi guys ,
newbie here ...

i just want to know Dave how u are getting on with your FBT cabs

I have heard them a few ties and they sound terrific so i bit the bullet
i traded my QSC k12s and my dynacord CMS1000..
for pair of FBT promaxx 14a and the new allan and heath zed 10/60 ( like the zed 10 but with sliders )
i just hope i am happy with the sound .. i am a solo cabaret singer by the way using mp3 backing tracks .
Had loads of gear in past incl dynacord powermate 1000 with evsx300 tops and sb122 subs but had enuff carting upstirs lol.
i found the k12s ok in small venues , at the peak limit i found them a bit poor.

We are more than happy with ours.... we have also had great feedback from those people who come to see us reguarly, they all say that our sound is so crisp and clear.

So its a thumbs up from us.

I must also say that Mark from FBT uk, was so helpful in answering our questions and even offering to drop some cabs off for us to try as he happened to be passing close to us one day.

you will have to let us know how you get on once you have tried them out.

great , i cant wait to try them ! i hope they as good as everyone says .
I will let u know how i get on .

just arrived these ..i had a blast in the front room.
first notice how light and small they are for 14 inch !!

couldnt help but feel dissappointed at first listen... very bass light compared to qsc k12
but WOW they get loud , and are very difficult to peak...
They good but just sound different than what i am used to.
i found the vocals get "shouty" at high levels and not smooth sounding.
After a lot of fiddling about i got a setting that was somewhere near how i would want it.
on the "warm" setting , but i need to put loads more bass on the backing track EQ.
They got loads more clarity than any other speaker i have heard it actually hurts at high levels.
I may even need to put the bass boost on my mp3 player (which i have just realised it has one )
i will see how they go on the first gig on friday... no doubt when i listen to these a few times i will get accustomed to that FBT sound, which really is different than what ive heard before.
On the other hand , maybe the bass is just fine and my ears need to adjust to the different response ? i couldnt help thinking " i wish they had a bass boost switch on the back like the k12".......will report back after the gig.

had another play , i found the DSP 3 setting to be far better (farfield)
it just sounds right for me , of course that may change after fridays gig...we will see.
i am in the wifes bad books though , because the bass vibration threw her fave ornament off the fireplace and broke it !! ouch

Edited by Chris Barlow (25/09/12 08:36 PM)

Quote Chris Barlow:

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i am in the wifes bad books though , because the bass vibration threw her fave ornament off the fireplace and broke it !! ouch

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Could be worse, it could have been the fireplace that broke

Andy

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When the going gets weird, the Weird turn Pro.

Gigged these for the first time last night .
They performed amazingly well.
Crystal clear , plenty punch and LOADS of headroom, i didnt even stretch their legs , it was only a smallish venue anyway . I think they are a real winner and a step above to a lot of active speakers on the market i have heard .

Good to hear you are happy with the fbt's. I heard them at a dj meet up a couple of months back and was impressed. Sadly we never got to hear the dsp in action as time was tight. They had the full system 2 bins and 2 tops and it was thumping. Generally I find a lot of the plastic active cabs a bit harsh sounding but I have over sensitive ears to some frequencies.

When I got my rcf 712's I too was a bit disappointed at first after setting them up with a budget mixer and iPod at home. It was only when I went to a gig and ran cd's through a decent mixer I really noticed how good they were. Some venues I find I still need to eq a bit of harshness out but again that's my ears.

Provided pa for a 3 piece acoustic act at a wedding in July and the band were very happy witht the performance, I was reluctant to let them put the bass through but they coped very well. It was very very loud with no clipping. They easily clip when djing as they don't like too much bass.

If the time comes Fbt will be my next choice but after 2 years of heavy use and only a faulty iec inlet I can't see the need to change in a hurry

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I eat kebabs when i'm sober!