There are hundreds of models of 12-inch two-way, speaker-on-a-stick P.A. enclosures on the market from scores of manufacturers. And with good reason — this particular format offers a great combination of full range response with enough oomph to handle applications ranging from bread-and-butter corporate gigs to smaller venue music reinforcement in clubs, houses of worship — you name it. Add in an external sub(s), and such systems easily handle larger venues, all from a compact, easy to use system.
Yet my excitement level about yet another compact 12-inch two-way box is about zero. Been there, done that. However, when Peavey announced its RBN™ Series, I was definitely interested, because what sets the new RBN 112 apart from the pack is its use of a proprietary Peavey 120mm true ribbon high-frequency driver. And with its $899 street pricing, I wanted to check this out first hand.
Some Basics
The RBN 112 is housed in a rugged molded black cabinet with top/side handles, a protective steel grill, a 1-3/8-inch pole socket and four M6 top/bottom fly points. The cabinet can also turn on its side for stage monitoring use. Dimensions are 24 x 14 x 14 inches (HxWxD). Powered subwoofers in birch ply enclosures round out the line, with the dual-15 RBN 215 ($1,299/street) and the $1,199 RBN 118 single-18 model.
The RBN 112 has a 12-inch, dual-voice coil neodymium Scorpion woofer with Peavey’s field replaceable basket technology. From the 2 kHz 24 dB/octave crossover point, mids and highs are handled by a Peavey RD 2.6, a 4.75-inch long aluminum composite ribbon tweeter on a 110 x 30 degree waveguide. Onboard biamplification is via two Class-D amps, with 500 watts (continuous) to the woofer and 250 watts to the ribbon driver. Onboard 32-bit/96 kHz DSP includes 9-band EQ, delay (up to 160 ms), EQ presets (EDM, Voice, Rock, DJ, Custom), polarity and bass boost.
The rear panel has two 1/4-inch/XLR combination inputs, an 1/8-inch TRS jack summing to input #2, a mic/line level selects for both inputs and a ground lift switch. Also offered are two male XLR outs for a processed feed to the subwoofer and a direct/thru out, that’s switchable to feed either the same signal as present in input #1 or a blended mix output from inputs #1 and #2.
Central to the rear panel is a small two-line backlit LCD display providing EQ presets, DSP parameters, system status (such as power amp level meters, amplifier temperature, security lockout, Peavey DDT speaker protection and switching to turn on/off the LEDs that illuminate the ribbon transducers in a blue glow. I can see why you might want to disengage the LEDs in a dark theater or church, but the effect is just way too cool.
Turn ‘em Up!
Once the RBN 112’s arrived, I was anxious to put them through their paces. I was surprised by how compact and lightweight (my back always appreciates this) these are, at just 39 pounds.
Hookup is a no-brainer. All RBN 112 operations are so logical that you may never need the manual. Access to the internal functions menu is via a simple turn/push to select control and navigation is fast and straightforward. I do wish the small switches for ground lift, mic/line input and direct/mix output selection were recessed, as these are easy to accidentally engage while reaching behind the cabinet to make connections.
While not a criticism of this product per-se, I do wish all such boxes with onboard DSP had a global defeat switch for those gigs when you in a rush and don’t have the time to go through the menu and turn off whatever settings (delay, EQ, etc.) the last user entered.
I began with the input gain on each speaker at about the 12:00 mark, and was immediately struck by how loud these are. Peavey offers a max SPL spec of 130 dB peaks from a program music source. I never pushed them quite that hard, but the RBN 112’s are capable of some seriously high SPL’s. Internal electronics are cooled by a rear-mounted fan. Up close, the fan noise is noticeable and could be audible in a small, quiet venue such as a sanctuary or theater. (Note: Since this review, Peavey has changed to a low-noise fan.) In close quarters, some amplifier noise is also discernable from the ribbon unit, but this is not an issue when any program material kicks in.
Aside from the RBN 112’s high-level output, another thing that grabbed my attention was the bass response, which was round and full, yet nicely damped and not flabby at all. If anything, I would have to characterize the RBN 112s as being somewhat bass heavy, which depending on the type of music you work with, may be just fine. Peavey specs a -3 dB down point of 59 Hz and that Scorpion 12-inch woofer goes well below that, and the system performs more like a 15-inch enclosure. Given the choice, I would rather have a bit too much bass — a simple matter to roll off — than not enough. But if you like plenty of thump, the RBN 112 delivers.
However, I was really impressed with the top-end of the RBN 112’s ribbon HF element. The response is punchy and transient, yet silky smooth throughout its operating range. It’s free of any nasal horn sound and the waveguide provides a wide 110-degree dispersion that rolls offs smoothly at the extreme sides with no edginess whatsoever.
Overall, I really like these. They sound great and bring access to ribbon technology down to a wide market. Thumbs up!
At a Glance
The Ribbon Speaker for the Rest of Us
Peavey’s RBN 112 puts ribbon technology into an affordable, versatile 12-inch two-way enclosure.
Peavey RBN 112
PROS
• High output
• Ample low end
• Smooth, wide MF/HF
CONS
• Audible fan noise
• Some amplifier noise from tweeter
• Non-recessed buttons on control panel
STATS
- Configuration: Powered two-way system
- Drivers: 12” Scorpion LF; 4.8” ribbon MF/HF
- Power: Class-D 750 watts continuous
- Weight: 39 pounds
- Dimensions: 24 x 14 x 14” (HxWxD)
- Frequency response: 59 Hz to 20 kHz
- Low frequency limit (-3 dB point): 59 Hz
- Usable low frequency limit (-10 dB point): 52 Hz
- Internal power amplifiers (@120 VAC line):
- Woofer – 1000 watts peak available power
- Continuous Power: 500 watts @ less than 1% distortion
- Tweeter – 500 watts peak available power
- Continuous Power: 250 watts @ less than 1% distortion.
- Nominal sensitivity (1W @1M, swept sine input in anechoic environment): 99 dB (average)
- Maximum sound pressure level: 130 dB music peak
- Street Price: $899
- Manufacturer: Peavey
- More Info: www.peavey.com
