Proel V15A Review by Pro Mobile magazine http://bit.ly/1cDTqbE

1. Issue 62 Nov/DEC 2013 | £3.00
www.promobile.org.uk
£
IN THE
DJ Elevation
BLEAK MIDWINTER
RICH
DJ
£
£
POOR DJ
REVIEWED
REVIEWED
REVIEWED
PIONEER XDJ-R1
PROEL V15A ACTIVE SPEAKER
WIFLY BAR QA5 & RGBW8C

2. REVIEWED
Proel V15A
Active
Speakers
By Stu McLaren
Recently I have been lucky enough to lay
my hands on a wide variety of loudspeakers,
both active and passive. I find it amazing how
subtle differences, in both aesthetic design
and included technology, can make one pair
sound far superior to another, despite seeming almost identical at first glance.
I think it is fair to say that Proel is not a brand
that is usually associated with mobile DJ sound
systems, in fact some readers may not even
have heard of the company. However this Italian
based operation has a rich heritage in professional audio. This has been used to create the
new ‘V’ range, which are specifically targeted at
the mobile DJ market.
The 600W V15A powered speakers are the flagship of the V series, with lesser powered 10”
and 12” versions also available. I was excited
to take the V15As out for a test run for two
specific reasons. Firstly, of course, so that I
could compose this review and deliver informative information to you guys about Proel’s new
product. But, secondly, because I am also in the
market and personally looking to upgrade my
current 12” 400w powered speakers. It may
come as no surprise to readers who are also
weighing up their options that I hadn’t even
considered Proel previously. Ignorant perhaps,
I had no idea what the company might have to
offer in the loudspeaker domain so I was enthusiastic to find out what the V15As have to offer.
76
Pro Mobile
V is for ‘Vicious’
‘V for Value’ is Proel’s marketing slogan for
the V range, but I’d suggest V is actually for
‘Vicious’ in this case. This is not a word often
used to describe a speaker, let alone anything
in the music realm other than a slang term
for a dubstep bass line perhaps. However,
with its distinctive Italian-designed shell, not
too dissimilar to that of a stealth bomber,
I think that ‘vicious’ is the perfect word for
describing the V15A and its looks are just the
beginning of its ferocity!
Before I move on to the V15A’s performance
I want to discuss the design a little further.
I’m sure that many readers will agree with
my assessment that generally 15” active
speakers have been deemed too big and too
heavy to be useful to a mobile DJ. Although
all of us would go wobbly at the knees for
the extra power and deeper bass response,
many performers have settled for lower
cont
Proel V15A Active Speaker
£350.00 SSP
www.proel.co.uk
proel v15a Active speakers

3. powered 12” equivalents or
taken the passive route to
achieve a professional sounding PA system. Finally, with the
V15As, it seems technology has
caught up with the size of my
car boot and not only do they
fit comfortably, with room to
spare, but they are only a fraction larger than my current 12”
cabs! The new SMPS (Switch
Mode Power Supply) technology
used in the V15As makes them
miraculously lighter as well, a
mere 18kg to be precise.
As if this wasn’t enough to win
you over already, Proel have
incorporated no less that three
handles into the Stealth Bomber style casing, which will keep
even the most fashion conscious
audience content with your
new suave, Italian styled stage
pieces. I also must emphasise
how effective and well balanced
the top ‘luggage’ handle is. So
much so, that I easily managed
to carry the pair of V15As up a
narrow staircase for a recent gig.
The handles on each side of the
speaker also make the units very
maneuverable, especially when
wrestling them out of a tightly
packed vehicle for example.
78
Pro Mobile
Let’s return now to my ‘vicious’
description of the speakers, this
time thinking in terms of performance. Sound engineers and
audiophiles out there will most
likely be wondering what I am
talking about when I keep using
the word ‘vicious’, so let me try
to explain. The V15As perform
very much like a Lamborghini,
brute force and raw power with
a sense of danger and excitement at the same time. It feels,
and sounds, like every electric
pulse travelling through every
chip, on every circuit board is
trying to squeeze every decibel of sonic power through the
2-way vented system. The sound
is really quite impressive!
The sound that escapes the
V15A compares with high-end
nightclub systems that I have
heard in terms of boldness,
while reminding me of highend recording studio monitors
when it comes to clarity. They
are phenomenally accurate
across the full frequency range
and have a sound which compliments modern electronic dance
and pop music perfectly.
A deep, gutsy, warm bass sound
is emitted, which I wasn’t
expecting after reading the spec
sheet and finding that they only
respond as low as 45Hz. The
clarity and sharpness at the high
end is also impressive and by far
the best I have heard from any
15” point source loudspeaker.
Speaking extremely critically, it
may even be slightly too sharp.
It may seem almost unnatural to
hear the high-end frequencies so
clearly and accurately for anyone
who is not familiar with a recording studio environment. All this
extraordinary performance may
have something to do with the
V15A’s analogue signal processing, which no doubt will spark
the old ‘Analogue vs.Digital’
debate amongst audiophiles. In
this case you can unquestionably hear the analogue warmth
and crispness which drives the
V15A well ahead of any of its
competitors.
It does, however, seem like the
mid-range frequencies have
been sacrificed marginally to
achieve this exemplary sound
which replicates music so exquisitely. Of course, speech is clearly
audible through the V15As but
there are much better options
out there for vocally orientated
performers. However, even if
the V15As were used for such
an application, they do feature
2-band EQ controls for high
and low frequencies which
should allow them to be tailored
accordingly.
It’s obvious that Proel has used
design and sound engineering experts to create these
speakers and the results are
not just evident in the clarity
and balance as the V15As also
have a fantastic throw. They
managed to maintain a high
level of volume at a good 30m
away from the stage when I
used them in a large function hall. More impressive was
the way in which the V15As
disperse the sound. You have
probably noticed that sometimes when doing a sound
check certain areas of a room
sound louder, quieter and
generally different from others.
If you haven’t noticed, the lady
on the second table who keeps
telling you to turn it down
certainly has, even though the
proel v15a active speakers

4. family on the back table can’t
hear the music properly! This is
down to the physics of how air
is moved and manipulated by
your loudspeakers; it’s also the
reason why some companies
can charge £1000s for speakers
which appear on the outside
to look the same as yours! This
is where the V15A’s vicious
stealth-like design becomes a
work of scientific art! As previously mentioned, these speakers
look like they could drop bombs
and they do just that sonically
on the dance-floor. But more
importantly, for speeches and
background music, the V15A’s
outer shell design distributes
sound beautifully across both
the horizontal axis and the
vertical axis. The overall sound
is also isolated from surrounding areas due to the rubber feet
on the speakers. This not only
stops annoying vibration on the
dance-floor or stage, but also
protects the underside of your
investment.
One feature that I found
particularly interesting was the
inclusion of a front LED which
displays when the speaker is
clipping or at its limit. It can be
turned off for mobile functions,
however for a bar or club installation this could be very useful to
prevent guest DJs from pushing
the system too hard. Regardless
of what input signal is delivered,
the V15A’s internal circuitry has
sophisticated electronic limiters
which prevent it from releasing any distorted sound even at
maximum volume.
Each V15A has 4 x M10 flying
points, as well as a standard
speaker stand slot, which makes
them ready for installation. They
are also linkable via XLR and have
a combination XLR/jack input
making them very versatile.
Due to the casing having two
symmetrical wedge angles at the
rear, the V15As can also be used
for wedge monitors, although
I don’t believe that they were
primarily designed for this and
there are wedges out there.
Friendly Fire
Physics suggests that with
every action comes an equal
and opposite reaction. This is
often true when it comes to DJ
equipment; where a product
has strengths, these are usually
also weaknesses. Therefore you
are probably expecting me to
list the negatives for the V15As
however, truth be told, I’m
struggling! As with every review
I write, I endeavored to find
something not quite perfect
but when I heard how much the
V15As cost, less than £700 for a
pair, I was astonished!
My only possible negative
thought is that as they are
ultra-lightweight and have polypropylene casings they may not
soldier through a tough, busy
mobile gigging career in the
way a heavier, bulkier cab might.
However, please do not think
that I am in any way saying
that the build quality isn’t up
to scratch, because it most
certainly is!
The only competition that comes
remotely close to how well the
V15As perform as a DJ speaker
would perhaps be the JBL EON
range, which are double the price,
or possibly the dB Technologies
Opera series, which again are a
lot more expensive.
There are better wedge monitors out there and these are
definitely not the best for pure
vocal applications but if you
are a mobile DJ I can honestly
say look no further! I won’t be
letting go of these test units
without a fight, the V15As are
by far the best 15” active loudspeakers I have experienced
and had the pleasure of using
for a long time. Proel is now a
predatory name to look out for
in the DJ loudspeaker market
and the V15As are out now
and equipped to drop dancefloor bombs!
“The clue is in the name”
Supplier of replacement mirrors and dichroics across the globe
www.lightingmirrorman.com
/lightingmirrorman