Nexo PS15 and LS1200 review

So what is it?

The Nexo PS15/LS1200 system, is a three way speaker system, designed for high end installation and touring.  It can be used either as professional wedges, or a high performance Front of House system.

It holds the accolade of being the wedge of choice for some of the biggest touring acts in the world, and is widely used within the professional world.

Nexo are a French company, famous as one of the top manufacturers of top-end PA kit.  Check out your local hire companies who offer hire kit to the top acts – they will be using D&B AudioTechnik, Mayer Sound, L’Acoustics, and Nexo kit predominantly.  This means that if you own one, getting hold of additional kit (such as at times when you require more than two wedges!) is a piece of cake!

So here’s the specs:
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Review:

Build Quality:

The first thing you notice when you first use a set of PS15’s, is their build quality.  Made of Baltic Birch ply, these speakers are finished in a tough polyurethane coating, and are built to a standard comparable to the likes of D&B, L’Acoustics and Mayer.

The LF drivers are based on PHL 5050’s at Nexo’s own spec, and the HF drivers B&C DE750 – again built to specific Nexo specs.  These are seriously high end drivers.

Sound Quality:

This is my first foray into the serious, professional end of the PA system market place, but I have to say, I think the Nexo’s are an outstanding performer.  They’re warmer than a comparable D&B rig, and pack a similar punch, outputting a whopping 134dB SPL peak at 1m.  The sound quality from them is truly superb, without being overpowering.  Bass from the LS1200 is controlled, but does not “Kick you in the chest” – It only operates up to 80hz, so it simply complements and reinforces the bottom end, to give you a useable range down to about 30hz.

Practicalities:

These are HEAVY speakers.  They are not your standard “Peavey” cabs – they are serious pieces of kit, with serious sized magnets inside them.  If money was no object, you’d definitely want to go for the R2 version, which I believe uses Neodymium magnets and is therefore significantly lighter, however, the original version, is perfectly manageable to carry into a venue – you generally need a couple of people to get it onto a stand though.

They also MUST be controlled through a dedicated Nexo controller.  Failure to use this, can and will damage your speakers, and more to the point, it will sound awful!

Conclusion:

The Nexo PS15 and LS1200 combination, is a fantastic piece of kit, and with Neodymium becoming more popular, and new offerings from both Nexo and other manufacturers becoming available, the PS15 kit is being sold off at bargain prices from many hire companies.  To give you some idea, I was lucky enough to be able to pick up the system below for just £1500, and whilst you’ll need amps and a controller on top of that – when you compare that to some of the prices you see kicking around for kit which isn’t half as good, you understand that these have the potential to be the genuine jewel in the crown of any functions band.  Don’t let the low price fool you – this is amongst some of the best sounding kit that money can buy and is not outdated in any way other than by its weight.

Feed the tops a solid 1000W @ 8ohms and these speakers will perform to their full potential.  They’re SUPER sensitive (which is the most important aspect when looking at speaker output – not power handling!) and sound fantastic when driven properly.

One minor drawback – these speakers cannot be arrayed.  You use two of these cabs, or use the next system up, which is the Alpha system – running them in multiples, owing to the asymmetrical horn technology used, has potential to seriously degrade the sound quality.  This makes them non scalable – but if you’re playing gigs larger than 400-500 people, you probably want to be bringing in an outside company to manage your sound system anyway!

PS15 Nexo PS15 LS1200

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3 thoughts on “Nexo PS15 and LS1200 review”

  1. Thanks for the info on this. I’m just getting familiar with the NEXO speaker line. Are the NEXOs amp driven or powered? I notice new speaker designs seem to be going in the direction of self-powered, even on the high-end stuff.

  2. Hey there, I need your assistance..

    Can I fly 6 pairs of Ps15r2 each side with LS1200?

    Regards.

    John.

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