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Photos too small? Click on photos, screenshots and diagrams in articles to open a Larger View gallery. January 2010
Other recent issues: | HK Audio Premium PR:OActive and passive PA speakersPublished in PM April 2009  Printer-friendly versionReviews : PA: Active These compact PA speakers are ideally suited to solo performers and duos or, in conjunction with a sub, bands playing smaller venues. Both passive and active versions are available, and each active speaker can power one further passive speaker.  HK Audio PR:O 8 HK Audio’s Premium PR:O series is already well established in the UK live music scene, and indeed I have a pair of their passive 12-inch tops in my own collection of PA components. These newcomers are much more compact, but are still very powerful, and though use with a sub would be advisable for applications where you’re going to put much in the way of bass energy through the system, they do function as full-range cabinets in their own right where demands are more modest. As with other speakers in the Premium PR:O range, these are both two-way designs, with the eight-inch version built into a trapezoidal plywood enclosure and the 10s embracing a dual-purpose format that can be used either as a PA speaker or a floor monitor. The PR:O 10s have a 10-inch bass/mid unit supported by a one-inch horn-loaded tweeter, while the PR:O 8s have the same tweeter, but with an eight-inch bass/mid driver in a slightly smaller enclosure. We received both active and passive versions of both models for review: the PR:O 8, PR:O 8A, PR:O 10X and PR:O 10XA, with the ‘A’ denoting the active versions. Form and features  HK Audio PR:O 10X There are no handles built into the eight-inch version, but there is a top handle built into the 10s. To get the routine data out of the way first, the PR:O 10s measure 320 x 480 x 290mm overall, while the PR:O 8s measure a petite 270 x 420 x 270mm, so neither will take up much space in the back of your car. The PR:O 10 manages a 95Hz -19kHz response (±3dB), while the smaller PR:O 8 actually goes a touch lower at 89Hz - 19kHz, though with 4dB less maximum SPL capability than the PR:O 10s’ maximum of 126dB (1kHz at 1m). Their range should be adequate for vocals and instruments such as guitars, but anything lower would really need an additional sub. In both active versions, the two drivers are rated at a nominal 8Ω and fed from a single 600W (rated into 4Ω), high-efficiency, Class-D amplifier via a passive crossover network, with the PR:O 8s crossing over at 2.5kHz and the PR:O 10s at 2.2kHz. Any low-frequency filtering when used as part of a three-way system must be handled by the sub or a suitable electronic crossover. The tweeter geometry provides a tight, 80 x 80-degree coverage for the PR:O8 or a more conventional 90 x 60 degrees for the PR:O 10. The metal rear panel on the active models is pretty straightforward, with a Music/Speech contour Tone control and an input Gain control, teamed with a recessed Mic/Line switch that allows dynamic mics to be used directly into the speaker for basic applications or to get you out of a hole when your mixer catches fire! At the anti-clockwise or Music end of the pot travel, the response takes on a smile curve character, which dips the mid-range while emphasising the lows and highs. At the other extreme, the Speech setting boosts the mid range to push vocals to the fore. The centre position is designed to offer a flat response. A Neutrik Combo connector allows XLR or jack cables to be used for the input, and there’s a standard balanced XLR output that carries a hard-wired Through signal for linking, so you could also use this as an input if you find yourself with a cable of the wrong gender. The speaker output for feeding a passive cabinet is via the usual Speakon (two-wire configuration) connector, while mains comes in on an IEC socket with adjacent power switch. Dynamic HF driver protection is provided by means of passive circuitry and a safety limiter for both models, where the power rating is quoted as a hefty 600W program. The steady-state power handling would normally be less than half this. The in-built limiter guards against damage caused by clipping and is not user adjustable. A limiter status LED shows green at safe operating levels and flashes red when the internal safety limiter comes into play, just as with the larger models. Both passive versions share the same format as their active counterparts, but the rear panel has only two Speakon connectors — one for the signal input and the other wired in parallel for linking. As both the active and passive speakers are rated at 8Ω, the active versions only draw half the maximum possible power from the onboard 600W, Class-D amplifier unless a passive 8Ω extension cab is added, whereupon the full 600 Watts are utilised. The passive version still has the dynamic HF protection, but, of course, no limiter. The cabinets are solidly built and beautifully finished with the familiar HK textured paint finish and foam-covered front metal grilles. In many ways the eight-inch PR:O 8A model is just a scaled-down version of the larger Premium PR:O models, except they have no carrying handles. These weigh a modest 9.1kg each and are fitted with a fixed, three-degree downward angle, while the larger 10-inch PR:O 10XA model (weighing 13.9kg) has a DuoTilt socket with two pole socket holes, allowing the user to select from angles of three or seven degrees. The rear of the box is angled so that when used as a floor monitor it points upwards at a 60-degree angle. Both models are also equipped with two M8 threaded rigging points near the top on either side for installation use. Unfortunately, the Premium PR:O 8 cabinets aren’t designed to sit at the correct angle for floor monitor use, a purpose for which they should otherwise be ideal, but the 10s work fine in this role. Testing the speakers  The rear panel of the PR:O 10XA has a Music/Speech contour Tone control and an input Gain control, with associated Mic/Line switch. These speakers may be small, but within their specified frequency range they actually play pretty loudly while retaining the same well-damped, wood-box clarity I noted for the larger models in the Premium PR:O series. The tone control goes further than you might normally want it to in both directions, so an interim setting usually does the trick, and because the main drivers are relatively small, there’s no struggle to make ends meet in the crossover region, resulting in a well-presented mid-range — very important if you need to get vocals across clearly. Making use of Class-D amplifiers in the active versions means the weight is kept low (the actives are not that much heavier than the passive models) while at the same time delivering plenty of power, so you can carry one in each hand quite comfortably. Being able to slave another passive speaker from the active version is also a great idea and saves on cost, though for stereo use you still need two active tops or a sub with stereo power amps for the (passive) tops built in. Being critical, these speakers, especially the PR:O 8s, can start to sound a bit boxy at the low end when fed with full-range material at anything other than a modest level, but then that’s not entirely surprising given their specified frequency range and only underlines the need for a sub in full-range applications. They sound fine on vocals and have a nicely defined mid range and high end capable of doing justice to complex mixes, so adding even a single sub would really lift their game for full-range work, and you’d still end up with a compact and affordable system capable of filling pub and small club-style venues. The Premium PR:O 10XA also makes a useful monitor for smaller and medium-sized venues. Verdict  The rear panel on the passive PR:O 8 only has two Speakon connectors, as opposed to the XLR/quarter-inch Combo input and XLR Through on the active version. To put things in perspective, the HK Premium PR:O series very effectively bridges the gap between ‘good for the money’ PA gear and ‘fabulous, but can’t afford it’ high-end systems, where its build quality, clarity and power handling does it credit. The wooden boxes are easier to fit into a car than many moulded speakers, they’re not too heavy and they look extremely professional. The cost is also less than you might expect, so for the majority of bands who have to rely on their own PA gear, these HK Premium PR:O models tick all the right boxes. 0  Published in PM April 2009  | PR:O 8 £309, PR:O 8A £619, PR:O 10X £359 & PR:O 10XA £659 It wouldn’t be far off the mark to say that HK Audio’s Premium PR:O series brings near high-end performance at a near low-end price. These smaller models really need a sub unless for use solely with vocals, but they deliver plenty of level for their size, with excellent clarity.
Tech Spec PR:O 8 Power: 300W nominal (RMS), 1200W (peak), 600W (program). Frequency response: 89Hz - 19kHz (± 3dB), 63Hz - 19kHz (-10dB). Maximum SPL @ 1m: 122dB. Axial sensitivity 1W: 91dB. Nominal impedance: 8Ω. Two Speakon connections. Eight-inch low/mid driver. 80 x 80-degree, one-inch CD horn. Dimensions (WDH): 270 x 270 x 420mm. Weight: 10kg. Tech Spec PR:O 8A 600W Class-D amp (4Ω). Frequency response: 89Hz - 19kHz (± 3dB), 63Hz - 19kHz (-10dB). Maximum SPL @ 1m: 118dB. XLR/jack Combo input, XLR through. Eight-inch low/mid driver. 80 x 80-degree, one-inch CD horn. Dimensions (WDH): 270 x 270 x 420mm. Weight: 11kg. Tech Spec PR:O 10X Power: 300W nominal (RMS), 1200W (peak), 600W (program). Frequency response: 95Hz - 19kHz (±3dB), 80Hz - 19kHz (-10dB). Maximum SPL @ 1m: 126dB. Axial sensitivity 1W: 93dB. Nominal impedance: 8Ω. Two Speakon connections. 10-inch low/mid driver. 90 x 60-degree, one-inch CD horn. Dimensions (WDH): 320 x 290 x 480mm. Weight: 12.9kg. Tech Spec PR:O 10XA 600W Class-D amp (4Ω). Frequency response: 89Hz - 19kHz (±3dB), 67Hz - 19kHz (-10dB). Maximum SPL @ 1m: 121dB. XLR/jack Combo input, XLR through. 10-inch low/mid driver. 90 x 60-degree, one-inch CD horn. Dimensions (WDH): 320 x 290 x 480mm. Weight: 13.9kg. |
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