Wharfedale Titan 12 Active

On examination, the moulded cabinet is very nicely finished and includes a moulded 90 x 60-degree, elliptical flared waveguide with a one-inch throat, driven by a two-inch titanium compression driver. A 12-inch custom-designed driver with a 2.5-inch voice coil looks after the bass and mid-range. This claims to be moisture-resistant, making it more durable for use at outdoor events. Each cabinet also includes multiple M8 thread rigging points, while a perforated metal grille protects the woofer. When set on its side, the cabinet rests at around 45 degrees, making it suitable for stage monitoring. The cabinet material feels thinner and not as well damped as some more costly speakers, such as my own Mackie SRM450s, but how this affects the sound (if it does at all) remains to be seen. It certainly makes them lighter to carry around! Integral side handles are provided for carrying and these have a practical rubbery coating to avoid slipping. Standard 35mm pole-mount sockets are moulded into the base of each speaker, though you can also stack them, as the feet and indentations on the top are designed to engage with each other. A finger screw locks the poles to stop the speakers from rotating.

Inside the box, a Class-D amplifier supplies 250W RMS or 500W peak to the woofer, while a more conventional Class-A/B amplifier, rated at 50W RMS or 100W peak, drives the tweeter. These amplifiers are powered by a lightweight, switched-mode power supply that operates from a nominal 220-240V — although it seemed equally happy with the 250V I get most days! The crossover has a 24dB-per-octave slope with a Linkwitz-Riley response operating at 2.3kHz, though there's also a subsonic filter at 30Hz to keep out very low frequencies. One of the added features of this design is the BRO (Bass Response Optimiser), which modifies the frequency response according to how loud the system is playing. At low levels, it boosts the highs and lows to create a 'loudness button' smile curve. And at higher levels, it boosts the mid-range, which not only helps the subjective balance of the sound being projected but also takes some of the stress off the low-frequency driver. The frequency response is quoted as 55-20kHz (±3dB) with a maximum SPL of 120dB, which makes it louder than the Mackie SRM350 and close to an SRM450, both of which I had available for comparison. The Titan Active's long-term SPL is 123dB, 126dB peak, compared to SRM350's long-term SPL of 118dB, 121dB peak and the SRM450's long- term SPL of 124dB, 127dB peak, so there isn't a lot in it against the more expensive unit.

Moving on to the combined rear panel and heat sink, this is generously recessed to protect the controls and includes the mains inlet, power switch and power LED. A further red LED lights up when the safety limiter is operating, and the BRO bass enhancement system can also be turned on or off from here via a latching button. There are two input channels feeding a common high/low-shelving EQ operating at 100Hz and 10kHz, and the second channel also has a pair of phono inputs for an iPod or CD player. Channel A has an additional dual-sensitivity switch for mic or line level, while both channels A and B use combo jack/XLR connectors for the inputs and have rotary gain controls. Channel B is strictly line level. With the Loop/Mix switch in its Loop position, only channel B is routed to the output XLR. In Mix mode, both channels are mixed and sent to the output XLR. What you don't get, though, is a conventional hardwired link socket.

I also did a little head scratching regarding the Link button. What I initially hoped the linking system would achieve is to combine the output from both mixers so that all four inputs could be used to feed both speakers simultaneously, but I couldn't find a way to achieve this — not that many people would use such an option in preference to a little mixer, but it could be useful if the mixer broke down. With the switch in Mix position, the mix of the two inputs, post EQ, are sent to the output XLR. With the switch in Loop position, the input B pre-volume pot is sent to the output XLR, which can be used as the equivalent to a hardwired link — except that with a hardwired link comprising a male and a female socket, either can be used as an input or output.

Powering up the speakers reveals a cute cosmetic touch; a blue LED ring around the inside of the tweeter flare. Testing with a typical dynamic mic confirms that channel A has plenty of gain in mic mode, but channel B is designated for line level signals only, and though you can get a signal out of it by plugging in a microphone, it is too low in level to be of much use. The system has no phantom power — you can't use a capacitor microphone or DI box unless it is battery-powered — but then neither has any of the competition, that I know of. As I had anticipated from tapping the cabinet, the sound you hear when you stand behind them is somewhat boxy and muffled, but the sound out front is surprisingly clear and well defined. No plastic speaker that I've heard to date is exactly hi-fi, but this has enough mid-range definition to sound plausible with recorded music. And although the tweeter sounds a touch on the forward side of neutral, that can really help with definition when you're standing a few metres back from the speakers.

The low end isn't particularly deep and, as a rule, I prefer the sound with the BRO switch off for music, although it could be handy when you're using the PA for vocals and want to get as much level as possible. Instruments are reproduced with good mid-range clarity, but you wouldn't expect the same low-end extension as you get from more sophisticated systems. Of course, you're not going to be putting bass guitar or kick drums through this system anyway, unless you have a sub hooked up, so that shouldn't really matter. At higher playback levels, there's more of a sense of bass end, although, as you'd expect from a system of this type, it gets quite 'bogged down' as you reach the limit of the system.

As a vocal PA — and that's what the Titan 12 Active is primarily designed for — the sound comes over clearly, yet not overly harsh, and with good resistance to acoustic feedback. Of course, it can't sound as refined as a high-end wooden box system, but it certainly more than holds its own against other plastic cabinets, especially when you take into account the extremely affordable price. As with other speakers of a similar design, my main concern for vocal use with a band or a duo is the coloured sound radiating from the rear of the cabinet, which could be quite distracting if you didn't have some form of on-stage monitoring. Even at domestic listening levels, you can feel the cabinet walls vibrating when you play music through the system.

Although I may have seemed a bit picky so far, these speakers actually deliver well above what you'd expect for the money, with full-range backing tracks sounding clear and punchy as long as you stay within the operating parameters. Vocals come over particularly well, with good intelligibility. So many smaller systems are all top and bottom with a weak mid-range, but this one holds up well right across the spectrum. In subjective loudness terms, they go louder than my little Mackie 350s and get remarkably close to what my 450s generate (as I'm sure my neighbours will confirm). I'd have preferred it if channel B had also been capable of accepting dynamic mics, but then how many other budget powered speakers give you even this much flexibility? None that I know of. At least you can plug a mic plus a line source into the system and get it coming out of both speakers if your mixer fails.

As a vocal PA for a small band, the Titan 12As are quite capable of dealing with typical pub venues, and for solo artist or duos, they're also capable of handling backing tracks. They're light enough to carry one in each hand and they're so inexpensive that you may need to do a double take on the price. If you're on a tight budget and need a small PA you can rely on, this one is worth a very serious look.  0