Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: USL CM860 Booth Monitor / Advice needed

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Posted by Jean-Michel Grin (Member # 1360) on 03-18-2003, 01:01 PM:

Hi Everyone,

The company who I'm working want to buy a batch of USL CM860 Booth Monitor.
My questions are:
-What do You think about this equipement ?
-Have You experienced some troubles, faillures ?
-How about the quality off the speaker and the sound to come out.
-Quality off the potentiometer ?
-What features offer this monitor ?
-What kind of connections are allvaible ?

By the past I've experienced some troubles on a CM-35, who's blowed up the output of the amplifiers final stages (the amplifier was a "old" JBL, I don't remember the model)

-Got someone a PDF file about the USL CM860 ? I din't found any information on USLinc website about this product.

All theses questions beceause were searching for a good quality heavy duty monitor, and no buy a [bs]

Thanks for your advices, and sorry for my weak English !

Posted by Mark Gulbrandsen (Member # 72) on 03-18-2003, 01:03 PM:

In reality there are no good booth monitors in existance that are self contained. But the USL monitors are a very good value and easy to repair when they do break down.
Mark @ CLACO

Posted by Gordon McLeod (Member # 33) on 03-18-2003, 03:10 PM:

I like the Component Engineering Monitors and if it is an economy concern I like the Smart

Posted by Tim Reed (Member # 137) on 03-18-2003, 04:32 PM:

Smart's okay for the money, but I seemed to recall a high failure rate of the gain control circuits in their 6-channel monitors. Admittedly, this was 7 or 8 years ago. But Oscar's good, so I'm sure any defect has been straightened out by now.

Posted by Clint Koch (Member # 1179) on 03-18-2003, 04:48 PM:

Hello Jean-Michel,
I have tried e-mailing you yet it has been kicked back to me three times. I would like to send you a little technical information on the CM-680. Please try e-mailing me so I may forward this to you.
Clint
clint@uslinc.com

Posted by Paul G. Thompson (Member # 655) on 03-18-2003, 05:24 PM:

USL, in my opinion, has very good equipment. I don't think you can go wrong with their monitors.

If your old CM-35 toasted your power amps, I would suspect that there was a wiring interface problem. The possibility exists that the monitor was terminating the PA's balanced output with an unbalanced feed to the monitor.

Just use one wire from the neg terminal on the PA feeding the monitor input. The monitor's ground will find its way back to amplifier ground through the equipment rack. If not, just simply make sure the neg terminal of the monitor is grounded. There are no hum issues, and the monitor will not load the amplifier's output.

This was a method that was recommended to me by a leading manufacturer and it works well. All my monitors are wired this way. I have had absolutely no problems using this method, and I am sure that most good quality monitors will allow the same type of interface.

Posted by Steve Guttag (Member # 268) on 03-18-2003, 11:26 PM:

If you had a JBL 62XX amplifier (black with orange stripe) then it was the amp predestined to blow.

The CM-680 is ok as monitors go. As Mark said, none are great but there is a cost reality for what the device is. The CM-680 is differential in, which is necessary for dealing with Dolby's CP-650 or Panastereo processors. The CE MS-100 is lacking this feature.

Some of the CM-680's highlights include that it has inputs from both of the Dolby CP-650's output connectors (main and Option I/O) so wiring is a mere ribbon cable away. The monitor can have a crossover built in (digital or analog) and it offers both phoenix connectors and HD15 connectors for the feed to the amps so if you have an amplifier like the QSC DCA line you may use the VGA cables and the "dataports".

There is a lot right with the CM-680. On the negative side, I wish it was a bit louder on the amplifier side of the monitor (processor level is fine). The Subwoofer switch should be a momentary switch so it can't be left on (to prevent the kiddies from blowing the little speaker with subwoofer information that it can't really play). It doesn't do "3-way" speakers (The CM-80 does).

Where I've installed them, they have done alright (all were strictly monitors, not with the crossover options).

Steve

Posted by Jean-Michel Grin (Member # 1360) on 03-19-2003, 03:01 AM:

Thanks to all !

Yours advices are precious for me [Smile]

One more question: We have the choice for a monitor / crossover equipement, between the USL CM 860 or the QSC DCM Digital Monitor.
Witch of them sounds better ?
CM 860 vs. DCM what could be the best choice ?

I'm agree with Gordon and many of You to say that the Component Engineering CM-100 is a good equipement. I've installed various units, troubleless [Smile]

One negative point on the CM 100: They don't have a LED's meter to visualy check the monitored sound...

One more time, thank for Your help !

Posted by Gordon McLeod (Member # 33) on 03-19-2003, 10:25 AM:

Unless you want the cross over features the DCM is a little overkill