List Price: ULT12: $1,299.95; ULT15: $1,399.95; ULT18: $1,499.95
PreSonus recognizes that modern day live audio production demands even room coverage. Enter the new PreSonus ULT-Series active loudspeakers with ultra-long throw for even, horizontal coverage.
The Baltic birch enclosures hide a pivoting horn with a 50-degree vertical dispersion and 110-degree horizontal dispersion, so these two-way speakers can be mounted high for an LCR or mono-cluster design, or turned for low-hanging fill speakers or floor monitors. And that's where PreSonus took these speakers to the next level.
Loudspeakers and monitor speakers have different requirements. The ULT Series offers three EQ presets: FOH, DJ (bass boost), and monitor. Combined with the shape for clustering and floor monitor usage, they are a true multi-purpose speaker.
A nice option with the turnable horn is in floor monitor usage. Set it for a 110-degree vertical coverage and the musician can get right up to the monitor without hearing a drop in volume or frequency alteration. A great option for small stages.
The loudspeakers are designed for both permanent and portable installations with comfortable recessed handles and mounting points. The ULT comes in two-way loudspeakers and in a subwoofer with a controllable low-pass filter for quick configuration of the crossover point. They're also built with a true loop-through so in case one speaker goes down, any daisy-chained speakers will keep working.
I like the rotatable drivers along with the configurable EQ presets for portable usage. I've needed high quality audio reproduction for a variety of gigs that included everything from mixing a band in the afternoon to DJ'ing in the same room that evening and the ULT's would fit all my needs on top of the fact they sound excellent.
Details
The PreSonus ULT series two-way 1,300W (Peak) active speakers are available with
12-inch and 15-inch low-frequency drivers, each with a 2.5-inch voice coil. Both models have 1.75-inch high-frequency compression drivers (tweeters). The ULT12 delivers up to 135 dB SPL; the ULT15 goes up to 136 dB SPL. The ULT12 offers a frequency range of 52 Hz to 18 kHz while the ULT15 offers
NO MATTER WHAT WE SENT THROUGH THESE SPEAKERS, FROM THE SPOKEN WORD TO ELECTRONIC DANCE MUSIC, IT ALL SOUNDED GREAT.
50 Hz to 18 kHz, each with a 1.6 kHz crossover between the lows and the highs. Both offer the same ultra-wide dispersion of 110-degrees by 50-degrees through the custom Pivot X110 horn.
Developed by the commercial loudspeaker division of PreSonus, WorxAudio, the loudspeakers include an XMAX preamp, direct line-input channel output, single summed balanced output, and onboard mixer with two combo XLR and TRS inputs. Rear-controls include volume and the three-option DSP with FOH, monitor, and DJ modes. Also included is a high-pass filter option of 100Hz, which can be used as is or in conjunction with the ULT18 subwoofer which has a configurable low-pass filter up to 100Hz.
The ULT onboard mixer allows for a microphone-level connection so if all you need for an outdoor gig or a chili supper pitch-in is a microphone and some recorded music, they can be plugged directly into the speaker, no external mixer needed.
Testing
I first heard these speakers at the WFX loudspeaker demo. Alongside similarly sized speakers, I liked what I heard from the ULTs and looked forward to bring them in-house to test. Would the advertised 50 Hz to
18 kHz frequency response fare well when put to the test?
I threw at the ULT15s my standard list of contemporary worship songs. They performed well, nice mid-range and highs, good clarity, but I felt the songs weren't representative of how well they could perform. Certainly, great coverage throughout the room.
The best way to test speakers is with my eyes closed. I want to feel like I'm in the room with the band. And using a track played at the WFX loudspeaker demo, I put on Chris Jones's “No Sanctuary Here.” The acoustic guitar, the percussion, and the lead vocal were crystal clear. The deep bass backing vocals, the ultimate test, had the richness and tone I expected to hear. I had to remind myself these were two-way speakers.
The next track is one all loudspeakers would be well judged against. Nils Lofgren's “Keith Don't Go” will show any flaw in audio reproduction, mainly in the mid-range and high frequencies. The PreSonus ULT15 didn't let me down. With my eyes closed, Nils was in the room. No matter what I sent through these speakers, from the spoken word to the electronic dance music that makes my wife question my sanity, it all sounded great.
One feature I found odd was that the front blue LED lit up below the badge when the speaker is on. Who wants a bright blue LED shining from the sanctuary ceiling? No one. However, when setting up a portable gig, wouldn't it be nice to power on the system and know everything's turned on? PreSonus provides this power light along with the ability to turn it off, even when powered. If you've ever had problems with a musician and their monitor, wouldn't it be nice to ask them if the blue light is on so you know if it's a power problem or an audio signal problem? They also have rear-facing LED indicators for signal, clip and temperature indicators.
Bottom line, I'd put up the ULTs in any room for which they could be sized.
Subwoofers
Two of the 2k-watt (Peak) Class-D ported subs were tested alongside our house subs and compared. They exceeded the quality of our subs, although for our venue that seats around 1,400 people, four subs would be required. Using both the live band and recorded music, their clarity and ability to reproduce the full depth of low-end frequencies, from 45Hz to 250Hz, was impressive: punchy, clear and mighty.
Active sub controls were also a plus, enabling easy modification of the crossover frequency and built-in, pre-configured DSP control. I liked the ability to daisy chain the audio inputs as well, which cuts down on excessive cabling.
The ULT18 has a tour-grade birch enclosure, recessed handles, 18-inch low-frequency transducer with four-inch voice coil, polarity reversal, and mono mode for stereo setups. Included are M10 rigging points, integrated castor, and ground-stacking (locking) provisions to meet the needs of permanent or portable installations. Input jacks provide XLR and TRS line-level inputs for use with any system. The subwoofer's amplifier offers a dynamic range of 119 dB (A-weighted)
Findings
The folks at WorxAudio did a bang-up job on the ULT series of speakers, both the loudspeakers and the subwoofers. It's certainly equipment in which I'd happily invest. They also offer the subwoofer castors for easy portability and speaker covers for environmental protection—helpful when running an outdoor event and the clouds darken.
The PreSonus ULT series is true to its name. The Ultra-Long Throw speakers present great-sounding even coverage throughout a venue, be it for live music, the spoken word, or your DJ'ed New Year's Eve youth party. The ULT12 and ULT15 loudspeakers sound great on their own, but to project that bass, pick up the ULT18 subwoofers.
