DB Technologies Flexsys FM8

Just got a pair of these and thought I would share my thoughts.

I was looking for an FRFR solution basically as an another option for monitoring in my live covers band. This was for using with my AX8.

At the moment I monitor with IEM’s and at wedding gigs/corporate gigs I find this solution perfect. However when we play pubs and some smaller clubs and switch up our material for more rockier stuff, I feel like I miss the interaction of a cab on stage.

I've owned a pair of Matrix Q12a's in the past so I started looking at the higher end offerings like the Atomic CLR, the Matrix stuff again, Redsound, Gemini etc. I was loathed to lose my stereo setup so I had to rule those options out due to cost. So I started looking at cheaper options. I still wanted a Coaxial speaker as I think these work best for using with guitar modellers.

I stumbled across the dB Flexsys FM12 speaker on the Fractal forum. There are a few guys using them on there especially from the German contingent, and they really rate them.
I didn't want something that big and heavy as I was buying a pair. That led me to the smaller FM8 in the same speaker line.

These looked ideal, nice and compact and light. A couple popped up on Facebook in Newcastle at a good price, so I agreed to buy them and went through on the train to collect them. 

Got them home on Wednesday and cranked them up. In a word they sound fantastic. I had them up loud in my house (around 95db) and had a huge grin on my face. I had the volume on the speakers at unity, and my AX8 volume at 10 o'clock. 

For an 8inch speaker they sound huge. Very full sounding and sound amazing on both my mono and stereo presets.
They have a few different DSP options on the side for where the speakers are placed (ie a regular floor monitor, mounted on a pole, stood upright etc). They even have a 'Music Playback' option which I tested with some music, and that also sounded great.

I just left it on the floor monitor setting for playing guitar and was perfectly happy. The low end is not overbearing as can be the case with a lot of cheaper PA speakers. These stay nice and tight, even on my high gain patches.

They only weigh about 10kg each and are nice and compact, so they will be easy enough to move around. 

I just thought I would share my thoughts as there really isn't much info on these speakers, especially using them in this scenario as an FRFR solution. My next gig is on the 8th June so I'll get to test them in a real world gigging situation then.

But initial impressions in the house are really positive. 
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Comments

  • So I had my first gig with these speakers this past weekend. The dB fm8’s sounded fantastic and performed flawlessly. They were more than loud enough. I had them in front of me pointing back towards me like standard foldback monitors.

    I set them up so I had a mix of the bass and other guitar player plus our click track and my own guitar. Didn’t need any drums in there as it was a small stage. We all play direct to FOH, the other guitar player uses a Helix, the bass player uses a Sansamp. There is no back line on the stage. Everyone is on IEM’s.

    I was stood right next to the drummers main crash cymbal and could still hear myself and everything else clear as a bell. I’m very impressed with these little monitors and it was nice to have a sound source to interact with on stage.

    For around the last 2 years I've been exclusively monitoring via IEM's with no backline. What I will say is I forgot how loud playing with a live band can be. With the IEM's I'm completely isolated from the drums, so it's a hell of a lot quieter, it was quite an eye opening experience hearing how loud I had to get the speakers to get over the drums. So I may go back to the IEM's for certain gigs as I don't want to damage my hearing!! It's nice that I now have the option to go with either the IEM's or foldback.

    As for the DB speakers I can highly recommend them as a great option if you are looking for an affordable FRFR solution.
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