Presonus StudioLive 328AI

macsound

Well-Known Member
So I've been looking at the Studio Live 328AI for a long time and wondering if anyone has any experience with them

The biggest selling points for me are:
2 LF, 1 MF, Rotatable Horn
Designed by Fulcrum Acoustic/ Dave Guness

They seem incredibly powerful considering the 3 mid low drivers size being larger than a typical 15" in square inches, thats a lot of air they can move.
I also love that there's network controllable, internal DSP which I assume utilizes Fulcrum's algorithms.
They're also only $1k

Any thoughts or experiences to share?
 
TANSTAAFL. You're not getting a Fulcrum for the price of a Presonus.
 
Only two of the 8" driver are handling lows because the coax cone is a mid driver. -10 dB at 54 Hz can be bettered by almost any decent 12" woofer. The upside of the 8" drivers is more uniform directivity across the frequency range, and a three way design has its merits. What do you need, deeper bass or wider coverage? Subs or no subs?
 
My theory and hope based on marketing is better midrange and therefore higher quality vocal and classic orchestral instrument amplification. With larger cabinets, from UPAs to EONs to EV ZLX, they tend to be harsh with vocals and excessively bottom heavy with anything acoustic. I tend to use lots of UPMs when they're really too small for the job, but so much smoother and sonically more even.
 
A ZLX or EON are relatively inexpensive speakers, so I can understand not being that impressed. If Meyer UPAs aren't sounding good, then it's time to consider whether they are being misapplied to the job or whether there is an underlying problem elsewhere in the chain. Expecting a speaker costing a fraction of the price to be better isn't generally realistic. If you find such a product, let us know. :) Maybe you just need a lot more speaker than you are using.
 
I think mostly, I'm wondering if anyone has heard the Presonus AI line of speakers.

I was looking for a cheap speaker with a native Dante input for a project where I was implementing a fully networked audio/video design in a black box. I demoed the 328AI and decided it wasn't right for my needs. The HF sounded good but the MF and LF were lacking. I believe that only the horn design is licensed from Fulcrum.

I ended up using the Martin CDD-Live speakers which would be worth evaluating for your situation.

Do you need a powered speaker?
 
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So I bought a couple of them... At first listen, in the living room, with my iPhone, they sounds great. Flat and clear.
Did a quick sweep as well and they're even flatter than I expected.
Going to give them a try this weekend with an acoustic band that I usually mix with 2 UPJs and 2 USWs
 

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