The 15/400 Active is a recent addition to the Carlsbro Gamma series. With a retail price of around £700, these speakers appear to be aimed at the mid-priced market, and I had a good idea of what I wanted from them before purchase.

Upon delivery, the speakers were well packed and included the necessary power leads to get them up and running, along with a pair of extra feet allowing the speakers to be stacked. I almost threw the power leads away, they were concealed within a piece of polystyrene packing.

This model includes twin internal amps for both LF and HF, 15" driver, compression horn, 3-band EQ and top hat. Signal inputs are on XLR connectors, with a pass through allowing connection of further units. A ground lift and mic/line switch are also provided, allowing use of balanced or unbalanced inputs with the correct leads.

After setting up these speakers in my bedroom and testing with some of my favourite music, I was nothing short of impressed. The 15" driver gives a good bass response, while the compression driver ensures a crisp and clear sound. The real test came at the first gig I used these units, and again they performed flawlessly all night at near 3/4 volume.

In the 3 months I have owned these speakers so far, I would have no hesitation recommending them to others who need a pair of active speakers but don't have the money to spend on makes such as Mackie. As if all that wasn't enough, you get a cool blue LED behind the grille :P

My only complaint with these speakers is the weight, in the area of 30kg. Well, it's not so much the weight, but the weight coupled with the bulky design. You are only provided with a single carrying handle, and you wouldn't want to be lugging these things around over long distances. The 3 band EQ is also slightly limiting, and anyone who wants the best performance from their system will probably want to use a seperate graphic EQ. Other than that, I am very happy with them, and think they easily deserve 8 out of 10, if not slightly higher.