Rentex Upgrades AV Rental Portfolio with QSC CP Series

Founded in 1980, with locations in major cities from coast to coast, Rentex is one of the largest and most trusted wholesale renters of audio-visual equipment in the US. Providing equipment to AV rental, staging, production, and other live event companies, their business model thrives by partnering with their customers, ensuring that that contractors and event producers can handle any scenario their clients might throw at them. In fulfillment of this goal, Rentex offers a mammoth selection of meticulously maintained and quality-checked equipment -- that assortment most recently enhanced with the purchase of 200 QSC CP Series CP12 compact powered loudspeakers.

"We house and maintain a very large inventory with the goal of augmenting our clients' inventories," says director of technology Ken Carmichael. "We can have gear at any location across the country very quickly, especially if it's near one of our warehouses. When it's returned, we clean, inspect, and bench-test every piece to make sure it performs as new before it goes out again. QSC has been a huge asset to us in maintaining this level of service."

Sound quality was one of the first things that attracted Rentex to the CP12, as director of sales Rob Garvey says. "Prior to this purchase, we were renting out a compact, 12", two-way active speaker made by another manufacturer," he recalls. Due in part to the CP12's 1,000W of ultra-clean Class-D power and advanced DSP with Intrinsic Correction, Garvey observed that "In a side-by-side comparison, the CP12 sounded noticeably better than the other brand. Our assessment was that they sounded more musical than what we were accustomed to with other models."

In the cross-rental business, equipment is almost constantly in one of four states: being shipped, set up, taken down, or actively used. This is because every unit must contribute to revenue with minimal downtime. Rentex's previous experience with QSC gave them confidence that the CP12 would be as durable as it is great-sounding.

"The QSC K10 speakers we've owned for years have been exceptionally reliable and seem to be indestructible," says Garvey. "So we knew that QSC wouldn't put their name on the CP Series if it didn't live up to the same standard."

Gear always being on the road means shipping expenses are a careful consideration. The CP-12 weighing in at just 30.3lbs (13.7kg) proved key in Rentex's buying decision. "Every non-essential pound in a speaker is money out of our pocket every time it goes on a truck," notes Garvey. "The CPs were significantly lighter than other competitor's product, by about 12lbs. That really helps our bottom line."

Speaking of bottom lines, nothing pleases Rentex's accounting department like a low cost per unit, especially when quality, reliability, and performance outpace the more expensive competition. "With the QSC CP Series costing nearly $200 less than the other brand we compared it to, that was kind of the cherry on the cake," notes Garvey. "A better box at a better price is a rarity in this business, but that's exactly what the CP12 is."

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