Jump to content

Small, lightweight, powerful PA system


Recommended Posts

  • Members

Budget is a consideration. IMO the best light weight gear available is neodymium magnet speakers. JBL SRX (now discontinued) comes to mind (although other companies continue to make similar products). The weight, power handling & total SPL per box can't be beat BUT expect to spend $$$.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

I'll suggest this is "quite a subject". Who doesn't want a system that's lightweight, small, spanky, and sounds great (makes the band sound better than they actually do)... and will rock the socks off a club crowd and still fit in a Geo Metro and is a suitable vehicle during the week to commute to a day job or is more stylish than a box truck, and one person can set-up the system and dial it in in a few minutes without breaking any more of a sweat than operating a teevee remote control? And reasonably priced (read that "front pocket change by one member in the band who is taking the lead while everyone else in the band "just wants to play"), and will function reliably.

 

If there was such a system, I'll suggest that is what everybody would use... so what is it? I dunno.

 

In light of that, assuming I'm anywhere near correct with the "ideal criterion", I suspect "the suitable system" will be a compromise solution. So a question could be: What compromises and how much?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

Small and light adds a premium price. It cost a manufacturer extra to be able to provide this type of product. And then if it doesn't sell in big numbers it adds even more.

 

So how much of a premium are you will in to pay for small and light. In my experience a new PA system for a 4-5 piece rock band playing to 150 people starts at about $8000 (if you leave out things like cases and spares). It doesn't fit in a Geo Metro either. So how much extra would you be willing to pay just to reduce the size and the weight?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

Well I think you really step up the price when you double the size of the crowd and get over 300 people. I have seen many good acts with two speakers and 2monitors in a bar with 100 or so. When you get up over 200 then you need more gear and at 400 or 500 hundred you need even more. Playing to crowds over 200 your gonna need a van or trailer.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members
In my experience a new PA system for a 4-5 piece rock band playing to 150 people starts at about $8000 (if you leave out things like cases and spares). It doesn't fit in a Geo Metro either.
Mine fit in my Geo Metro - but it sure was tight, barely room for me! RCF310a's over TH-Mini's, 10" coaxial monitors...
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

I'll suggest the likely preferred criterion is 5 out of 5.

 

Otherwise, why would the last show I attended involved likely over $500K of band member's vehicles "looking for parking spaces" at the venue, and $100K+ of personal instruments on stage, and the $200 "PA" that fit into one of the bandmate's personal daily driver vehicles not be capable of the job at hand (in any way shape or form).

 

And the band (contractor) was frustrated with the seeming lack luster reception of their product offering, and the consumer (customer) universally thought it sucked and was a waste of their time and money and will never "waste their time and money on that again".

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members
Mine fit in my Geo Metro - but it sure was tight' date=' barely room for me! RCF310a's over TH-Mini's, 10" coaxial monitors...[/quote']

 

Your system actually came to mind, but the TH-Mini's are 76lb. according to the spec sheet. The fact that the OP used kg as the unit of measure leads me to believe that he's not in the States, which means that he's probably got a limited selection of products.

 

In my mind, squeezing enough sub-bass for a rock act out of a 15" compact sub (or a pair.... or even 4 of 'em) is going to be the real trick. I like my little Kv2 KX1.5, but it's not punchy enough for rock band work... and even it's 35kg!

 

The JBL PRX715XLF is supposedly only 56lb. and I've heard it... it's OK. If I were buying a new system today and looking at size, weight, SPL, scalability, closeness of service centers/ease of replacement, reliability, name rec, resale value, up to an audience of 300 (indoors)... I'd go all JBL... PRX710s over PRX715XLFs for mains (4 of each for scalability, with these for splaying the tops for coverage) and IEMs for monitor world... since space is a primary concern. That's easily $7,500 just for the mains! Stands, cables (audio and power), IEMs, mics, and a mixer could be another $5-10K depending if your audio palate leans toward beer or champagne.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members
Your system actually came to mind' date=' but the TH-Mini's are 76lb. according to the spec sheet.[/quote']Yah about 10 lbs over his "limit" but there's nothing their size that out-pounds them. OTOH I usually am fine with my pair of 34lbs 2x12's (GK 212MBE) but as they are bass cabs and not meant for sub use you have to HPF them fairly high (45-50Hz). The TH-Mini's have to also be HPF'd fairly high as they are short horns (40Hz).

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

I have spent less than 5K for my first PA system. It works fine for my application as of right now but if we play anything larger we will definitely need to add and/or upgrade. First thing I will say right now is I would feel much better if I didn't have to think about upgrading in the future. You have to choose to spend the money now or spend the money later. Since I was buying my first PA and I am relatively new to playing live music I chose to get something modest and suffer the consequences of upgrading later if needed. Is this a hobby or something you depend on for income? Are you financially stable? I think all of this should be considered in order for you to make a decision.

 

If you want something compact, powerful, and loud enough for 400+ crowds you will need to drop a good amount of cash. My current set up has been used for crowds of 400ish and that is about its limit. Just so you can get a rough idea this is what I have:

 

2 x EV ELX 115 (48lbs) - 400w cont. / 1600w peak

2 x EV ELX 118 (78lbs) - 400w cont. / 1600w peak

2 x (old) Yamaha V112 (monitors)

Soundcraft EFX12 Mixer

2 x SM57

2 x SM58

QSC GX7 - Mains/Subs - 1000w per side @ 4 ohms

QSC GX5 - Monitors - 700w per side @ 4 ohms

Stands/Cables as needed

Other bandmates have also supplied random equipment (extra cables, mics, music stands)

 

Like I said, this system cost me around 4k - 4.5k with everything included. It would be impossible to fit into one vehicle. Without the subs it would still be difficult in a small car. Hope this helps somewhat.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

My FBT Vertus rig would be a contender. You'd need a double system for the number of people you're trying to cover though. It's also not a one trick pony deployment wise. In venues where people are right up by the FOH they can entirely block the speakers. The narrow vertical dispersion is tricky too. That said, in the right situation it fits the criteria.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members
Hello' date=' I'm musician who play in rock band. We are playing gigs for 100-500people, and we are interested to buy our PA system. We are looking for small, lightweight([/quote']

 

First of all, welcome to the forum. Secondly, where did you go?

 

A small car system for 100 people is not all that difficult, but a small car system for 500 is somewhere between tough to impossible - unless you don't need typical Rock volumes, or there are other mitigating factors.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members
you can put a lot of equipment in a 5x10 trailer
Ahh. But given the choice between spending the money to buy a trailer and spending that same money to shrink the size and the weight of your gear, which would you choose?
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

That's an interesting question. How much shrinkage can you get for $5,000? Me, I rent trailers..don't play out enough with full PA to justify owning at this point. I have a large minivan, but my keyboard rig takes up about 75% of the volume. I did buy the van specifically so I could play out with my spinet organ and full-sized Leslie cabinet.

 

I think you'd be hard-pressed to shrink four XLF subs, six 612Ms to fit in a car for $5000 above current MAP. But a trailer will hold that and much, much more.

 

Wes

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

I have probably one of the lightest systems and it will barely fit in a Honda civic and in no way will it handle rock music at levels acceptable for 250 people. With a suburban yeah I could get a lot more gear in. But add two 18 inch subs and there goes the room in the SUV.

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

×
×
  • Create New...