Help needed buying the right PA setup

[Bro' FF]

First off, thanks to ALL the fantastic and helpful people here. I have been able to not only get good answers to bad questions, but have also met some great people and scored some awesome gear. Thanks everyone!

 

And now for my next question..... I am sure this has been asked a thousand times here so I apologize in advance, but I really need the help. I would like to buy a PA for personal use; that is, to use at home, in a "live music" scenario. Space is of some concern, as is cost, but foremost is sonic integity; I want it to sound good. I would rather buy name-brand gear FWIW.

 

I will need a surplus of power as I would imagine the gear will be used occasionally in an outdoor/performance situation; albeit not a stadium. I do play my amps at "concert volume" so the PA has to keep up without crapping out.

 

I am thinking probably two speakers to get started (unless you make a case otherwise); I would rather buy older/higher quality than newer/lower quality. I will need the works; mics, cables, etc. (speaker stands?).

 

If applicable, it would be nice to buy gear that will be an asset in production/recording/ect. Anything that might serve dual purpose (mixing board used for PA and production, speakers that might double as studio monitors, power amps, etc.) would be a plus. That might have just been an unrealistic request; I really don't know.

 

I am assuming that PA gear is simply solid state these days and that "tube gear"; while preferable for amps, is not the mainstay of the PA system? I am really just that green on the subject.

 

So, what are your great ideas, and what will it cost used?

 

~Thanks, Tim

[Craig Vecchione]

If you insist upon the requirement to have your instrument amps at 'concert' levels, and outdoors, you will need one big mother of areinforcement system. In the neighborhood of 10,000+ watts. Such a system built with quality components, even used, would be $10K and up.

 

 

Consider the cost just for mains:

 

JBL SR4732X (x2) @ $1,900 each = $3,600

JBL SR4719X (x4) @ $1,200 each = $4,800

Crown MacroTech 2400 (x6) @ $1,600 each = $9,600

[Bro' FF]

Ok.... let's tune it back a bit!

 

I suppose "concert level" is a relative term... when I am in my music room with an amp cranked, you could be yelling in my ear and I could not hear you.... That has somewhat to do with the proximity to the amp, as much as actual volume/power coming out of it.

 

What I probably meant to say was that I need at least enough power to hang with a 100 watt tube amp (potentially at full volume).

 

Also, I want to buy good quality gear, but I do not need to "own the best" for a PA. I have been browsing the Peavey online stores and the SP5xl looks like a lot of speaker for the money. I am sorely in need of assistance here. I would like to keep the entire system somewhere between $1K and $2K used.

[DaBender]

If you're in a room in your house with a wide-open 100 watt tube amp, just wait awhile. There won't be any point in a sound system.

[Bro' FF]

What?! I can't hear you?

 

Not necessarily wide open, but for all intents and purposes as loud. They don't get a great deal louder beyond a certain point.

 

Ok, I got a Musician's Friend catalog, and Yamaha has a powered 12-channel board that is 500 watts per side into 8 ohms, and they have a speaker (S15IV if I remember correctly) that closely-matches the power rating of the board. There is a package deal that comes with speaker stands, mics, cables/cords, etc. for under $1,500.00 new.

 

This seems like a pretty decent package; any opinions on this Yamaha gear?

[tlbonehead]

Originally posted by Bro' FF What?! I can't hear you? Not necessarily wide open, but for all intents and purposes as loud. They don't get a great deal louder beyond a certain point. Ok, I got a Musician's Friend catalog, and Yamaha has a powered 12-channel board that is 500 watts per side into 8 ohms, and they have a speaker (S15IV if I remember correctly) that closely-matches the power rating of the board. There is a package deal that comes with speaker stands, mics, cables/cords, etc. for under $1,500.00 new. This seems like a pretty decent package; any opinions on this Yamaha gear?

Decent to good quality and useful for a small club gig as long as you aren't running instruments through it,especially bass and drums. Beyond that,it won't cut it. And it isn't as versatile as going the separates route. And if you are playing noise rock,you really need to get that bottom octave pumped up,especially some decent kick.

[Bro' FF]

Ok, good input; thank you.

 

Although the simplicity of the powered board is attractive, I would probably prefer to go with a seperate power amp(s), but what would be a good choice for a mixer? Also, would it be rack-mountable, or just have a good road case for it?

 

PS I have a Mesa Boogie Bass 400+ that cuts through well on its' own for the time being.

[Craig Vecchione]

I'll stick with my original reply, because a 100w guitar amp cranked to say 6 or 7 is quite loud. I'm sure you've witnessed how it would take about 1,000w of bass amplification to keep up with that guitar amp, right? Well, same goes for the vocals. The vocals should be at the forefront of the band mix, not the guitar, so it takes gobs of power, properly mixed, EQ'd and distributed through the venue in order to keep up with a cranked guitar.

 

If you're willing to forego your guitarist's ego (sorry, but that's a problem we all see way too often....the guitarist who won't turn down) and keep your volume to a reasonable level, any good quality reinforcement system is capable of delivering decent performance, if not at earsplitting volumes.

 

Consider using a 30w amp, if you really want an overdriven tube sound for instance, so that your stage volume isn't so high but your tone is still there. Then that Yammy system would be pretty good and fit well in your budget.

 

The last thing you want to do is get up in front of an audience, and all they hear is loud guitar and vocals that sound like they're going through a phone line because the PA can't keep up.