JBL PRX series

[racerx37335]

Our band has used a pair of PRX635s and a single PRX618XLF at our gigs (different sized clubs ranging from small to pretty large ,100 people to around 300 people). We are commonly too loud at some of the smaller venues so I decided to purchase some PRX712s to use as mains in place of the 635s at smaller venues and then they could be used as monitors at our larger places. Used the 712s with our sub, and they sounded great til right at the end of the night one started rattling bad. They would occasionally bump the clip light but never offered to shut off or the light come on much. I am in the process of getting it replaced. I think it was simply a factory defect. The real puzzling issue is that the sub actually was clipping at what I would consider a very low level, and actually did shut down a time or two. The very next night we went back to our 635s and the sub had no issues. Am I going to have to do something different when I pair the 712s as mains with the 618 sub? Was it even a good idea to get the 712s for smaller venues? We did need some good monitors too, but these are fairly high end just to use as monitors for us and our usual venues. All help is appreciated. They did sound good and I feel like they kept us from being too loud at the small venue, but don't want them if gonna cause sub issues.

jbennett

[agedhorse]

Do you think that maybe there was another problem causing this, like maybe power issues? Maybe you didn't have enough rig for the gig and were driving them a lot harder than you thought and they shut down to protect themselves?

The LEDs are not clip, they are limit, and if you were hitting them harder at the end of the night, you very well could have been causing this issue IMO.

[Craig Vecchione]

There's no interaction between different speakers, if that's what you might have been thinking. It's a good idea to check venue power for voltage...if it's low when there's no load on a circuit, you could have issues during a show. If venue wiring is damaged or otherwise in poor condition you could have lower voltage under load, and again that can cause problems. Of course, problems with your own power cables can also be an issue.

Regarding your purchase decision; if you utilize the 712's and there's benefit to not hauling the 635's, then it was a wise move. I don't see any reason to buy smaller speakers if you're too loud with the larger ones...the faders slide down just as easily as up. Discipline....

[racerx37335]

Thanks for the responses. Do you guys commonly check voltage at venues? I really didn't think there was an interaction between different speakers, but after what happened, wasn't too sure and thought maybe I was missing something. I just feel like the perceived volume with the 635s is not as easy to regulate since they do have a lot of mid/high. I may just take the 712s back and practice a bit more on the discipline. It is a struggle when a drummer beats the drums like they owe him money and a guitar player with a high gain Mesa Boogie cant find the happy medium between can't hear him and cant hear anyone else. I am now thinking maybe I am trying to mask other problems and not addressing the real problems. Just don't want to get the reputation for " They are good, but they are real loud". Craig, so you think running the 635s at the small venues is doable but I just need to keep turning down and try to get a handle on the drums? When the drums are so loud to start with and I have to level everything up to match them for the proper mix, we get louder than we need to at times. Tried getting him to use 7A sticks etc... but nothing helps. Not wanting to use a drum shield , but may need to. Maybe a little less Jaeger would be best approach I appreciate you guys helping me!

[agedhorse]

I always check voltage.

Yes, by all means turn down. At some point, if what's coming off the stage is too loud, there's nothing you can do but let them know and turn doen or play lighter. If they won't do that, you are stuck.

[Craig Vecchione]

I've used SR4735X's for a long time...they're an approximate passive equivalent to the 635's. You definitely can use the 635's in any venue they'll fit into. But your follow up post reveals the true problem of excessive stage volume. I can just about promise that'll be harder if not impossible to deal with than a simple level/balance issue.