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P.A. Speaker Recommendations?


johnbarnesiii

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Hello,

 

I didn't see a category for Pro Audio or live sound / rehearsal PA equipment, sorry for posting in a wrong category...

 

My band is interested in buying PA speakers to use for our rehearsals and are looking for suggestions & recommendations.

 

The main note is that we are a quite loud rock band so we'll need speakers that really cut through.

 

For rehearsal purposes, the only things that will be going through the PA will be vocals and keyboards (different layers of programmed virtual synths). The rest of the instruments (drums, bass and guitars) won't be going through the PA. So wit that said, we'll need the vox & keyboards to be loud without straining the speakers. We've owned smaller PA speakers in the past but have broken some of these speakers have blown due to our volume. So we're looking to upgrade a little so that it doesn't happen again :)

 

One that we've seen and look like they may be a good fit is the QSC KW153 (http://www.guitarcenter.com/QSC/KW153-Active-Loudspeaker-1000-Watt-15-Inch-3-Way.gc). Not sure if this is more than what we need though?

 

Any suggestions greatly appreciated, thanks in advance for any suggestions!

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The 153 is a nice speaker. If you don't need a lot of low end out of your keyboard sounds, you may be better off with a couple of standard 12" + 2" like the QSC K12 or Yamaha DSR/DXR12. The KW 153 would still need to sit on something in order to get that HF horn up a little above head level. They're pretty damn heavy too. The K12 you can put on a stand, or it has an angle on it, so you can use it as a floor monitor.

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With speakers you really have to use your ears, then decide. The difference between OK and Wow can be astounding.

 

If there are any pro audio places near you that sell Renkus Heinz go have a listen. You'll probably find they aren't as expensive as you think and they'll make you go Wow. It's what you're hearing in a lot of high end shows.

 

Same thing with Polk home speakers. They just sound great as a general rule.

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Thanks guys. Tomm yes, we'll only need this for rehearsals as the places we play have PA's for sure.

Koiwoi, I'll look into the 12+horn options, I hesitate to pull the trigger on those bc we've blown em in the past, but maybe its a matter of quality in a 12 that will make the difference? At any rate it would be great to maybe look at an in-between option, somewhere between the 153 and 12+?

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Hey Tomm, it was actually the older SRM450's, the first version Mackie made. Any idea of the wattage of those compared to the QSC K12?

 

And at the time we were feeding lots of keyboard tones through, even keyboard-bass tones yes. Since then, we have split things up so the synth-bass tones go into a bass amp, and the rest of the virtual synth tones (mids & highs) would go into the PA speakers. This in itself should help a lot. However still need to figure out which speakers will best suit our needs.

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I'd definitely have the keyboard player get an amp. Running KB through the PA at rehearsal is ridiculous unless you got a really big space where you can open the volume up like you're playing live. In a smaller space you have too much competition with the vocals being heard above the instruments and shouldn't be running any instruments through the PA.

 

You can even use active monitors in a rehersal space. Less feedback when you have floor monitors when the space is small or reflective. If you had like 4X100W floor monitors then used them strategically so everyone including the drummer can hear the vocals there no need for PA cabs. It would actually be good for the band because they'd get accustomed to playing through stage monitors and get their volumes and tones right for playing on stage. Many bands rely on the PA cabs for the vocals. Then when they play out they're lost because the cabs are projecting into the audience and they cant hear jack on stage. If you run the vocals through monitors at rehearsal, its essentially the same when you play out live.

 

These newer monitors can blow your doors off too. Something with a 12 + a horn with about 75~100W is all you need. Less if the room is small.

 

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Hey Tomm, it was actually the older SRM450's, the first version Mackie made. Any idea of the wattage of those compared to the QSC K12?

 

 

 

And at the time we were feeding lots of keyboard tones through, even keyboard-bass tones yes. Since then, we have split things up so the synth-bass tones go into a bass amp, and the rest of the virtual synth tones (mids & highs) would go into the PA speakers. This in itself should help a lot. However still need to figure out which speakers will best suit our needs.

 

 

 

No I don't but I'm sure that info is easily found. Keep in mind wattage isn't the entire story, sensitivity is an important factor as well. So I'm assuming you are looking for powered units as it looks like you don't have seperate amps ?

 

 

 

The K12's are very good units as are others in that range. What is your budget ?

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Hello,

 

I didn't see a category for Pro Audio or live sound / rehearsal PA equipment, sorry for posting in a wrong category...

 

My band is interested in buying PA speakers to use for our rehearsals and are looking for suggestions & recommendations.

 

The main note is that we are a quite loud rock band so we'll need speakers that really cut through.

 

For rehearsal purposes, the only things that will be going through the PA will be vocals and keyboards (different layers of programmed virtual synths). The rest of the instruments (drums, bass and guitars) won't be going through the PA. So wit that said, we'll need the vox & keyboards to be loud without straining the speakers. We've owned smaller PA speakers in the past but have broken some of these speakers have blown due to our volume. So we're looking to upgrade a little so that it doesn't happen again :)

 

One that we've seen and look like they may be a good fit is the QSC KW153 (http://www.guitarcenter.com/QSC/KW153-Active-Loudspeaker-1000-Watt-15-Inch-3-Way.gc). Not sure if this is more than what we need though?

 

Any suggestions greatly appreciated, thanks in advance for any suggestions!

 

QSC makes great speakers

 

and don't skimp on power, as mentioned.

 

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Thanks guys, an update:

 

Just went to Guitar Center and looked at the QSC K12, super cool speakers! I think we'll probably end up going with these.

Also I found out that the Mackie 450's we had were in fact 450 watts. So the QSC's have 1000 watts, double that of the Mackies. So between that and the fact that we won't be running as much low end out of them, I think we'll be more than fine with the K12's.

 

Thanks for helping me to make an informed decision, appreciate all the fine suggestions. I had a feeling the QSCs were the way to go, but I had initially thought we needed the larger 153 models, but after talking to the guy at GC, I'm sure that the K12's will be more than enough power for our rehearsal purposes!

 

Will keep you all posted once we've pulled the trigger on these. All the best.

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Just another bit of info for what it's worth. I use the K12's all the time, as monitors for the larger rig, and for mains in the smaller rig. I've done shows with many cover bands doing everything from rock to dance material and used 2 of the k12's for mains and 2 k18's for subs. That small setup easily handled a decent sized bar with 150-200 people in it. That's a little perspective of the capability of those speakers. You'll all have major hearing damage before you get to the point of blowing them.

 

Check out the photo I attached. Set them up like this where I put the red lines.

 

Plug into CH.A input

Set the LF to NORM

set the HF to FLAT

set the front LED to LIMIT

MIC/LINE set to LINE

Turn the CH.A gain up until it lines up with the arrow where I put the red arrow.

 

Always turn the speaker on LAST. If it's on when you turn the input on it can possibly cause a pop and damage the speaker.

bbb1f0683a6509fa7a8e732ded5d1df3.png.a1b4c0509949fa094c1700f291aa5ca7.png

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In my opinion besides the fact that its bigger, heavier, and cost more, the 15 will handle more low end than the 12 will. But ill say that ive done many shows with bass players that ran direct and had no cabinet onstage. All there bass came from the k12 and its breezed through every gig like that without issue.

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