QSC GX3 or GX5

[airy242]

Hey All,

I'm planning to run my guitar/bass/keyboard setup through a laptop running ableton live. I then wanted to run my signal out in stereo to be on either side of my drummer. I have two 1x12 speakers to run my sound. They're both PGM 250W, Max 500W. 2 questions

1) Would the QSC GX3 or GX5 work better for this set up?

2) If my two 1x12's don't carry enough, and I wanted to add a subwoofer, would that still work if I was running one GX3 or GX5 for all the speakers? I read that they both have crossover. But would it be powerful enough?

 

I want to make sure that a) my system is loud enough for clubs/basement shows and

b) i don't blow out either the amp or the speakers.

 

Thanks so much in advance!

[scharris_99]

What is the manufacturer & model of your speakers & subs? What type of music as you playing? How big of a club are you trying to cover?

[airy242]

I currently have two Yamaha s12e's. I know they're not the best, but I was thinking that maybe with a sub, it would balance out the lack of low end. Is that just wishful thinking?

If the Yamaha's aren't good enough I was thinking of getting two Avatar SB112's in their place. I hear Avatars are good for the price, and that would make up for the Yamaha's missing low end. Thoughts on that?

I don't want to spend a ton of money on this. $1000 is my cut off range. If I could get that down to $500 it would be great, hence me trying to incorporate the Yamaha's, which I already had in my possession.

I play energetic rock. (http://pterofractyl.bandcamp.com/). So it would need to be loud enough to keep up with a big drum sound. If possible, on dates that the drummer couldn't perform, I'd love to be able to run electronic drums out of this system and have it hold up sonically.

In terms of club size, I would want it to hold up to a couple hundred person capacity. But I figure at the bigger venues I play I'll be running my signal out of the house sound as well.

Thoughts on all this? Suggestions?

If you need any more information let me know. Thanks so much again in advance, I really appreciate it.

[scharris_99]

I don't see replacing stage monitors with bass cabs helps your PA sound system. If you want low cost and if you like Yamahas, match up a pair of used Yamaha club 115's with a GX5 and I think you will be happy in most small venues. Keep the s12e's for monitors.

[djiceman1575]

I used to use the S12e's for FOH with a small band, fried the tweeters instantly. They're good for recorded music, but not great for band use, unless it's a quieter band.

 

OTOH, buy mine from me if you're close to KY and put new drivers in, that way you have 4! Lol

[agedhorse]

GX-3, but I think you would be better looking at starting with something like a single QSC K12 (powered) and then when money allows, get a second one.

 

One K-12 would exceed two of what you have right now.

[djiceman1575]

 

GX-3, but I think you would be better looking at starting with something like a single QSC K12 (powered) and then when money allows, get a second one. One K-12 would exceed two of what you have right now.

 

 

This. You're better off doing that.

[airy242]

Thanks for the information. I'll definitely check out the K12's and compare them sonically to the Yamaha clubs. The only issue with the K12's is I wanted to run my sound in stereo, since I'll be looping and playing different instruments, which will make the overall live sound cleaner if I'm running in stereo instead of mono. Is there anything that's worth checking out that isn't as expensive as the k12's that would allow me to get two of them? Or does the K12 sound that good, that a mono signal running through it will still be better.

 

Also, if I end up going with the k12's, will I need a subwoofer down the line since I wanted to run electronic drums out of this system since they are 12's as oppose to 15's? Is there a significant advantage to getting powered speakers, besides not having to buy an amp? I read some stuff online that suggested I stay away from powered speakers since their internal amps aren't as good as getting a separate amp.

Thanks so much again. Much appreciated.

[agedhorse]

Lots of misconceptions in your post airy...

 

1. The K12 is really THAT much better. There is no comparison

 

2. This class of powered speaker is better than you could ever hope to achieve yourself with any passive speaker.

 

3. The amps in the K-12 are as good as any seperate power amp out there. QSC is one of the largest amp companies in the world.

 

4. If you need subs, I would suggest purchasing the K-Sub (or the KW-181) down the line as you find that you need them. The processing matches up with the tops so it's plug and play withour any of the typical missteps common with mixing brands and models.

[abzurd]

I'll add one more - what exactly is "cleaner" about running stereo? The reality is running in stereo is a "it depends" proposition. If you can get your audience directly in front of you and present them with a moderate stereo field then sure, there's some value to stereo. The thing is live sound is all about trade offs. The venue, audience placement and good old mother nature dictate the physics. Then there's the experience to know how to deal with those physics. Long story short, given your experience level and assumed varied venues, mono will be easier and is very likely to consistently yield better results.

[airy242]

Hey,

1) I'll be sure to try out the K12s. They sound like they might be the way to go.

2) I was trying to do a stereo sound, because I figured that multiple instruments would sound better coming out of multiple speakers. In a normal band set up, a bass player would be coming out of a bass amp, guitar player out of guitar amp, etc... I thought that having them all coming from one speaker might make the overall sound muddier and smaller in a live setting. Is that not the case?

I only have experience with the traditional band set up (guitar player out of guitar amp, etc....), I've never done a set up where I am supplying the majority of, if not all, of the live sound.

 

All of this advice has been super helpful. Thanks so much again.

[agedhorse]

In a traditional band setting, all of the instruments are also coming out of the PA speakers. It's not a problem at all. In fact, it may be beneficial to only have one speaker.

[airy242]

Good to know. Would it be worth forking out the extra cash for the 15in version if I'm just gonna get one speaker for all my sound? Or will the 12 totally hold up? Which of the two would be better if I plan to get a sub down the line?

Thanks!

[airy242]

Or conversely, would there be any advantage to the k10's with a sub? I read the k10s have a wider sound range than the k12s. Is that relevant?

[agedhorse]

IMO, the K12 with sub is a pretty darn good siolution. Without a sub, I think the KW15 would be better but also a bit more expensive, larger and heavier to get up on a stand. In the K series, the 12 is as larger as they go. With a sub it would be hard to beat, even without a sub it's at least 2X what your current speaker is.

[Unalaska]

Fwiw a lot of hard core jazz piano players are using kw10s and 12s. Bass response isn't the biggest seller since all do a great job. Get a very small mixer and 1 or 2 qsc's and get on with playing music.

[airy242]

Alright looks like I'll be getting the qsc! Most likely the k12 : ) Thank you all so much for your advice!

[agedhorse]

Let us know how it works out for you.

[airy242]

hey all,

i had a really busy month so i just recently got to actually go to a local guitar center and hear all the suggested speakers. i tried a qsc k10, k12, kw152, and kw153. i really liked the additional bass/low mids of the kw152/3 in comparison to the k10/12's, but the sense i got via other posts in this forum was that a 3-way powered system isn't as good as a 12 in speaker with a sub for a multitude of reasons. with this in mind i think $1300 is my new cut off. are there any 12 in and sub combos with active speakers that stay under that range? or do you simply have to spend closer to $2000 to get anything worth while? is there anything else i should consider in general? as always, let me know if i'm unclear or you need anymore information. additionally, thanks again for your help.

[djiceman1575]

 

hey all, i had a really busy month so i just recently got to actually go to a local guitar center and hear all the suggested speakers. i tried a qsc k10, k12, kw152, and kw153. i really liked the additional bass/low mids of the kw152/3 in comparison to the k10/12's, but the sense i got via other posts in this forum was that a 3-way powered system isn't as good as a 12 in speaker with a sub for a multitude of reasons. with this in mind i think $1300 is my new cut off. are there any 12 in and sub combos with active speakers that stay under that range? or do you simply have to spend closer to $2000 to get anything worth while? is there anything else i should consider in general? as always, let me know if i'm unclear or you need anymore information. additionally, thanks again for your help.

 

 

As far as decent speakers go, you'd probably have to spend closer to your $2k limit to get anything decent. There's stuff like Behringer's gear, which is slowly coming up in quality, but reliability is still up in the air however you want to look at it.

 

And in reference to your powered 3-way comment, it depends on how you look at it. Three-way speakers are going to offer a "better" overall sound compared to a typical 2-way, and it would be pretty close (very similar) with a two-way and a subwoofer, which is essentially what a 3-way box is. If I was in your situation, I would go with something like the KW153 (if you have additional help, they can be a PITA to stand, not impossible, but difficult) or the JBL PRX635 (much lighter, some people prefer them vs QSC, and they're cheaper).

[agedhorse]

whatever...