Members Al Poulin Posted May 1, 2012 Members Share Posted May 1, 2012 So I'm reading that you have a $1250 max budget for tops & an amp. Right now you can buy a new pair of EV SXA250s for that, and I don't think you will find anything more suitable for your purpose at the price. They ARE powered. So if one dies, you still have another speaker playing.Don't even think about using the ZXA1 for mains, it won't handle it. I wouldn't use it full range for a monitor either, best to highpass it. They sound great, but will bottom out easily with any bass content. I was looking for some SX cabs on the Zzsounds website, but they only seem to have the smaller ones IIRC. Al Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Tat2bluez Posted May 1, 2012 Author Members Share Posted May 1, 2012 I understand.I suggest to use (some portion) of your finite available funds to purchase the services necessary to deliver the intended product... being: solicite the services of a pro for the production work.Buy (do it in-house) after it's "in the budget", both monitarily and expertise wise. Thank you for your input, WM, that is certainly an option. And thanks to those who have shared what they are currently using. I am still interested in opinions regarding cabs best suited for the music genre mentioned and particularly for 3-part female harmonies which dominate the music. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Al Poulin Posted May 1, 2012 Members Share Posted May 1, 2012 Anything that Guitar Center or Zzsounds has available. You might want to get in touch or send a PM to Mike at Audiopyle Sound (just posted a few posts ago). He is a very respected dealer that is on these boards quite a bit and is always helpful. I'm sure he would take good care of you. Just an idea / another option to Zzounds and GC. Al Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Tat2bluez Posted May 1, 2012 Author Members Share Posted May 1, 2012 So I'm reading that you have a $1250 max budget for tops & an amp. Right now you can buy a new pair of EV SXA250s for that, and I don't think you will find anything more suitable for your purpose at the price. They ARE powered. So if one dies, you still have another speaker playing.Don't even think about using the ZXA1 for mains, it won't handle it. I wouldn't use it full range for a monitor either, best to highpass it. They sound great, but will bottom out easily with any bass content. The price I'm seeing for those are $1500/pr. Well reviewed active speakers all seem to be out of my price point. What is your opinion on th elx115s? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members abzurd Posted May 1, 2012 Members Share Posted May 1, 2012 Cheap...relatively speaking ... JBL PRX 612M Cheaper and frankly sound pretty darn good RCF ART312A (around $500 each). My opinion continues to be you can't do better than this speaker for the money. Not the lightest thing going, but still very manageable. If you're running kick drum and bass guitar through the system, to get anything "authentic" you need at least one sub. If you don't then you need to let off the gas and only put a little through and don't boost the bass. This is especially important in a vocal oriented group where you want to keep the headroom for the vocals and not kill the system with low frequencies which WILL degrade the vocals. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members RoadRanger Posted May 1, 2012 Members Share Posted May 1, 2012 Yes, if you have time to get the RCF ART312A's in they are great! I have the 10" version which is plenty loud but the 12" version will handle the keys a bit better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Tat2bluez Posted May 1, 2012 Author Members Share Posted May 1, 2012 Cheap...relatively speaking ... JBL PRX 612MCheaper and frankly sound pretty darn good RCF ART312A (around $500 each). My opinion continues to be you can't do better than this speaker for the money. Not the lightest thing going, but still very manageable.If you're running kick drum and bass guitar through the system, to get anything "authentic" you need at least one sub. If you don't then you need to let off the gas and only put a little through and don't boost the bass. This is especially important in a vocal oriented group where you want to keep the headroom for the vocals and not kill the system with low frequencies which WILL degrade the vocals. We're primarily acoustic - acoustic-electric bass on a dozen songs, keys on 1/2 dozen. I understand what you're saying about the bass & vocals. Thank you for the EQ info - I'm a fast study and all this info is extremely helpful~ - Whew - it was really so much easier when I was in a rock band eons ago... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members tlbonehead Posted May 1, 2012 Members Share Posted May 1, 2012 Sweet, but not in the price range I quoted. They are $799 ea. Also, I'm way too spooked to relay on powered mains. If they go during a gig, we're screwed.I'm with you. I've done the powered cab thing too and really prefer going back to power amps and passive speakers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Tat2bluez Posted May 1, 2012 Author Members Share Posted May 1, 2012 Cheap...relatively speaking ... JBL PRX 612M Those look interesting - and I didn't realize they were powered. Not bad for that price point - and I have a comfort level with JBL. Still doesn't help me with my paranoia about mains going out during performance and no backup. Must ponder this... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members dennis a Posted May 1, 2012 Members Share Posted May 1, 2012 Those look interesting - and I didn't realize they were powered. Not bad for that price point - and I have a comfort level with JBL. Still doesn't help me with my paranoia about mains going out during performance and no backup. Must ponder this... A point that hasn't been brought up in this thread is that a powered speaker is more than a speaker and an amp in the same box....it includes processing as well. Engineers at the factory tweek all of the crossover and EQ settings (as well as other stuff) and you end up with a product that is pretty much plug n play. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Shaster Posted May 1, 2012 Members Share Posted May 1, 2012 Those look interesting - and I didn't realize they were powered. Not bad for that price point - and I have a comfort level with JBL. Still doesn't help me with my paranoia about mains going out during performance and no backup. Must ponder this...I could understand your paranoia if you were only using one powered speaker, but the advice being offered here is to go with two. That means that if one dies, you've still got another. That's compared to a power amp dying and that's the end of a show (unless only one channel goes). And depending on the make and model of powered speaker, you could even get by without a mixer in a pinch (on some models, and only with a mic or two). I have a fair bit of passive speakers at present because I got them at fire sale prices, because so many folks are going powered speakers. But I'd rather do a gig with two or four powered speakers, than two or four passive speakers and one amp. And again, I like passive, but I bring extra amps if that's what I'm doing. I guess there's no rental store in your area? That might be a way to get by until you know what you "need", what you want, and what you can't do without. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Dookietwo Posted May 1, 2012 Members Share Posted May 1, 2012 Maybe Yorkville?Dookietwo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Marko Posted May 1, 2012 Members Share Posted May 1, 2012 ... Cheaper and frankly sound pretty darn good RCF ART312A (around $500 each). My opinion continues to be you can't do better than this speaker for the money. Not the lightest thing going, but still very manageable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members jonthomas Posted May 1, 2012 Members Share Posted May 1, 2012 I would hire out the first gig to give you more time to figure out what you will exactly need for future gigs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members abzurd Posted May 1, 2012 Members Share Posted May 1, 2012 Those look interesting - and I didn't realize they were powered. Not bad for that price point - and I have a comfort level with JBL. Still doesn't help me with my paranoia about mains going out during performance and no backup. Must ponder this... Redundancy isn't an exclusive attribute of a passive system. If you have active monitors you can just as easily swap out main with a monitor. It's all about having pieces that work well together. For instance, that powered EV ZXA1 you have is handy, but if you're pinched for money and need to focus on a scalable system, that $500 would likely have been better spent on a speaker that was capable of being a solid main PA speaker. If resources are tight, versatility is key. If I were tasked with needing a quality "weekend warrior" PA on a tight budget I'd buy multipurpose (can be used as wedge or main), 12" powered speakers of all the same brand and model. This gives the best chance of sounding good plus maximum flexibility, redundancy, and aesthetics. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members dedmeet Posted May 1, 2012 Members Share Posted May 1, 2012 Is anyone here located near our OP? I think it would be superb of one of our own maybe stepped up to provide sound for him/her at a reasonable cost. NM is a bit too far for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members jwlussow Posted May 1, 2012 Members Share Posted May 1, 2012 Yes. Rent for the first gig. That way you can concentrate on the music and not worry about the sound. Active speakers are generally much more reliable than passives. Generally when an amp in your price range goes with passive speakers, it takes the speakers with it. You are lucky if you lost an amp without damaging a speaker. Don't just get gear to fill in empty spaces. Have a plan and purchase gear that you really want to keep and make sure it all fits into the big picture. For example, if you really don't want that Behringer amp and are only considering it because it is cheap, pass on it. It might be cheap now but you are going to end up throwing it away once you get an amp that you really want. If you are looking cheap just rent and save yourself the guilt of throwing away your hard earned money on a temporary purchase. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members gdawg55 Posted May 1, 2012 Members Share Posted May 1, 2012 Cheaper and frankly sound pretty darn good RCF ART312A (around $500 each). My opinion continues to be you can't do better than this speaker for the money. Not the lightest thing going, but still very manageable. ^^^This is a great option.^^^^ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Bobby1Note Posted May 1, 2012 Members Share Posted May 1, 2012 So I'm reading that you have a $1250 max budget for tops & an amp. Right now you can buy a new pair of EV SXA250s for that, and I don't think you will find anything more suitable for your purpose at the price. They ARE powered. So if one dies, you still have another speaker playing. Don't even think about using the ZXA1 for mains, it won't handle it. I wouldn't use it full range for a monitor either, best to highpass it. They sound great, but will bottom out easily with any bass content. THIS, (SXa250/15") is a heckuva great sounding speaker. Vocal clarity rivals some of the better 12" boxes I've listened to. They used to retail for close to $1200/box up here in Canada, when I started shopping. If I were you, I'd give Mike (Audiopyle Sound) a dingle for a quote. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members WynnD Posted May 1, 2012 Members Share Posted May 1, 2012 Hi all,I've looked through the threads but am feeling overwhelmed and would appreciate some assistance.After paying for the pressing of our CD, we are tight on money. So we are cutting back in certain areas but still need to get our cabs & amps. We are an acoustic Americana/Folk some country group with 3 part female harmonies, and will be playing mostly house concerts, and small-med. venues. Quality over loudness factor is important, but we still should have enough power to do the job.We have an ~$800 budget for the cabs. For amps, I was looking at either a Behringer EP4000 (output ~700w) which I know is not the best, but we had to cut corners somewhere and can upgrade later), or the PeavyIPR3000, both within our amp price range ($370-$450).I have to get this done by tonight, so any speedy help would be greatly appreciated. BTW, we are three gals so 80# cabs will make us cranky. Thanks! A lot of people are upgrading from their boat anchor amps to lighter units. Many of those heavy amps work fine and are hard to kill. (I just upgraded from a Yamaha XS-250 to a Crown XS-1000. Similar power but 30 lbs lighter.) Consider going with a used, good quality heavy amp. You should be able to get them for a song. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Tat2bluez Posted May 1, 2012 Author Members Share Posted May 1, 2012 Thank you one and all for your thoughtful responses. It looks like renting for the first gig is the way to go. We have been investing a chunk of change during the recording process and didn't expect to be in such demand so soon after (lucky us!) It seems there is a real push for active mains. It's been a few years since I've been in a steady working situation, and last time, passive mains were the norm. I have mixed feelings about renting until we can get the system 'of our dreams.' Renting is expensive and it is lost money. I'd rather get a couple of components that we really want, and then throw-aways that will do the job, but can be used as backups when the remainder can be obtained. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Axisplayer Posted May 1, 2012 Members Share Posted May 1, 2012 I'd rather get a couple of components that we really want, and then throw-aways that will do the job, but can be used as backups when the remainder can be obtained. Renting at first is the best way to sound good at every show, and figure out what you need. If the PA sounds like throw aways, these might be your last jobs as well as your first. Further, no good system plan includes "throw aways" as part of it. It does include re-purposing equipment. You buy small mains that can be moved to monitor duty when better FOH is possible. Small amps that be moved along to monitor duty when bigger FOH is possible. If you plan to buy junk, try and make it work, and then throw it away or sell it as boat anchors, you will find that the eventual system you get (assuming you manage to keep working) will have cost two or three times what it would have using the "buy once, cry once" plan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Tat2bluez Posted May 1, 2012 Author Members Share Posted May 1, 2012 Further, no good system plan includes "throw aways" as part of it. True - poor choice of words on my part - I meant re-purposing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members DJSMON Posted May 1, 2012 Members Share Posted May 1, 2012 I would go for either DXR12's or K12 (if you use the cabs mainly for vocal amplification, 10" model may be enough). I personally love the sound of DXR. The mid is crystal clear and low end just holds up well at high volume. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members abzurd Posted May 1, 2012 Members Share Posted May 1, 2012 True - poor choice of words on my part - I meant re-purposing. .... but in essence it's what you meant. Just be really careful here. You've spent all that time, effort and money on recording, which evidently has yielded the desired result in the form of paid gigs. Don't screw it up now by purposely offering up a product that you know will be substandard. Your talent is wasted if you cut corners on the production. It's that whole "you only get one chance to make a good first impression". It sounds like, no matter what you buy, you're basically going to be "winging it" as far as running your shiny new gear. The value of hiring out isn't just obtaining the needed gear. Don't undervalue being able to concentrate on the performance, knowing that the sound is being handled by someone that does this, if not for a living, than at least as a serious side job and can get much better results than you on your own, especially when you're just starting out. Heck, the fact they are out front and can hear what's going on and react is reason enough to hire out, especially when you're first starting out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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