Best powered speaker

[Shaster]

I'm recommending the Yorkville NX25P. Treble, mid, bass and volume controls. Has a bit of a scooped mid voicing, with a slightly pronounced high end sizzle - NO it's not a wine:)

 

I've used one for a single and as a band monitor. The price to sound ratio is pretty good.

[OneEng]

Could a 12" speaker system work adequately for a one or two man band, or should I be limiting my search to 15" speakers.

[abzurd]

 

Could a 12" speaker system work adequately for a one or two man band, or should I be limiting my search to 15" speakers.

 

 

In general I prefer a good 12" speaker cabinet. Less cone area to control so the response is faster, which means better articulation. Of course a lousy 12" speaker isn't going to be as good a good 15". If you're thinking you need a 15" for "more bass", that just usually not accurate. If you really need bass you need subs, period. A 15" speaker on a stick with the bass frequencies boosted isn't the answer.

[OneEng]

abzurd,

 

In general I prefer a good 12" speaker cabinet. Less cone area to control so the response is faster, which means better articulation. Of course a lousy 12" speaker isn't going to be as good a good 15". If you're thinking you need a 15" for "more bass", that just usually not accurate. If you really need bass you need subs, period. A 15" speaker on a stick with the bass frequencies boosted isn't the answer.

 

Thank you. I also suspect that there is little advantage to a 15" for a one-man setup for acoustic guitar and vocals. A 12" will also be more "move friendly".

 

So with that in mind, what would be a good 12" speaker?

[GigMan]

 

abzurd, Thank you. I also suspect that there is little advantage to a 15" for a one-man setup for acoustic guitar and vocals. A 12" will also be more "move friendly". So with that in mind, what would be a good 12" speaker?

 

 

agreed - a 15" is good if you're running sequences or a kybd. plyr. is doing left-hand bass and you have a drum machine, whatever... but for a 1 man deal w/acoustic gtr., 12" should be fine.

 

Check out the QSC K12's - definitely worth a listen, I dig mine. And even if you add sequences, they have different EQ settings that let you reduce or deepen bass, pretty amazing lows for a 12" spkr.

[rhat]

I think the most important thing is to buy somthing that will still be somthing you can use as you expand your system. As for the 12 vs the 15. I have mackie srm 450s .. one of them would do your gig no problem.

 

I play keyboards and walk bass lines. I do like JBL eon powered speakers though. the things are bullet proof. Pretty well all of the beach bands use them, and if they last down here ,, you wont kill them off in a normal place.

[dcastar]

I just purchased a used pair of:

http://www.turbosound.com/showroom/tq445dp/index.html

Turbosound TQ-445-DP powered speakers.

12" LF, 6.5" mid, and 1" co-axial mounted HF... all in a box the same size as your ordinary 12" 2-way.

137dB peak... yes, 137dB!

and it sound amazing. My QSC HPR 3ways were great, but this is a totally different league.

 

[GigMan]

I think the most important thing is to buy somthing that will still be somthing you can use as you expand your system. As for the 12 vs the 15. I have mackie srm 450s .. one of them would do your gig no problem. I play keyboards and walk bass lines. I do like JBL eon powered speakers though. the things are bullet proof. Pretty well all of the beach bands use them, and if they last down here ,, you wont kill them off in a normal place.

 

Hey Rhat - i'm curious, where are you located? You often reference the "beach bands" - are you be somewhere in the Carolinas or the Texas coast?

 

Yes the EONs are pretty sturdy - have had mine almost 8 yrs. and they're still going, will probably use them as monitors now that I have the QSC K12's

[GigMan]

I just purchased a used pair of: http://www.turbosound.com/showroom/tq445dp/index.html Turbosound TQ-445-DP powered speakers. 12" LF, 6.5" mid, and 1" co-axial mounted HF... all in a box the same size as your ordinary 12" 2-way. 137 dB peak... yes, 137dB! and it sound amazing. My QSC HPR 3ways were great, but this is a totally different league.

 

Interesting - I'm sure they do sound great, as a 2-way but the spec sheet says they weight 71.5 lbs. - too damn heavy, ma brutha... I'll take the sound and light weight (41lbs.) of an "ordinary" 12" speaker like the K12's any day. Although I think the QSC HPR's are 60lbs., so that Turbosound isn't all that much heavier, I guess...

[Gregidon]

I just purchased a used pair of: http://www.turbosound.com/showroom/tq445dp/index.html Turbosound TQ-445-DP powered speakers. 12" LF, 6.5" mid, and 1" co-axial mounted HF... all in a box the same size as your ordinary 12" 2-way. 137 dB peak... yes, 137dB! and it sound amazing. My QSC HPR 3ways were great, but this is a totally different league.

 

With a list price of $5800 they better we in a different league!!!

 

http://www.fullcompass.com/product/235225.html

[GigMan]

With a list price of $5800 they better we in a different league!!! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cDpxMX_p_z0&feature=player_embedded

 

Gregidon - that link is for a Presonus mixer not Turbosound speakers... it is the wrong link?

[Gregidon]

Gregidon - that link is for a Presonus mixer not Turbosound speakers... it is the wrong link?

 

So right... my bad link to full compass - http://www.fullcompass.com/product/235225.html

[rhat]

Hey Rhat - i'm curious, where are you located? You often reference the "beach bands" - are you be somewhere in the Carolinas or the Texas coast? Yes the EONs are pretty sturdy - have had mine almost 8 yrs. and they're still going, will probably use them as monitors now that I have the QSC K12's

 

 

Tip of texas ,, south padre island. I spend the winter down here , but will be moving here full time as soon as I get some business taken care of in kalamazoo. I got a house to sell and a crapper load of stuff to garage sale off. we are going to start that process this summer. I want to scale down to one house and get out of the vacatioin rental business.

[dcastar]

Interesting - I'm sure they do sound great, as a 2-way but the spec sheet says they weight 71.5 lbs. - too damn heavy, ma brutha... I'll take the sound and light weight (41lbs.) of an "ordinary" 12" speaker like the K12's any day. Although I think the QSC HPR's are 60lbs., so that Turbosound isn't all that much heavier, I guess...

 

Put a K12 next to a TQ445DP... pan between them. You'll be amazed at the difference.

 

Don't get me wrong... we use K10's for monitors, and they suit that purpose very well. But for FOH work... there really is a "OMG" difference in quality.

 

Before I bought used... I got a quote for them "new"... $4k per cab.

[GigMan]

Put a K12 next to a TQ445DP... pan between them. You'll be amazed at the difference. Don't get me wrong... we use K10's for monitors, and they suit that purpose very well. But for FOH work... there really is a "OMG" difference in quality. Before I bought used... I got a quote for them "new"... $4k per cab.

 

I don't doubt you - that those TurboSound cabs sound great (they'd better, for the price) but that's so far out of my league - $8,000 per pair!! - and most of those like me: "weekend-warrior" musicians, doing 50-65 gigs a year (weddings/banquets/privates/bars & clubs/some solo+duo jobs in-between)... that I can't even consider it.

 

I have limited funds (and my wife has limited patience/understanding! ) for equipment purchases & I have to spread the wealth around. I mean, yes - I try to buy quality & I will avoid Behringer and other junky stuff but I definitely could never justify an 8K pair of speakers...

[dcastar]

We only play about 40 shows a year... are you not making a decent margin of profit on your gigs?

 

We have a set number / hard minimum that we play for... with a percentage of that dedicated straight to gear maintenance and upgrades.

[Chip Stewart]

I already have a full gig PA, but I just purchased a TC-Helicon Harmony-G XT which I intend to put together a coffee shop gig rig (just me, the Harmony g, my Taylor, a microphone and a speaker). I was thinking that a single speaker would be enough (if it was a good enough speaker). I am looking for good vocal clarity, and warm lows for the acoustic guitar and the bottom end of my voice. Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated

 

Consider the Yamaha MSR400 (12" speaker with 225W and 1.25 driver with 75W). 300W total should be plenty for a coffee shop gig. I use a Yamaha MSR100 as my monitor, and it has very good clarity. The 12" speaker should be able to handle your acoustic guitar just fine (low E on an acoustic guitar is 82 Hz). It has a level control and 2 band EQ (low and high). The only way to really decide is to listen to one, but many of the big music stores (Guitar Center, etc.) carry them. Check one out and see what you think.

[GigMan]

We only play about 40 shows a year... are you not making a decent margin of profit on your gigs? We have a set number / hard minimum that we play for... with a percentage of that dedicated straight to gear maintenance and upgrades.

 

Ha - "margin of profit" is a relative term... around here (Northern NJ/NYC metro area) - there's a glut of bands/musicians, the wedding business is steadily getting taken over by DJ's & there are way more bands & musicians than there are clubs & restaurants. So many are working cheap. Some bar gigs are paying same money I used to make on bar gigs in late 80's, early 90's!

 

I guess if you're a band that ALWAYS plays together w/same members and does a 40 good-paying gigs a year, an 8k investment is ok, since it improves the sound of the band and therefore can get you more business. But my wedding band has its own equipment, as do the bands I freelance with - so my purchase of new PA gear is solely for the few gigs a year where I need to provide it, maybe 10 or 12 gigs out of 55-60 for the year...?

 

So that's why an $8,000 pair of speakers is just not going to be in my business plan.

[Al Poulin]

 

Hey, whatever happened to Al? He used to rave about his Wharfdale "Titan 12 Active" tops, about $400 each shipped: http://acapella.harmony-central.com/showthread.php?t=2267454 http://www.frontendaudio.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=9999-05880

 

 

Al is here reading, but he's not where he usually is. You might say he's somewhere magical at the moment...

 

Yep, I do love my Titan 12 actives. Used them on New Year's eve with a single LS700P for a crowd of 220 and they did very well. Not too much deep bass by themselves, but are very nice on vocals and sound very open without being too harsh. Also, 28lbs with built-in amplification. They won't compete with KV2 or Meyer offerings, but do very well for a powered speaker at their price point. I love their size, sound and weight and the built-in mixer is impressive. I paid 480$ a piece + tax (shipping was free).

 

Al

[OneEng]

LOL. I started the thread without stating a price, but 1K would be the outside of what I would pay for a single speaker.

 

I don't need to consider scaling up for the speaker either. I have a very full PA with in-ear monitoring system for the heavy lifting if I ever do a one-man show for a stadium

 

I have some brand bias without any reason, but I associated Yorkville, QSC, and FBT with a higher grade of speaker than JBL EON, Yamaha, and others.

 

Does Yamaha make a decent 12" speaker?

 

Does anyone have any feedback for the Yorkies 55P and 25P NX series?

 

I know that none of the speakers I am referencing are going to compete with a 4-8K speaker, but I really can't justify such an expense.

[Shaster]

 

I know that none of the speakers I am referencing are going to compete with a 4-8K speaker, but I really can't justify such an expense.

 

 

 

Ummmm see my earlier post in this thread. For a one or two man band, I really like either the Yorkville NX55P or the NX25P (at about half the price). They are very warm with plenty of bottom end. The NX55P has a ridiculous amount of bottom. I'll go way out on a limb and say you wouldn't need a sub with the NX55P - for your stated application.

 

FWIW... I just did a two man show today at a very swank place. The PA that was supplied was the "new" Soundcraft EFX mixer and two QSC 122i's. These speakers make very good monitors because they tend to be on the flat and accurate side, but for the Pop, Blues, Motown, duo thing, they were somewhat antiseptic.

 

I would have much preferred one NX55P (or two NX25P's) than the HPR's - even though the 122i's might be a better speaker technically. I think I would have preferred an older Mackie as well. Something with some colouration to it.

 

Of course that's not necessarily what you want in a band situation. -

 

YMMV on all above points.

[OneEng]

I didn't mean to sound like I hadn't read your post. I didn't know you had used the 55P as well as the 25P. When I looked up the spec, it looks like the 55P not only has a better 12" driver (which would explain the bottom increase), but it appears to have an upgraded HF horn as well.

 

It seems to me that there are really 3 price categories of speakers around this use model.

 

 

Value: ~400

Mid: ~800

High: >2K

 

There are a few speakers that are hovering in the "just greater than 1K" range too.

 

It seems like the sweet spot would be in the mid price range. While I am sure that there are exceptions in all cases, I was thinking that the most bang for the buck likely lies in this case.

 

Here is the list of speakers I have compiled so far and the rough specs on the drivers:

 

Speaker Price Driver HF Driver

QSC K12 800 ? 1.75"

Yorkville NX25P 300 Ceramic 12 1.75"

Yorkville NX55P 800 Neodymium 12 1"

QSC HPR122i 900 Neodymium 12 1.4"

EV SXA-360 800 Neodymium 12 1"

EV SXA-250 850 Neodymium 15 1.25"

FBT Maxx 4A 700 Neodymium 12 1"

Titian 12 500 ? 1.75" Titanium

[Chip Stewart]

There are a few speakers that are hovering in the "just greater than 1K" range too. It seems like the sweet spot would be in the mid price range. While I am sure that there are exceptions in all cases, I was thinking that the most bang for the buck likely lies in this case. Here is the list of speakers I have compiled so far and the rough specs on the drivers: Speaker Price Driver HF Driver QSC K12 800 ? 1.75" Yorkville NX25P 300 Ceramic 12 1.75" Yorkville NX55P 800 Neodymium 12 1" QSC HPR122i 900 Neodymium 12 1.4" EV SXA-360 800 Neodymium 12 1" EV SXA-250 850 Neodymium 15 1.25" FBT Maxx 4A 700 Neodymium 12 1" Titian 12 500 ? 1.75" Titanium

 

I'm a big fan of EV (I use two EV SX100+e speakers for my front of house), but I didn't recommend the EV SXa360 because it does not have EQ and the level control is not meant for everyday use. It really doesn't meet your original criteria.

 

The EV SXa100+ has a level control and EQ, but at 200W total (12" with 150W and 1" with 50W) I thought it was marginal for your application. Now with two EV SXa100+ speakers, you'd be in business.

[Shaster]

Go test drive a few if you can. You've got a good selection from which to choose (curse my aversion to ending a sentence with a preposition).

[OneEng]

I'm a big fan of EV (I use two EV SX100+e speakers for my front of house), but I didn't recommend the EV SXa360 because it does not have EQ and the level control is not meant for everyday use. It really doesn't meet your original criteria. The EV SXa100+ has a level control and EQ, but at 200W total (12" with 150W and 1" with 50W) I thought it was marginal for your application. Now with two EV SXa100+ speakers, you'd be in business.

 

I am not committed to a single speaker, but it seems like it would be an easier solution to have 1 instead of 2. Is there any advantage to having 2 instead of one (like stereo image, sound spread, etc)?

 

Shaster,

 

I would love to audition a selection from above, but I think that GC carries few (if any) of them?