Members NORWAY-P-250 Posted February 15, 2005 Members Share Posted February 15, 2005 Self-powered speakers or not ? Please advice.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Milkman1 Posted February 15, 2005 Members Share Posted February 15, 2005 I'll be interested to hear the responses to this. I just purchased two Yorkville powered subs (18" driver with 1500 watts onboard each) and will set up and test this evening. I have used Yorkville's smaller versions (2 X 10") with good results. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members tremendo Posted February 15, 2005 Members Share Posted February 15, 2005 It took a while to get convinced on powered speakers, but I'm lovin' the Yorkville NX550P's as FOH. They're powered, reasonably light, and it's been easy to run an XLR and power cable to. I feel that Yorkville knows exactly how much power to get to those speakers to be the most efficient, so I don't even worry about it. Just plug 'em in. They also are versatile, wide dispersion and can be used as monitors. (I also have the LS800P) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Brad Harris Posted February 15, 2005 Members Share Posted February 15, 2005 Originally posted by NORWAY-P-250 Self-powered speakers or not ?Please advice.... On what ??? this is just a 50/50 question, which will get you no real results w/out taking your question further, so what is your question? What aspecs are you looking for? What kind of speaker? What market are you looking at? Cheap anything doesn't mean it sucks, and expensinve anything doesn't mean its great. What kind of power is availiable? Any processing/cabling standards already in place to build from? Or are you just wanting a chicken or the egg kind of response? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Audioeast Posted February 16, 2005 Members Share Posted February 16, 2005 Self powered is great for alot of reasons the amps are usually perfect for the speakers multi band limited biamped boxes no damping factor no speaker cable f'ups (which one, is it in phase, wrong connector, half unplugged 1/4" shorting amp) no speaker cables! no amp rack no distro no truck more affordable in comparison they are great if you are doing single stack work and want to have really good sound without a edjucation on how to design a multiband sound system. not good if you're doing 10 boxes per side concert work Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Saxman7 Posted February 16, 2005 Members Share Posted February 16, 2005 I switched to all powered speakers about 8yrs ago or so, sold all my amps & speakers, and got a few unpowered, rackmount mixers, and a pair of JBL Eon 10s, Yamaha MS-150s (12", and currently for sale), and then EV SXA-100s. I do alot of duo/trio work, as well as a more full band, and found 90% of the time I only needed one speaker, using two for either larger venues or ensembles. Less stuff to haul around, they all sounded great, and were compact in size... I'm about to try the Bose PAS system once again, and think I'll end up keeping it this time, I'll know soon enough...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members abzurd Posted February 16, 2005 Members Share Posted February 16, 2005 Here's a chart that may help your shopping. Abzurd's Audio Page It's the first link on the page. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members dboomer Posted February 16, 2005 Members Share Posted February 16, 2005 Originally posted by abzurd Here's a chart that may help your shopping. Abzurd's Audio Page A very nice resource indeed. I have a warning about the power/Watts ratings listed for these powered speakers (and all power amps in general) ... Look for a UL sticker/rating. If there is none then the power has not been rated after a thermal conditioning. It MAY have the power listed but after a few minutes that power may very well drop to only 10% of the listed number .... really Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members tlbonehead Posted February 16, 2005 Members Share Posted February 16, 2005 I prefer passive but your question is too general. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members lucho_84 Posted February 16, 2005 Members Share Posted February 16, 2005 Originally posted by tlbonehead I prefer passive but your question is too general. +1, but Like dan said, if you're doing just 1 speaker/side then they're great. Either way you're gonna be running cables. I prefer to run signal to amps and then run 1 speaker cable and nothing else. There is nothing I hate more than having to run a bunch or xlr and power cables to speakers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members agedhorse Posted February 16, 2005 Members Share Posted February 16, 2005 In a large FOH system, there's not much difference. Still need power distro, you end up linking or breaking out AC power to each box, plus linking your signal input. Passive or active is not much difference from the hassle side, but there are some benefits in that you don't have amp racks, most power amps are class D w/ switchers, so there's the lighter overall weight issue, the processing is box specific etc. For wedges, there's nothing I hate worse than powered wedges. Doing a set change (esp. a festival) where you need to move power and signal and things can get ugly quickly since we typically run a dozen wedges or more on 8 - 12 mixes. That's quite a mess on stage, and there's no weight savings since for each speaker cable you ditch, you add a power cable. I also want my wedges as light as possible. An added 15 lbs for a wedge means a lot to me as it gets moved around a lot more than an FOH box. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members abzurd Posted February 17, 2005 Members Share Posted February 17, 2005 I just thought of another good reason for powered cabinets that I haven't seen mentioned anywhere. Reduced maintenance. Boxes like the Yorkville powered cabinets have no "gak collectors", fans that bring in the, well ... gak. I would tend to agree though that a passive monitor system would be more convenient in the end. Hi power and bi-amping aren't really aren't issues in monitor rigs for most weekend warrior bands. You can do smaller, lighter amps (like the Soundtech PS802) and get a capable rig that's still convenient. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members rickrock Posted February 17, 2005 Members Share Posted February 17, 2005 Very nice comparison chart, I had just made my own version, much smaller in scope, but I've abandoned that in favor of absurd's version. I'm finally down to two choices I think, for the high boxes: either the yorkville nx750p, or the FBTMaxx6a's. They are very similar in many respects, both two way, both 15" driver and approx. 1.5" horn, but the FBT shows 900/200 watts, and the nx shows 750/100, with the resulting impact being I guess, the higher 129 spl for the fbt's. I also like the fbt sub options better than the elite or nx options, at least on paper. Both the 6a and the nx750 are relatively new products, with the 12" versions being more well established. But I have a guitar band that needs the extra spl from larger boxes, but being all 40+ dinosaurs, we aren't willing to lug 13 ply baltic birch around anymore. Anyone think 2x the fbt 4a or york nx550 is a better idea than one 15" 6a or 750? Would 2x the nx's on each side with the horns rotated be advisable? Anyone care to vote for the 6a over the nx750 or vice versa, if performance is the only criteria (okay, and given that fbt is Italian and the nx's are Canadian, I should allow for consideration of warranty issues and reliability as well). The B&C drivers in the fbt's seem pretty well thought of. Much obliged Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Audioeast Posted February 18, 2005 Members Share Posted February 18, 2005 IMO they are on the same level.....it's a matter of taste. coke or pepsi? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members tremendo Posted February 18, 2005 Members Share Posted February 18, 2005 Originally posted by rickrock Anyone think 2x the fbt 4a or york nx550 is a better idea than one 15" 6a or 750? Would 2x the nx's on each side with the horns rotated be advisable? 3 Piece R & R band here (late 30's) and I've always liked 15" for FOH, but about 8 months ago I got the NX550P's and have been very happy. The NX750P's didn't exist back then, but I don't feel I lost any punch or lower mid with the 12" at all, and I do like the 48lb box (the NX750P's are 62lbs). Unless I heard them side by side and the 750's blew away the 550's for fullness, I'm sticking with the 12's. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Old Steve Posted February 18, 2005 Members Share Posted February 18, 2005 Totally depends on the application and skill level of the operators, IMHO. If you're a weekend warrior type of person and you only do sound for your own band (and therefore don't have to adapt your rig to different bands' needs on a regular basis), and the types of gigs you do are relatively consistent with the amount of noise you need to make, powered speakers have many advantages. They are fairly idiot proof, have fewer connections to make, and it's much harder to blow things up by miswiring them. The only downside is that you have 2 wires running to each speaker: signal, AND power. Also, if one component within the speaker fails, the whole thing goes to the shop rather than just one easilyl replaceable component of a system If you're a sound company or do sound for mulitple bands, they may not be flexible enough for you. If that's not YOUR situation, give 'em a shot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members rickrock Posted February 19, 2005 Members Share Posted February 19, 2005 Thanks for the input. What about this. If both boxes deliver a 90 degree horizontal dispersion, (or thereabouts), but the nx series has a horn that can be rotated, will the rotated horn throw further? Is the rotation feature there just so you can lay them down and make a better monitor, or is it so you can array them, and narrow the dispersion when you do that? If the latter, does the rotation of the horn have the effect of throwing the sound further out? What about this idea, (if rotating does throw the sound out furhter): Put two nx750's on each side, one up higher and facing straight toward the back, with a rotated horn, for throw, and two a little lower, and aimed more in at the dance floor for close coverage? Is this sensible or pointless? Just array them and rotate both horns? Figure ballroom, 60' x 120', 350 people, dancers close up, listeners further back. This is important to me because if the rotatable horn for the nx series does mean longer throw, it could well be the factor that pushes me to buying that brand. Thanks for the help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Terry Allan Hall Posted February 20, 2005 Members Share Posted February 20, 2005 I like powered subs and monitors, but I'll never use powered speakers for FOH...too heavy to put on stands and too many AC-cables to deal with up front! Powered speakers that stay on the floor are fine...hence, monitors and subs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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