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Author Topic: Need advice to choose PA speakers  (Read 23042 times)

Scott Wagner

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Re: Need advice to choose PA speakers
« Reply #20 on: May 24, 2013, 10:11:42 AM »

Rick, you and I are in just the same situation, however my hobby it threatening to take over.
Here is how to resolve the situation: Step one it to completely forget about ROI. Buy whay you need to get the job done, speakers, amps, trailer, tow vehicle, power distros, cables, lights, whatever it takes. Sense its a hobby think of is as if you owned a big boat... you pour $ into it for the pleasure of using it sometimes.

The next step it to look around your area and see if there is some place you can rent "racks & stacks" for the bigger outdoor shows.  This will be main speakers, subs, amps, cables, crossover, processing, often accompanied by a system tech.  You simply supply everything else.

If you are in a market where the above is simply not available or totally uneconomical due hi rental rates you get to start piecing together a festival rig.  If you want to insure a successful outcome you must have a system that will survive anything that is thrown at it: rick, country, death metal, hip hop.... to do this for 1,000 ppl outdoors takes a pretty serious amount of stuff.

I am booked to do a big party at a large campground this year. My client says I won't need the big rig because he did it with his bar rig last year and only blew up one speaker...Guess what, I have learned not to let the clients dictate what rig to bring.

Another factor is 'outdoors' can be a number is situations. An amphitheater type setting can be much easier then a flat open field. An outdoor gig in a downtown area surrounded by buildings presents it's own problems.

Personally, I don't believe simply doubling the size of you indoor rig will be sufficient... but I could be mistaken about the actual needs.
Larger shows require a system that is several orders of magnitude beyond a bar rig.  The nice part is that with larger shows come more meat in the seats (and more money to rent Enough Rig For The Gig).  Festivals and such are no place for hobbyist sound.
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Scott Wagner
Big Nickel Audio

Loren Aguey

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Re: Need advice to choose PA speakers
« Reply #21 on: May 24, 2013, 10:58:09 AM »

I agree this is a good combo. However, i don't think this is significant upgrade from live x either.

That would actually be quite a significant upgrade from Live X series in terms of output and sound quality.
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Rick Powell

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Re: Need advice to choose PA speakers
« Reply #22 on: May 24, 2013, 05:00:48 PM »

Larger shows require a system that is several orders of magnitude beyond a bar rig.  The nice part is that with larger shows come more meat in the seats (and more money to rent Enough Rig For The Gig).  Festivals and such are no place for hobbyist sound.

Absolutely.  The problem is, most rigs (and all the powered MI=level stuff, IMO) are difficult to scale up or down to fit any situation.  Wen was the last time you saw 32 boxes of PRX gear on either side of a festival stage?  The requirements for doing outdoors at decent SPL, as well as providing coverage without audio smear, dictate that different types of equipment are used.  Line arrays, or very loud SPL arrayable boxes like the EAW KF series or the Danley SH or JH series, are designed to focus sound over a large coverage area and at a desirable volume level that doesn't sound terrible when cranked up.

I made a conscious decision to get a system that fit into a van, and if I ever needed a  bigger system for an event, to rent the system or pieces I needed. rather than buy and tow an extra 5000 lb of stuff around for the few times I'd really need it.  For instance we are doing an outdoor festival next month, and I'm renting extra lights and 4 monster powered subwoofers to cover the gig, in addition to what I've got.
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Tim McCulloch

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Re: Need advice to choose PA speakers
« Reply #23 on: May 24, 2013, 05:19:28 PM »

Larger shows require a system that is several orders of magnitude beyond a bar rig.  The nice part is that with larger shows come more meat in the seats (and more money to rent Enough Rig For The Gig).  Festivals and such are no place for hobbyist sound.

This.

I blew up my share of PA learning This in the early 1980s. 
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Scott Wagner

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Re: Need advice to choose PA speakers
« Reply #24 on: May 24, 2013, 07:06:13 PM »

I blew up my share of PA learning This in the early 1980s.
Me, too - although closer to the later 80s.
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Scott Wagner
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Marc Platt

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Re: Need advice to choose PA speakers
« Reply #25 on: June 25, 2013, 03:03:33 PM »

 I have never blown up anything thankfully. At least not in this context.
 
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Tim McCulloch

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Re: Need advice to choose PA speakers
« Reply #26 on: June 25, 2013, 04:55:36 PM »

I have never blown up anything thankfully. At least not in this context.

Give yourself a chance.  You'll be richer for being poorer.  Trust me.
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"If you're passing on your way, from Palm Springs to L.A., Give a wave to good ol' Dave, Say hello to progress and goodbye to the Moonlight Motor Inn." - Steve Spurgin, Moonlight Motor Inn

Marc Platt

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Re: Need advice to choose PA speakers
« Reply #27 on: June 25, 2013, 05:38:07 PM »

Give yourself a chance.  You'll be richer for being poorer.  Trust me.
I don't get it?
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Tim McCulloch

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Re: Need advice to choose PA speakers
« Reply #28 on: June 25, 2013, 08:00:16 PM »

I don't get it?

Hi Marc-

The process of learning involves failures of materials, methods, and personnel.  It's really okay to kill a few speakers or power amps along the way; the repair or replacement costs are the tuition at Ye Olde Skool of Audio Harde Knocks®.  You acquire certain knowledge and experiences that cannot be communicated in print or on an internet forums.  It is not a grave moral failure.

Yeah, it sucks to figure out you need $300 worth of recones or HF diaphragms, but now you know what it takes to kill them, and how the rig sounded leading up to the moment of failure - how it sounds when it's "stressed."  One of my "system guy" tasks is determining if I can safely give a Band Engineer "a little more" HF/MF/Subs if asked, and some of what I'm listening for in the system I learned the Ye Olde Way.  The tuition continues to pay off for me.

Have fun, good luck.

Tim Mc

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"If you're passing on your way, from Palm Springs to L.A., Give a wave to good ol' Dave, Say hello to progress and goodbye to the Moonlight Motor Inn." - Steve Spurgin, Moonlight Motor Inn

Chuck Simon

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Re: Need advice to choose PA speakers
« Reply #29 on: June 25, 2013, 09:20:42 PM »

Hi Marc-

The process of learning involves failures of materials, methods, and personnel.  It's really okay to kill a few speakers or power amps along the way; the repair or replacement costs are the tuition at Ye Olde Skool of Audio Harde Knocks®.  You acquire certain knowledge and experiences that cannot be communicated in print or on an internet forums.  It is not a grave moral failure.

Yeah, it sucks to figure out you need $300 worth of recones or HF diaphragms, but now you know what it takes to kill them, and how the rig sounded leading up to the moment of failure - how it sounds when it's "stressed."  One of my "system guy" tasks is determining if I can safely give a Band Engineer "a little more" HF/MF/Subs if asked, and some of what I'm listening for in the system I learned the Ye Olde Way.  The tuition continues to pay off for me.

Have fun, good luck.

Tim Mc

That is a great post!  I know I went through my period of blowing out a few JBL 2206's, pushing them a little too hard on some new, larger gigs.  I was lucky with the HF, those 2447's are tough! Anyway, it  won't happen again.  A man's got to know his limitations(and his equipment's limitations too).

But to answer the original question, the SRX stuff is really hard to find used(I'm lookin') and the new STX line looks really good and worth the investment that you are going to have to make if you want to move up to slightly larger gigs.  There's a lot of good equipment out there but most of my experience has been with JBL, and it's hard to go wrong with it.
« Last Edit: June 25, 2013, 09:35:16 PM by Chuck Simon »
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Re: Need advice to choose PA speakers
« Reply #29 on: June 25, 2013, 09:20:42 PM »


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