Hi
I am a mobile DJ and last Christmas I upgraded my amps and speaker, I purchased
4 x JBL SRX715 Speakers,
and 2 Crown Macrotech 5000i amplifiers
with the idea that I would use one amp for the 4 SRX715
and the other amp for my JBL subs when I purchase,
My thoughts were what a great sound system, and I must say I love the crown macrotech 5000i amplifier
Its fair to say I push the speakers hard when I DJ, sometimes I use 4 and other times only two
A few of the things I don't like with SRX715s are ...
1) there not very sweet sounding, the top frequencies seem very suppressed until they are pushed quite hard
2) they have to be driven very hard before they come to life
3) It seems the top diaphragm over time deteriorate in sound quality rather than just blow like other diaphragms.
I replaced 4 diaphragms with genuine JBL replacements in the summer, due to the overall sound of the speakers sounding poor (Mid & Top) and it would seem it's that time again as I am not liking the quality from the speakers.
I understand I should run them with subs, but I do not like the way the overall quality seems to slowly deteriorate over time when pushing them hard ?
replacing the diaphragms is not cheap, $700 a time and twice in one year is not good either, please note I am not changing the 4 diaphragms again because they have totally blown, its because the over sound quality sounds dull.
so I would like other peoples feedback on these speakers, they are not cheap to buy and to be honest I am not over impressed with them.
Yes they are nice and light but they need a lot of driving before they come alive and if they are driven to hard they slowly start to sound poor.
Is there anything better out there for a pumping sound system, that sounds great and takes lots of punishment.
I love a strong top end, with a pleasant sounding mid range and obviously a great sounding bottom end, I know this will come from a decent pair of subs.
I'm just not sure the the SRX 715s are my best option as I seem to keep damaging them.
I have always been a JBL fan and had JBL speakers, I'm now wondering if there are other makes of speaker that might do the JOB better for me.
Any feed back and info would be very much appreciated.
Regards
Hi Guys
First of all thank you for your replies, makes very interesting reading.
My hearing is fine, I know when a sound system sounds good and blows you away with quality, and when I replace the diaphragms they sound great.
My problem is overtime, I am obviously driving them too hard and slowly making the 715s sound dull, and thus I assume frying the coils, but not to the point of blowing them.
I own and have been using a dbx 1066 Dual Compressor / Limiter / Gate with limited success, I guess due to sometimes using two speakers for smaller venues and other times using 4,
I am feeling from your suggestions that the dbx drive rack products are much more intelligent when it comes to protecting speakers and as they have my amps and speakers already pre programmed for selection when setting up, this must be a major plus point.
My only concern is, can the dbx drive rack be used with only 2 or 4, 715s and no subs, as there are times for smaller venues that I will not be using subs ?
I am hoping the answer is yes, I have been finding out more info on the drive rack product range and watching some videos on the dbx products, they seem very impressive.
Some one also suggested upgrading the diaphragms to Titanium Or Beryllium not a cheap option but may be worth while, as I believe these diaphragms are used in more expensive JBL top ends.
How impressive are the DBX Drive Racks, do they really work well ?, I am assuming one can have different profiles for different setups configurations,
I know there are a few people, that have quoted "It's only a DJ" and almost been arrogant in there reply, I am not uneducated, I spend my life trying to reach perfection or as close as I can afford to it. Any educated person out there will know I have not cut corners with my kit,
I know this factual as most DJs I know in the UK and not using this grade of speakers or amplifiers, I use Pioneer CDJ 2000 decks and xone:92 Allen & Heath Mixer
My main profession is an electronics engineer and I repair many professional products.
So I know I have a problem that needs to be addressed and I appreciate all positive replies from people that are not arrogant, I'm not the first person to damage a pair of JBL diaphragms and I am sure I will not be last. What's important with any problem is NOT keep making the same mistake over and over and thus why I have posted here.
I have the DBX crossover too, but have not used it yet as I am still to purchase some subs. though I kind of get the impression the dbx drive rack has a crossover built in, so If I purchase the Drive rack I will not need my current dbx limiter 1066 or dbx crossover.
Is it worth by passing the passive crossovers in the 715s and run the mid and top active, if so what amplifier would one suggest using to run the tops, as my macrotech 5000i is far to powerful.
also if I run the 715s active can the drive rack supply full range frequencies to the 715 if I choose not to use subs for the smaller venues.
I do appreciate your help and feedback, all I want to do is get my system right and prevent further damage in the future and it would seem the two missing ingredients is a DSP and Subs
I look forward to your replies
and thank you in advance
Regards