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[Steven Twors]

I'm debating if I should build subwoofers and tops or just buy some brand name units.

But I'm not sure the cost savings vs time that would be spent.

The last carpentry I've done was in the late eighties/early nineties when I was 11-14 years old. I built many skateboard ramps and a halfpipe, and built a few tree houses. Since then I've done a couple engine rebuilds on my sportscars, but never finished them, and had other more experienced people finish them for me. What happened with those was I got into a project I thought I could finish but ended up being more work than I wanted. I'm worried a speaker build project might also be too much work than I'm interested in.

So I'm considering powered PA units, OR non powered and buy separate amp. So here are some options I'm considering:

Powered:

http://tampa.craigslist.org/pnl/msg/4571938872.html
(not sure if these are powered, that price seems high for non powered PAs!)

http://tampa.craigslist.org/psc/msg/4574836425.html
(couldnt find info on this model)

http://tampa.craigslist.org/pnl/msg/4525235355.html
(leaning towards this)

Non Powered:
http://tampa.craigslist.org/hil/msg/4546257081.html

http://tampa.craigslist.org/pnl/msg/4578065773.html

Btw, I happened to see this and it looks very much like this person frequents this board or speakersplans.com or some other similiar forum!: http://tampa.craigslist.org/hil/msg/4531269803.html

I already have a Harbinger 18" 1000watt powered sub, which is great, but doesnt have much kick, its more of a thunder rumble machine. I want more KICK.

I've been borrowing PA mains to go with my sub. This has been at beach raves. I've hosted about 15 of them so far.

I noticed a huge difference in kick when I borrowed 500watt powered behringer PAs, vs some Mackies another time (dont remember power on those)

[Brian Jojade]

The JBL JRX and SA cabinets you linked to are pretty much junk.  Don't waste your time.

The EV's are ok, but not that awesome either.  It all depends on your requirements.

As far as building, you can probably build something that looks like a pre-made cabinet cheaper than buying one, but if you match material quality and factor in your time, then you won't see much savings.  Resale value of home built cabinets is only going to be a fraction of purchased cabinets.  i.e., if you bought the used cabinets listed, in a year, you'll be able to sell them for nearly what you paid, if not more.  If you build your own, getting anyone to buy them will be a challenge.

[Paul G. OBrien]

For a DIY effort subs are where you get the most bang for you buck, a standard reflex box is pretty easy to build, no internal crossover is required and if you spend at least $200 per driver you can match or beat the performance of a product that costs upwards of $1000 retail. Tops are another story, even a simple 2-way requires a crossover and getting that right requires a pretty good base knowledge of driver performance and acoustics so this is where you may find yourself in the deep end and not finish the project.

[David Parker]

I've built more cabs that I'd care to remember. Made plenty of money using them, but you can't resell them. I didn't save any money building them. It costs a lot more than you think. All the little things like paint, screws, handles, it all adds up. I've had people ask me about building cabs for them, and I always tell them that I can't save them any money.

[Richard Turner]

Thread here from a month ago

http://forums.prosoundweb.com/index.php/topic,150144.0.html

[David Morison]

http://tampa.craigslist.org/pnl/msg/4571938872.html
(not sure if these are powered, that price seems high for non powered PAs!)

Not powered. In EV's nomenclature the equivalent powered box would be "ZXa4" (if they did a powered version of that model in the first place). Plus you can see on the pic of the rear panel there are only NL4 inputs, not IEC and XLR. And it says "passive full range cabinet" on said panel.

http://tampa.craigslist.org/psc/msg/4574836425.html
(couldnt find info on this model)

Strange, EV's page on it is the first one that comes up when you google it.

The ZX above, properly powered, should get a bit louder than these and cover a slightly wider audience area.

Btw, I happened to see this and it looks very much like this person frequents this board or speakersplans.com or some other similiar forum!: http://tampa.craigslist.org/hil/msg/4531269803.html

What makes you think they post here?

The "I am a Pro sound Engineer and KNOW SOUND These are AWSOME (sic) and will fill any Large/Small Venue with no Problem" attitude would get anyone laughed right off this board, or speakerplans for that matter (& SP is a lot more "relaxed" than here!).
The only place that would show up on SP would be the "Ebay Dreamers" thread where ads like that are routinely ridiculed.

Not to mention the seller is totally exaggerating their value - Sigma Pro's are easily $150/pair cheaper than he claims (and that's advertised prices, not going looking for any deals).

So, none of that really helps you yet.

Of those options, I think the ZX4's would give the best and most sound, as long as they haven't been thoroughly thrashed in their life so far, and as long as you power them appropriately and pay attention to any recommended processing EV may have for them.

HTH,
David.

Edit - clarified EV terminology/model no.

[John Roberts {JR}]

If you value your time at near zero, and have the skills or plans you can copy, and are not serious, go for it. the worst case you will end up smarter. There should be a subwoofer forum around here with plans for a very good box. 

If your time is worth anything, and you are serious with serious customers, or plan to be someday buy a professional product.

JR

PS: Last time I made speaker box sawdust was for hifi speaks for my home system back in the early 1970s. They worked adequately enough for over a decade, but I still ended up tossing them in a dumpster when I moved across country.   

[Rob Spence]

To the OP

What is your budget for all of this? Tops, subs, cables, amps, racks.

All the bits add up.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

[Steven Twors]

thanks for all the replies!

To the OP

What is your budget for all of this? Tops, subs, cables, amps, racks.

All the bits add up.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

for right now, i just want to get some powered PAs, so i was thinking i could pick some up for $500-$700.

in the long term though, i was thinking of building a speaker stack like you see at free parties/teknivals in europe:

http://www.partyviberadio.com/forums/attachments/speaker-plans/4683-i-want-buy-rig-nine-bar-soundsystem.jpg

budget for that i have no idea, $5k?

[Steve M Smith]

Are they Void Acoustics?  They are the right colour but look a bit worse for wear.


Steve.

[ProSoundWeb Community]