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[Luke Geis]

I tried warning you.......... Although probably too late.

Here is the brass tacks. You want more rig for the gig than you need for more than a couple reasons.

1. Longevity. If your not running the system to within an inch of its life most of the time it will last longer.

2. The known quotient. It works every time, you know it will work every time and you know how it works every time. If you have less than you need and try to make it work, who knows?

3. Systems that are designed to be loud and linear simply perform well. They don't necessarily sound the best, but they will get you through anything acceptably. 

4. There is no rule that says one must run all that you have brung. You don't have to use the available power you have. This may mean less distortion and more quality than you think. Now that you have headroom to spare, you also have room to tune for perfection. With low output PA's you have to be careful how much you take away or it could mean not ever getting loud enough. This is of course assuming you had just enough to to the gig anyway.

The JBL SRX-812P is probably the most linear speaker at the price there is right now. It sounds great simply put. It has more than ample processing in it to do ANYTHING you want with it. The Yamaha DSR is another highly regarded performer. I have yet to hear the EV ETX, but have also heard good things about it. The SRX has the most features though and is also the most expensive.

[Alex Magor]

I tried warning you.......... Although probably too late.

Here is the brass tacks. You want more rig for the gig than you need for more than a couple reasons.

1. Longevity. If your not running the system to within an inch of its life most of the time it will last longer.

2. The known quotient. It works every time, you know it will work every time and you know how it works every time. If you have less than you need and try to make it work, who knows?

3. Systems that are designed to be loud and linear simply perform well. They don't necessarily sound the best, but they will get you through anything acceptably. 

4. There is no rule that says one must run all that you have brung. You don't have to use the available power you have. This may mean less distortion and more quality than you think. Now that you have headroom to spare, you also have room to tune for perfection. With low output PA's you have to be careful how much you take away or it could mean not ever getting loud enough. This is of course assuming you had just enough to to the gig anyway.

The JBL SRX-812P is probably the most linear speaker at the price there is right now. It sounds great simply put. It has more than ample processing in it to do ANYTHING you want with it. The Yamaha DSR is another highly regarded performer. I have yet to hear the EV ETX, but have also heard good things about it. The SRX has the most features though and is also the most expensive.

Cool.  I'll try to check out the srx powered as well but I have a feeling i will prefer the passive version.

[Jerry Prince]

Cool.  I'll try to check out the srx powered as well but I have a feeling i will prefer the passive version.

Unless you are going to buy iTech HDs also, go with the powered version.

[Ray Aberle]

Jerry,

Alex is convinced that powered boxes sound "too processed" for his taste. If you read the thread, he's tried the PRX line, and thought his passive MRX boxes still sounded better.

... which would raise the point... why not just buy more of the same?!? Heh.

But really, Alex, the powered JBL stuff (like what we're looking at, the SRX800 series) is heads and tails better then what you've got now. The right rig (SRX812Ps and SRX818SP) will sound crazy good and crush what you have now-- I've never been naive enough to think I can tune a rig better then JBL can (SYSTEM crossovers/EQ, not for room or to correct poor deployment/mic placement). And it'll be scaleable, and power friendly. Simply run an XLR to a remote speaker, plug it in, and you've expanded your rig easily with a setup that will play well with the other speakers.

-Ray

[Tim McCulloch]

Jerry,

Alex is convinced that powered boxes sound "too processed" for his taste. If you read the thread, he's tried the PRX line, and thought his passive MRX boxes still sounded better.

... which would raise the point... why not just buy more of the same?!? Heh.

But really, Alex, the powered JBL stuff (like what we're looking at, the SRX800 series) is heads and tails better then what you've got now. The right rig (SRX812Ps and SRX818SP) will sound crazy good and crush what you have now-- I've never been naive enough to think I can tune a rig better then JBL can (SYSTEM crossovers/EQ, not for room or to correct poor deployment/mic placement). And it'll be scaleable, and power friendly. Simply run an XLR to a remote speaker, plug it in, and you've expanded your rig easily with a setup that will play well with the other speakers.

-Ray

I think Alex started out with 1 goal and now is suffering from "project creep."  Louder LF is now louder, LIGHTER LF; new tops that come pre-voiced to his taste, also LIGHTER and maybe louder; and ease of use.

This kind of comes back to the "cheap, fast, good - pick any 2" thing.  I'm pushing 60 and don't really want to lift, carry or move any more weight than I have to (but some of you guys are pussies, really - and note the lack of a smiley) but by having inflexible and largely intangible goals means that there is probably ZERO gear out there that meet all 3 criteria.  Yeah, I want a rig that weighs nothing, is tiny and puts out stadium PA SPL while sounding angelic.  Oh, and it needs to MAPP for <$999.00.  But I also want a herd of unicorns farting rainbows, too. 

It's important to remember that this is a wedding band PA.  It needs to cover a specific amount of area with "dancing/motivating" SPL but have clarity further away for toasts, announcements, etc.  It needs to go up fast, look nice (or as nice as non-invisible can be to a wedding planner or momzilla), and run on as little AC power as possible.  If the music sounds fine and the rig doesn't feed back when Aunt Gertie makes her toast, "sound quality" is more a matter of subjective taste.

A PA system is a tool used to make money (for the band, in this case).  It's not a big-ass personal stereo system, it's not recording control room monitoring, it's not an ego extension.  It's a capitalist tool and the acquisition should be evaluated accordingly.

[Steve Garris]

This kind of comes back to the "cheap, fast, good - pick any 2" thing.  I'm pushing 60 and don't really want to lift, carry or move any more weight than I have to (but some of you guys are pussies, really - and note the lack of a smiley) but by having inflexible and largely intangible goals means that there is probably ZERO gear out there that meet all 3 criteria.  Yeah, I want a rig that weighs nothing, is tiny and puts out stadium PA SPL while sounding angelic.  Oh, and it needs to MAPP for <$999.00.  But I also want a herd of unicorns farting rainbows, too. 

LOL!

I'll chime in but I'm not at the level as most giving you advice. I use all powered boxes these days and love the results. My system's only need a very little EQ on the mains to sound good (I use only parametric EQ's). I have a PRX 600 series system, with 15/horns pole mounted above the 618xlf's. This setup is more than enough for any wedding, bar band, or even small, outdoor shows. I used my system for a "summer concert series" this summer, with crowds at about 800 or so. It was excellent, sounding great when pushed hard. 

Having said that I'm in the process of upgrading to the new powered SRX stuff. I have the single 818sp sub's, which are awesome so far, and I'll be matching tops to them very soon. My only dilemma is whether to purchase the 12" or 15" tops. I have a preference for the 15's, but the SRX stuff is huge and heavy - and I'm admitting that I'm a pussy when it comes to heavy lifting!

[Stephen Kirby]

Tim nailed it.  Voice of experience.  Requirements for a wedding band PA in a nutshell.  I'm reminded of the Cover Band Book, which is (or should be) kind of the bible for wedding bands that want to be successful.  How to make the client happy.  Everything Tim said about looks, quick set up, clarity, lack of feedback and low power consumption(there's never enough circuits to power a substantial PA after the event's lighting folks and caterers plug all their stuff in) is spot on.

There are a few event bands around here with pro level gear funded after years of high dollar corporate events.  But I've played weddings at Pebble Beach and other high end venues around here and never needed more than 100dB right in front, often less.  Small footprint, quick set up and reliable are what counts if the SQ is decent.

[Luke Geis]

Steve,

    If they made a 10" version that got 135db I would be all over that. The smaller speakers just sound so much better in comparison to their larger counterparts when coupled with a sub. The PRX line has a 10" speaker that seems to perform well, but I know it won't handle a loud rock band. I will say that if your not using subs and you absolutely need the low end to be there, then a 15" is the way to go. If you usually use subs with rocks bands then 12'" will work very well. They are typically lighter and smaller too. Most 12" speakers these days have extension down to 40hz ( while of course not kicking your gut ) and are probably the most versatile speaker size there is. POS, rock bands, fills, mains, monitors and anything in between, they are the easy bet.

[Alex Magor]

Thanks for the suggestion on the Srx powered series.  I just picked up the passive version 15" tops and I have a slight preference of it over the mrx series.  Im gonna check out the powered version in my local guitar center soon.  Though when I tested my 15" mrx against my 12" mrx i have a strong preference for the 15" especially on keyboards.  So either way I will likely end up with 15's for mains.  Also curious if u or anyone might have a preference either way with the srx powered series vs. the vrx powered series.  Thanks!

Jerry,

Alex is convinced that powered boxes sound "too processed" for his taste. If you read the thread, he's tried the PRX line, and thought his passive MRX boxes still sounded better.

... which would raise the point... why not just buy more of the same?!? Heh.

But really, Alex, the powered JBL stuff (like what we're looking at, the SRX800 series) is heads and tails better then what you've got now. The right rig (SRX812Ps and SRX818SP) will sound crazy good and crush what you have now-- I've never been naive enough to think I can tune a rig better then JBL can (SYSTEM crossovers/EQ, not for room or to correct poor deployment/mic placement). And it'll be scaleable, and power friendly. Simply run an XLR to a remote speaker, plug it in, and you've expanded your rig easily with a setup that will play well with the other speakers.

-Ray

[Ray Aberle]

So Alex, a lot of times when people post on here, they either have a fully unrealistic budget (I can haz lie array speakers for a thousand buckz?!?) or murky direction. I get the vibe that you pretty much have no set budget, and will spend whatever you can to make this work well. (You had the PRX rig. Not sure what happened to those. Then you bought the RCFs. Returned them. Now you just picked up the SRX-815s?) So can we freely suggest boxes, no limit on budget, to get you the best rig possible? (It's nice that you have a supplier with a liberal return policy!)

Now you're asking about the VRX? VRX will return you to single 12" boxes. They are also only good for two boxes per side (110° horizontal, 30° vertical) unless you can fly them. I own both SRX and VRX boxes- they both sound great but they are both Tools In The Toolbox. In other words, they each have their place, and it's more difficult to just have one of these models expecting to cover all situations.

-Ray

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