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[Jon Nickowski]

I'm a newbie and currently in the process of updating my sound reinforcement for my mobile entertainment company. I'm looking at EAW LA400 subs.I would like to add 4, but not sure if I can afford the amps and crossover What kind of tops would work well with the la 400? Will these work until i can afford new tops?
2 - EV Eliminator 15" 350 watts @ 8 ohms and 2- Cerwin Vega V-15X 250 watts program,  500 watts peak @ 4 ohms.

Will QSC RMX 4050 or 5050 amp be sufficient power for 2 0r 4 LA 400's?  I'm also looking at the DBX Driverack.

Edit- My budget is between $6000-$8000 for 2 or 4 subs, amp, dj mixer, cables, crossover and maybe 2 or 4 new tops.
I'm also considering Turbosound TXD215 or TXD118 subs paired with TXD 151 tops.

thanks

[Mike Pyle]

Welcome Jon,

The LA400s will get damn loud with either of the amps you mention, maybe loud enough, but I usually give them a little more power. I have found that a bridged RMX1850HD per pair works great. Get the driverack, but get a DR260 not a DRPA. Use this for crossover, limiting and peq on the subs. You can get eq specs for the subs from the EAW site. Limit the sub output of the driverack so that the amplifier does not clip. Depending on speaker placement you will probably need to delay the tops to the subs since the LA400s are horn loaded.

The subs will put out more than the tops you mention. That may be okay, as long as you can get as loud as you need it. Those tops probably won't array together at all, so choose the pair that works best for mains (I'm gonna guess the EVs), and maybe you can use the others for fill sometimes. It would probably be best to look for some better tops when you can afford them. I often use 4 Yorkville U15s over 4 of the LA400s and it is a pretty decent match.


Edit: Doublechecking the amp specs, I see that the RMX5050 in stereo is very close to the output of two bridged RMX1850HDs, but I will stick with my recommendation. The RMX5050 would cost you more than the other 2, and would have very stiff power requirements.

[Jon Nickowski]

Thanks alot Mike.  Your the second person that mentioned using 2 amps for this type of application.  I'm clueless on bridging amps and hooking up crossovers to a dj mixer. I have alot to learn and am very excited about taking my sound to the next level.  I'm still waiting on another quote for the EAW LA400 subs.  I received a quote for 1 @ $966.95, is that a good price?  I will update the post when i figure out my speaker configuration.

I can't afford the DBX Driverack 260.  I was looking at the Driverack PA, it sells for around $460.

thanks again,

Jon

[Mike Pyle]

I haven't really kept up with street prices on EAW. That doesn't sound like a bad price but I am sure that others here could tell you better. I bought the six that I own used.

Have you considered other subs, or are you married to the idea of the LA400s? Just curious if something else might suit you, like the powered LS800P from Yorkville. With the money you would save on amps you could afford better processing.

BTW, the DR260 is only maybe $250 more than the DRPA, and well worth every cent. Do a forum search to read some discussion about this. A good source for DBX is http://www.northernsound.net , but you will have to call to get a price.

[Mike Pyle]

Jon,

To get opinions regarding equipment it would help to know what size the venues are that you work, and the crowd sizes.

I pm'ed you with some other info.

[Chris Davis]

Back when they first came out, I recall a certain music chain offering them brand new for $750/cab.  Needless to say that was a little while ago.

[Kit Hannah]

The rest of the LA line, such as the LA325 or LA460 is going to be your best bet for tops. You'll get great sound with both, and they are a matched set (460 & 400) in performance specs, sizes, etc. We used to run LA325's on top of 400's and it was a very sweet package - we could handle a ton of stuff with them. The LA325's are the same width as the 400's, so they go very nicely together for more nearfield applications, such as smaller concerts, clubs, DJ stuff, Smaller PA Gigs. The 460's being horn-loaded will give you a bit more depth to work with, and will also array better if you plan to get more in the future. I'm not big on the whole "mis-matched" Cabinet thing, so if you can afford to do so, and you really want to go with the 400's, fill it put with everything that was made for those. You can usually find some quality used LA eries cabinets for not too much money.
K