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Sound Reinforcement - Forums for Live Sound Professionals - Your Displayed Name Must Be Your Real Full Name To Post In The Live Sound Forums => SR Forum Archives => The Basement FUD Forum Archive => Topic started by: The other Brian Miller on June 09, 2004, 10:22:15 PM
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I 'work' for a small professional theater company, and we are currently trying to decide what to do with our existing in-house sound system, which we rent from someone who has left the area, and who now wants us to buy the system from him for what seems to me to be a very high price.
The theater is quite small, and is a quonset hut. It seats 150, and the stage is approximately 36 feet deep by 40 feet wide. The house has similar dimensions. We don't need to reach concert hall volumes.
The system that we are now renting consists more or less of the following:
Soundcraft Series 600 16 channel mixer
Roland SRV-2000 reverb
DBX 1531P Equalizer
Crown D150A Power Amplifier
Hafler 500 Power Amplifier
Kenwood KM893 Power Amplifier
2 - 3M PA75 amplifiers, one currently in use
A separate Power Amplifier (another Hafler?) that I don't have brand or model for, which drives the subs.
2 - Celestion SR-1 Loudspeakers (FOH)
2 - Consumer grade loudspeakers (House Rear)
2 - Pro (?) grade (large cabinet) subwoofers - brand/model unknown)
Also included are two approximately 50 foot 8 channel XLR snakes
2 Whirlwind IMP splitters
Several 10 to 25 ft. 1/4" patch cords
Several 25 ft. XLR cables
An XLR Cable tester
A 3' rolling equipment rack
A 2' stationary equipment rack
The theater owns a couple of CD Decks, a cassette deck, a couple sets of discarded/donated home speaker cabinets, an old home receiver, a couple of microphones (Shure SM-58), etc.
I am likely the most technically knowledgeable person on sound there, and I don't know very much at all. I learn fast though.
I am not terribly impressed with the way the system works. I find that other theater companies in the area have a much better sound.
The big concern is that the system is installed and is reasonably functional. If we were to turn this guy down, and he takes it away, its going to be a huge task to replace the system. We are just barely staying in business as it is, and can't go out and blow several thousand dollars on a new system.
My question for all of you is what is this equipment worth? Assume it is all functional. A couple channels on the board are a bit flaky, but they can be coaxed into working. Feel free to allow for the cost of installing new stuff if we don't take this guy up on his offer.
If I were to design a system from the ground up, I would likely insist on having better FOH than the Celestions, similar or better House rear, similar subwoofers, and onstage monitors. I think a 16 channel mixer at times is more than we need, but when we do a musical with a five piece band and onstage hanging mikes, they get used up. I don't think any of the power amps in the current set-up would be considered "pro audio" by anyone, and that is probably another serious shortcoming.
I won't tell you what he wants for the system until I get your opinions! Hopefully, armed with your answers, we can talk him down a bit, and invest in improving the system going forward.
Thanks.
Brian M.