Small Portable PA Suggestions

M

Marc Hayes

Freshman
Jan 12, 2011
59
0
6
Quad Cities, IL/IA
www.tnprod.com
Hi all-
We are looking to revamp the small show side of our company with new speaker rigs. (Think tops on a stick, over subs. Good for a couple hundred people.) Right now we have 3 complete rigs (2x tops & 2x subs) that are each different brands/lines. We want to end up with the same 3 complete rig scenario, but have them be all the same brand/line in order to aid with scale-ability. Nothing we currently have is worth keeping....time to turn over the inventory.

Criteria to consider for the purchase:

Powered cabinets preferred, but not a necessity.
Array-ability....having the ability to just put a PAIR of tops together for a little more rig for the gig when needed.
Flyable....for those corporate gigs. (Occasionally screwing in a eye bolt is fine...doesn't need to have a fly frame or anything.)
Respected Brand.....EAW, JBL, EV, QSC, etc. (Not Pyle, Samson, Yorkville, Peavey, etc.)
Appropriate R.O.I.....have to be under $1k per cabinet to make financial sense.

Any thoughts on what you've used or heard that might fit the bill? Just looking for some ideas and suggestions right now, so we can be sure to make an educated purchase when the time comes.

Thanks in advance!
 
Re: Small Portable PA Suggestions

Marc Hayes said:
Criteria to consider for the purchase:

Powered cabinets preferred, but not a necessity.
Array-ability....having the ability to just put a PAIR of tops together for a little more rig for the gig when needed.
Flyable....for those corporate gigs. (Occasionally screwing in a eye bolt is fine...doesn't need to have a fly frame or anything.)
Respected Brand.....EAW, JBL, EV, QSC, etc. (Not Pyle, Samson, Yorkville, Peavey, etc.)
Appropriate R.O.I.....have to be under $1k per cabinet to make financial sense.

Any thoughts on what you've used or heard that might fit the bill? Just looking for some ideas and suggestions right now, so we can be sure to make an educated purchase when the time comes.

Thanks in advance!
Click to expand...

My personal experience with cabinets that meet most of these criteria is limited to Yorkville and FBT, with a personal preference towards FBT. The FBT ProMaxx14a, while outside your budget window, is possibly the best plastic speaker available. They have numerous other products that will meet your budget requirements.

I would suggest that putting a $1k Yorkville or Peavey cabinet in the same product class as Pyle and Samson is rather unfair to PV and Yorkville, but of course I understand if those brand names aren't going to fly.

Others here speak highly of some of the powered RCF products, but I can't personally, as I haven't used them. Maybe Caleb, Silas, Jeff, or Hal can comment on them.
 
Re: Small Portable PA Suggestions

The best speaker-on-stick-over-sub rig I've ever heard is d&b audiotechnik Q10 over Qsub. Even second-hand the rig will be $10.000+, so it will obviously not meet the $1K per cab criterion. Sorry.
 
Re: Small Portable PA Suggestions

What we use for similar reasons are EV QRX115s and JBL SRX 728s (pictured below all ready to roll out). The 115s have a pole mount, flytrack built in, Biampable OR passive, get pretty loud and sound really pretty good. Subs stay on the ground at this level. Its a rocking rig, we have larger stuffs and more subs for larger events but for a couple hundred people its pretty hard to beat. Sets up quick too. This rig should fit very close to your budget actually.

Powered or not, I would try to raise your budget just a bit and buy boxes that have the most uses, (FOH, Monitors, Fills etc etc) That way they can make you some money over time, even if you outgrow them as FOH boxes. Also used Peavey QW boxes would stomp all over most powered or other used boxes in your price range....Dont get too hung up on brand names but dont go out and some piece of junk either.
 

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Re: Small Portable PA Suggestions

While now a discontinued line, I've been very, very pleased with the JBL SRX712m over a JBL SRX718S as a small system. When a sub isn't necessary, the SRX715 has been quite the solid performer for me as well.

The new STX800 line that replaces the SRX700 line doesn't impress me quite as much. All of the cabinets switched to a heavier design. The horn pattern switched from a convenient 50X90 to a less desirable single speaker coverage of 70X70. The low frequency response rating of the new sub isn't quite as good as the previous as well, although I haven't actually heard the line to do real comparison.

For smaller stuff, the JBL brand helps with ROI, as more people are familiar with that brand name than others, such as RCF, EAW, or even QSC, as those brands don't have stuff in the consumer space. Doesn't mean JBL is better, but if you're working with a customer that doesn't know much about audio, a familiar brand that they can relate as being high quality can help close the deal.
 
Re: Small Portable PA Suggestions

To throw out the U15P because it's Yorkville doesn't make any sense to me. I still have a pair that must be 6 or 7 years old and have seen heavy use but still sound and look great. They are more arrayable than most stuff out there and can be used for most shows without subs. When it was time to re-examine our pa needs I purchased another set of U15Ps. I'd consider them best in class for sound, price and reliability.
 
Re: Small Portable PA Suggestions

Just to help conversation, I totally understand the brand limitations. I too would agree that some of Yorkville's, etc. stuff is fantastic, but this gear occasionally see's a BE or goes on an invoice where the client knows a bit about audio. Its an increase in ROI for us if its something they are familiar with and is reputable.

Feel free to throw out ideas that slightly go over "budget" too, because we want to be sure to explore all our options.

Thanks for the ideas this far! Keep 'em coming!
 
Re: Small Portable PA Suggestions

I'll second the vote for SRX712m. I just added 8. Very happy with them for SOS jobs, wedges, fills, they will fly with yokes. I like the dual angle pole mount, size, weight, and they're the right $$.

I'm also happy with the RCF 522a boxes, but I'm kind of pissed because I got a pair of them and a month later RCF announced the "new, improved" 7 series, which IMO are ugly as hell. Used 522a are not easy to find, but I like the versatility of them. SOS, wedge, or fly, light, and have been reliable, but I have just the one pair.

I am not a fan of the QSC stuff in the segment. I've sold some, but haven't put any in rental inventory. Some have had reliability issues, and they have a "character" about the SQ that I can't get over.

I don't like the asymmetrical horn or the one sided monitor angle on the QRX stuff. Big and heavy, too.

And now this.... absolutely the best speaker for ROI I own has been Peavey Impulse 1012. Dirt cheap, indestructible, they go out all the time for everything from graduations and weddings to dry rental DJs. Never had an issue, I can leave them in a field getting rained on overnight and not care. It is most unfortunate that they don't have monitor angles on them. They are heavy and awkward to carry.

I don't think anything in this segment is going to array very well.
 
Re: Small Portable PA Suggestions

SRX7xx series is pretty well respected. I've never had a problem with using them, besides the standard issues that can happen with speakers. I'll ad a third vote in for them.

I actually like the QSC subs a lot. Pretty darn good, from when I used them. Tops are meh, though.
 
Re: Small Portable PA Suggestions

The "mini" line-array style tops we have are pretty nice... and their price is bang-on for quality vs. performance.

DB Tech DVA T4's. You can pole mount up to 3 per side with their bracket adapter... or fly them with a standard fly-bar.

We use 2 DVA T4's over a single 18" RCF TT sub per side.... and don't have any problem covering bigger ballroom events of 300-400 people. If we want extra oomph, we'll add our existing QSC Wideline dual 18" sub into the mix, but those are rare cases. (500-600 person shows we do a few times per year).
 
Re: Small Portable PA Suggestions

Marc Hayes said:
Just to help conversation, I totally understand the brand limitations. I too would agree that some of Yorkville's, etc. stuff is fantastic, but this gear occasionally see's a BE or goes on an invoice where the client knows a bit about audio. Its an increase in ROI for us if its something they are familiar with and is reputable.

Feel free to throw out ideas that slightly go over "budget" too, because we want to be sure to explore all our options.

Thanks for the ideas this far! Keep 'em coming!
Click to expand...

Since you said over budget, what about the new PreSonus boxes?
 
Re: Small Portable PA Suggestions

What do people feel about the Yamaha drx12.?
Reviews look good- I am thinking of getting pair for foh with subs or for stage monitor duties.
 
Re: Small Portable PA Suggestions

Has anyone heard the new JBL PRX710 over the PRX715XLF yet? On paper that combination looks to be a very nice form factor for portability, if you are willing to accept a +-3dB (ie, -6 dB) lower limit at 44 Hz for the sub. The JBLPro website has no spec sheets posted on the PRX700 line, so it makes me suspicious that they may not compare well on paper with the previous PRX612M or the SRX700 series. I could not find any info on the monitor angle, which has been an issue with the PRX600 line. Except for the new PRX715XLF, the new PRX700 line is substantially heavier than the equivalent neodymium PRX600 line. Even so, based on the sketchy info JBL has released, the line looks like it has great potential.
 
Re: Small Portable PA Suggestions

Nick Davis said:
What do people feel about the Yamaha drx12.?
Reviews look good- I am thinking of getting pair for foh with subs or for stage monitor duties.
Click to expand...
I have a bunch of DSR and DXR. I like them both. The DSR is a little more natural or neutral sounding to my ears. Sounds a bit better than the old QSC HPR's. DXR aren't quite as nice, but a very versatile box for dry hires. They sound very good too.
I wish the DSR had dual angles, and was maybe a bit lighter. DXR is great value for the $$.
 
Re: Small Portable PA Suggestions

BJ James said:
I have a bunch of DSR and DXR. I like them both. The DSR is a little more natural or neutral sounding to my ears. Sounds a bit better than the old QSC HPR's. DXR aren't quite as nice, but a very versatile box for dry hires. They sound very good too.
I wish the DSR had dual angles, and was maybe a bit lighter. DXR is great value for the $$.
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thanks BJ,
I am going to listen to a pair next week ( the PSRs are a bit too expensive for my needs and wallet!)
 
Re: Small Portable PA Suggestions

BJ James said:
I have a bunch of DSR and DXR. I like them both. The DSR is a little more natural or neutral sounding to my ears. Sounds a bit better than the old QSC HPR's. DXR aren't quite as nice, but a very versatile box for dry hires. They sound very good too.
I wish the DSR had dual angles, and was maybe a bit lighter. DXR is great value for the $$.
Click to expand...

I also have some DSR's that I use over PRX618S-XLF's. They punch harder, and go further than the DXR's .... if you find you need the extra punch and volume. The DXR's sound pretty good though. They just don't have quite the umph the DSR's do. I prefer them to the ELX line, but would give the nod to the KW122's over them. I actually like the DSR112's better than the KW's. At 47lbs, the DSR112 is a bit heavy compared to its direct competitors (the PRX612m is a feather weight at only 36lbs for instance), but for me it is worth it for what they do for the sound.

To the OP, you should also consider the RCF722's (or their predecessor the RCF522a).

If you are considering passive, then I am in with the SRX suggestions (if you can find them). My personal favorite is the SRX715's over SRX718's. Pretty great system IMHO.
 
Re: Small Portable PA Suggestions

Scott Bolt said:
The DXR's sound pretty good though. They just don't have quite the umph the DSR's do. I prefer them to the ELX line, but would give the nod to the KW122's over them. I actually like the DSR112's better than the KW's. At 47lbs
system IMHO.
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The KW112's at twice the price of the DXR's are again a bit too much for my wallet - will certainly try to listen to the DSR's as well though - a bit cheaper than the Kw's!
 
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