Re: Danley SM 80 vs SM 60F?
Another successful night with the SM80s last night. The thing about direct comparisons to a cab like the 722 is that part of the loudness of a 722 is in the low end that is not necessarily the sonic territory of the SM80. If you are just talking about 400 Hz and up, I think the SM80 wins in wider and more even pattern coverage, fidelity, and high end extension. Plus, the coherence of the sound, especially when traveling a distance, is not the same in a coax like the SM80 as compared to the separated components of a 722 (what some call "vocal intelligibility" is greatly enhanced by a single point source with the right balance of components and tuning). The 722 would definitely be a little more flexible if you wanted to use it as a full range stand alone cabinet for some occasions. If you are assuming additional "subs" for all occasions, then it becomes a matter of the trade-offs in other areas. The upcoming sound gig described above with a single SM80 and BC415 on each side to cover a crowd of 1000+ is personally encouraging to me, as I might be able to expand my low end without having to buy a bunch of additional mid-hi tops to keep up.
BTW, I power my SM80 with an xti4000, and I never recall it going in the red on any of our gigs including small outdoor settings like we did last night (approx. 250 people). We ran all the PA power (3 Crown xti's and an ITech 6000) and one side of the lights off a single 15 amp circuit, and the console and the other half of lights off another 15 amp circuit.
