Flown Sidefill Options

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Eric Simna

Sophomore
Jan 12, 2011
104
0
16
Cleveland, OH
www.a440sound.com
Hi All, I figured this might be the best place to figure out what's available. My day job is in a community college theatre. Currently, we have a pair of Community RS220s flown on a lineset for side fills. We're looking for alternatives that are slimmer. Obviously, I know low end output will be sacrificed (not that the 220s have all that much).

My first thoughts were the EAW JF80s or Meyer UPJunior. I'm not sure what else is out there. Our linesets are on 6" centers, and we'd like to be able to fly things freely without playing pinball. Budget is unknown as of now. I'll take any ideas out there.

Before anyone brings it up, we do NOT want wedges. We're looking for something we can put in the air and leave up, having it ready for whenever they are needed. Intended program material ranges from talking head gigs to dance recitals.
 
Re: Flown Sidefill Options

Eric Simna said:
Hi All, I figured this might be the best place to figure out what's available. My day job is in a community college theatre. Currently, we have a pair of Community RS220s flown on a lineset for side fills. We're looking for alternatives that are slimmer. Obviously, I know low end output will be sacrificed (not that the 220s have all that much).

My first thoughts were the EAW JF80s or Meyer UPJunior. I'm not sure what else is out there. Our linesets are on 6" centers, and we'd like to be able to fly things freely without playing pinball. Budget is unknown as of now. I'll take any ideas out there.

Before anyone brings it up, we do NOT want wedges. We're looking for something we can put in the air and leave up, having it ready for whenever they are needed. Intended program material ranges from talking head gigs to dance recitals.
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Other than for tying rags, will you routinely bring in US/DS pipes lower than the speaker trim? Six inches ain't much wiggle room.

How often to you do theater on that stage? I can see hard set pieces on adjacent line sets... IOW, might not be a 'fly and forget' thing...

Just a thought... how about the new "skinny column" loudspeakers that are all the rage all over again. Just thinking out loud here.
 
Re: Flown Sidefill Options

Tim McCulloch said:
Other than for tying rags, will you routinely bring in US/DS pipes lower than the speaker trim? Six inches ain't much wiggle room.

How often to you do theater on that stage? I can see hard set pieces on adjacent line sets... IOW, might not be a 'fly and forget' thing...

Just a thought... how about the new "skinny column" loudspeakers that are all the rage all over again. Just thinking out loud here.
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We do 3 theatrical shows a year. Speaker trim is unfortunately fairly high because the speakers share the same batten as work light. The next down stage lineset is a set of legs and today in our change-over we caught one and tore the bottom. My TD immediately asked for skinnier speakers (again...)

I know 6" centers suck. I figured I'd ask what is out there. The "skinny columns" would be good. I just don't know of any of them. I tend to be more old school despite being under 30.

Thanks Tim!
 
Re: Flown Sidefill Options

Don't forget that a "skinny column" will mean less pattern control (in the horizontal) and a lot of pattern control (if you can call it that) in the vertical. If they're flown high then I think you might be getting the wrong thing for the application in both directions. You may not realize how good you have it (sonically) with the current boxes until you change them for something else. Since I'm not visualizing it well, which dimension of the current boxes is the problem? Front to back or side to side? <15" seems pretty skinny to me already.
 
Re: Flown Sidefill Options

drew gandy said:
Don't forget that a "skinny column" will mean less pattern control (in the horizontal) and a lot of pattern control (if you can call it that) in the vertical. If they're flown high then I think you might be getting the wrong thing for the application in both directions. You may not realize how good you have it (sonically) with the current boxes until you change them for something else. Since I'm not visualizing it well, which dimension of the current boxes is the problem? Front to back or side to side? <15" seems pretty skinny to me already.
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The form factor fits. If it's an iron criteria, the performance will be secondary until someone further up the food chain decrees otherwise. I'm not suggesting they're the answer, I'm suggesting they fit the space available.
 
Re: Flown Sidefill Options

Yeah Tim, I recognize why you suggested it. I just wanted to offer that there might be a negative side effect to a cosmetic change like this. But if you gotta do it then you gotta do it. Of course I have no way of knowing if the current boxes are a good solution (sonically) either.
 
Re: Flown Sidefill Options

Thanks for the input everyone. The current boxes are fine output wise. I'm not a fan of their response. The issue is the physical size. It's not really an issue for me. I'm careful when flying soft goods. Others not so much. The boss just asked me to look for options. If I had my way we'd put our Sx200s on stands in the wings when needed. The bosses disagree.

Bumpers aren't the solution. The cabs are currently rigged about 3 feet off the batten, and bumpers works better with hard goods. And yes, Rob, things are very tight. Line sets that were originally dedicated to be electrics were given 12" of spacing. Everything else is cozy. The work lights on that batten are about 8" wide.

Thanks for the EV suggestion Robert. I'll look more into those.
 
Re: Flown Sidefill Options

If the issue is the depth of the speaker you might consider the Danley SM100 as it is 9" deep but has a large "face". It might offer better pattern control than a "skinny" solution. But I think your issue is the width of the box?
 
Re: Flown Sidefill Options

Eric Simna said:
Does anyone have real life experience with the OnPoint Audio offerings?
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I haven't used any of the On Point speakers yet, but they appear to be well made and I'm comfortable with recommending them based on my experience with the parent company, One Systems. They assure me that the On point product is built to similar standards.
 
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