Re: Help with purchase decision
Jeremy... I found myself to be in a similar situation as BJ. We may have the same answers.
I had set a budget of $10k-15K for new tops and I started looking at 4x dB DVA T8/JBL VRX932LAP and 2x Pole Mount kits. I was leaning towards the JBL's because I can rent them anywhere in DC, if I ever needed an event that I could fly >6 per side.
Height Issue: Your average Dual 18" sub is only about 40" in height. I like to have the horn up 78”-84” in the air; so you need to come up with a way to get the LA box up 35”.
Strength in Numbers: I thought the high end of the T4/932 projected much better than the SRX… but the SRX had a better mid & low range. You needed about 4-5x T4’s to equal the low end output of an SRX22.
Another thing that held me back from the LA's is the "longer the line, better the control patterns"; some say you need at least 4 boxes while other say it has to be at least 6' in total length (tops).
One of my main deciding factors was when I was A2/Freelancing at a small gig with a VRX system (2 tops/1 sub per side). I ask Lead if I could try setting up the 1 side by myself because I was looking at buying this similar rig (he agreed and watched incase of an Oh Shit happened). Getting 1 VRX on a stick is easy, but when you get the bottom box 5.5'-6' in the air, it becomes very tricky. I did it all by myself, but I didn't like doing it; that was reason I shy'd more away from the SmallLA system.
I went from the SRX722 into FA22ac; I am going to be using my FA22ac on my A, B & C rigs (I don’t rent PA rigs out; just size them for the room). The rig differences are the amount of subs: A = 4, B = 2, C = 0.
I demo'd the FA22ac in a larger than normal room I am in and fell in love (see pic). After the dinner set, the band did a mix between Mo-town and Top-40 Dance songs... at one point, I was in the 6-10db into limiters with the IT8000/4xSRX718s and the FA22ac cruised right along like it was normal.
