Lookin for a new setup.. thoughts on EV tour X?

D

Dev Conboy

Freshman
Dec 8, 2013
9
1
0
St. Louis/Chicago
Hey there,

Im currently DJing in the St. Louis area, and need to upgrade my system. I currently use the first generation Mackie SRM450's and I'm tired of them jumping in to thermal protection and blowing the tweeters. I need something real loud with a lot of punch, I've heard great things on the EV tour X series, and have around three thousand to spend. Help me build a dream system?

Im currently looking at the EV TX2152's and a suitable amp. Ive heard mixed reviews on the yamaha DSR215s, but really haven't found anywhere where i can take a listen.

Let me know what you think,
Dev
 
Re: Lookin for a new setup.. thoughts on EV tour X?

I have been using the EV Tourx system now for about 2 years and have never regretted it. We have two separate rigs of it. It is by far the best bang for your buck. The Tx2152's are an incredible sounding box. We run ours over top the Tx2182 dual 18" subs all powered by EV Q1212 amps.
 
Re: Lookin for a new setup.. thoughts on EV tour X?

Dev Conboy said:
Hey there,

Im currently DJing in the St. Louis area, and need to upgrade my system. I currently use the first generation Mackie SRM450's and I'm tired of them jumping in to thermal protection and blowing the tweeters.


Let me know what you think,
Dev
Click to expand...


Dev...

I think if you haven't learned how not to blow up the Mackies you'll blow up whatever you replace them with...later if not sooner.
 
Re: Lookin for a new setup.. thoughts on EV tour X?

Dick Rees said:
Dev...

I think if you haven't learned how not to blow up the Mackies you'll blow up whatever you replace them with...later if not sooner.
Click to expand...


I mean I know how to keep them from peaking and popping on me, I just need some more punch when I'm djing. They can't handle large bars with over 200 people in them. So when I play a popular song and the crowd goes nuts, They can't cut through the venue and I need to push them to keep the crowd grooving. Suggestions please...
 
Re: Lookin for a new setup.. thoughts on EV tour X?

Dev Conboy said:
I mean I know how to keep them from peaking and popping on me, I just need some more punch when I'm djing. They can't handle large bars with over 200 people in them. So when I play a popular song and the crowd goes nuts, They can't cut through the venue and I need to push them to keep the crowd grooving. Suggestions please...
Click to expand...

You don't have "Enough Rig for the Gig"®. You're out of PA if you're just just under "peaking and popping" and it's not loud enough.
 
Re: Lookin for a new setup.. thoughts on EV tour X?

Dev Conboy said:
I mean I know how to keep them from peaking and popping on me, I just need some more punch when I'm djing. They can't handle large bars with over 200 people in them. So when I play a popular song and the crowd goes nuts, They can't cut through the venue and I need to push them to keep the crowd grooving. Suggestions please...
Click to expand...

Three things:

1. Whatever speakers you use should be able to be deployed at a height ABOVE THE HEADS OF THE LISTENERS. This means at least 6' to the bottoms of the cabinets. I like 7'. You may want to have the option of tilting the speakers down a few degrees. QRX have a 10 degree down tilt on their horns within the cabinet, sort of an asymmetrical arrangement.

2. Volume wars. Crowd gets excited, crowd gets loud. DJ turns up the volume. Crowd gets louder. Etc, etc, etc until ears bleed and/or speakers blow.

3. The Tour X line should get "twice as loud" as the original 450's...according to manufacturers specs. But EV's rating is "calculated", not measured and specs are worth what you pay for them. The two more important considerations are listed above.

Question: Are you using subs? If you're trying to DJ pop music in clubs without substantial subbage, you're going to blow whatever tops you get trying to get that "whumpa-whumpa" in the bass. A lot of speakers are rated to play "down to 50hz", but they're not going to obviate the need for separate LF cabinets. You want to put at least twice as much energy into the lowest octave as you're putting into the rest of the spectrum to "make it happen". LF takes power and a good cabinet to deliver it.
 
Re: Lookin for a new setup.. thoughts on EV tour X?

If the OP doesn't have subs start there - no way are 450's gonna thump enough for DJing a 200 cap room. OTOH they should be plenty as tops. I can easily damage hearing with my little RCF 310A's in a room that size. I was at 110dBC the other day at 20 feet to get over a stoopid loud drummer - there's no way you should be running as loud or louder than that :?~:-?~:???:.
 
Re: Lookin for a new setup.. thoughts on EV tour X?

Well, if he's blowing HF drivers, he probably needs a top box with a larger exit horn. Which means spending some real money. And I agree, subs are a must.
 
Re: Lookin for a new setup.. thoughts on EV tour X?

Greg Cameron said:
Well, if he's blowing HF drivers, he probably needs a top box with a larger exit horn. Which means spending some real money. And I agree, subs are a must.
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There's something really wrong if 1" drivers aren't plenty loud in a 200 cap room.
 
Re: Lookin for a new setup.. thoughts on EV tour X?

Get a good subwoofer first.
JBL PRX718XLF - 18" Subwoofer | Sweetwater.com


As Ron mentioned a couple of posts back, you're almost certainly overtaxing your 450s and blowing your HF section because you're trying to get some thump from them. Having a sub will ease the load. If you get new tops, you'll still want to have at least one subwoofer, so start with buying a sub first.
 
Re: Lookin for a new setup.. thoughts on EV tour X?

Wow thanks for the thoughts guys! Much appreciated.

No I'm not currently using a sub, but that seems to be a much needed investment. Would the dual 15" woofer cabs like the EV Tx2152, still require a sub to get that punch? Also does anyone know how the JBL PRX725 lines up next to the tour X, it seems to be pretty new. The SRM450s are getting real old on me and I feel like its time for an upgrade, so my plan was to get some new mains and use the 450s as backups or to fill in areas in the back of the bar. But to achieve that punch in the mean time, would a single Cerwin Vega AB36c and a relatively cheap amp and a processing unit do the trick? I guess its that vs. two 18" subs like the one Mr. Norris just recommended. I basically want a new setup, have around $2k to spend now to upgrade my sound, but am looking to expand later. Basically id like the best $4k system I can get, spending what i have now and matching it in a couple months.

Thanks!
 
Re: Lookin for a new setup.. thoughts on EV tour X?

I guess what I've determined is that I need to start with Subs, and expand to mains from there. So whats the best option?

Dual 18" self powered subs? That would be nice b/c of the portability and easiness.
-ideas? new jbl prx? new mackie srm?
Cerwin Vega AB36c with amp and a drive rack?
-a passive setup similar? best bang for buck here?
 
Re: Lookin for a new setup.. thoughts on EV tour X?

Dev Conboy said:
I guess what I've determined is that I need to start with Subs, and expand to mains from there. So whats the best option?

Dual 18" self powered subs? That would be nice b/c of the portability and easiness.
-ideas? new jbl prx? new mackie srm?
Cerwin Vega AB36c with amp and a drive rack?
-a passive setup similar? best bang for buck here?
Click to expand...

Start with one JBL PRX 718XLF.
It will go lower and get louder than any others in its price range, plus it's self powered. Pass on the Mackie SRM sub - you'll need at least two to get close to being as low and loud as one JBL PRX 718. And don't even think about the Cerwin Vega.

You want to spend your money on good gear, not crap, so start with this sub, and then try it with your existing SRM 450s. Your DJ sound should improve significantly.
 
Re: Lookin for a new setup.. thoughts on EV tour X?

I would personally take a step up from the TourX in the used market. These guys are available in Chicago for a pretty good price (I'd try talking the guy down to $400 a box):

Ev Delta Max 1152 speakers (2)

They might be worth a look - the Deltamax is getting old, but these look like they're in good shape. They should have a DH1A compression driver and DL15X woofer. You will save money on the speakers but will require another amp and a DSP since they're biamp only (Maybe an EV DC-One DSP, a used QSC CX302 on highs and a used PLX2502 on lows).

I've had good luck buying used high end gear - I've managed to get a much higher quality system than I would have gotten had I paid the same amount for new gear and I have yet to get a bad deal on something that arrived broken or significantly out of spec.
 
Re: Lookin for a new setup.. thoughts on EV tour X?

Great idea, but a DC one with amps and speakers would set me back a couple thousand. Im really just looking to get a loud and punchy DJ setup.

That being said, I think I'm going to go with the two PRX718XLFs with the SRM450s I have currently as tops, and then upgrade those later to the PRX725s?

How necessary is a sound processor? Can I use the throughs on the XLFs in hi pass mode and still sound good?
 
Re: Lookin for a new setup.. thoughts on EV tour X?

Dev Conboy said:
That being said, I think I'm going to go with the two PRX718XLFs with the SRM450s I have currently as tops, and then upgrade those later to the PRX725s?

How necessary is a sound processor? Can I use the throughs on the XLFs in hi pass mode and still sound good?
Click to expand...
Dev,

The PRX718XLF has a 90 Hz DSP controlled 48 dB filter slope, and the loop out is a 120 Hz analog 24 dB filter slope.
Compared to no subs, the sound using the loop out to the SRM 450s will probably be miles ahead, but probably could benefit from proper alignment using DSP (digital signal processing), which requires measurement and implementation chops to get right.
Without measurement and implementation chops and knowledge of what each parameter change does you can royally fuck up the sound and output potential of a decent system with DSP, as a large percentage of DJs and newbie "sound engineers" do.

Assuming you put the SRM 450 on stands or pole mounts above head level they will "keep up" to the PRX718XLF.
If you "upgrade" to the PRX725s you will want at least two more, and probably more like six more PRX718XLF to "keep up", once you start getting used to having some low frequency output.

First things first, fill in the two octaves of LF dance material you have been missing, then figure out your next move.

Art
 
Re: Lookin for a new setup.. thoughts on EV tour X?

Art Welter said:
Dev,

The PRX718XLF has a 90 Hz DSP controlled 48 dB filter slope, and the loop out is a 120 Hz analog 24 dB filter slope.
Compared to no subs, the sound using the loop out to the SRM 450s will probably be miles ahead, but probably could benefit from proper alignment using DSP (digital signal processing), which requires measurement and implementation chops to get right.
Without measurement and implementation chops and knowledge of what each parameter change does you can royally fuck up the sound and output potential of a decent system with DSP, as a large percentage of DJs and newbie "sound engineers" do.

Assuming you put the SRM 450 on stands or pole mounts above head level they will "keep up" to the PRX718XLF.
If you "upgrade" to the PRX725s you will want at least two more, and probably more like six more PRX718XLF to "keep up", once you start getting used to having some low frequency output.

First things first, fill in the two octaves of LF dance material you have been missing, then figure out your next move.

Art
Click to expand...


Thanks for the note, art.

Ill keep that in mind. Would a DriveRack PA 2 do the trick?

Dev.
 
Re: Lookin for a new setup.. thoughts on EV tour X?

You want a loud and punchy DJ rig? A good DSP for your system is very helpful. As Art says, you'll probably be OK with the 450's in good working condition with some support from the bottom (subs) and height for the 450's.

Good luck.
 
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