Need some new tops to go with my subs, need a bit of help.

Need some new tops to go with my subs, need a bit of help.

  • 2 JBL MRX525 powered by a Crown MA2402

    Votes: 6 100.0%

  • 2 Yamaha DSR215

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Total voters
    6
R

Richard Stringer

Sophomore
Jan 13, 2011
124
0
16
Boston, Lincolnshire, UK
I need some tops to go with my subs and was thinking about either JBL MRX525 powered by a QSC PLX3602 or Yamaha DSR215 active cabs. I can't afford the SRX722, SRX725 or the SRX715 because including an amplifier it's more than I can possibly afford, the limit is £1,000 per cab absolute maximum. the JBL MRX525 can be had for as little as £765 each here in the uk and so that'd give me enough left over for a half decent used amplifer like the Crown MA2402. The Yamaha DSR215 are £1,000. Are the Yamaha cabs as loud and as good sound quality the MRX525 do you think guys? If they are i'm going with a pair of them because for £1,000 I don't think I can go wrong. The subs i'll be using the cabs with are 2 JBL SRX728S dual 18" subs, and dance music like trance and techno is what's gonna get played. The venue is a rock pub with a dancefloor size of 22ft x 40ft and there'll not be anymore than 200 people there. I'll be doing gigs there regular so it'll be the same venue everytime.

Thanks guys, I really apreciate any help you give me.
:)
 
Re: Need some new tops to go with my subs, need a bit of help.

Thanks for the reply Rob, yeah watts is just a measure of the amount of power a speaker can handling, the method for getting spl specs on both cabs are different. I see on the data of the MRX525 cabs it's peak spl is calculated, but with the DSR215 cabs, the owners manual states that it's measured with noise, probably meaning pink noise. This kind of leaves me at a "hmm, er" kind of stage as to whether or not the MRX525 are loud enough for someone to be able to see peaks of 138db on an spl meter. Going by specs alone and ignoring real world usage, the Yamaha would seem to be louder.I just thought i'd ask and see whether any of you guys have heard both and can remember which you though was louder.
 
Re: Need some new tops to go with my subs, need a bit of help.

dj teknovibe said:
Thanks for the reply Rob, yeah watts is just a measure of the amount of power a speaker can handling, the method for getting spl specs on both cabs are different. I see on the data of the MRX525 cabs it's peak spl is calculated, but with the DSR215 cabs, the owners manual states that it's measured with noise, probably meaning pink noise. This kind of leaves me at a "hmm, er" kind of stage as to whether or not the MRX525 are loud enough for someone to be able to see peaks of 138db on an spl meter. Going by specs alone and ignoring real world usage, the Yamaha would seem to be louder.I just thought i'd ask and see whether any of you guys have heard both and can remember which you though was louder.
Click to expand...
How loud do you need? That should be your first question.

Oh, and you should change your profile to your real world name. It is required on any of the professional forums.
 
Re: Need some new tops to go with my subs, need a bit of help.

Not sure really, I think about 127dbc continuous spl at 1 metre would be nice. I used to have a pair of EV QRX212 cabs that I bought used for £985 the pair but had to sell them because I moved into a different flat and needed the money for the deposit. They're virtually impossible to find used, i've seen 2 pairs in 7 years, and I definately can't afford to buy them new at £1,700 each. Anyway that's about how loud I need it really, as loud as a pair of the QRX212 cabs.
 
Re: Need some new tops to go with my subs, need a bit of help.

I own a pair of MRX525s, and I would say they are a pretty good value. The horn is the same as in all the MRX boxes, and is well matched in all of them, with exception probably to the MRX525 (which could probably use just a tad more horn to fully keep up). But bear in mind though, it is all really about how loud you need everything, and how you taylor your sound. Some prefer heavier bass, some like a fuller sound, and some like it bright. The 525 will give you a nice full sound that is usually lacking in a single 15 box, and still has enough highs to cause hearing damage. For someone on a budget looking for a solid performer, this is a pretty good choice. Without a doubt though, the 725 or 212 would be a better choice to match the 728's, at about double the price. But club music typically needs about double the bass anyway. The MRX boxes can take a beating.. and they sound good when powered correctly.
 
Re: Need some new tops to go with my subs, need a bit of help.

Would it beneficial to use a double adapter to enable me to screw on a second 2408 compression driver so each MRX525 has two 2408 compression drivers? You can get Y adapters can't you. The VRX932 has three 2408 so it should be ok shouldn't it Scott?
 
Re: Need some new tops to go with my subs, need a bit of help.

Eugh, God no. You are changing the internal volume of the box, which will affect its LF performance. You are adding delay to the HF driver output, which cannot be compensated for in the passive crossover. You are changing the horn throat, which could mean anything but it's unlikely to make things better. You are also exposing two drivers to the same air mass which will surely change response.

There is a reason that nobody does this, the paper output gain may not be there, and sound quality and frequency response take a hit.

The VRX932 has a horn for each HF driver.
 
Re: Need some new tops to go with my subs, need a bit of help.

On top of what Bennett said, two HF drivers in parallel or series will pose the wrong impedance to the crossover compared to what it was designed to see, altering the crossover point in some extremely bad way. Additionally, the added weight on the back of the horn could cause stress and cause it to snap. Big horn drivers are usually supported. I'm not sure if the MRX series does this.

There is a reason that if one needs a higher-output box, they simply buy one. If your car needs more horsepower, do you put in two engines?
 
Re: Need some new tops to go with my subs, need a bit of help.

Richard Stringer said:
Would it beneficial to use a double adapter to enable me to screw on a second 2408 compression driver so each MRX525 has two 2408 compression drivers? You can get Y adapters can't you. The VRX932 has three 2408 so it should be ok shouldn't it Scott?
Click to expand...

In addition to what the others have said-historically people have used Y adaptors to get the HF's louder. Yeah they do get louder-but because of the way these devices sum together, the response gets all whacked out.

They get louder only by additional power capacity-not so much by the drivers summing together acoustically.

So it may be louder (if that is all you are interested in) but it does not maintain the same sound quality as a single driver. Just like adding more cabinets to get the sound louder. It may be louder-but will never sound as good as a single box due to the interactions between drivers and coverage patterns.
 
Re: Need some new tops to go with my subs, need a bit of help.

It's ok i've decided to ditch that idea, i'm still not sure which cab for £800 is gonna be loud enough though but i'll figure it out, thanks for your help guys, I guess sometimes with people like me on very limited budgets, it's a mountainous task to try and help us.
 
Re: Need some new tops to go with my subs, need a bit of help.

Richard Stringer said:
It's ok i've decided to ditch that idea, i'm still not sure which cab for £800 is gonna be loud enough though but i'll figure it out, thanks for your help guys, I guess sometimes with people like me on very limited budgets, it's a mountainous task to try and help us.
Click to expand...

See if you can find a pair of used EV deltamax 1152's. Those get real loud and sound quite good when processed and powered correctly.
 
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