Jump to content
Why become a member? ×

Thomanns the box PA 502 A. Anyone using these for live work?


dave_bass5
 Share

Recommended Posts

Our old Peavey PA speakers are getting on a bit. Much too heavy to carry around these days. Coupled with our Peavey power amp this set up feels like it needs to be downscaled, to save my back if nothing else.

Looking around these Thomanns speakers might be what we need. Two boxes instead of 3, lighter and smaller and quicker to set up. We were looking at the RCF versions but really can't see the advanatage of spending more money.
https://www.thomann.de/gb/the_box_pa502a_aktives_fullrangesystem.htm

I wouldnt expect to be gigging for more than another year or so so long term use isn't a problem. We also put all the gear in cars so they won't get thrown around much.
We only put the vocals, and sometimes a bit of kick drum through out PA so it doesn't need to handle a full mix.

Anyway, just wanted to get some opinions from owners of these, if there are any. Not looking for the pros and cons of not getting a full blown PA with subs etc.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I suspect with a "peak" SPL of 120 dB they're going to be a bit quiet.... Depends on your style/genre though...

Compared with an old stalwart like a mackie SRM350 they're 6 db down - so in terms of watts, that's a quarter of the power..

Edited by markstuk
Link to comment
Share on other sites

If you can stretch to these - [url="https://www.thomann.de/gb/db_technologies_opera_715_dx.htm"]https://www.thomann....pera_715_dx.htm[/url]

These are a much better deal - lighter, louder and more residual value for resale at the end. RCF sister brand so you know you are going to be ok. :-)

Or as a meet in the middle you have the 515 - https://www.thomann.de/gb/db_technologies_opera_515_dx.htm

Edited by EBS_freak
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Cheers Guys.I must admit i haven't really looked in to other brands so wasn't aware of the db'.s They do look perfect and we can just about stretch to that (dv has them a bit cheaper than Thomanns).

At the moment we run a very heavy Peavey 2600 power amp in to some Hi Sys speakers. I think these are rated at 350watts (700 peak) in to 4 ohms (yes, we are very careful with the power input) so i know 700watts per side will be more than enough.

Will probably order a pair today. The killer feature for us is the weight. The Thomanns are 30kg, the db's 17kg. Amazing reduction in weight. Not bothered than "maybe" being digital will have a thinner tone, my back will love them no matter what they sound like lol.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

[quote name='dave_bass5' timestamp='1476622558' post='3155676']
Not bothered than "maybe" being digital will have a thinner tone, my back will love them no matter what they sound like lol.
[/quote]

The digipro amps cannot be put in the same basket as the infamous B&O unit... Just because they are digital amps doesn't mean that they are lacking... For example, Powersoft and Digipro (via RCF) have enough presence in the pro PA world to disprove any of these so called "heft" deficiencies!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Oh im not worried at all about digital, ive been using digital Power stages in my bass heads for a few years. i was just pre empting any replies about the difference.

Ive got them in my basket, just need to press the button. I dont need them for a week or so but i cant see anything else coming up that ticks so many boxes.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

Thomann do a lot of great stuff and I've used their higher-end own brand audio kit on various gigs and installs with great results. Unfortunately, the beating that sterling is taking with all this Brexit nonsense has buggered the price advantage they had. A power amp I was looking at picking up for my monitor rig is now £100 dearer than when I initially priced it. Their Achat Pro range is generally great though, as are the t-amp power amps. Have fitted them on nightclub installs where they've taken a beating for hours at a time all week long and never had any issues with performance or reliability.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks Mike. I actually got the db's recommended earlier. Cheapest i could find them was £321 each, inc delivery from Digital Village. Cheaper than Thomanns. Like you say, at the moment they aren't as cheap as they have been in the past.
Ive brought a lot of gear from Thomanns over the years, and cant fault them at all, but this time DV won on cost, plus i got next day delivery.

First gig with them on Sat. Should be interesting. So far i love how light they are. Any of us can now carry both speakers at the same time, as opposed to our old ones needing quite a bit of effort to carry each one. With just a few mis of testing i can tell the new speakers dont have the heft and fullness our old Peavey's have, but thats not to say it's a bad thing. The EQ on our desk seems to be more responsive with the db's. I guess its a more open sound, and certainly the upper mid range is clearer.

Now i just need to get rid of the old stuff and start enjoying the extra space in the living room again.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Cheers. Unfortunately ill be in the wrong place to enjoy them lol.
Ill do a gig update on sunday. I use a radio system so will get to hear them at sound check. I think our singer has just brought a new monitor as well so it will be an interesting gig.

One other great benefit of this type of speaker is i can use it as my home practice rig without taking up any extra room in the flat. I can now get rid of my old Ashdown combo that i keep around for very occasional home use.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

[quote name='dave_bass5' timestamp='1477518983' post='3162813']
With just a few mis of testing i can tell the new speakers dont have the heft and fullness our old Peavey's have, but thats not to say it's a bad thing. The EQ on our desk seems to be more responsive with the db's. I guess its a more open sound, and certainly the upper mid range is clearer.
[/quote]

Glad that the DBs are making you happy in the lightweight department. Yes - it doesn't surprise me that the DBs are more "light and airy" in terms of tone but I suspect when you are on the gig, you will thank them for their extra clarity and detail. You can add back in the weight that you are used to with the Peaveys with a bit of EQ - but conversely you can't make the Peaveys sound like the DBs.

Looking forward to hearing your appraisal of them post gig.

And I'm guessing they sound very different to your Ashdown combo!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yep, that was a very good call on these. Glad i asked first. It seems we can now get everything (PA and my gear) in the car plus our son who comes to most of them. Im still going to hate carrying them up to the flat after the gig but id hate to think how much effort the old speakers would have needed.
Hopefully we will get to sound check to night so i can get to tweak the EQ a bit on the desk, but as its just vocals and maybe kick drum going through them im sure mostly flat will work as a starting point.

Not sure if i should turn them right up and be careful with the desk, or maybe half way and see how it goes. Depends on the room i suppose. Its just a social club so we wont need silly levels.

They definitely sound very different from my Ashdown, but i much prefer this new tone, seems a lot clearer at low volume. I dont think it will ever come to me needing to use one at a gig though.

Heading off soon so ill post back tomorrow. Cheers again.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

All good, very good in fact.
The band all thought they sounded better than then the old ones, other than the singer. She said they sounded a bit thinner. She had a point but as i pointed out, we need to start using thre EQ differently, and she was used to the more coloured tone. It certainly sounded better to me when I went out front. Its hard to really judge with just vocals going through We didn't put the kick drum through it, we didn't have time, but i have a feeling its going to sound better than the old speakers.
When we played music during the break we really noticed how punchy the low end is, and at a very low volume. Much more hifi than th sold ones.
I did notice the desk needs adjusting more. The output levels were low on the main meter, as we are so used to having to keep everything low to avoid blowing the old speakers, so the channel levels need brining up more. I didn't notice this until we started playing so ill do that next time. There was still plenty of volume though.

The biggest improvement was the load in. I took both in at once, and could put them on the stands without any help. We all said we should have done this years ago. I did point out that only me and the singer put our hands in our pockets to do this, and i had been trying to get the band as a whole to upgrade but no one want to back then (this was the old line up though). We also had much more space in the car, and getting home after the gig and only making one trip up to our flat was as good as it gets. I cant imagine doing that with the old ones.

So yeah, very happy.

I have posted an ad on here for the old speakers already. It seems a shame to just dump them as they are working 100% but i might have to.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

All sounding very positive so far. The ease of transport is defo a big plus!

Happy that they've worked out and I think they are a far better investment than the Thomann ones you were looking at!

Re - old speakers. Is there a rehearsal studio or something that will take them off your hands?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yup, definitely the right choice, although i do feel the Thomanns ones would also have been ok sound wise. Still, the weight saving is worth the extra cost.

I had thought about the studio we use, as they also have a pair of the same speakers. Trouble is getting them there.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Do you think these DB cabs would handle guitar and keys too?

My 5-piece currently have an aging but serviceable peavey rig with subs which belongs to the singer. We put everything through it and use stage monitors and a small bass combo on stage. Singer has decided to sell the peavey and replace it with a Bose L1 which isn't going to cut it for a full band. I can go back to backline for bass but I want to avoid guitar and keyboard amps and maintain some control over the overall balance.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

[quote name='pete.young' timestamp='1477906106' post='3165084']
Do you think these DB cabs would handle guitar and keys too?

My 5-piece currently have an aging but serviceable peavey rig with subs which belongs to the singer. We put everything through it and use stage monitors and a small bass combo on stage. Singer has decided to sell the peavey and replace it with a Bose L1 which isn't going to cut it for a full band. I can go back to backline for bass but I want to avoid guitar and keyboard amps and maintain some control over the overall balance.
[/quote]

The short answer is yes - but for these speakers I would be using a HPF on the keys if you aren't using subs just to maintain some headroom - and anyway, you don't want the keys player in your domain anyway so it'll probably improve your mix anyway!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

[quote name='EBS_freak' timestamp='1477909549' post='3165121']
The short answer is yes - but for these speakers I would be using a HPF on the keys if you aren't using subs just to maintain some headroom - and anyway, you don't want the keys player in your domain anyway so it'll probably improve your mix anyway!
[/quote]

Thanks. Looks good. I normally run an 80Hz HPF on everything except bass and kick drum, it's built into the desk, and a Thumpinator on the bass rig.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

[quote name='EBS_freak' timestamp='1477904970' post='3165078']
I dunno - having heard some Thomann boxes, I would have to say that imho, they aren't in the same league as the DBs!

Anyway, it's all pointless musing about it - glad that you have ended up what you needed!
[/quote]

I expect you are right, although i also think the db's are a bit more than we need. Still, these are keepers so job done.

I cant really say about putting keys and guitar through them. Id say yes to putting a bit ogf guitar through them but not sure about a full keyboard rig. They seem like they would handle it but not sure how well the vocals would be heard. They do seem very solid though, and the low end seems tight and almost sub like with recorded music, and that was running them in the flat mode at a very low volume. They also have a music mode that i haven't tried yet.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Restore formatting

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

 Share

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...