Smaller / Lighter PA Speakers??

[Oggy]

Hi Basschaters

I'd like to downsize my PA speakers without loosing out on loudness / clarity.

I have an old McGregor PA (has 1/4" jack inputs, tells you how old it is), it's 250W a side and has a great sound plus it's easy to set up and use - it ain't broke so I really don't see the need to change it. What I would like to change are the two 15" speakers with horns that I've used for ever - nothing wrong with them - they sound great - they are just bulky, take up to much room in the car and are heavy to lug around.

With the advent of super light / powerful Bass speakers I think there must be more compact / lighter PA speakers I could use. It's not as if we mic up drums through the PA - we only ever play pubs and smaller venues.

Any of you guys have recommendations on a lighter more compact set that will handle +/- 250W each? 12" or even 10" speakers that can handle the 250W would be OK with me as long as I kept the clarity and were easier on my back.

Any suggestions / recommendations?

Oggy

[Acebassmusic]

EV SX300's are pretty good IMHO

[Happy Jack]

If 32lbs is "lightweight" when you lift it onto a PA pole you must be built like a gorilla! LOL

[Phil Starr]

You probably need to give us a budget and tell us what goes through the PA. If it is just vocals and a touch of guitar then even 10's will do. You also need to think about the efficiency of the speakers, 250W a side is modest if you are a rock band with several instruments going through, though plenty f it is just vocals. Look at the sensitivity which tells you how much sound you get per watt 96dB/W should be minimum.

you might want to look at active speakers, I know you have an amp but there are technical advantages in matching an amp to speakers and they usually have two amps built in and an active crossover which improves the sound. Again depends upon your budget, however because a lot of people are upgrading to actives second hand passive PA speakers are going for a song at the moment.

Finally you need to decide how light you need to go, Plastic cabs are lighter but rarely sound as good as wood. Neodymium speakers are lighter but costly. You could probably get a cab that is a little lighter and a more manageable size without spending too much but light loud and good will cost.

[Oggy]

Hi Phil Starr

Budget: Don't want to have to rob a bank - Perhaps £100 - £200 each, no objections to used / second hand.

Usage: Only vocals, usually just me, occasionally one other on backing, no instruments.

Band / type: Three piece Blues / Blues Rock - not that loud, pubs and small venues - not had a problem being heard so far.

Active Speakers: I'd like to continue using the McGregor PA amp, so nothing active.

How Light?: As light as possible without compromising clarity.

Wattage rating: 250W per cab would be ideal.

12" V's 10": Don't mind as long as I get the sound projection.

Compact / Light / Good projection and Clarity.

Not asking for much then

Oggy

[Owen]

http://basschat.co.uk/topic/246119-2-x-ev-sx300-speakers-ev-sba760-sub-yamaha-emx5000-powered-desk/

Without the sub and desk obv!

[JTUK]

Budget is the tough ask, IMO.

10's are ok but you might need a sub as they can filter a bit too much bass out.
You could use 8's if you ran a sub, but that is 3 pieces of kit to carry... and you may be better
off going for 2 12's... which you could put quite a bit thru. I don't think kit or kick is feasible tho.

I think you are going to have to review the budget but £800 will get you pretty modern..and far more capable active
10's or 12's. Depends if you see the value in the upgrade..and it will be quite an upgrade, IMO..but it comes at a price
as light isn't cheap... and active tops will still be about 40lbs on a pole but they should be around 600w per top..which is
what reasonably loud pubs bands will need for their vocal and depending on what is a Watt..!!

[gerryc]

[quote name='Acebassmusic' timestamp='1417647542' post='2622758']
EV SX300's are pretty good IMHO
[/quote]

+1 just got a pair of SX300s and they are superb sounding, very light and manageable. Some in the for sale section on here.

[Oggy]

Looks like [color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]SX300's could be the way forward. [/font][/color]

[color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]I'll check out the prices, dimensions and weight as well as have a look for some reviews.[/font][/color]

[color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]Anyone using them in a similar situation as myself - 'comments' and the 'pros & cons' would be most welcome.[/font][/color]

Many thanks for the input Ive had from all those Basschaters above.

Oggy

[mr zed]

Another big +1 for the sx300's. We use these as wedge monitors. Loud, punchy with great clarity and bags of headroom. You really can't go wrong with these. We use sxa360's and sba760's for FOH. Fantastic rig.

The sx300's in the for sale section for £400 for the pair looks to be ideal for you (I'm in no way associated with the seller).

[JTUK]

I'd agree that if the SX300's are in good condition, then they will do ok so good bang for buck.

If you are being picky..and I think the budget rules this out to a degree, then they can be very harsh
if in line and they will blast anyone out, but they retain the EV stamp of quality at the pricepoint.

If the chassis and horns work well, then they are a good option to consider

Edited December 5, 2014 by JTUK

[martthebass]

HK Audio Pro12....we have a pair of these passives, much lighter than the Peavey Hysis 1s that they replaced (and much clearer and more capable too). Can't recommend them highly enough, we tried them against the equivalent cost EV offerings and, for us, the comparison easily favoured the German jobs.

[gafbass02]

I've been gigging a pair of Peavey PVX12's for a few years, very light, powerful enough for pub gigs etc, solidly but and sound perfectly good.
They'd be perfect for your needs.

[goblin]

EV are cracking, I use a pair of EV SX100+ and although they're 200 watts a side, that's probably 200 watts of continuous square wave With the system controller (xp200a I think it is), I've had over 500 watts a side across mine along with a pair of HK Actor subs numerous times, without any issue or the speaker showing any signs of failure. It makes for a cracking, compact "small" PA

[Dan Dare]

Agree with others about EVs, but more important than the speakers is what you drive them with. I've heard EVs driven by El Cheapo stuff sounding really horrible - in fact, the better the speakers, the more they show up any deficiencies at the front end. PAs need to be balanced to work well.

[goblin]

Yep, common problem! Especially if the amp you're running them with isn't powerful enough. I've seen them run with Dynacord Powermate 600s before, doing gigs where I daren't take anything less than 1000 watts, and they've not sounded too great!

I went out with one of the function bands I work with a couple of weeks ago, corporate event so needed all the guts I could get into the car. Took a 1200 watt powered Soundcraft desk and HK Actor sub too. Everything sounded crystal clear, and we were really loud too!