Mr.T Posted December 29, 2014 Share Posted December 29, 2014 Hi All... My singer is looking to replace her PA and is not sure what to buy. She currently uses a pair of Mackie Active 15's (SRM650?) and a G4M 12" powered monitor with a Behringer 4 channel mixer. We only use the PA for three vocal mics. The PA works fine, but the cabs are way too heavy for her to load into her car before and after gigs. ... She is basically looking for something of equal or better quality and loudness, but lighter. We are not a particularly loud band and play pubs/clubs. Although her budget is not unlimited, cost is not the primary issue. Any suggestions please..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EBS_freak Posted December 29, 2014 Share Posted December 29, 2014 You are only likely to be able to shave off a couple of kgs at most. Test your Mackies against some RCFs out of the 700 series... A couple of kg lighter than the Mackies but is be surprised if you didn't notice the difference. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr.T Posted December 29, 2014 Author Share Posted December 29, 2014 Thanks, I will look at the specs of those cabs. I was wondering about the Mackie Thump range? SRM650 ... 46lbs Thump 15 ... 36lbs. Thump 12 ... 25.5lbs. .... Possibly replacing her SRM's and Monitor with 3 lighter matching cabs that are somewhere in the 30lbs range? (Without compromising the sound quality too much). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Fitzmaurice Posted December 29, 2014 Share Posted December 29, 2014 Ditch the fifteens. If you're only running vocals there's no need for them, and for that matter if running a full mix there's still no need for them, as you'd need subs for the lows anyway. I don't have any experience myself with self powered plastic PAs but from what I hear Mackie are among the worst of the lot, while RCF and QSC are among the best. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yorks5stringer Posted December 29, 2014 Share Posted December 29, 2014 (edited) Read some user reviews of the Mackie Thumps before buying....! Edited December 29, 2014 by yorks5stringer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Acebassmusic Posted December 29, 2014 Share Posted December 29, 2014 If its "liftability" you need then I would look at passive speakers and seperate power amp. Each item will then be a lighter load and it gives you more options on speaker / amp combinations. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JTUK Posted December 29, 2014 Share Posted December 29, 2014 No to Mackie, I'm afraid... If you want good vocals then look at the 10's.. I feel going to 12 or 15 only really give you a smidgeon of waht you should be looking for subs to provide so a decent 10 will do for the vox's..and I say 'do' but don't mean it. RCF, Yamaha DXR are your starters, IMO.. QSC are probably still the best but they have the premium and I don't think they are £250 per box better.. Actually, scratch that last bit,... QSCK10 are £550 per box and Yamaha DXR10 are £475.. so what with the warranty of QSC and the 1.75 HF unit.. I'd go with them. We rate our DXR112's against the QSC K12's ...the singer thinks they are better, but I think the QSC has a better HF unit and power rating... but only because they were about £250 per box cheaper at the time for the 12's. If you can, see if you can get wooden boxes over composite if better lows are important but then look at 12's anyway. For me, if buying now for vox only... and they WILL go loud enough for a pub, easily.. I'd buy QSC K10's This https://www.absolutemusic.co.uk/qsc-k10-active-pa-speakers-stands-and-cables-bundle.html?source=googleshopping&sku=qsck10bundle1&gclid=CL7rqca168ICFUvJtAodQg0AeQ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
police squad Posted December 29, 2014 Share Posted December 29, 2014 +1 on the qsc K10. I have K12s and subs and actually I wish I would have bought the K10s and the subs. Thomann do QSC at a good price too plus QSC have a six year warranty Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulmcnamara Posted December 29, 2014 Share Posted December 29, 2014 Bose are portable but pricey but sound fantastic......... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EBS_freak Posted December 29, 2014 Share Posted December 29, 2014 [quote name='paulmcnamara' timestamp='1419873451' post='2643430'] Bose are portable but pricey but sound fantastic......... [/quote] But are crap for a full band situation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
taunton-hobbit Posted December 29, 2014 Share Posted December 29, 2014 'Things on poles' are fine for vocals (sorry Vladich) - but you ain't gonna get anything worthwhile (full range) without subs.......... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr.T Posted December 29, 2014 Author Share Posted December 29, 2014 Thanks for all of your replies :-) I am thinking that maybe she should switch to a 'Passive speakers and a Powered Mixer' type set-up, or even keep her current Behringer mixer and get Passive speakers and a power amp? Her ex suggested she bought the SRM's, but they are stupidly heavy for her to load and quite honestly have not been reliable. The Tweeters have both blown (at different times) and the band has only gigged about 30 times... not good considering the cabs cost £600 each! Am I missing the point of active speaker cabs? .... Surely it is easier to have the amp either under the mixer... or be part of it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Fitzmaurice Posted December 29, 2014 Share Posted December 29, 2014 [quote name='Mr.T' timestamp='1419880594' post='2643580'] Am I missing the point of active speaker cabs? [/quote]They appeal to newbies, as they appear to be easier to set up and work with than separates. They're not. If anything they make setup more of a chore, requiring both a signal cable and a mains cable to each cab, as opposed to a speaker cable from an amp. A few years ago I went from a separate mixer/power amp rack to a powered mixer, as it has built in effects and EQ and four 400w amps in a 40kg package. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
taunton-hobbit Posted December 29, 2014 Share Posted December 29, 2014 Powered speakers have always worried me - it all looks fine when it's on a stage where you have control - put it 'down there' and watch some village idiot do something silly/terminal.....I'll stick with amps and string - it's easier, long-term..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil Starr Posted December 29, 2014 Share Posted December 29, 2014 If you are based in Taunton then it might be worth going to PMT in Bristol where they stock a lot of these speakers and you can try them out. I'd go for the RCF's every time, I did a straight comparison with the Yamahas and the RCF's are just a lot clearer on vocals because of using better drive units. I'd also back up the recommendation to go for 10's, or 12's at the biggest the 15" drivers suffer in the midrange which is the most important bit for vocals. The mackie Thumps are a cheaper speaker and a lot less sensitive than the SRM's Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
martthebass Posted December 29, 2014 Share Posted December 29, 2014 [quote name='taunton-hobbit' timestamp='1419883864' post='2643634'] Powered speakers have always worried me - it all looks fine when it's on a stage where you have control - put it 'down there' and watch some village idiot do something silly/terminal.....I'll stick with amps and string - it's easier, long-term..... [/quote] I was looking at actives, decided, after auditioning Mackies, RCFs etc that I'd only be satisfied with QSC as a minimum. With that level of cash outlay I decided it was sensible to look at passive with a decent power amp setup. Ended up with HK Audio Pro 12s with a Powered A&H desk and haven't regretted it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr.T Posted December 30, 2014 Author Share Posted December 30, 2014 Once again 'Thanks' to everyone who has taken time to post :-) I have decided to advise my singer to go for a Powered Mixer Amp. Possibly a Yamaha as my last band used one with no problems, as does my son. I will also look into Passive Cabs and a Passive Monitor. Either 10's or 12's. Living in West Cornwall (although an amazing place) makes trying gear difficult, so I might play safe and suggest an all Yamaha PA, as I know they seem to work fine and be pretty reliable. ..... It is not like we are talking Bass gear! ;-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JTUK Posted December 30, 2014 Share Posted December 30, 2014 The thinking of passive v active tends to centre around redundancy, which is a fair point but if you go for a powered mixer, you have rather shot holes in that argument, IMO. Actives are light enough and a small carry ( esp 10's ) ..or as small as you'll get.. and you can be in the room with 2 boxes and a mini desk. Power and signal runs are more of an issue but the girl is buying something she can hump..?? The point about hi power thru subs and failures of the amps is pertinent but not a compromise in this case. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr.T Posted December 30, 2014 Author Share Posted December 30, 2014 @JTUK.... Point taken on 'Redundancy', although my thinking is this.... The Mackie SRM's have not been reliable. They have both had problems and are only 11 months old. The two Yamaha Powered Mixers that I have used have both given good service. I will not bite on the comment about my singer wanting something she can hump.... I could end up in way too much trouble ;-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JTUK Posted December 30, 2014 Share Posted December 30, 2014 Best 10" passives I've used are Nexo PS10 but they aren't cheap...at all. You might e bay Martin Audio F10 which might be comparable ( we used them with Bins and they were very good ) but tbh, both Nexo and Martin require good power amp and their controller ( with which they are very classy ) so I'd direct your singer to RCF ART 310 passives. People say the QRT 10 are very good for the money, but haven't used them myself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr.T Posted December 31, 2014 Author Share Posted December 31, 2014 (edited) Here is where I am at so far... Yamaha EMX512SC Powered Mixer Amp Either: 2 x RCF ART 310 Passives Or 2 x HK Audio Pro10 Passives My last two bands have used 15" PA cabs, and although I am aware of the fact that bigger does not necessarily mean louder... I am thinking that the 10" cabs need to be fairly decent quality to be heard over the band. Her budget for the cabs is going to be around £600 for the pair, with a weight limit of 30lbs each. I am open to any other suggestions on cabs. Edited December 31, 2014 by Mr.T Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil Starr Posted December 31, 2014 Share Posted December 31, 2014 (edited) There are advantages in going for active speakers, building the amp in means all the protection circuitry, eq and the crossover can be much more accurately matched to the speakers, this should make them more reliable and idiot proof, though if you put in poor drivers as the recent batches of Mackies seem to have they can still cause problems. The weight shouldn't be an issue with class D amps and switch mode power supplies either. Having said that a powered mixer and well specified passives should work just as well. The extra separate amp gives you advantages in redundancy and upgrading but if you buy right then you shouldn't need to do this anyway. The time you save setting up and knocking down after a gig is worth having too. Edit The RCF's you suggest are great I haven't heard the others. You won't notice any volume difference unless you decide to put bass and drums through them, the limited area of the speakers will then mean you need subs but they'll sit on these quite happily so no problems then either. Edited December 31, 2014 by Phil Starr Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JTUK Posted December 31, 2014 Share Posted December 31, 2014 For example, QSC K10's will easily get over a band in a pub unless someone is silly stupid volume-wise.. and then the problem will be elsewhere anyway. RCF are very pokey ..and I say harsh..if in line, which is often the case in a pub for that sort of pub. I mean harsh in terms of the horn/HF and they are also often too close. This is one reason why we didn't go for them in the end... they get too close and directional to a pub/small venue audience. You issue is how much volume the mixer puts out... your cabs are likely to be 8ohms each so that is your limiter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
taunton-hobbit Posted December 31, 2014 Share Posted December 31, 2014 I'm probably going to get flak for this, but have a look at Mackie c200 passives - they're a good 10" and the horn cuts through well - I'm using a couple as upper-mids, driving variously with Crown 2k xls class d and Ormat 300s (valve) - I've had no issues at all......... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tauzero Posted January 1, 2015 Share Posted January 1, 2015 Despite all the flak that Mackie are getting, we're happy with our brace of SRM450 v2s - B stock at £325 each and weighing 18kg (40lb in that quaint old system) so marginally over budget and weight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.