New PA, what a difference

[AndyTravis]

Started a new band last year and as we weren't 100% on how being a covers band would work, we bought some cheap Skytech powered speakers for vocals and the V-Drums.

Worked fine, added an Alto sub - made a big difference for the drums.

Gigged this setup for a few months, and then we did a gig last week and it was a nightmare - loads of bodies In front of the band, not enough volume, we didn't enjoy it.

Throughout, I could see the clip warning lights flickering, and a mate out front said the sound was strained.

Our guitarist has a guitar shop and attended the JHS trade fair recently and commented on some HK audio PA he'd seen.

We looked at a list of ex demo/trade stand stock and settled on the Pulsar 10's.

Having sold PA for years, and previously owning Maxkie SRM Gear - I had mixed expectations of 10's claiming to be 1000w a speaker.

They are nothing short of superb - rehearsal tonight was the best we've sounded, and the old (cheap but plucky) Skytechs have moved to wedge monitors.

Not cheap at £600 a speaker in shops, but if you're looking - I'd highly recommend them.

We also bought some Lewitt microphones for the girls - they seemed like a good deal - and although they're a relative newcomer, I have to say they are a huge improvement over my old beyerdynamic pair...

[Phil Starr]

Glad it's worked out for you, the problem with cheap speakers is that they aren't too efficient at converting your watts into sound so their maximum sound level is limited even if they advertise at being 600W or whatever. The other limits are a limited excursion so loud bass distorts and a lightweight plastic cab which resonates like mad at high volumes. The basic sound at low volumes is often quite good.

Lewitt's are new to me, if ever you get the chance to compare them with something well known like a Shure/AKG/Sennheiser I'd be interested to know how they compare.