JamesBass Posted March 26, 2017 Share Posted March 26, 2017 I'm looking to upgrade my bands PA currently I've sorted a nice new desk, but I'm still debating speakers, are there any particular recommendations that I should definitely look at? I'm currently debating between some 15inch Alto TS215's and some Yamaha speakers, budget is open ended currently. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mybass Posted March 26, 2017 Share Posted March 26, 2017 Yamaha......or EV Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger2611 Posted March 26, 2017 Share Posted March 26, 2017 EV SX200 or SX300 speakers, probably still the best non powered affordable speakers available, if you look long and hard enough you should be able to get a really nice used pair of SX200's for £250.00 mark Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markstuk Posted March 26, 2017 Share Posted March 26, 2017 (edited) Alto TS2xx are great for the money - which Yamahas were you thinking about? I'm not a fan of the Yamaha DBR's, the DXR's are pretty damn good, and the DSR's are expensive, but great.. What is your budget? Edited March 26, 2017 by markstuk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamesBass Posted March 26, 2017 Author Share Posted March 26, 2017 I'm ideally looking to go for powered speakers so I can spend more on speakers and not have to factor an amp in! Also an easier load in without amp. I was looking at the Yamaha DXR series, I've heard great things about the Yammy speakers, and my experiences with their desks has always been great! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moonbass Posted March 26, 2017 Share Posted March 26, 2017 Are you putting kick drum through them? Might need a sub? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrismanbass Posted March 26, 2017 Share Posted March 26, 2017 (edited) Hi James narrowing down a budget makes things a lot easier but if budget is truly open ended then have a look at the Yamaha DSR series of speakers I've used them on countless gigs with one of the sound companies i work for they're awesome and pretty indestructible the 15's have enough balls to handle most things inc kick drum and bass and they sound good out of the box without having to do much tweaking (which is my main bug bear with a lot of active speakers) [url="https://www.thomann.de/gb/yamaha_dsr_115.htm?ref=search_prv_6"]https://www.thomann.de/gb/yamaha_dsr_115.htm?ref=search_prv_6 [/url] on the other end of the budget scale (slightly) I've also used the yamaha dsr stuff and its great for what it is ( not as good as the DSR boxes but its a fraction of the price) its a plastic box which imo don't sound as nice and not as easy to neaten up as wood (black sharpie works a charm) but for what they are they're good and they won't break the bank too much [url="https://www.thomann.de/gb/yamaha_dxr_15.htm?ref=search_rslt_yamaha+dxr_276909_0"]https://www.thomann....ha+dxr_276909_0[/url] I've attached thomann links so you can see the speakers I'm talking about I'm a sound engineer for a fairly famous jazz club so feel free to give me a shout on here if you have any questions cheers chris edit: i clearly didn't read the rest of the thread before commenting but yeah what everyone else said edit 2: .....,,,..,.,..,.,.,..,..,.., (heres all the punctuation I should have used think of me as the ikea of commenters) Edited March 26, 2017 by Chrismanbass Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamesBass Posted March 26, 2017 Author Share Posted March 26, 2017 [quote name='Chrismanbass' timestamp='1490552324' post='3265916'] Hi James narrowing down a budget makes things a lot easier but if budget is truly open ended then have a look at the Yamaha DSR series of speakers I've used them on countless gigs with one of the sound companies i work for they're awesome and pretty indestructible the 15's have enough balls to handle most things inc kick drum and bass and they sound good out of the box without having to do much tweaking (which is my main bug bear with a lot of active speakers) [url="https://www.thomann.de/gb/yamaha_dsr_115.htm?ref=search_prv_6"]https://www.thomann.de/gb/yamaha_dsr_115.htm?ref=search_prv_6 [/url] on the other end of the budget scale (slightly) I've also used the yamaha dsr stuff and its great for what it is ( not as good as the DSR boxes but its a fraction of the price) its a plastic box which imo don't sound as nice and not as easy to neaten up as wood (black sharpie works a charm) but for what they are they're good and they won't break the bank too much [url="https://www.thomann.de/gb/yamaha_dxr_15.htm?ref=search_rslt_yamaha+dxr_276909_0"]https://www.thomann....ha+dxr_276909_0[/url] I've attached thomann links so you can see the speakers I'm talking about I'm a sound engineer for a fairly famous jazz club so feel free to give me a shout on here if you have any questions cheers chris edit: i clearly didn't read the rest of the thread before commenting but yeah what everyone else said edit 2: .....,,,..,.,..,.,.,..,..,.., (heres all the punctuation I should have used think of me as the ikea of commenters) [/quote] Hi Chris, Thanks for this buddy! The DSR range would most likely be out of the price range, purely because of time constraints on upgrading the gear! I'm looking at £1500ish, £2K is a push but possible if I can convince the band to stick a bit more in each. Desk wise we have opted for the Behringer XR18 desk, which is the one I use at work a lot as it's rugged, portable, and sounds great! Plus the iPad app is really stable and user friendly! The problem is the desk often runs through the house amp and passive GAE speakers! And if we run active speakers we use some horrible mackie SRM's. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grandad Posted March 26, 2017 Share Posted March 26, 2017 (edited) I used EV SX300's and SXA100+ for years and they are very good 12" ABS speakers albeit quite an old design now. Need to tame the top end now and again. I've only used the cheaper Yamaha ABS models, 10" DXR. They are very good so the more more expensive range I imagine to be top notch. It's a big investment so for a working band you need to make the right choice. PMT in Brum will demo their range so Portsmouth should do likewise. My advice is to not make a quick decision but think long and hard about your requirements: . what's going through them at what sort of venue - size & power . is weight and size a concern - storage and transportation. A good set of covers is pretty much essential as is decent quality stands and leads. For powered speakers a pair of 10m IEC leads is handy. I've mis-spent many £'s on PA over the years so hopefully you won't do the same. Some good advice so far, good luck. Edited March 26, 2017 by grandad Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steantval Posted March 26, 2017 Share Posted March 26, 2017 Powered JBL's. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
warwickhunt Posted March 26, 2017 Share Posted March 26, 2017 Mackie SRM350's for £350 or less. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bonzodog Posted March 26, 2017 Share Posted March 26, 2017 We use a pair of EV zlx12p. Sound great and loud enough for pub gigs. Also use alto Ts212 as monitors and FOH backup Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamesBass Posted March 27, 2017 Author Share Posted March 27, 2017 [quote name='warwickhunt' timestamp='1490563918' post='3266060'] Mackie SRM350's for £350 or less. [/quote] The college I'm the technician at uses them and I must say, I think they are horrid! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil Starr Posted March 27, 2017 Share Posted March 27, 2017 PMT are great as they are one of the few places you can get to try out a range of cabs. I do this the same way I audition hi-fi speakers, by taking an iPod loaded with 2 or three recordings I know really well with well recorded vocals and a good range of instruments to cover the frequency range. Shops get a bit twitchy if you take in recordings of test tones Anyway after my last audition of 12's at PMT I decided the Yamaha DXR's, JBL EV were all good, and like others I'm a fan of the Yamaha reliability/build quality but that the RCF's are a class above all these in terms of sound quality, especially the ones with the bigger horn drivers. I found a faint but noticeable veiling of vocals in the DXR's, especially female vocals, which were the best of the rest. There was just so much more detail from the RCF 312's and the better one, now replaced by a new model was a really smooth performer. Out in the world of gigging bands the people who use QSC seem to get a really good sound, so I'd try and get to listen to them too if you can. All of these speakers are terrific BTW and the limiting factor is going to be more about how you use them but for sheer sound quality I think RCF are currently the ones to beat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skidder652003 Posted March 27, 2017 Share Posted March 27, 2017 RCF all the way if you can afford them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Dare Posted March 27, 2017 Share Posted March 27, 2017 I'd suggest HK Premium Pros for your budget. I use 4 as monitors for larger gigs, or as out front speakers for small jobs where my main rig would be overkill. Have proper wood cabinets - much better than plastic - and are available active, with high quality onboard amplification, or passive. There are 10", 12" and 15" top boxes and several subs in the range. They'll surprise you with how good they sound. Much nicer than Mackie, EV, Alto and all the other other plastic PA cabs imho. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charic Posted March 28, 2017 Share Posted March 28, 2017 I'm pretty sure I've read that these are great quite a few times [url="https://www.thomann.de/gb/rcf_art_745_a.htm"]RCF ART 745[/url] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave_bass5 Posted March 28, 2017 Share Posted March 28, 2017 (edited) My band got a pair of these last year. I cant tell you how fantastic we think they are. Coming from an old pair of passive Peavey's that almost takes two people to lift each one, i can now carry both of these on my own. Very loud, and has a very nice punchy low end. works well with the kick drum. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Technologies-Opera-Active-Speaker-Monitor/dp/B00LIZDI78 These were recommended to me in a thread i started on here last year. The company are a sister company to RCF so have a good background. Edited March 28, 2017 by dave_bass5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ROConnell Posted March 28, 2017 Share Posted March 28, 2017 [quote name='skidder652003' timestamp='1490599029' post='3266167'] RCF all the way if you can afford them. [/quote] +1. My band has a couple of sets and they're brilliant. No problem at low or high volumes, good clarity and pretty light! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kevin Dean Posted March 30, 2017 Share Posted March 30, 2017 I use EV tops & EV powered Subs only 45 lbs each great flexible portable Rig . 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.