john_the_bass Posted October 27, 2008 Share Posted October 27, 2008 Looking for a new pair of PA speakers and if I "PA speakers" on google I get shedloads of hits, most of which are no feckin use and if I search for the brand I want, I don't really get a lot. So if you have any recommendations where to go looking for good kit, good service and good price, stick 'em on here and I will get on the dog and bone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Huge Hands Posted October 27, 2008 Share Posted October 27, 2008 Which brand do you want John? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
john_the_bass Posted October 27, 2008 Author Share Posted October 27, 2008 A good one! To be honest, we've kinda half decided on a pair of RCF powered tops - they don't have a dealer list or a distie listed on their website and if I search for the product I get one or two dealers come up, neither of which I've used before Although if you can recommend a pair of 700w powered 12s, that would be good Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Huge Hands Posted October 27, 2008 Share Posted October 27, 2008 [quote name='john_the_bass' date='Oct 27 2008, 01:29 PM' post='315785'] A good one! To be honest, we've kinda half decided on a pair of RCF powered tops [quote] RCF are a good choice. They have recently split from Mackie, so hopefully back to doing what they're good at Sorry Mackie fans! I am not sure about the rules of advertising (not my company but one I know) so I will PM now with the details. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BassBunny Posted October 27, 2008 Share Posted October 27, 2008 Hi John, I bought a pair of RCF ART 310A's earlier this year from Des Grey Music. Cheapest I could find and great service. Here are his numbers if you are interested. Tel (01754 871349) Or 07789131343 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
acidbass Posted October 31, 2008 Share Posted October 31, 2008 I'd recommend Sound Control, they stock a wide range of RCF stuff as well as lots of other brands! Delivery is reasonable too, although it does depend on what you're ordering. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JakeBrownBass Posted November 2, 2008 Share Posted November 2, 2008 (edited) [url="http://www.proaudiosystems.co.uk"]www.proaudiosystems.co.uk[/url] best place in the uk for anything pa related Call them up and tell them what your after, and they'll give you the best options in your price range!! Edited November 2, 2008 by jake_tenfloors Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GremlinAndy Posted November 6, 2008 Share Posted November 6, 2008 E-bay. Seriously if you aren't in a hurry, you'll get much better/more from your money, by buying used. Just bide your time and research the kit you actually want. There's used PA gear on the "squatjuice" forums too. Conversely if you want overpriced chinese crapola, but with the security of a two year warranty go to your local Noisecontrol. They will have something which will function and suit your needs, hopefully. Hope that helps in some way. Andy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chopthebass Posted November 12, 2008 Share Posted November 12, 2008 [quote name='GremlinAndy' post='323137' date='Nov 6 2008, 12:38 AM']E-bay. Seriously if you aren't in a hurry, you'll get much better/more from your money, by buying used.[/quote] We have a complete PA system available in 4 gigs time. All going cheap. Two Mackie M1400i amps, subs, Peavey tops, crossover, FX, mixer, case, leads.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GremlinAndy Posted November 14, 2008 Share Posted November 14, 2008 [quote name='Chopthebass' post='327922' date='Nov 12 2008, 08:29 PM']We have a complete PA system available in 4 gigs time. All going cheap. Two Mackie M1400i amps, subs, Peavey tops, crossover, FX, mixer, case, leads....[/quote] Sounds ok, price dependant buddy. A ready made solution. Maybe you should enquire how much Chop wants... Andy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
john_the_bass Posted November 14, 2008 Author Share Posted November 14, 2008 That's exactly the thing we're trying to get away from Andy. We've been using a rig comprising 3x Peavey 2600 power amps, a crossover, reverb unit, MD player (+the light controllers) - in a Gator roller case that took 3 of us to lift out of a van - powering 2x Wharfedale LX18MBs, 2x Wharfedale LX15Bs and 2x Wharfedale LX15s and run with an Allen and Heath GL2400 24 channel desk, most of which we sold off through the classifieds on this site as it was far too much for our needs. The best part of 8kW is overkill for most of the gigs we do, which really only require a vocal PA these days, so we were looking for a pair of compact, quality powered 12s and had heard a lot of good things about RCF. They fit our criteria well too - fairly powerful for the application we need, plus with Neo drivers and Class D amps, they only weigh 18kg, and I believe RCF are still manufacturing in Italy (not that I think there is anything wrong with Chinese stuff - I have a Chinese made Ashdown ABM and an Epiphone Valve Junior and neither has ever given me any grief). Our thoughts are that if we ever require a full on system, we can hire one in with an engineer and add it to our fee if necessary. There is also room to expand our system with a pair of powered subs if necessary. So whilst it might be a good system, it's no longer the sort of thing we're looking for. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stingrayfan Posted November 14, 2008 Share Posted November 14, 2008 [quote name='GremlinAndy' post='323137' date='Nov 6 2008, 12:38 AM']E-bay. Seriously if you aren't in a hurry, you'll get much better/more from your money, by buying used.[/quote] PA's prob the one thing I wouldn't buy used from Ebay - you don't know where it's been/how hard it's been thrashed. One thing I defo wouldn't buy is a secondhand mic. A singer in my last band bought used SM58s from Ebay. Imagine the germs in those. Eurgh. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stingrayfan Posted November 14, 2008 Share Posted November 14, 2008 (edited) [quote name='john_the_bass' post='328884' date='Nov 14 2008, 09:26 AM']...only require a vocal PA these days, so we were looking for a pair of compact, quality powered 12s....[/quote] John - check out [url="http://www.bluearan.co.uk/index.php?id=ALTPS4HA"]Alto's powered 12s[/url]. I've gigged the low powered version of these (the LAs) for three years now, troublefree (apart from a replacement input jack - wear and tear). They pack a punch, sound like hi-fi speakers and are super easy to load in and out of the car. Seriously, the sound of these are as good (if not better) than powered Mackies. As 12s, they're also smaller. We chose them after listening to everything from Mackie to Wharfedale. We'd never heard of Alto but couldn't get over how good they sounded, so took a punt. Edited November 14, 2008 by stingrayfan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GremlinAndy Posted November 15, 2008 Share Posted November 15, 2008 (edited) [quote name='stingrayfan' post='328887' date='Nov 14 2008, 09:30 AM']PA's prob the one thing I wouldn't buy used from Ebay - you don't know where it's been/how hard it's been thrashed. One thing I defo wouldn't buy is a secondhand mic. A singer in my last band bought used SM58s from Ebay. Imagine the germs in those. Eurgh. [/quote] What an odd thing to say. A cab is only a recone away from being like new IMO. Admittedly amps are a different matter, but those I'd buy new anyway. The one thing *I* wouldn't buy in a PA is the plastic cabs... (would you buy a plastic bass cab?) but each to his own. However ...I'm stuck in the 80's, so I prefer the big back-breakingly heavy blue cabs Edited November 15, 2008 by GremlinAndy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GremlinAndy Posted November 15, 2008 Share Posted November 15, 2008 [quote name='john_the_bass' post='328884' date='Nov 14 2008, 09:26 AM']That's exactly the thing we're trying to get away from Andy. We've been using a rig comprising 3x Peavey 2600 power amps, a crossover, reverb unit, MD player (+the light controllers) - in a Gator roller case that took 3 of us to lift out of a van - powering 2x Wharfedale LX18MBs, 2x Wharfedale LX15Bs and 2x Wharfedale LX15s and run with an Allen and Heath GL2400 24 channel desk, most of which we sold off through the classifieds on this site as it was far too much for our needs. The best part of 8kW is overkill for most of the gigs we do, which really only require a vocal PA these days, so we were looking for a pair of compact, quality powered 12s and had heard a lot of good things about RCF. They fit our criteria well too - fairly powerful for the application we need, plus with Neo drivers and Class D amps, they only weigh 18kg, and I believe RCF are still manufacturing in Italy (not that I think there is anything wrong with Chinese stuff - I have a Chinese made Ashdown ABM and an Epiphone Valve Junior and neither has ever given me any grief). Our thoughts are that if we ever require a full on system, we can hire one in with an engineer and add it to our fee if necessary. There is also room to expand our system with a pair of powered subs if necessary. So whilst it might be a good system, it's no longer the sort of thing we're looking for.[/quote] Aye I understand. You wanna scale back... I thought you were looking for a budget first PA. Apologies. I bought a lot of new stuff from Thomman myself, but later found it cheaper locally, so I can't recommend them... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
martinbass7750 Posted December 9, 2009 Share Posted December 9, 2009 (edited) Hi John, did you buy some RCF's? We have two pairs of 310A's and I'm really happy with them. They sound better than the mackie srm450's I had, and much lighter (which was the main reason for changing). I did have one driver go after about 3 weeks use, but repair was quick under warranty. Great cabs in my opinion. Oh - they seem to go for nearly new money on eBay so I'd buy new. Cheers Martin Edited December 9, 2009 by martinbass7750 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BassBunny Posted December 9, 2009 Share Posted December 9, 2009 (edited) [quote name='martinbass7750' post='678948' date='Dec 9 2009, 12:01 PM']Oh - they seem to go for nearly new money on eBay so I'd buy new.[/quote] Last pair of RCF 310A's I spotted on e-Bay went for £590 including covers. The going rate now seems nearer the £800 mark for new ones. Edited December 9, 2009 by BassBunny Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
john_the_bass Posted December 9, 2009 Author Share Posted December 9, 2009 We did Martin - we bought a pair of RCF ART 722s last year and were totally blown away by them. They were a lot of money, but they do EXACTLY what we want. A single sub is on the cards next if we can raise enough dough for an RCF ART 905S Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hillbilly deluxe Posted December 9, 2009 Share Posted December 9, 2009 We use these,absolutely amazing,bit pricy though. [url="http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/feb04/articles/bosecylindrical.htm"]http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/feb04/arti...cylindrical.htm[/url] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
martinbass7750 Posted December 9, 2009 Share Posted December 9, 2009 [quote name='hillbilly deluxe' post='679175' date='Dec 9 2009, 03:42 PM']We use these,absolutely amazing,bit pricy though. [url="http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/feb04/articles/bosecylindrical.htm"]http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/feb04/arti...cylindrical.htm[/url][/quote] I've looked at those in the past - how loud are they? From memory they're rated at 250 watts per column. Cheers Martin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crez5150 Posted December 9, 2009 Share Posted December 9, 2009 These are laughable for band pa.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jim_bass Posted December 9, 2009 Share Posted December 9, 2009 It seems to be a bad time to buy anythng from Thomann at the moment everything seems overpriced. I buy most of our PA stuff from www.studiospares.com I guess it depends on how much you want to spend and what you want, but I'm really happy with the sound of our studiospares branded 'Fortisimmo' speakers. They come in a powered model and are a reasonable price. Especially if you are using it for vocals only. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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