Yamaha DXR 10 PA as ampless set up?

[Stevie H]

My band has a vocal PA consisting 2 x DXR10s as FOH and 2 x DXR10 as floor monitors. I use a Mesa d800 bass amp and a GR Bass 2 x 12 cab. Most gigs I’m at about 10:30 to 11:00 o’clock gain and volume and this is easily loud enough.  I’ve been thinking about an ampless set up and wondered if the Yamaha PA would be ‘man’ enough to cope… anyone had any experience with a similar set up? Ta in advance. 

[Dan Dare]

A keyboard player I work with uses a DXR10 as backline. It has great clarity, plenty of power and works very well. I don't know whether it would be up to being a bass amp, though. It doesn't have the volume (as in size, not loudness) that a bass cab does and isn't designed to go as low as you'll need. Are you able to try the band's cabs with your bass? At the price they are, I'd be wary of buying on spec'.

 

Remember that 11 o'clock on the gain and volume is deceiving. You might think it's less than half power, but those controls aren't linear. It's probably quite a bit more on peaks.

Edited September 26, 2022 by Dan Dare

[Bill Fitzmaurice]

Those mains are intended to be used with subs to handle the lows, so without subs they probably wouldn't do. Assuming they're up on poles you don't have ground reinforcement,while you do have floor bounce cancellation of bass, which makes the situation even worse. 

[Phil Starr]

We use a similar setup but with RCF310's for my duo. The bass sound I get out of the speakers on the poles is the best I've had playing live. The problem is that the speakers are designed to be on poles and the monitors on the floor have so much bass they are difficult to use as it drowns out the vocals. that is now solved by eq in the new mixer but the old passive mixer wouldn't allow different eq for the aux out. 

 

Thats with a duo however and a recorded drum track. I doubt you'd be quite there with a couple of 10's for FOH if you have anything but a very restrained drummer. 

[Dan Dare]

2 hours ago, Bill Fitzmaurice said:

Those mains are intended to be used with subs to handle the lows, so without subs they probably wouldn't do. Assuming they're up on poles you don't have ground reinforcement, while you do have floor bounce cancellation of bass, which makes the situation even worse. 

 

Good point. By the time the OP has bought a sub to augment the low end, he might as well stick with the GR cab and Mesa D800. That's already a very light and portable bass rig, so there will be no weight or space saving.

[fretmeister]

I've gigged with a DXR10 on the floor with a Helix for my sounds and I thought it was very good.

[Bill Fitzmaurice]

It's probably no worse than an average 10 on the floor, but on a pole it will be totally different. The lack of ground reinforcement will cost 6dB, the equivalent of a 75% power reduction, while floor bounce cancellation can result in a 24dB response notch.

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By the time the OP has bought a sub to augment the low end, he might as well stick with the GR cab and Mesa D800.

Agreed. It would probably take two 15 inch subs, or one 18, and that only makes sense if the drums are in the PA as well. Not that it's a bad idea to do so, but it's a major expense between on thing and another, while his current rig is a bird in the hand.

[AScheck9]

We use dxr 12s as the tops and dxr 18s as the subs. Having played through only the 12s previously, I wouldn't recommend it. The bass seemed to sap all of the power and took the vocals out almost completely. 

 

I'm not technically minded and I'm sure that's not actually what happened.... but it was a struggle!