Advice on new PA

[mousedadrummer182]

Hi,

 

Me and my band are looking to buy a PA system for gigs in the near future. Ive been reading alot of the posts on this forum and have an idea of what I think would work for us, but was wondering if you guys had any better ideas. Initially, the PA would be used only for vocals (and keyboard if we ever needed to use one), would be used in small pub gigs and function rooms etc (nothing big at the moment) and we would be playing a mixture of old and new rock music. If the gigs we are planning go well and we raise enough funds from them, we would like to upgrade later to a bigger system with subs etc.

 

We have a budget of around £300-£400 for this, which I know isnt a lot but we need to do the gigs to raise money for equipment but we cant do the gigs untill we have a PA! We would be happy to buy second hand though, in fact we would prefer it if it meant we could get better quality.

 

My thoughts on possible purchases were:

 

Peavey 15" tops (Hisys II maybe), although im not sure after reading some posts on here

Thomann T amp TA1050 amp MK-X (heard some good things about them)

 

If anyone has some better ideas I would love to hear it!

 

Thanks alot

[drsound]

There is nothing wrong with Peavey and to dismiss them out of hand for your application and budget would be foolish at best. For a budget brand they have done stalwart service to gigging bands for years not to mention producing some reasonable quality almost-professional boxes in their time (the DTH and HDH stuff was ok if a wee bit old fashioned). The point is that they have their place, albeit with the Behringer, Alto and Phonic gear of this world but it's all still perfectly useable gear and often good value for money.

 

Having said that, of course the Hisys speakers don't stack up to models costing £5,000 (or even £500) a box but for £150 a pair second hand they're not a bad buy. We sold a pair of Hisys 2 RX boxes for someone a while back and they were actually reasonably good compared to some of the rubbish we have been asked to repair.

 

T.Amp amps are fine but perhaps you would be better looking at a powered desk or powered speakers to keep the budget down. eBay is going to be your friend on this one, it might well be a case of buying what happens to be available rather than coming up with a wish list of gear then waiting for it to be available. As long as you pay a sensible price for second hand gear and then look after it your best upgrade route will almost always be to sell it on and buy better when you can afford to.

 

Also, post your location and I'm sure you will be swamped with people only too glad to help you out with used gear.

[MarkPAman]

Hi

 

Do you already have any gear? Does you budget have to cover mics, leads, mixer, mic & speaker stands, or is it just an amp and speakers that you need?

[Kevin Ross]

I would be looking at something that I can reuse when (if) the system is upgraded. For example I would shy away from powered desks because they limit your options if you were to upgrade to a bigger system and start using a FOH engineer as opposed to mixing from the stage.

 

 

 

For that kind of money eBay is your friend ™ and something like the Peavey tops would be a good example of what to look for. In time you could then upgrade to include some subs without having to change your tops.

 

 

 

Eventually you could even relegate your old tops to monitors so it might be getting something wedge shaped, the Yamaha SM15V springs to mind for example but that are countless other variations on that theme.

 

 

 

Depending on your location I’m sure there will be plenty of offers for help from my fellow blue roomers (is that a word?) myself included

 

 

 

Hope this helps

[mousedadrummer182]

I do already have some mixers, mics, mic leads and mic stands from recording I have done in the past, but I was not including speaker stands in my price estimate.

 

I do like the idea of Peavey and I have dealt with some of their PAs in the past and they didnt seem too bad, I just got put off from peoples negative veiws of them, but for my application I think they will work well. What series of Peavey speakers would you recommend? I like the Hysis 2 350 watt RMS, but is there a better model?

I defiently want to stay away from powered speakers or desks at the moment simply to leave the option to upgrade later open.

Im constantly searching ebay and just looking at the moment, when I find a bargain however it will typically be located in Scotland or something for local pickup only. I am located in Bromley, South East London/Kent.

 

I like the idea of being able to use the tops as monitors when I upgrade, any other decent wedge shaped speakers I should take a look at? Ive also been looking at the Studiospeares Auditorium range for possible subs when/if I do upgrade and seen alot of positive comments about them, would this be a good buy?? Im just asking if their is a better investment of the bands money so im open to all advice!

 

 

Thanks very much for your help

[drsound]

Depends on what you want to do with them really. You'll find dozen of pub bands across the country using Hisys 2s and various alternatives so give them a listen. As long as they're cheap enough and in good nick then you'll always be able to get your money back if you don't like them.

 

If you're likely to only ever put vocals and occasional keys through the system then forget about subs, you're better off concentrating your funds elsewhere. Don't feel that you need stuff just because somone tells you that you do. If you genuinely feel that the bottom end is lacking and you can't possibly go on without it then you can pick up a single 15" or 18" box to fill out the LF but I'd be surprised if this happens in the pub environment.

 

If I were you I'd be buying myself two main speakers, a pair of wedges of some description and a T.Amp or equivalent budget amp (one channel for FOH and the other for your monitors). Upgrade when the gear breaks or if you start playing larger venues but don't spend money for the sake of it. You can always hire in the extra odd bit when you need it.

[MarkPAman]

I definitely want to stay away from powered speakers or desks at the moment simply to leave the option to upgrade later open.

 

Powered desks do not make it easy to upgrade, but powered speakers are not a problem.

 

Most powered subs have a high pass output(s) from their crossover, so hiring/buying for larger gigs is very simple. When you want them you have the amp and crossover built in, but you can leave it all at home when you just want to use the tops.

 

The other thing about powered speakers is that you (should) get an amp that's well matched to the speaker and has properly set up limiting/protection already there.

 

If you had 10 times the budget, I'd probably say go for separate amps & a speaker management system, but for your current money I think powered would be better.

 

I'll not recommend any particular make or model as I think Dave was right with:

eBay is going to be your friend on this one, it might well be a case of buying what happens to be available rather than coming up with a wish list of gear then waiting for it to be available

 

My 2p - others will have other opinions

[drsound]

Mark makes a good point, powered speakers are a godsend for small acts - compact, suitably matched amps, easy to set up and fewer leads to worry about. I'm just concerned you might struggle to get a half way reasonable system for the money you're looking at. El-Cheapo powered speakers can be horrible in build quality and there isn't as large a second hand market as there is for passive components. There is also the old argument that it leaves you stranded if the amp goes but this is rather moot as you would only have one amp anyway.

[tolley1466]

You could get some good speakers ex-hire. From SSE, they do them at a good price.

 

Alternatively you could hire some speakers until you have enough money?

[Sound In Gloucestershire]

as for the Peavey Debate, if you do go for them, only get the 500w Versions, the 350w ones are from the ark!

Also try and get them 4 Ohm Versions of the Speakers (yes they do 4 and 8) this is because your amp wont need to be as big and itll tie in with the Bass cabs (if you do get them later) as the bass cabs are all 4 ohms. If getting 500w cabs, this shouldnt be a problem, but towards the end of the 350w models, the crossover was in the Top Cabs, for the last several years the crossover has been in the Bass cabs, very important to bear in mind if considering upgrading later

 

the models you should be aiming for are Hysis and UL, avoid the "Pro" and "Eurosys" range as they are not the same beast

 

now, if this is just for vocals, just to drum up an old debate, but wouldnt 12" cabs be better suited?

If so, id be going for a pair of these http://www.prolight.co.uk/item.php?hdnID=508010 Warrior W Audio PSR12A, they are active, loud, good sound, includes covers and can be used as monitors too, approx £400 a pair new

Ive yet to hear a bad review of them yet (for the money), ive got 2 pairs and use them for Vocal PA work, Karaoke nights and even small Disco work

[Sound Juice]

Seconded the SSE second hand route, you can get them to demo the stuff for you aswell.

 

They normally have some ASS cabs which are really really good value for money second hand!

[mousedadrummer182]

Ok, thanks for the advice, Im liking the idea of the powered 12" W audio speakers, anybody had experiences with the 15"??? I'm thinking it may be better to get as I may want to occasionly put a bit of drums through them, but Im still not sure.

 

How bout the Studiospares Auditorium 18" subs, could anybody recommend something better for around about the same price? Maybe a bit more.

 

Thanks alot

[drsound]

I have some experience of repairing Warrior speakers that were bought by a local charity. Of their four 15" boxes we replaced one of the 15s and two compression drivers in the first year. Difficult to draw conclusions as to whether they were being abused or not but it's still a high rate of attrition. I was also surprised by how weedy the 15" driver was, the magnet didn't give that carm cuddly feeling of confidence that a big meaty driver gives.

 

The newer models may of course be significantly different so it's worth seeking the opinion of someone who has worked on them before buying.

 

Just a thought but I know a few people who have bought the powered Thomann speakers. Have a look at them as they all seem very happy and the Thomann warranty is very good indeed.

[Sound In Gloucestershire]

david, Warrior do some very cheap horrible speakers, and also some very nice cabs

 

id be interested to know if you can remember the model number? Were they wood or plastic cabs?

[drsound]

They might have been L400s or that might just be my memory playing tricks.

 

I was assuming that for less than £400 a pair brand spanking new the OP isn't going to be getting into the very nice range.