Starstruck Posted October 14, 2009 Share Posted October 14, 2009 Hey folks, Im looking for some advice on what speakers to buy for a couple of specific gigs Ive got coming up !! Ive got booking for a few christmas light turn ons up here in sunny Scotland ! The PA I normally use is an active Mackie system which is obviously not ideal in Nov/Dec in Scotland (what with all the sunshine we get !) So, Im looking for advice on what passive speakers whould be suitable ! Ive already got amps so just the speakers. They need to be approx 2KW, passive, handle a little bit of rain or have covers . Typical sort of gig will be somebody making a few speaches , a bit of pre recorded music, in a high street, maybe a local singer etc . You know the sort of gig. Budget wise I would have a max of about £1500 (I know its not much but theres a recession on !) Ive already got a piar of Behringer B1520Pros (I can hear you screaming! They were my first speakers) there are OK , yes I know they are not great but at £400 a pair I could afford to put 3 pairs out but Im not sure how they would sound next to each other ! And considering the gig and the budget Martins / Turbos / Meyer etc are overkill. Thanks folks and be kind Kev :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tolley1466 Posted October 14, 2009 Share Posted October 14, 2009 Have you not thought of hiring gear? It would be a lot cheaper and it looks like you're only buying the speakers for this job? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Starstruck Posted October 14, 2009 Author Share Posted October 14, 2009 Yeah, I had thought about hiring them but its becoming the sort of gig that Im getting asked to do more and more of. So I would rather invest a bit of cash (small as it may be) and buy them . I will eventually get the cash together to buy a decent big rig but I want to walk before I start running ! Thanks Kev :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robin Pratt Posted October 14, 2009 Share Posted October 14, 2009 Well, everyone is going to come up with a different answer but I would probably look at EV ZX5s, 600w cont, 1200w peak handling per box, £1200 +VAT for a pair, fairly lightweight moulded plastic construction, and will stand up to the odd light shower. There is also a "weatherised" version available for more serious outdoor use but I don't know the price off hand. If possible though, whatever you choose, listen to it before buying! (just so I'm being upfront with this, we are a dealer for them) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sound Man Posted October 14, 2009 Share Posted October 14, 2009 The company who do these sorts of events in my area uses Bose 802 speakers. I think he has three pairs of them set up. If you are happy with the Mackie sound why not go for some of their passive units such as the C300z. You should be able to get two pairs for about £1500. You can also use them for monitors. David Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Alcock Posted October 14, 2009 Share Posted October 14, 2009 Personally, I'd be tempted to buy some heavy gauge polythene sheet (as used for damp-proof membranes by builders), and make some rain covers for your B1520s, plus add another two. Behringer rat-fur covered boxes do not like rain. It soaks in, the MDF swells up and they're easily ruined. That said, they're not bad boxes, if a little heavy, and for Christmas light switch-ons would be fine. Provided you've got some sort of eq in the rack to even-out the peaks, I'd imagine they would satisfy all but the most critical town-centre listeners. They don't array terribly well, so some time spent adjusting the splay angle to minimise interaction/comb filtering would pay off. If you wanted to tinker, you could replace the compression drivers with a B&C equivalent which would improve the smoothness and tingliness of the top end. I've heard that's a worthwhile mod. Do you have subs already? If not, I'd spend the money on them, and at least you'd have a rich, full-sounding system for when the music's playing. As you say, there's a recession on. Pete. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Starstruck Posted October 14, 2009 Author Share Posted October 14, 2009 Thanks Pete, The B1520 Pros are the plastic coated ones not the carpet ones (thats the B1520's) so they should stand up to the rain a little better. How do you stop the rain going thru the grill , small netting ? sound blows it out ?? OK, I take your point about the bass so a pair iof B1800X Pros (18in sub) comes in at £538 and I could sit two B1520 Pros (£375 a pair) directly on top so it wouldn't be an array. That would come in at £913, well in my budget. Would even leave enough to buy a decent amp rack for the pair of EP2500's Ive got waiting and a good crossover. Kev :-) A concurrent post has been automatically merged from this point on. The company who do these sorts of events in my area uses Bose 802 speakers. I think he has three pairs of them set up. If you are happy with the Mackie sound why not go for some of their passive units such as the C300z. You should be able to get two pairs for about £1500. You can also use them for monitors. David Yip, ive seen a few like that as well , and there just happens to be a few pair on ebay in my area ! Hmmmm Kev :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob_Beech Posted October 14, 2009 Share Posted October 14, 2009 It's difficult to tell the scale and what you're going to require, the 2 Christmas lights switch ons I'm doing this year are having 8 stacks of aspect wide in one and 6 in the other, and neither have bands, just a couple of solo acts etc, but it really IS required. If you can't use your active boxes with some covers, I really would consider hiring. I realise you're getting more and more of this work, but exactly how much is more and more? There are times over the next 4 months where I've got 46 sets of wireless out on hire. Now I don't even have HALF that number, but for the 3 weeks I need that number and maybe another 3 weeks over the rest of the year, it's STILL not worth buying another 20 units or more. I have to buy them, store them, and it's not worth the hassle. The only time you should really buy things is if you're getting to the majority of gigs thinking, I could really do with one of these, or some of those. Until then, get friendly with a local hire company. The other benefit with hiring is that you can get a feel for different boxes. You'd be silly to buy something that you can't get more of locally, for example, I couldn't go out and buy any D&B as there isn't another box for hire within an hour, so to have some D&B I'd need 150 boxes of it. Sometimes you might end up buying something that isnt the best box to your ears, but its practical and flexible and cross hires easily with local companies. You could hire this one time and that the other, and hire a few different things and see what you like the best, then if it warrants it, buy some. I have gigs in a year for Aspect 890, or flexarray (I live and work in a turbo area) but I don't own any. I don't have the money for it, the space for it and I dont currently have enough work for that sort of stuff. So really there's much more to think about when you go to buy a box, even a budget one. Rob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tolley1466 Posted October 14, 2009 Share Posted October 14, 2009 Plus with hiring it, you don't need to pay for the servicing and maintenance of the equipment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob_Beech Posted October 14, 2009 Share Posted October 14, 2009 That's all well and good, but it doesn't mean you can mistreat it. I wouldn't expect a client to pay for a service on an amp. However they would get a bill for a diaphragm for a HF driver. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Starstruck Posted October 14, 2009 Author Share Posted October 14, 2009 That's all well and good, but it doesn't mean you can mistreat it. I wouldn't expect a client to pay for a service on an amp. However they would get a bill for a diaphragm for a HF driver. Rob, I agree fully . If I blew a speaker I would offer to pay ! I also agree with your arguement about hiring but the problem I have is that the only decent hire companies are at least 1 hrs drive away and most of my gigs are out of hours / weekend ones . I also have a day job and Im doing this part time until I can hopefully turn it into a full time business. So I have to take time off work to go collect the gear and then take time off again to return it !! Also would hire companies be happy if I hired speakers and then used them outside in the rain ?? Kev :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob_Beech Posted October 14, 2009 Share Posted October 14, 2009 If you took any of my boxes that were suitable for outdoor gigs, I'd not have a problem with you using them outdoors. You just have to remember the cables and connector panels, sometimes tape over any non connected sockets helps. Chipboard / MDF B1520pro's however, aren't suitable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
olly DMT Posted October 14, 2009 Share Posted October 14, 2009 iv got a guy that builds bouncy castels making some rain coats for my speakers :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StevieR Posted October 15, 2009 Share Posted October 15, 2009 Also would hire companies be happy if I hired speakers and then used them outside in the rain ?? Kev :-) Very possibly. In fact we have some boxes that are specifically designed for outdoor work. PM me for details. Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doug Siddons Posted October 15, 2009 Share Posted October 15, 2009 Have a look at the HZ Z500 speaker 3 way plastic and can be supplied weatherproofed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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