12" Active Speaker Reccomendations

[Unfathomable]

Hello,

 

I am in the process of setting up a new audio system for a local school. From what it required in terms of set up time active seems to be the way to go.

 

On a budget of c.£1000 for the pair of speakers. They need to be 12" if possible because of the size of the people lifting them. They will be used for Speech and CD Playback to a room of approx 300 at max. (usually a lot less, around 150). only need limited controls on the rear of the unit, as a desk will be used.

 

Width of the room is around 12m, with a similar depth, although they will also be used off site.

 

I have been looking at the Mackie SRM450 as a possible candidate, although I have not got any experience with them, I tend to use Passive speakers.

 

I would be grateful if you could recommend any other speakers within this spec,

 

Cheers

 

Dave

 

[JDLX]

What kind of dispersion do you need and any particular reason they need to be active? Would you be interested in second hand or only new?

[Unfathomable]

What kind of dispersion do you need and any particular reason they need to be active? Would you be interested in second hand or only new?

 

Hi,

 

Horizontal dispersion needs to be reasonable, in the region of 75 degrees (although happy to vary that)

Audience on a single level, about 9 lines deep, so vertical isn't particularly important.

 

Active due to use with just a CD player without the rack I am putting in, so they would be easier to move around the school (will be on a small trolley). Also allows for single speaker use, again without the rack.

 

Second hand would be ok, but being a school they don't want Ebay etc, so could only come as used stock from standard sources (ex-hire etc.) and needs to look cosmetically new or near new.

 

Cheers

Dave

[Tivoli Phil]

I'm gonna chime in with my usual suggestion of the LD systems stinger range. Should come in just about in budget if you search around a bit. Have a listen to them and see what you think.

[ojc123]

Budget kit but I have used a pair for a 15m x 15m x 5m School Hall with up to 400 people. They are heavier than the RCF722A which replaced them in that space. The PSR12As are still in frequent use for monitors and for all sorts of events. They have a limiter which prevents some abuse. Each speaker has two mic inputs (1/4" TRS) which are very useful for instant PA when I get a "Can you just...?" request. They sound better than they should do at the price.

 

If small people are lifting them then active speakers generally may be too heavy.

 

Edit to add they come with decent covers too.

[Unfathomable]

Budget kit but I have used a pair for a 15m x 15m x 5m School Hall with up to 400 people. They are heavier than the RCF722A which replaced them in that space. The PSR12As are still in frequent use for monitors and for all sorts of events. They have a limiter which prevents some abuse. Each speaker has two mic inputs (1/4" TRS) which are very useful for instant PA when I get a "Can you just...?" request. They sound better than they should do at the price.

 

If small people are lifting them then active speakers generally may be too heavy.

 

Edit to add they come with decent covers too.

 

Hi,

 

I think this might be too low budget. I have had bad experience with w audio kit in the past in terms of longevity and standing up to continued abuse. The full £1000 is available just for the speakers with other money allocated (from within a budget) to the other elements of the system (which I am a lot more comfortable finding).

 

 

As to them being too heavy, the ones I linked to are about 12kg, which I think is a reasonable amount for the teachers to lift, and for kids to at least take between 2 of them if not on their own.

 

Cheers

 

Dave

[brainwave-generator]

Budget kit but I have used a pair for a 15m x 15m x 5m School Hall with up to 400 people. They are heavier than the RCF722A which replaced them in that space. The PSR12As are still in frequent use for monitors and for all sorts of events. They have a limiter which prevents some abuse. Each speaker has two mic inputs (1/4" TRS) which are very useful for instant PA when I get a "Can you just...?" request. They sound better than they should do at the price.

 

If small people are lifting them then active speakers generally may be too heavy.

 

Edit to add they come with decent covers too.

 

Hi,

 

I think this might be too low budget. I have had bad experience with w audio kit in the past in terms of longevity and standing up to continued abuse. The full £1000 is available just for the speakers with other money allocated (from within a budget) to the other elements of the system (which I am a lot more comfortable finding).

 

 

As to them being too heavy, the ones I linked to are about 12kg, which I think is a reasonable amount for the teachers to lift, and for kids to at least take between 2 of them if not on their own.

 

Cheers

 

Dave

 

To be honest, not much in the sub-£500 bracket to beat the SRM350 or 450. I think 450 is 15" though?

 

QSCs offerings are worth a look too, though. As are RCF ART; and JBL EON.

[TomHoward]

We use the SRM350 for exactly this purpose - it's a 10" driver as opposed to the 12" of the SRM450, but it's also 14kg as opposed to 23kg - a real weight saving. Whilst the SRM450 is portable to a DJ or hire company, it's still quite a heavy box for an educational setting.

[pjrails]

Hi

I'm in a school and with what sounds similar to yourself and we purchased a pair of Mackie SRM 450.

These have been excellent and give a really good sound in the theatre/Hall. Also we purchase a pair of the SRM 150 as stage monitors.

Would highly recomend them.

PJ

[timsabre]

We use the SRM350 for exactly this purpose - it's a 10" driver as opposed to the 12" of the SRM450, but it's also 14kg as opposed to 23kg - a real weight saving. Whilst the SRM450 is portable to a DJ or hire company, it's still quite a heavy box for an educational setting.

 

I agree with this, a church near us has a pair of the 450's and lifting them onto stands is hard work, especially if you're not very tall.

[starsky]

http://www.mercury-av.com/sales/db-technologies-opera-402d-3628-0.html

 

 

 

 

 

[brainwave-generator]

http://www.mercury-a...02d-3628-0.html

 

 

 

 

 

 

whilst I can't comment on the actual quality of these speakers, do be aware that 'dB technologies' are in no way related to the very high quality speaker manufacturer 'd&b' who you've probably heard of.

[Unfathomable]

 

whilst I can't comment on the actual quality of these speakers, do be aware that 'dB technologies' are in no way related to the very high quality speaker manufacturer 'd&b' who you've probably heard of.

 

Thanks, I was going to ask.

 

I have emailed the head to explain about the weight of active speakers.

 

The problem I am trying to solve is that they want a system for assembly etc. with a short set-up time. On hearing this I was originally looking at a portable rack (hall not secure) that patched into a bay on the wall, with installed passive speakers.

 

However....

They also want the system to be used in other local halls (churches etc) for school shows and for this they want easy to move, quick to set up, and to be used by unskilled operators.

I have arranged systems for both uses before, but now have to get it in one. My other current option is to rack an amp into the rack, then just have passives, it all comes down to what they want on the trolley (was going with not needing full rack to get 1 mic/cd.)

[Andrew B.]

Our church has two of its weekly services in a local primary school's hall, with a similar capacity to yours. I spent a long time researching a suitable system to purchase that would give really wide coverage from a couple of light weight active speakers. We bought a pair of Mackie SRM350s and a couple of Hercules wind-up speaker stands (so you don't need to lift the speakers high up). They do the job exceptionally well for speech and light music (just electronic keys, vocals, clarinet and acoustic guitar). Their coverage pattern is remarkably wide (roughly 90 degrees) so we can cover the whole width of the hall from close range without a problem. If you need more low end you could add a sub.

 

This new generation of active Mackies are much smoother in the top end than the previous generation, which were frankly harsh.

 

Andrew

[ChazHS]

I'm gonna chime in with my usual suggestion of the LD systems stinger range. Should come in just about in budget if you search around a bit. Have a listen to them and see what you think.

 

Another vote for the LD Systems Stingers, I now have 4 x 8" and a pair of the 12" active subs which are used by people for small VIP rooms etc when my Nexo stuff is already out. Bang for buck it's pretty much unbeatable. The only thing people have had issues with which I've heard are the amplifier modules (supposedly Bang & Olfsen) going wrong.