MIKE900 Posted March 15, 2012 Share Posted March 15, 2012 Thinking of upgrading our PA system tops. Currently using JBL 18" subs (4 OHM 400w) and Wharfedale 12" TOPS (8 OHM 300W). subs are driven by Yamaha Ps5000 tops driven with Yamaha Ps3500. Playing in a loud punk cover band generally mic up kick, snare and 2X vocals. We just want a bit more vocal cutting through and the flexibility to mic up guitar / bass etc when needed. Would these be a good choice: Peavey Pro 15 PRO15 PA MK2 MKII. I like the idea of them being 4 ohm which I guess gets the best out of the amp. Would we see/hear a difference? Are there any other suggestions bearing in mind these are around our budget. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mervaka Posted March 15, 2012 Share Posted March 15, 2012 Getting "the most out of your amp" is backwards thinking. You want to look at sensitivity figures of the speakers to get the SPL and/or headroom you desire while trying to put less of a load on the amp, not more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MIKE900 Posted March 15, 2012 Author Share Posted March 15, 2012 Eh?? Please explain Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TonyMitchell Posted March 15, 2012 Share Posted March 15, 2012 Would we see/hear a difference? Are there any other suggestions bearing in mind these are around our budget. I think you will hear a difference, albeit not for the better. You will get more pleasing results (tighter, sharper, however you want to describe it...) on vox with 12" mid/high boxes as opposed to 15". The only benefit to 15" full range boxes is they tend to play lower than twelves and can sometimes be used without subs in very small spaces. But as you already have 18" subs, stick to 12" boxes on top. If you were a Rolf Harris tribute act, I'd highly recommend the P****y subs to go with the Pro15s !, however as a "loud punk band" no doubt you want your PA to cut the mustard... why not keep your eyes peeled for some secondhand branded tops - buy wisely and you'll pay similar for them to what you would for budget end MI grade boxes new. Look after them & they'll last five times as long and hold their value too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MIKE900 Posted March 15, 2012 Author Share Posted March 15, 2012 why not keep your eyes peeled for some secondhand branded tops - buy wisely and you'll pay similar for them to what you would for budget end MI grade boxes new. Look after them & they'll last five times as long and hold their value too. Thank you, really useful input. What branded make would you recomend Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulears Posted March 15, 2012 Share Posted March 15, 2012 The wharfedale's are pleasant enough speakers on a stick for general use, and the ones I heard sounded much like all the plastic boxed similar units from all sorts of manufacturers - perfectly usable within their spec. This kind of loudspeaker sounds decent enough on a mixed programme of music and voice, but runs out of steam easily, and I'd guess that if you're trying to stick drums through them you want LOUD (as in louder than the kit in real life) and they will struggle and be easily overdriven by the snare especially. The Peavey speakers in my humble opinion are probably worse for audio quality. £150 for a 15" usually means lumpy bass (which isn't used much as you have subs for the half a dozen notes the 15" won't cover at the bottom. The HF from these always sounds a bit nasty to me. For what you need - which seems to be a solid top end to go with the JBL bottom - I'd be looking for some wooden boxes. If you don't want to spend huge amounts - but want a useful speaker that will let you add the band to the mix, then studiospares own brand £250 eachhttp://www.studiospares.com/content/ebiz/studiospares/invt/248830/248830_m.jpgare pretty nice sounding. I've had a few of these speakers from the original range and the mkII range and have been pretty impressed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pete10uk Posted March 15, 2012 Share Posted March 15, 2012 I'm currently working with quite a few local bands, band work is quite new to me but I'm enjoying it immensely, the kit were using is all good named stuff except the speakers which are pro sound or something, it is amazing what sound you can get out and how clear you get the vocals with a bit of engineering and a bit of outboard gear. Before buying new speakers, have you considered adding some outboard gear and/or hiring a sound engineer? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TonyMitchell Posted March 15, 2012 Share Posted March 15, 2012 Thank you, really useful input. What branded make would you recomend JBL, Martin Audio, Turbosound, etc... they all come up regularly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pete10uk Posted March 15, 2012 Share Posted March 15, 2012 The wharfedale's are pleasant enough speakers on a stick for general use, and the ones I heard sounded much like all the plastic boxed similar units from all sorts of manufacturers - perfectly usable within their spec. This kind of loudspeaker sounds decent enough on a mixed programme of music and voice, but runs out of steam easily, and I'd guess that if you're trying to stick drums through them you want LOUD (as in louder than the kit in real life) and they will struggle and be easily overdriven by the snare especially. The Peavey speakers in my humble opinion are probably worse for audio quality. £150 for a 15" usually means lumpy bass (which isn't used much as you have subs for the half a dozen notes the 15" won't cover at the bottom. The HF from these always sounds a bit nasty to me. For what you need - which seems to be a solid top end to go with the JBL bottom - I'd be looking for some wooden boxes. If you don't want to spend huge amounts - but want a useful speaker that will let you add the band to the mix, then studiospares own brand £250 eachhttp://www.studiospares.com/content/ebiz/studiospares/invt/248830/248830_m.jpgare pretty nice sounding. I've had a few of these speakers from the original range and the mkII range and have been pretty impressed. These are a nice looking speaker, what have you been using them for? Do you have a recommended sub? I'm looking for a nice looking and sounding rig for 200 people band work. Looking at the lower end price wise at the minute, as I want to make sure I keep enjoying this type of work before I spend 10K on a decent system. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
S&L Posted March 15, 2012 Share Posted March 15, 2012 I would agree with the above comments - engineering gets you better results - I was working with a pop/rock band in bar a few weeks ago mixing using pro15's and NO subs. a local musician wandered up to the band afterwards and said it was the best he had ever heard in there of that band or any other - while I take the compliment with a pinch of salt, some of it was down to spending a few hours in a room with the speakers and working out that if you notch out 400hz on an eq and notch out a little at 500hz they sound a lot better. other comments are right though, being timber they are better than a lot of similar priced plastic boxes but they sound naisely and lack definition - what you need to decide is can you afford more and will you find the increased definition worth it. if I have a choice (and I seldom do) I would always opt for decent amps and really good speakers rather than the other way round. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mervaka Posted March 15, 2012 Share Posted March 15, 2012 Eh?? Please explain I'm just saying that you're looking at the wrong specs on the sheet. Consuming more power won't necessarily equal more SPL, but sensitivity on the other hand is a metric for power in and SPL out. On the flip side, have you thought about managing your stage volume? If you're struggling to hear vocals, it's probably because the PA is competing with lots of cymbal and ill designed guitar tone. I know you're a punk band, but the nature of the beast shouldn't totally determine your thinking. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.