Which point source speaker

[Pete Sparks]

Ok so I'm looking to buy some new passive point source speakers.  Mainly for use with small scale touring / tribute bands. Audience of 3-500 most nights. Since 2008 I’ve used my faithful Void S4’s sitting on SX subs with a couple of QSC 3402’s. Big, simple, enough power for any small theatre job but getting long in the tooth.  Most of my contemporaries went with LS 15’s / X15s at the time to give you context  

What speaker system would you buy? Looking at the Martin option but interested in what people are using and seeing on riders.  

[themadhippy]

Quote

Big, simple, enough power for any small theatre job but getting long in the tooth.

if they are still capable of doing the job why change? If there looking a bit tatty thats nothing a tin of filler, bit of sanding and bucket of tuff cab wont  cure

[Pete Sparks]

17 hours ago, themadhippy said:

if they are still capable of doing the job why change? If there looking a bit tatty thats nothing a tin of filler, bit of sanding and bucket of tuff cab wont  cure

A fair point.    I intended to keep this kit as a second show as I wrote them down in the books years ago😁. Just due to age though I expect the driver suspension will eventually fail. 

[sleah]

I think driver failure is more about use and storage conditions than age. You can find 50 year old drivers still working as good as the day they were installed, but (my example) store them in a damp garage over winter and they could easily fail within 2 years...

Fair play if you have other reasons to upgrade, but as already said, age alone shouldn't come in to it. Same goes for sound engineers 😉😂

Edited November 13, 2023 by sleah

[sunray]

5 hours ago, sleah said:

I think driver failure is more about use and storage conditions than age. You can find 50 year old drivers still working as good as the day they were installed, but (my example) store them in a damp garage over winter and they could easily fail within 2 years...

Fair play if you have other reasons to upgrade, but as already said, age alone shouldn't come in to it. Same goes for sound engineers 😉😂

Quality of the drivers comes into it too. I built 6 cabs in 70's and used Fane 12" drivers, I can't give dates but changed some very quickly then needed another in a hurry and my usual supplier (Wilmslow Audio) didn't have any in stock, By this time I'd purchased maybe a dozen from them and they sent a McKenzie as a loan unit which of course sounded very different, I've been using them ever since, to the point I replaced the remainder and never a failure since. I still have a pair of Fanes units 'on the shelf' in case I needed a replacement in a hurry.

[Keith_]

If you are after something lighter and cheaper, I think SoundGear Orbit 4 is worth a look for mid tops (definately the 'upgraded' version). You get a lot of SPL for the weight and they are quite well controlled in dispersion (being horn based), yet still reasonably smooth. James makes them to order, so not good if you are in a hurry for them. He also does a compatible bass scoop.