Les
Well-Known Member
First off, I would like to thank everyone for your response to my "Amp Advice Needed" thread. I really learned a lot and ended up with what I think is a very usable QSC GX3 300w x 2 amp. Now, I'm shifting my focus toward speakers.
I recently did a wedding gig with my GX3 and two Peavey SP2XT's and everything went great. I got lots of compliments on the sound, and everything worked as it should. However, I really need to downsize my speakers. The SP2XT's barely fit in my car, and they kill my back. I listed them on Craigslist and I have a potential buyer coming by to check them out on Saturday.
As much as I would LOVE to stick with 15" mains, I should probably downsize to 12" mains, because of size and weight restrictions. To compensate, I'd like to add a subwoofer or two; possibly powered by a QSC GX5.
So far, here are some of the speakers that are on my radar:
(Note that I would like to continue driving my mains with the QSC GX3).
Two Peavey PR12's for mains (driven by the GX3) and one or two Peavey PR SUB's, driven by the potential GX5. These speakers all get good reviews on Musicians Friend and Harmony Central, but even with my success with the SP2XT's, I am still a little weary of the Peavey brand (based on what others say). I do love the price tags on the PR series though...
Two OSP SF12's used in conjunction with undecided sub(s). I had never heard of this brand, but they were recommended by a fellow CB member and he raved about them.
Two JBL JRX112M's used in conjunction with unknown sub(s). Mixed reviews on these, but I like the idea of going with JBL's. They are at the top of my price point at around $250-300 each. Unfortunately I'm on a pretty strict budget.
Two Yamaha S112V Club speakers and (?) sub(s). Mixed reviews on these also, but they're right in the middle of my budget, and they're Yamaha -- usually a GOOD thing.
I do all types of gigs. Some are indoor and intimate, and some are outdoor and spread out. I will never need to fill a football field with earth shattering bass, but it would be nice to be able to provide a decent-sized outdoor space with good sound at decent volume levels. Think - the size of a tennis court. That was about the format of my last outdoor event, which was a wedding. It sounded good and was about as big as I currently want to get.
Thus, I need something that I can tuck in to a corner or under a table for those indoor gigs if need be, yet still give good sound and hold their own, even if they find themselves outside. The Peavey SP2XT's had way too much 'physical presence' for most anything inside unless it was a large room. I hate to give them up, but they destroy the backseat of my car.
So, if any of you guys have advice, recommendations, horror stories, etc; I'd love to hear them! My price range is about $300 a speaker, and my power requirement is 300w per speaker. I'm open to suggestions on subs also - I'd prefer something passive. I really like the Peavey PR series. Talk me out of it if that is a dangerous thought process. If you have anything else you would like to add to my radar, please feel free. For example, I haven't checked out Mackies yet.
Thanks!!
Edit: Notice that I have omitted crossovers, EQ's etc. As far as EQ's go, I can't trust myself NOT to screw one up -- besides I'm not that picky (YET) and neither is my customer base -- YET. Crossovers, well, I don't know much about them. I'd love to just be able to plug my subs and mains in to my amps with no worries. The QSC GX series is supposed to be "sub-ready", I guess meaning that there is a switch for bridged mono. I figured I would cross that bridge when I came to it as subs and an additional amp are still several months out for me. The mains are fairly immediate, however.
I recently did a wedding gig with my GX3 and two Peavey SP2XT's and everything went great. I got lots of compliments on the sound, and everything worked as it should. However, I really need to downsize my speakers. The SP2XT's barely fit in my car, and they kill my back. I listed them on Craigslist and I have a potential buyer coming by to check them out on Saturday.
As much as I would LOVE to stick with 15" mains, I should probably downsize to 12" mains, because of size and weight restrictions. To compensate, I'd like to add a subwoofer or two; possibly powered by a QSC GX5.
So far, here are some of the speakers that are on my radar:
(Note that I would like to continue driving my mains with the QSC GX3).
Two Peavey PR12's for mains (driven by the GX3) and one or two Peavey PR SUB's, driven by the potential GX5. These speakers all get good reviews on Musicians Friend and Harmony Central, but even with my success with the SP2XT's, I am still a little weary of the Peavey brand (based on what others say). I do love the price tags on the PR series though...
Two OSP SF12's used in conjunction with undecided sub(s). I had never heard of this brand, but they were recommended by a fellow CB member and he raved about them.
Two JBL JRX112M's used in conjunction with unknown sub(s). Mixed reviews on these, but I like the idea of going with JBL's. They are at the top of my price point at around $250-300 each. Unfortunately I'm on a pretty strict budget.
Two Yamaha S112V Club speakers and (?) sub(s). Mixed reviews on these also, but they're right in the middle of my budget, and they're Yamaha -- usually a GOOD thing.
I do all types of gigs. Some are indoor and intimate, and some are outdoor and spread out. I will never need to fill a football field with earth shattering bass, but it would be nice to be able to provide a decent-sized outdoor space with good sound at decent volume levels. Think - the size of a tennis court. That was about the format of my last outdoor event, which was a wedding. It sounded good and was about as big as I currently want to get.
Thus, I need something that I can tuck in to a corner or under a table for those indoor gigs if need be, yet still give good sound and hold their own, even if they find themselves outside. The Peavey SP2XT's had way too much 'physical presence' for most anything inside unless it was a large room. I hate to give them up, but they destroy the backseat of my car.
So, if any of you guys have advice, recommendations, horror stories, etc; I'd love to hear them! My price range is about $300 a speaker, and my power requirement is 300w per speaker. I'm open to suggestions on subs also - I'd prefer something passive. I really like the Peavey PR series. Talk me out of it if that is a dangerous thought process. If you have anything else you would like to add to my radar, please feel free. For example, I haven't checked out Mackies yet.
Thanks!!
Edit: Notice that I have omitted crossovers, EQ's etc. As far as EQ's go, I can't trust myself NOT to screw one up -- besides I'm not that picky (YET) and neither is my customer base -- YET. Crossovers, well, I don't know much about them. I'd love to just be able to plug my subs and mains in to my amps with no worries. The QSC GX series is supposed to be "sub-ready", I guess meaning that there is a switch for bridged mono. I figured I would cross that bridge when I came to it as subs and an additional amp are still several months out for me. The mains are fairly immediate, however.
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