Suggestions for inexpensive on stage monitors

Sipstea

Member
I work a middle school. Currently my on stage monitors are used stadium speakers that the district found in a warehouse. I would like to to get some new and improved real stage monitors. I can mount them but don't need gigantic ones. I just want the students to be able to hear the music so they can dance and sing. I have a limited budget. I would love to get some suggestions of some models that might fit the bill.
 
I work a middle school. Currently my on stage monitors are used stadium speakers that the district found in a warehouse. I would like to to get some new and improved real stage monitors. I can mount them but don't need gigantic ones. I just want the students to be able to hear the music so they can dance and sing. I have a limited budget. I would love to get some suggestions of some models that might fit the bill.
@Sipstea First, a myriad of queries:
- Cabinets designed, constructed and rated to be flown overhead, bracket mounted on a side wall, or floor wedges?
- Passive or self powered??
- Desired coverage angles???
- Desired frequency range; prerecorded music, live music, bowel disturbing bass????
- Will you need a subwoofers?????
- (and the BIG question) BUDGET??????
JBL, Danley Sound Labs, Fulcrum Acoustics, Meyer, Yamaha and others will have a range of products which will satisfy and thrill your heart but how many rail-cars of cash are you prepared to spend???????
@MNicolai and @TimMc Would you care to comment for @Sipstea 's benefit????????
Toodleoo!
Ron Hebbard
 
My standard first question: What's your budget?

Next - are sight lines an issue if "floor monitors" (wedges) are used? Prefer something that can be mounted on a stand in the wings? Flown overhead from a line set?

Wait, those were @RonHebbard questions... ;)
 
@Sipstea First, a myriad of queries:
- Cabinets designed, constructed and rated to be flown overhead, bracket mounted on a side wall, or floor wedges?
- Passive or self powered??
- Desired coverage angles???
- Desired frequency range; prerecorded music, live music, bowel disturbing bass????
- Will you need a subwoofers?????
- (and the BIG question) BUDGET??????
JBL, Danley Sound Labs, Fulcrum Acoustics, Meyer, Yamaha and others will have a range of products which will satisfy and thrill your heart but how many rail-cars of cash are you prepared to spend???????
@MNicolai and @TimMc Would you care to comment for @Sipstea 's benefit????????
Toodleoo!
Ron Hebbard
Currently what I have I’d attached to a pipe in the wall. They can be on stands (I have stands) or on the floor. They can be either passive or powered prefer powered. We do shows with prerecorded music. The kids would love bowel bass but we don’t need it. I currently have about $500 to spend.
 
$500 for a pair doesn't get you much. What amplifier do you currently use to power the 'stadium speakers'? What are the stadium speakers?

I'd like the idea of powered speakers IF the only control on them is a power switch. Your students will do everything possible to make the most bass and greatest distortion possible if there are accessible controls. Realistically, even inexpensive powered speakers will have too many buttons and knobs to be "safe"; the manufacturers try to out-feature their competitors at the expense of simplicity.

To be honest my work hasn't taken me down the path of your budget in a long, long time (I walked the Flintstone's Dino for pocket money). There is a brand called Alto, from which a couple of models have gotten lots of love by some users over at the Live Audio Board's Lounge forum, but IIRC both of those have been discontinued and had accessible EQ and level controls...

I see you're in Sandy Eggo. Do you have seismic considerations regarding things that get attached to the building (like speakers)? It may give you more flexibility if you can use speaker stands when you want them up high, rather than needing the building engineers to come take down the speakers when you want to use them as floor wedges (and then put them back up).
 
I work a middle school. Currently my on stage monitors are used stadium speakers that the district found in a warehouse. I would like to to get some new and improved real stage monitors. I can mount them but don't need gigantic ones. I just want the students to be able to hear the music so they can dance and sing. I have a limited budget. I would love to get some suggestions of some models that might fit the bill.

I like the Yamaha CM-V series for inexpensive passive monitors. They won't win any fidelity contests but they get the job done and they're tough.

EV ZLX12P is a pretty decent inexpensive powered monitor. It has DSP processing and sounds good when it is used within its intended output range. They don't, however, have much output and they sound awful when pushed hard.
 
I like the Yamaha CM-V series for inexpensive passive monitors. They won't win any fidelity contests but they get the job done and they're tough.

EV ZLX12P is a pretty decent inexpensive powered monitor. It has DSP processing and sounds good when it is used within its intended output range. They don't, however, have much output and they sound awful when pushed hard.

I looked at the CM-V series and a pair will blow the OP's budget unless the school allows purchase of used equipment.
 
500$ is quite the small budget even for my small budget minded ideas. at that point your at about 250$ a peice for a speaker cabinet. (and thats about half as much as a cheap powered speaker would run.)

Behringer EUROLIVE F1320D, Just slides in over your budget for 2 of them.
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/790555-REG/Behringer_F1320D_EUROLIVE_F1320D_Active_300W.html

the QSC k12 (which i like and think would fit your application) can be had for maybe 625/each (https://reverb.com/p/qsc-k12) on the used market or 800 new. If you think you'll have money again next year to expand.

Other options are always to rent. most houses will rent some power wedges for pretty cheap as when they buy decent brands most powered speakers are pretty robust and not likely to be lost or damage when out on rental.
 
Maybe check out used QSC k8’s from reputable shops. I picked up one last year for $325.
(Back it up to a wall for more bass.)

Then again I got the HS two Alto 10” powered speakers four years ago and they have not blown one yet.
 
I found the Alto reference: the "legacy" SMX-112a. Supposedly the Samson RSXM12 is the same except for fewer DSP options in the amplifier.
 
I looked them up, they were 12”, the TS112A’s back in 2012. I had picked one up for our Church in 2014.

The newer TS312’s have much better specs but I’ve not listened to them.
I did read a comment that the new 8” are so light they bounce around on the floor.
 
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We've been purchasing the Yamaha A12M monitors the last two years and they've worked very well for high school student bands: https://www.musiciansfriend.com/pro-audio/yamaha-a12m-monitor-pair
We managed to get them for $150 each, if you can find them that low you could also purchase an amp to go with them.

Another budget option is Seismic Audio. We have a couple of these monitor wedges:https://www.seismicaudiospeakers.co...pair-of-10-inch-wedge-floor-monitors-speakers
They work ok (not nearly as well as the Yamahas) and their tweeters tend to blow when the kids aren't careful about muting their instruments before unplugging, but they might give you an option within your budget and give you enough funds to also purchase an amplifier for them. Seismic also has these, which might be an interesting option if you want powered speakers: https://www.seismicaudiospeakers.co...r-of-powered-10-inch-pro-audio-floor-monitors

Good luck!
 
If you are able to reuse the amplifier, a small speaker with great output and fidelity is the JBL CBT50. Rating is around 400watts if I recall and has a smooth yet punchy sound you'd expect when you combine JBL with column array.
I'm thinking a single speaker could be mounted horizontally on your first AP or electric.
 
If you are able to reuse the amplifier, a small speaker with great output and fidelity is the JBL CBT50. Rating is around 400watts if I recall and has a smooth yet punchy sound you'd expect when you combine JBL with column array.
I'm thinking a single speaker could be mounted horizontally on your first AP or electric.

That would produce 20 degree coverage in the horizontal plane. There are very few situations where that would work.
 
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While it's true, at 16k the plot shows about 10db of attenuation, I see this as a positive quality.
Especially if you want to permanently mount a speaker about 20' away from its intended audience and you want the audio to stay somewhat focused, pick a speaker with a more narrow dispersion, even if only one direction.
Hitting a deep rectangular stage with an oblong oval dispersion pattern seems like a good fit to me.
Also, having used these speakers many times, the ability to hide a permanently mounted speaker that sounds really good is a big plus.
 

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