What are some good Front-fill speakers?

[Anonymous067]

Looking for some type of front-fill speaker for our auditorium. They would be portable but set on the front of stage during concert like shows.
Kinda like how line array speakers get set on the lip of the stage for front fills.

Any good suggestions?

Auditorium probably has a 400 seat capacity...if that helps.

thx

 

[NolaTek]

A great front-fill speaker is the Meyer M1D. Its a self-powered box and it has a great throw for its size... packs a nice punch too. The Mica box from Meyer might do the trick as well, but neither of these boxes are cheap. They are also both line array speakers normally used in clusters of 4-16 boxes, but I often see them used as front fills. The M1D is probably easier to find used if budget is an issue.

 

[jkowtko]

On the lower end of the budget scale, I've used Mackie SRM450s and Yamaha MSR400s on two different occasions. In both cases the venue had JBLs hung high for L, R and Center cluster. I had the fills mounted on stands about shoulder height (to clear the front rows without blasting them) on stage right and left, and they did a pretty good job pulling the sound down to the stage level for both front and rear audience seating.

 

[DaveySimps]

I am a fan of the Meyer MM-4, Meyer UPM-1P, EAW JF80, or, on a budget QSC ISIS I-82H.

~Dave

 

[rwhealey]

The EV Zx1 might be a good choice- sounds good & is small and cheap!

 

[avkid]

Let's start from the beginning.

Price
Size preference
Active or passive

Do you already have an amplifier?
Is there power readily available on the stage?

 

[museav]

I'm with Phil and would add considerations such as what processing is available, what levels/response/coverage/etc. are desired and what the rest of the system is like.

One reason that you see some 'line array' style boxes usd for front fill is that they often provide a wide horizontal coverage, thus covering a wider area with the short throw involved, and a narrow vertical pattern.


Added: Since it may not have been clear, the front fills are part of a larger system. They should integrate with the system as far as level, quality, performance and so on. If not properly integrated they could be as much of a problem as a solution. For example, using a speaker that sounds significantly different from your other speakers and having no processing to address that.

 

[Soundrew]

Generally, I think its a good idea to use something with a low vertical profile to protect audience sightlines. +1 on the M1D (7" high with about 100 degree horizontal coverage) but bring money. I'm partial to the JBL VRX928 (9" high and also 100 degree coverage) and it is relatively affordable.

 

[howlingwolf487]

If you have the funding, I'd look into the EAW JF80s.

 

[BillESC]

A 400 seat house shouldn't require much in the way of front fill (area wise.)

Take a look at an EV Evid 6.2, should do the job nicely.

 

[TimmyP1955]

What are the main loudspeakers? Something that is similarly voiced from the same manufacturer would be the first thing I'd look at.

 

[avkid]

What are the main loudspeakers? Something that is similarly voiced from the same manufacturer would be the first thing I'd look at.

So you're saying a full range (and size) box is the only appropriate solution?