PA speakers for high use rehearsal scenario

[y0ud]

opinions on mackie thump speakers?

[ears2thesky]

It's not unusual to hear about bands having problems with rehearsal sound that consists of a budget PA firing at them.

When do you ever have a PA firing at you at an actual gig? Never. PA speakers are designed to face away from the band.

If you are rehearsing for a real show you will probably be dealing with stage monitors. Stage monitors are designed to be faced at performers, and when coupled with a 31-band EQ for each mix are not only superior for the purpose of hearing oneself on stage, but prepare you for what you will most likely encounter at a gig.

If you can't tell already, I strongly recommend basing rehearsal room sound systems on a monitor shot--not a PA.

By the way: the powered mixers you are using are actually rated 350w/ch @ 8 Ohms (which is what a single speaker per channel would be).

Also: You should keep a stock of replacement drivers and diaphragms and learn how to change them out. You will save time and money in the long run.

[y0ud]

very valid points, so maybe i should be looking at purchasing monitors? around the same budget?

[nedorama]

Originally Posted by Darm

RCF makes GREAT speakers, they were the first company to start building active plastic PA boxes, and their ones sound great and LOUD
Their 10 inch art series box is louder and has more bass than ev sxa 360 (we compared them side by side)!

Used to make great speakers. Their US support is non-existent and failure rate is much higher than it used to be. I would not recommend for a rehearsal studio.

Powered speakers are great for their ease of setup, but in a rehearsal place the temptation will be to turn the volume up all the way.

I would go simple with Yamaha Club 12 speakers (the rat fur will make them feel at home), a power amp, and then some type of processing protection inbetween. Place the power amp and processor in a locked rack so that the inmates can't adjust levels and blow speakers. Have the speakers up on the wall pointed at the band, so that they can face the speakers and not have them behind them. Graphic EQ is a must. Avoid Behringer anything, but especially the Feedback Destroyers - they don't work and add noise to the sound. I know -- I bought 2 different ones for $50 and sold them for $40.

[y0ud]

they look good



any thoughts on FBT Maxx4?

[nedorama]

Mackie Thump are garbage -- they're rebranded Tapco and won't last.

Haven't heard or used the FBT series so can't comment.

Yep, the Yamaha Club series would be my reco. Truly the only budget speaker that actually sounds very good given its price.

Get them up in the air and add processing as inserts on your Yamaha mixers - at a minimum, Graphic EQ and comp/limiter, or a Driverack. Put it behind a perforated security cover so that the kids can't mess with the settings - something like this.

Perforated Steel Security Covers - PSC

I'd also consider buying these speakers used to make your dollars go further. No sense buying new ones for a rental place. If you need to replace drivers, Parts Express has most of them or suitable replacements.

[drbob1]

The other brand I'd consider for rehearsal space in America is Peavey. Not sexy at all, but they usually survive their rated power, they sound decent and they're super easy to repair/get parts for. Most of the woofers have field replaceable baskets (buy a few and keep em on the back shelf) and the tweeters are stock items. Power them with a power amp and signal processing like the Driverack. Add a sub if the band needs the thump. Set things up so that no matter HOW hot the signal into/out of the mixer is, it can't overpower the speaker (you can do that with the Driverack). Best thing is that they're out there used (as are the Yamahas to be fair) so you can get twice as much speaker for your money. The Peavey SP15Ms are rated at 130 and 133 dB with 1000w input power and sell for $600 street. The EUs are a little more and the SPs a little less but they'll all put out around 128-135 dB!