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  #16  
Old 02-08-2012, 01:23 PM
Bobby1note Bobby1note is offline
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Originally Posted by mcozma View Post
I can never grow tired of recommending the Yorkville brand. They offer great PA/components. [/URL]
Another Yorkville fan here. I have several of their offerings (six NX55p's, four EF500pb's, two U15p's, two LS720p subs, and a pair of UCS1p subs).

Now, obviously, my overall needs are different from yours, but, when I'm doing small/intimate acoustic-guitar solo/duo/trio gigs, I bring along one or two Yorkville NX55p's, and couldn't be happier. Actually, a single NX55p is usually more than enough for that application, and we'll use the second NX55p (if I even bother to bring one along) as a monitor. We use that set-up to cover perhaps 40-60 people, outdoors, and the NX55p is really just idling at that point. Crowd-noise is not something we're dealing with, in that scenario, and coverage/dispersion is usually not an issue either.

In a crowded/noisy bar, you'd probably want a pair for FOH, and possibly even a sub or two (Yorkville LS720p highly recommended), but that really depends on your style,,,how much punch you want (percussive style),,,what you need/use for "break music", and whether "other" muso's may be joining in from time to time, with various other instruments, etc. As you're probably already aware, having subs is not only about reproducing low-frequency "fundamentals". By hi-passing your tops at say,,,100Hz, and letting your subs deal with everything below 100Hz,,, you can really give your mains some extra "legs", when you're driving the system hard, and tickling the limiters. Of course, that totally depends on the "room", and crowd-noise levels. I do an annual charity gig for example, where a single NX55p is used for "dance music", for a crowd of 145 people, but that's a very reflective/resonant room. Too much bottom-end, really resonates in that room, so I crank the sub(s) wayyy back, but still use them anyway, so I can hi-pass the mains, and get that extra punch/depth.

What do I like about the NX55p's? Well, they sound good for starters. They have a prodigious bottom-end when used stand-alone,,, which makes them ideal for acoustic gigs,, where no subs are required. The bottom-end extension/capability,,, does not colour the sound of vocals,,, unlike "others" I've heard, that profess to have a "DEEP" bottom-end. (I HATE pre-set/push-button EQ's). The NX55p's built-in shelving EQ, sounds very transparent in my opinion, and is quite "useable".

The HF compression-driver/horn,,,never gets harsh, even when driven hard, and the horn offers excellent dispersion/balance,,, with no "hot-spots" or "beaming". It's a very smooth sounding box.

Physically, the trapezoid cabinet works really well as a floor monitor. You don't need annoying "accessories" to place the speaker, and the recessed input-section/control-panel, is well protected. Unlike many others, I have NEVER heard of an NX55p "thermalling", when used as a floor-monitor. At 42 lbs, it's not the lightest box out there,,, but I think "light" can be wayyyy overdone at times. I'm 64, and lift an NX55p on stands, quite easily. I simply refuse to trade-off sound-quality,,, to save a few pounds that really don't matter.

Lastly, why am I a Yorkie loyalist? Well,,, they stand behind their gear, and the people who use that gear. Believe me, over the last four years,,, I've seen "PLENTY" of people who've been left in the cold, by companies that profess to have "long warranties". When the time comes to back-up those claims, they're AWOL. Yorkville has a rock-solid reputation for customer support, and to me at least, that's peace-of-mind. Mind you, Yorkville's gear just seems bullet-proof,,, so I doubt you'd ever need that customer support.

Good luck with your decision.
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  #17  
Old 02-08-2012, 02:07 PM
Snakeshack Snakeshack is offline
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Thanks Kendall (and everyone) --- very helpful stuff! That low-end focus of the DXR sounds perfect, & would allow me to avoid a sub. Do you think the 8's would pack enough of a punch? They say 1k watts --- so from the sound of that, I would imagine so...just hard to imagine, but I know technology has really improved --- and I'm only familiar with my passive set-up.
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  #18  
Old 02-08-2012, 02:24 PM
Bobby1note Bobby1note is offline
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Originally Posted by Snakeshack View Post
Thanks Kendall (and everyone) --- very helpful stuff! That low-end focus of the DXR sounds perfect, & would allow me to avoid a sub. Do you think the 8's would pack enough of a punch? They say 1k watts --- so from the sound of that, I would imagine so...just hard to imagine, but I know technology has really improved --- and I'm only familiar with my passive set-up.
You can't go by "power ratings",,, it's absolutely meaningless.
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  #19  
Old 02-08-2012, 02:31 PM
jomaynor jomaynor is offline
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Keep in mind that for the Bose stick speaker, the same non-directional cues that many people like, are the same attributes that others find off-putting in a PA.

An easy to understand example would be movies: in a modern theater, great pains are taken to ensure that the audience hears dialog coming from the actors' mouths, and not from an indistinct source. This same theory applies to music recordings, and to almost all high quality concert sound systems engineering as well, which endeavor to have the singer's voice, in particular, to seem as if it's coming from the singer's mouth, and not from, say, around the corner.

But they (Bose stick) have their fans, that's for certain, and all the phase cancellation going on with that type of speaker does make it quite feedback resistant.
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  #20  
Old 02-08-2012, 04:12 PM
lschwart lschwart is offline
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Just wanted to add that I'm a very happy user of both Yorkville and RCF speakers. My Yorkvilles are passive YX15 and YX10 (and I have also had some very positive some experience with YX12s and with the NX and Elite lines). I run the YX15s with an M810 powered mixer. A pair of those or YX15s and a mixer like that makes for a very cost-effective and, as bobby says, bullet-proof basic PA (I wouldn't recommend the YX10s for any application that needs some bass).

But I also have to say that my RCF 312a is turning out to be a wonderful purchase, too. I use it for smaller acoustic solo/duo/trio gigs. It's a better speaker than the YXs, and it's comparable to my ears with the NX line, and with the the QSC, Yamaha, JBL, and EV powered speakers that have been mentioned in this thread so far. Worth serious consideration at under $400 in the U.S.

Louis
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  #21  
Old 02-08-2012, 05:03 PM
Chiavelli Chiavelli is offline
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I reccommend a pair of Fishman Loudbox Mini's. We are an acoustic duo and we both use the Loudbox Mini. I run my vocal and guitar throught the respective separate channels on mine and Scott runs through his own amp. We place them both between us so the sound is not too separated for folks on either side of the venue and it is a beautiful thing.

Folks are often surprised at the sound and power that these little guys put out. NO sub needed. The last gig, we actually wanted to run out of the DI out on our amps into the house board but the "sound guy" wouldn't let us for fear that we would damage the board.

We happily resorted to our normal set up and the guy came out of the back room looking like "I told them not to run through the board!" He stood there and watched for a few and realized we were putting out all that sound and power from those two little boxes. He went away.

Here is a video from that night recorded on an Olympus LS-10 from 15 feet away:
http://vimeo.com/36209005
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  #22  
Old 02-08-2012, 05:42 PM
alexevans917 alexevans917 is offline
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I second everyone else- buy a couple of lightweight powered speakers. Rusty Axe's recommendation was good too- most audiences will not hear the difference between a pair of Mackie Thumps (I use these regularly) and SRM450's (one of my favorite local venues has these as tops), despite the doubling in price. If you have the money and crave the quality however, the QSC and RCF stuff is fantastic.

For me, with a decent budget, I'd go for something along the lines of:

Mains: TH12a's or SRM350's (depending on budget)
Monitor: TH12a or SRM350 or any cheap powered speaker around
Mixer: A&H ZED 10 FX or a Mackie 1202 or a similar board-- I like Soundcrafts too, although I've only used their larger Spirit Folio boards and similar

Just add a pair of decent mics and a nice DI for your guitar and you have a really solid sounding light PA. The Thumps should cover you for any venue. They max out a bit fast for my taste when running full range music (ie DJing sets) through them, but they do phenomenally well with acoustic acts or bands in smaller venues.

Thanks,

Alex
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  #23  
Old 02-08-2012, 06:07 PM
mutantrock mutantrock is offline
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I get a very good natural acoustic tone from QSC K8's and a Yamaha mixer. At the time I got this setup I couldn't find anything better in the price range of $1200. The QSC's came with a 7 year warranty as a promotion.
Using high quality condenser mics and guitars with quality pickup/preamp helps immensely for my setup.

I heard a guy with the K12's and frankly he had too much bass to the point his sound was not natural sounding for an acoustic guitar.
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  #24  
Old 02-08-2012, 07:00 PM
Snakeshack Snakeshack is offline
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Mutanrock --- so would you recommend the K8's in-terms of a rich/deep tone, & do they put out enough power?

I noticed the K10's are only $50 more retail ---- and wonder the primary difference b/w the 8's & 10's other than speaker size --- and if there is any advantage?

My goal was to condense the size of my rig, but I'd definitely spend the extra $ if it would be worth it in-terms of sound quality. Do you ever feel like you wish you had more power (in a loud venue) or .... more bass?
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  #25  
Old 02-08-2012, 09:31 PM
Bobby1note Bobby1note is offline
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SnakeShack,,

I recommend that you go listen to the K-8's before taking the plunge. Run a CD through it; something which has a really clean female-vocal track;,,,something like a Diana Krall, or Norah Jones Jazz CD. While that vocal is playing, engage the "DEEP*" setting,,,and see how it affects the vocal. Be your own judge.
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  #26  
Old 02-09-2012, 12:15 AM
jomaynor jomaynor is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mutantrock View Post
I get a very good natural acoustic tone from QSC K8's and a Yamaha mixer. At the time I got this setup I couldn't find anything better in the price range of $1200. The QSC's came with a 7 year warranty as a promotion.
Using high quality condenser mics and guitars with quality pickup/preamp helps immensely for my setup.

I heard a guy with the K12's and frankly he had too much bass to the point his sound was not natural sounding for an acoustic guitar.
That's the fault of his eq settings, not his speakers.
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  #27  
Old 02-09-2012, 12:35 AM
Ivan Lee Ivan Lee is offline
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L1 model II.........

Put it behind you or off to the side.......

No monitors, no fuss............

Solid for the past 3 years.........
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  #28  
Old 02-09-2012, 06:32 AM
mutantrock mutantrock is offline
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With K8's I have never run short on power ...not even close . I don't use the deep switch on the speaker at all because to me it makes acoustic music sound unnatural. Once I tried it on a CD that had a dance beat and the deep switch was cool for that. When I got mine the K10 were not available to compare but would expect they would be good. I like that my whole rig fits in the trunk of my Mustang GT and if my speakers were any bigger I would have an issue. FYI, I was really impressed with the Fishman Soloamp and almost bought it. The QSC setup is a step up from the Fishman.
The stuff mentioned on this post by others are "can't miss" options and truthfully there is no best way to go other than what you like.
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  #29  
Old 02-09-2012, 09:15 AM
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I'll add the thought that with a pair of 10' two ways and a powered sub, it's not necessarily about "pounding club style bass" but actually cleaning up the mids......adding a sub allows the "bass" driver in your main speakers to reproduce the vocals and subtle guitar passages much better because it's not also reproducing the deepest bass notes.

The differences in midrange clarity can be pretty astounding.
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  #30  
Old 02-09-2012, 11:10 AM
buzzardwhiskey buzzardwhiskey is offline
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Quote:
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I'll add the thought that with a pair of 10' two ways and a powered sub, it's not necessarily about "pounding club style bass" but actually cleaning up the mids......adding a sub allows the "bass" driver in your main speakers to reproduce the vocals and subtle guitar passages much better because it's not also reproducing the deepest bass notes.

The differences in midrange clarity can be pretty astounding.
I am thinking about this very setup. Adding a sub to my Schertler Unico to better represent the acoustic drums and drum machine that I loop while my vocals and guitar will probably use perhaps 5% of the sub.
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