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Old 02-22-2017, 04:34 PM
martingitdave martingitdave is offline
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Join Date: Feb 2014
Location: Chicago
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Default Dave's compact PA system adventures...

Howdy fellow gearheads,

I'm always looking for the best options for amplification. It's one of my interests besides music in general. My needs are simple. I need a rehearsal system for simulating stage use, that can occasionally be put into action. Most places I play, including our club, have a PA system and sound person. As such, I don't want it to take a ton of space, be overly loud, or cost a fortune. But, I do need it to be rather full featured so I can tweak my setup.

I posted my review of the Carvin S600B and you've probably already read my review of the Line 6 L2t system. In summary, both are terrific units for what they do best. In the past few years, my sound reinforcement needs shifted wildly because I was getting involved in different groups with different needs. Solo, duo, rock band, string band, folk group, etc. Now I have two perfectly competent units at my disposal.

I wanted to post my review before I posted this thread so as not to give the wrong impression about my opinions of these systems. While both have obvious strengths, each has some limitations for me.

1. The Line 6 sounds great, and works for electric and acoustic. I highly recommend it. It's great if you have band mates who also own them. But, if I am going to keep only one personal PA system, I ultimately want it to be a line array for maximum flexibility. I'd also prefer not to have to keep a speaker pole setup in the studio to have the controls within reach.

2. Read my review of the Carvin S600 and you'll recognize that I have tremendous respect for the engineering of this unit, but I'm not the intended audience. I don't have enough people playing with me. I don't rehearse loud enough. And, I learned this week that the farmer's market gig this summer evidently IS providing power. So, now I don't even need the battery.

Since my immediate needs are for solo amplification, at rehearsal volume, I will likely keep the Line 6 L2t. It sounds warmer at low volumes. Should I opt to get a new system in the future, I would likely go with some sort of "box and stick" design that sounds good and warm at low rehearsal volume in my studio, as well as performance volume.

Cheers!
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Last edited by martingitdave; 02-27-2017 at 06:22 AM.
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