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  #1  
Old 09-18-2021, 08:48 PM
Ten Ten is offline
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Default PA Speakers

If you are looking for a pair of PA speakers (mains, not subs) today that can handle solo/duo gigs, but also support a full band outside (electric and acoustic guitar, drums, keys, etc.), what are you going with?

K10.2s?

CP12s?

Some type of EV/JBL/Yamaha?

Don’t waste your money get this Alto?

Another brand I haven’t mentioned?

I’m more concerned with sound v weight, and long term quality v cost, but the lighter and cheaper the better. I’d rather spend 1g than 2, but I don’t want to upgrade anytime soon either.

If I’m spending the money to do the acoustic thing and play places I bring my own system to, Id rather have one that covers all the bases and manage both situations.

We currently use a bandmates pair of 15s and 8s, but they distort/get nasty when pushed. Altos.
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  #2  
Old 09-18-2021, 09:16 PM
varmonter varmonter is offline
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Well im a big proponent
of you get what you pay for.
Alto aint it. Cp12 would be
a much better option.
K12 used even better.
A sub and a k8 acoustic
heaven.
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  #3  
Old 09-18-2021, 09:57 PM
YamahaGuy YamahaGuy is offline
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Did a show tonight with Yamaha DBR10s, sitting atop DXS12 subs. Got lots of compliments on the sound. Big band--2 acoustic electric guitars, two bass, keys, 2 electric guitars, electronic drum kit, vocals x7. For FOH, without subs, I'd go for the DBR12s. They're like $375 a piece I think. 5 year warranty.
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  #4  
Old 09-19-2021, 09:08 AM
J Patrick J Patrick is offline
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…I recently bought a pair of QSC K12.2’s for just such versatility….A bit heavy but that’s onlty because I’m old!,…crazy good sound…
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Old 09-19-2021, 03:38 PM
Chipotle Chipotle is offline
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My rig is two QSC K10.2s and one CP8. I can use the CP8 or one K10 for a very small gig, up to both K10s as mains and the CP8 as a floor monitor.

Some here think the K10s have some mid-range harshness that the 8s and 12s don't have, but they're still good speakers. I wanted a little more oomph for the occasional gig with a bass or keys, but still lighter weight. I don't know if I'd go down to 8s if I wanted to do a full band (certainly not without a sub). Like YamahaGuy says, without subs I'd want 12s if the band gig was more than once in a blue moon.

QSC gear is rock-solid. Maybe a bit more up front but you won't have to replace any time soon.
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  #6  
Old 09-19-2021, 08:42 PM
phcorrigan phcorrigan is offline
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I have a pair of Behringer B208D 8" speakers that I'm quite happy with, both in terms of power and sound quality. I considered buying the 10" or 12" versions, but these were good compromise for weight and size, since I typically do all the setup myself. I've used them in a couple of relatively noisy venues without issues. The space where I host a weekly open mic is about 50' x50' and I get complements on the sound. BTW, I use a JBL EON 10-G2 as a stage monitor, and it works quite well for that purpose.
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  #7  
Old 09-20-2021, 05:06 AM
meb meb is offline
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Hello Ten. Since we are in the QSC world, I would consider getting a K8.2 to
handle the solo and probably Duo needs. Its slightly higher dispersion, easier handling plus great sound should cover a lot of bases. Couple it with
a K12.2 or maybe a CP12 (depending on budget and strength:-)
for the band. That gives you some scalability options. Of course, 2 K12.2s
would be great if you want to lug all that around. If there are budget
constraints, get the solo part right and scrimp on the band.

If you are mostly solo, I personally would have to consider a Bose Pro8
and DI out to add a K12.2 in band situations.

Good luck.
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Old 09-20-2021, 07:11 AM
guitarman68 guitarman68 is offline
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I use K8.2s (duo, trio) and add a sub (EV branded) if needed (upright bass, full band). Sold my K12.2s , for my old bones simply to heavy for everyday use.
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  #9  
Old 09-20-2021, 09:43 AM
leew3 leew3 is offline
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Lotta love for QSC here on the forum. We've use Alto Troopers for our main PA speakers for larger gigs for years and they have served us well. YMMV and it's your money so do what you want.
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  #10  
Old 09-20-2021, 11:39 AM
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ljguitar ljguitar is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Ten View Post
I’m more concerned with sound v weight, and long term quality v cost, but the lighter and cheaper the better. I’d rather spend 1g than 2, but I don’t want to upgrade anytime soon either.

If I’m spending the money to do the acoustic thing and play places I bring my own system to, Id rather have one that covers all the bases and manage both situations.
Hi Ten…
Old dude with 40 years of PA ownership and use under my belt…I never worry about venues who have line array systems, or high end pro-gear. It's when I'm packing in the PA that I've armed myself with systems out of self-defense.

I'd played duo gigs (acoustic and bass both straight through the board) using a pair of the QSC powered 12 inch two way cabinets (I've used these live multiple times). They were great - plenty of power to fill a room which seats 350, with headroom to spare, good projection and clarity, and uniform tone at low or high volumes (no tonal shift with volume increase).

We've done groups of over 250 with a pair of passive Community 12" two way cabinets, and they handled keys and bass guitar just fine, as well as 4 singers, two acoustics, and bass. We have never run drums through them. They take a lot of power to push them (1800 watts at 4ohms) but sound great.

Well designed passive cabinets are worth their weight in gold, but they do suck up power, and they can be heavy. But they don't fry their horns easily, and the sound is uniform through out the volume scale. They don't cause ear pain from harsh edginess at high volumes.

Since the 1960s 15 inch two way cabs were 'King'…but they are too muddy. But they could generate a ton of noise to fill school gymnasiums and punch holes through the echo for school dances.

The 15" we have used over the years were top end Altec, JBL, and Yamaha. Thankfully we had ⅓ octave EQ to tune out some of the issues (muddiness, boominess, propensity to feed back on the low end, and lack of clarity in the midrange).

Interestingly for small venues, and solo/duo groups, high quality 8" two way cabinets sound very natural and full, but they do have issues handling a Synthesizer or bass (if using subsonic synth voices, not conventional piano sounds). They just don't handle deep bass when pushed.

Weirdly, the 10" cabinets we've tried tend to be harsh, and brittle, and edgy sounding as the volume ramps up. They don't reproduce bass as well as the smaller 8" woofers, and they are volatile in their high treble output range.

The sweet spot for us is/has been the 12" two way cabs.

Hope this adds to the discussion.




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  #11  
Old 09-20-2021, 07:20 PM
Stringmaster Stringmaster is offline
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So do all of the premium speakers have the complex dsp circuitry? I’d rather ditch that stuff in favor of better components and more reliability for the same money. I’d be using a mixer anyway. Or am I off base?
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  #12  
Old 09-20-2021, 07:49 PM
Ten Ten is offline
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Great information here. The stick system out to a speaker I hadn’t really considered but is very interesting, as are the DBRs. Those K12.2s sure are beastly in person, I can see hauling that being a chore. I’m surprised by the amount of folks preferring 8s too.

I’d like to say an honest thank you to everyone sharing their knowledge and experience with the rest of us using this information to help make decisions.
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  #13  
Old 09-21-2021, 06:45 AM
Pnewsom Pnewsom is offline
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I'm very pleased with the pair of JBL EOS-612 speakers I bought last year. On sale they were about half the price of a set of QSC's, and about half the weight(33lbs).
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  #14  
Old 09-21-2021, 02:20 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Ten View Post
Great information here. The stick system out to a speaker I hadn’t really considered but is very interesting, as are the DBRs. Those K12.2s sure are beastly in person, I can see hauling that being a chore. I’m surprised by the amount of folks preferring 8s too.

I’d like to say an honest thank you to everyone sharing their knowledge and experience with the rest of us using this information to help make decisions.
Hi Ten
They weigh 39 pounds each, and both will fit on a simple office supply dolly cart with a folding handle.


There are other ways to move them too, but we've used a dolly cart to move a pair of 12" cabs, mic stands, and acoustic amps into venues in a single trip.

If I were buying new today, I'd own a pair of the 8" cabs because they sound awesome with acoustic guitars and vocals, and are small and weigh just over 25 lbs each.




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  #15  
Old 09-21-2021, 05:53 PM
Pnewsom Pnewsom is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ljguitar View Post
Hi Ten
They weigh 39 pounds each, and both will fit on a simple office supply dolly cart with a folding handle.


There are other ways to move them too, but we've used a dolly cart to move a pair of 12" cabs, mic stands, and acoustic amps into venues in a single trip.

If I were buying new today, I'd own a pair of the 8" cabs because they sound awesome with acoustic guitars and vocals, and are small and weigh just over 25 lbs each.

That's the kind of cart I use as well. Works great with all kinds of gear.
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