Alto / Behringer / Gemini / etc...

[SoggyBottomBoy]

The price variance in an Alto TX310 @ $169 and QSC K10 @ $929 is staggering. I see similar variance when I look at a Gemini mixer like the Gemini GEM-12USB for $129 versus the Allen & Heath ZedI10fx for $$359. Of course, we can argue these are apples and oranges to the more discerning user but to many of us... who knows. If the TX310 is loud enough for a gig, does it really matter whether you have the K10 vs the TX310?

I understand that from a "durability" standpoint, the lower priced products use more plastic, lower quality underlying parts and so forth. My question though is, is there a measurable drop in reliability of these lower priced products? I can't possibly buy any PA/pro sound gear that will fail. It costs me a gig and that's devastating. Depending on the piece of kit, it could be anywhere between "bad" and "soul crushing."

How many of you have experienced actual gear failures with the budget oriented brands?

I can only say I've had a load of experience with a QSC k8.2, EV30M, Yamaha 10MGXU and Allen & Heath Zedi10fx. They've been absolutely rock solid reliable.

What advice/wisdom can we share with the forum on the reliability of these "bargain basement" brands? Are they "toys" like airport gift shop guitars or are they reliable/functional pieces of kit that hold up to normal stresses but have cut corners that are likely not measurable to most?

My last comment is that the Los Angeles rehearsal studio that I've used for years, seems to only use Behringer/Bugera/etc branded gear. That stuff gets used 24/7 and treated like a red headed stepchild.

[davidd]

My Alto 312 has been great. I just look at all powered speakers as eventually disposable.

[leew3]

I can't speak to the specific Alto speaker you're considering. However, Rokdog and I have used a pair of Alto Troupers for the past few years and have had no problems with them. They get used for larger outdoor gigs in which we DI out either from our acoustic amps or Bose S1s that are used for monitors.

I posted elsewhere that I've dropped one on the concrete so the cover material was damaged, but it didn't hurt the functioning of the speaker. I have no doubt that there are better sounding options out there but for our purposes these have been a solid and economical choice.

[phcorrigan]

I currently use a pair of 8" Alto speakers and I have no complaints. Previously I used a pair of Behringer 8" speakers, which I bought used, so I don't know the age, and I replaced them with the Altos when one of them developed issues. Until that happened I was quite happy with them and would not hesitate to buy Behringer speakers again. My first speaker was a 15" Gemini, and I was not impressed with the sound quality.

[L20A]

When I brought a Behringer speaker home and compared it to a comparable Crate speaker, i was disappointed with the Behringer and took it back.
I then tried an equivalent Alto speaker and was very impressed with it.

If you can A/B the speakers at a store, that will help with your decission.

[MJ Slaughter]

I use to turn my nose up on some of the cheaper gear like Alto and while speakers 3 to 10 times the cost do sound and are built better I have been pleasantly surprised by the dependability of Altos. We used the Alto TS212's for several years as floor monitors, RCF for the mains, in my party dance band for many high profile gigs and never had a hiccup. We used 7 of them on a regular basis. When starting my acoustic project I bought a Alto TS310 in the interest of saving money because I had to by a PA for the first time and needed to keep within a budget. It hasn't given me an ounce of trouble in 3 years. Though it can sound a little harsh with my acoustic, seems to be a bit scooped in the mids, it is still very usable.

I've since added a QSC K10.2 for a 2nd monitor which does sound better all around with much better build quality but is it worth almost 3x the cost of the Alto? Probably but the Altos are not bad. If you do side by side tests Altos next to mid and upper level prosumer speakers like JBL, Yamaha, RCF, QSC you should be able to hear the difference. Fortunately, at a gig no one other than gear geek musicians will know you have a cheaper speaker. As long as they don't fail they will be fine. They're so cheap that you could buy an extra one as a backup if you wanted a safety net.

If I had the cash I'd love to have some Meyer speakers but I don't make enough money gigging to justify that kind of expense.

[jonfields45]

I've bought some Gemini products to have something very light and not high powered, but found the tone too awful to use.

I've had a Behringer B208D developing a woofer with a rubbing voice coil which they repaired under warranty with no issue.

I had a pair of JBL EON510 speakers with rare earth magnets and differential voice coils on the woofers. They simply could not reproduce deep base with out the long thin voice coil rubbing and buzzing. JBL insisted they were working to spec.

I have concluded that I should avoid the very low end for powered speakers. I've added Harmon products to that list from my EON experience and just not liking what I've seen with some of the JBL stick systems.

I think the QSC CP series is a decent middle ground and have had good experience with the Yamaha DBR products.

Mixers are just trouble waiting to happen with so many POTs, but I've had no problems with the cheap ones. I tend to avoid sliders on inexpensive products as I think they are a bigger reliability liability than rotary POTs.

[YamahaGuy]

I had an early model Harbinger Vari series 15 blow a horn. The large driver still worked but the whole speaker sounded very muffled. I was able to replace the high frequency driver with a $20 aftermarket component. I've since sold the speaker to a DJ who uses it as a floor monitor and loves it.

I had the light up party pack Gemini speakers. I bought two at separate times. The one has been my TV speaker for 4 years. The other one worked about 5 times and the power amp section died. A replacement circuit board costs more than I paid for the entire speaker.

I have [and still own] owned several Yamaha powered speakers. Zero failures.

I have two Power Werks/Kustom-PA 50's. 7++ years and going strong. I had some Kustom-PA dual 10" powered monitors. Got a great deal on them from a band that used them for years. They worked great. I sold them to a guy who's been gigging with them 3+ years. No failures.

[RedJoker]

I've gotten pretty interested in pa speakers and have come to the conclusion that (in my opinion) the speakers matter less than the setup, the mix and the performance. I've heard some bottom of the barrel speakers, set up by someone that knows what they are doing, run circles around a Bose L1 set up by someone that didn't know what they were doing.

Also, open mics make it easy to see a lot of performers using the same setup. Good performances are always better than bad performances, no matter the PA.

Since I only do occasional, low volume gigs, a pair of Kustom PA50's work fine for me. I pay a lot more attention to placement, mix and performance. I haven't had any issues but again, I'm not loading them in and out of a bar 4 nights a week.