The Acoustic Guitar Forum

Go Back   The Acoustic Guitar Forum > General Acoustic Guitar and Amplification Discussion > Acoustic Amplification

Reply
 
Thread Tools
  #1  
Old 02-05-2018, 12:23 PM
JerryM JerryM is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: Oregon
Posts: 986
Default Recommendations for Duo PA system?

Can anyone out there gigging give me some direction as to a good portable, easily transported PA system for vocals with acoustic guitar and bass?
Been using a Marshall 50. acoustic amp and it's ok but would like to get a dedicated system just for our mics'. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Need for a small/med sized restaurant and outdoor patio settings. Would like to keep the cost within reason...thanks
Reply With Quote
  #2  
Old 02-05-2018, 01:41 PM
lschwart lschwart is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: Richmond, VA
Posts: 2,796
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by JerryM View Post
Can anyone out there gigging give me some direction as to a good portable, easily transported PA system for vocals with acoustic guitar and bass?
Been using a Marshall 50. acoustic amp and it's ok but would like to get a dedicated system just for our mics'. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Need for a small/med sized restaurant and outdoor patio settings. Would like to keep the cost within reason...thanks
I'd say get a small mixer and the best 8"-12" powered speaker your budget will allow. Lots of choices in the under $1000 range, if that's what's within reason for you, and you're not likely to need more than one speaker for most of your gigs (fly it high on a speaker stand over your heads behind you or off to the side). Yamaha DBR or DXR, RCF 300a series, QSC K series, all good stuff for your needs. A decent small digital or analog mixer with enough inputs for your mics. A second speaker can be added at some point if necessary, but your amp should work for monitoring, if necessary, I'd think.

Louis
Reply With Quote
  #3  
Old 02-05-2018, 01:54 PM
Brent Nelson Brent Nelson is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Madison, Wisconsin
Posts: 1,273
Default HK Audio

...and perhaps a mixer if you need more channels.


http://hkaudio.com/products.php?id=498

http://hkaudio.com/products.php?id=498

http://hkaudio.com/products.php?id=502


I own the Nano 300. For the money, it's ridiculously good.
Reply With Quote
  #4  
Old 02-05-2018, 02:03 PM
JWJ915 JWJ915 is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Apr 2016
Posts: 186
Default

I'd start with a small board, and I'd go with something analog if you're just learning how to mix. Digital boards are great, but can become confusing if you've not used an analog board prior to digital. There are many great, small-footprint boards out there; Allen & Heath ZED series and the Soundcraft Signature series are two excellent options to check into. I've owned both and they are sweet-sounding, user-friendly units. There are plenty of other options out there as well, but I think A&H and Soundcraft are hard to beat, partially due to the musicality of their preamps.

There are a multitude of powered speaker options out there, with something for every budget. I think for a duo, a 10" top makes the most sense, but depending on the size of the audience/venue, an 8" top may work as well. A 12" top would be fine too, but if your main concern is portability, 8" or 10" might be the way to go. And like the previous post mentioned, I'd start with one (unless you absolutely need two) and can add another down the road.

The QSC K10 is a great top. Portable, powerful, around $600 new (the K.2 is $700, I believe). Another great 10" top is the EV ETX 10. That is EV's top-of-the -line portable speaker series. Slightly heavier (44 pounds) than the K10, but will most likely sound better on vocals than the K10, as it has a larger vocal coil. To my ears, the K10 can become harsh in the highs, where the EV is very smooth and slightly warmer. You can find those for about $1000. Another worthy contended would be the Yamaha DXR 10. Nice little budget-friendly top. I don't think that you can classify it with the K10 or ETX 10, but it is a great little box nonetheless. I really like EVs portable PA options for live music and have had great experiences with their gear. Give the EV ELX 200 10 a look as well. It falls between their ZLX and EKX series. I cannot comment on their sound, as I have not heard them, but I'm interested in them myself. The specs look good and their size and weight would make them quite portable. A 10" top will have plenty of punch, but if you're doing larger gigs, have you considered a sub? There are many great, portable 12" sub options out there.

If you shop around and consider used gear, you can find an A&H ZED10 FX for a couple hundred bucks, a used 10" top for $400-500 (depending on the model), a speaker stand, and you'd be set. It's a lot of fun picking out PA gear that will suit your needs. Best of luck in your search!

Last edited by JWJ915; 02-05-2018 at 02:14 PM.
Reply With Quote
  #5  
Old 02-05-2018, 02:28 PM
YamahaGuy YamahaGuy is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Dec 2016
Location: Ohio the heart of it all
Posts: 4,587
Default

I agree with the suggestions about small mixer and powered speaker. I'd add that if you need some thump for the bass, I'd even get a dedicated sub as well. I know you're trying to stay compact, but if you have a bass, running it through the pa will push the drivers hard. Having a sub will let you run a smaller top speaker as well.

So with this setup, you could run everything through the pa and leave the amps at home.
__________________
As my username suggests, huge fan of Yamaha products. Own many acoustic-electric models from 2009-present and a couple electric. Lots of PA too.
Reply With Quote
  #6  
Old 02-05-2018, 02:33 PM
lschwart lschwart is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: Richmond, VA
Posts: 2,796
Default

I would assume the bass player is using a small bass amp, which should be perfectly adequate for a duo in a small gig setting. I do it that way all the time myself, and the bass amp admirably covers the room while not being so loud that the stage levels get overwhelming. When they do, that's when you need a sub so the bass can go through the PA.

Louis
Reply With Quote
  #7  
Old 02-05-2018, 02:53 PM
roylor4 roylor4 is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: McLeansville, NC
Posts: 7,449
Default

The suggestions for a powered speaker and mixer are good ones.

There are also small, portable PA's that will do the job. Bose just launched the Bose S1 and it is being met with positive reviews.

Here are some smaller PA systems listed by Sweetwater: portable PA's

We have a Samson and have been very happy with it, we also have a Roland Cube Street EX and it gets used all the time.
__________________
Roy


Ibanez, Recording King, Gretsch, Martin
G&L, Squier, Orange (x 2),
Bugera, JBL, Soundcraft

Our duo website - UPDATED 7/26/19
Reply With Quote
  #8  
Old 02-05-2018, 06:16 PM
JerryM JerryM is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: Oregon
Posts: 986
Default

Bass is Acoustic, stand up
Reply With Quote
  #9  
Old 02-05-2018, 07:10 PM
Captain Jim Captain Jim is offline
Charter Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2012
Location: Arizona (from island boy to desert dweller)
Posts: 6,970
Default

Depending on your budget, the Bose L1C, with a small 4 channel mixer is a great, easy to transport and set up PA that doesn’t have to be loud to sound good.
Reply With Quote
  #10  
Old 02-05-2018, 07:30 PM
Irish Pennant Irish Pennant is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Viola Oregon
Posts: 1,612
Default

Good portable for me is a Zed 60-14fx mixer, a Behringer 2012D sub with a Yamaha DBR 12 on top of it.

__________________
The Blond
The Brunette
The Red Head
The Old Lady
Goldilocks
Flipper

"Sometimes I play a song I never heard before" Thelonious Monk

Last edited by Irish Pennant; 02-05-2018 at 07:38 PM.
Reply With Quote
  #11  
Old 02-05-2018, 07:34 PM
martingitdave martingitdave is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Feb 2014
Location: Chicago
Posts: 11,287
Default Recommendations for Duo PA system?

If you can give us a specific budget it would be helpful. You can get a system for a few hundred all the way up to a few thousand, and anything in between. Features, weight, sound quality and dependability will change with the price range.

If you’re looking to run a double bass through your new PA system, you should look for a unit with at least a 10” subwoofer and preferably full range. Some folks will get a PA for vocals and guitar and have the bass player play through a dedicated bass amp.

Off hand, you might consider the unit I have, the HK Nano 608i with 10” sub woofer. The sub has a dedicated control.
__________________
"Lift your head and smile at trouble. You'll find happiness someday."
Reply With Quote
  #12  
Old 02-05-2018, 09:14 PM
JerryM JerryM is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: Oregon
Posts: 986
Default

I was trying to stay in the 500 dollar range give or take, see some of the small units like Fender that are compact and carry as a unit, don't know if they are of any quality though, never hear about them. I know it's not a large budget, been looking for used for a while now but no luck so far.
Reply With Quote
  #13  
Old 02-05-2018, 09:59 PM
lschwart lschwart is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: Richmond, VA
Posts: 2,796
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by JerryM View Post
I was trying to stay in the 500 dollar range give or take, see some of the small units like Fender that are compact and carry as a unit, don't know if they are of any quality though, never hear about them. I know it's not a large budget, been looking for used for a while now but no luck so far.
Get a Yamaha DBR 10 and a used A&H ZED10FX. That will leave you enough for a decent tripod speaker stand and some cables. Have your upright bass player use a bass amp.

Louis
Reply With Quote
  #14  
Old 02-05-2018, 11:54 PM
takatsukimike takatsukimike is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Mar 2017
Posts: 60
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by lschwart View Post
Get a Yamaha DBR 10 and a used A&H ZED10FX. That will leave you enough for a decent tripod speaker stand and some cables. Have your upright bass player use a bass amp.

Louis
I agree with this approach with one qualification:

While the Yamaha DBR10 is a great choice, there are other options in a similar price range that may also serve you well. For example, the Mackie THUMP TH12A will not be quite as smooth, but will have a better bass response. So, if your bass player doesn't have an amp, you may prefer to consider a 12 or even 15 inch speaker. It all depends on your priorities, how much low end do you need? The other approach is 8 inch top box with a 12 inch sub.

Regardless of your speaker choice, the Zed10FX is a good mixer with quality pre-amps, you won't regret it.
Reply With Quote
  #15  
Old 02-06-2018, 04:08 AM
Nymuso Nymuso is offline
Charter Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2017
Posts: 2,133
Default

For what you describe, I'd go with a small mixer to a Bose L1C, with the bass going to a light, small bass amp, perhaps something from the inexpensive Fender solid state line.
Reply With Quote
Reply

  The Acoustic Guitar Forum > General Acoustic Guitar and Amplification Discussion > Acoustic Amplification

Thread Tools





All times are GMT -6. The time now is 12:42 PM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.11
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions Inc.
Copyright ©2000 - 2022, The Acoustic Guitar Forum
vB Ad Management by =RedTyger=