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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 |
#2
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Louis |
#3
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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. |
#4
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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. |
#5
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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.
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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. |
#6
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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 |
#7
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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.
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Roy Ibanez, Recording King, Gretsch, Martin G&L, Squier, Orange (x 2), Bugera, JBL, Soundcraft Our duo website - UPDATED 7/26/19 |
#8
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Bass is Acoustic, stand up
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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.
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#10
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Good portable for me is a Zed 60-14fx mixer, a Behringer 2012D sub with a Yamaha DBR 12 on top of it.
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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. |
#11
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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.
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"Lift your head and smile at trouble. You'll find happiness someday." |
#12
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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.
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#13
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Louis |
#14
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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. |
#15
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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.
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