[hank alrich]

Scott Dorsey wrote:

hank alrich wrote:

Modern powered PA speakers are using digital amps, and the packages are
surprisingly lightweight, considering. The new 1000W Mackie SRM350
weighs 23 lbs. The QSC K series boxes weigh 27, 32, and 41 lbs. for the
8", 10", and 12" models.

Yeah, but I can buy those same digital amps in racks, and if I do that
the speakers are even more lightweight!

And you just gave up a seat in the van to a rack, so now we need another
vehicle€¦

To be honest with a 23 lb speaker that size, I worry a lot about structural
rigidity and keeping resonances down. A little more weight might not be
a bad thing.

I agree, but I accept that lower priced spreads are not Meyer. That
UPA-1P at 77 lbs. is more like it, but I no longer want to lift that
onto a stand by myself. I still have my UPA's, and with the steel
tilting bracket supports I welded up they push 90 lbs. A decade ago I
could lift that up onto a stand. Now, no thanks!

Amps and drivers can be matched more precisely when the length of the
speaker wire is a known constant in the equations, and the very short
lengths of speaker wire displace a lot of heavy cable needed to reach
passive speakers, especially if we are bi-amping our system.

I'll buy that, and it's ALSO possible to do more effective speaker protection
by limiting at the amplifier, if you know exactly what the speaker is and
how it overloads.

I haven't seen any of these boxes that don't have protective peak
limited as part of the amp package, but those are probably out there,
too, at a lower price.

Yeah, you must run power, and yeah, it's a bit of a PITA, but overall
you wind up hauling less wire, handling fewer packages, and enjoying
better performance more consistently.

Until an amp fails and someone has to go up on a truss to get the cabinet
down.
--scott

Yep, no free lunch. Wouldn't be any different if one lost a driver in a
flown cab.

--
shut up and play your guitar * HankAlrich.Com
HankandShaidriMusic.Com
YouTube.Com/WalkinayMusic

[hank alrich]

Sean Conolly wrote:

Finally, it's not something to skimp on. I've heard several in the $300
range that sound much worse than a plain passive speaker.

This. Hear before you buy. Don't toss money at GC of MF based on some
claim in the online store, or from the manufacturers of the really cheap
stuff, either. They cannot afford to be honest there.

--
shut up and play your guitar * HankAlrich.Com
HankandShaidriMusic.Com
YouTube.Com/WalkinayMusic

[Sean Conolly]

"hank alrich" wrote in message
...
Sean Conolly wrote:

Finally, it's not something to skimp on. I've heard several in the $300
range that sound much worse than a plain passive speaker.

This. Hear before you buy. Don't toss money at GC of MF based on some
claim in the online store, or from the manufacturers of the really cheap
stuff, either. They cannot afford to be honest there.

Even better, look at how the speakers are reviewed in the online stores and
then go listen in person. You may find yourself wondering if the reviewers
even have functioning ears.

Sean

[Les Cargill[_4_]]

(hank alrich) wrote:
geoff wrote:

On 29/10/2014 11:22 a.m., Mike Rivers wrote:
.

But the tradeoff here is that, while the drivers are pretty well
protected from overloads, the power amplifiers, being electronic, are
bound to fail sometime. Unless you carry a spare amplifier module and
are good at field repair, you can't do a work-around like you can with
separate components if you lose one channel of your power amplifier.

But if you have 2 speakers , one will still work.

Conversely a stand-alone (electronic, the same !) amp failure may well
render both channels unusable !

geoff

Yep, we gamble when we don't carry spares, but in the cheap trenches,
spares are out of the budget.

I am reminded, however, of AES 1998 in SF, where Meyer had a large booth
demoing many products. What I found most fascinating was a military
environmental test chamber into which you could see, with a bare power
amp in there, getting signal and being driven stoutly feeding speakers,
completely exposed to the "elements" in the chamber. They would swing
that chamber between various _extremes_, I mean Sahara-like one hour,
and the North Pole the next, with Amazon swamp and downpour coming right
along, and then have snow fall all over it, in real time, for the
duration of the show. That amp never even hiccupped.

When people wonder why Meyer costs so much, it's the little things like
that. When they state a device will deliver whatever into such and such,
they mean _continuously_, and not merely for a few hours under favorable
conditions.

I spite of that, if you hit their site to look over the powered boxes,
you will note that they also tout the modularity of their built-in amps,
and the ease of field replacement. They accept that you can do your
best, but you cannot sustain "perfect".


At some point, cartage costs more than what's being carted. There is an
actual "Modern Marvels" from 4-FEB-2011 which details Brad Paisley's
road show's logistics.

I doubt the cost of the mains cabs is much compared to all that, and
with high enough quality and well-enough maintained gear, it
probably has resale after it's fully depreciated.

If you do it right, *equipment is free*. This IRS will let you deduct
every nickel of it, and if you're a properly configured corporation,
that should be pretty close to a 1:1 in taxes.

--
Les Cargill

[Les Cargill[_4_]]

(hank alrich) wrote:
Sean Conolly wrote:

Finally, it's not something to skimp on. I've heard several in the $300
range that sound much worse than a plain passive speaker.

This. Hear before you buy. Don't toss money at GC of MF based on some
claim in the online store, or from the manufacturers of the really cheap
stuff, either. They cannot afford to be honest there.



PA from Guitar Center is rarely much good.

If the staff at GC knows you're gigging, you can also sometimes
ask them. It works for them if you remember them and come back to
them. Because they carry so much stuff, it's worth it for you, too.

--
Les Cargill

[hank alrich]

Les Cargill wrote:

(hank alrich) wrote:
Sean Conolly wrote:

Finally, it's not something to skimp on. I've heard several in the $300
range that sound much worse than a plain passive speaker.

This. Hear before you buy. Don't toss money at GC of MF based on some
claim in the online store, or from the manufacturers of the really cheap
stuff, either. They cannot afford to be honest there.



PA from Guitar Center is rarely much good.

An informed purchaser can do okay. The gullible get the ride.

If the staff at GC knows you're gigging, you can also sometimes
ask them. It works for them if you remember them and come back to
them. Because they carry so much stuff, it's worth it for you, too.

Works well. And then the staff turns over.

I have found GC handy several times, mainly because the one in
Northcross Mall in Austin is diagonally across from Go Dance's studio
there.

--
shut up and play your guitar * HankAlrich.Com
HankandShaidriMusic.Com
YouTube.Com/WalkinayMusic

[Ron C[_2_]]

On 10/30/2014 2:30 PM, hank alrich wrote:
Les Cargill wrote:

(hank alrich) wrote:
Sean Conolly wrote:

Finally, it's not something to skimp on. I've heard several in the $300
range that sound much worse than a plain passive speaker.

This. Hear before you buy. Don't toss money at GC of MF based on some
claim in the online store, or from the manufacturers of the really cheap
stuff, either. They cannot afford to be honest there.



PA from Guitar Center is rarely much good.

An informed purchaser can do okay. The gullible get the ride.

If the staff at GC knows you're gigging, you can also sometimes
ask them. It works for them if you remember them and come back to
them. Because they carry so much stuff, it's worth it for you, too.

Works well. And then the staff turns over.

I have found GC handy several times, mainly because the one in
Northcross Mall in Austin is diagonally across from Go Dance's studio
there.

From my experience, the basic floor staff has a high turnover
rate, but the department managers and store managers tend
to be fairly stable. Establish a professional reputation with the
senior staff helps a lot with service quality.
Heck, I got invited to a seminar with legendary engineer Eddie
Kramer through my GC , um ...connections. [YMMV]

However, the bottom line (as always) is to do one's homework.

==
Later...
Ron C
--