Monitor comparison

philter25 · #1 07-15-2011, 07:09 AM

Our band is currently overstocked with monitors and we are debating which setup to use.

We use QSC K12 mains as powerer speakers and a Mackie 1604 mixer. We run vocals, keyboards, and acoustic guitar through the monitors, electric guitar and bass use their amps for stage volume.

1) The singer owns mackie 450s. They sound good, work fine, we like the ease of setup because they are powered, but they weigh a lot and they are rather large. They are the largest and heaviest.

2) The guitarist owns a pair of Yamaha BR12Ms. They are more compact, sound good, but setup requires us to carry around a power amp because they arent powered. They are not the largest or not the heaviest. I think we are using a Carvin DCM 1000 to power the monitors.

3) I have a JBL Eon G2 10 and we have been debating getting another one and using it as our monitors. Setup is a breeze, just plug and play, plus they are the lightest and take up not much space on stage.

We are a 6 piece so keeping equipment small and to a minimum is our goal. Our mixer is in its own pop up mixer case so carrying option 2 requires to carry an extra case for the power amp.

We have kinda all agreed that option 1 is overkill as they are too much, weigh too much, and take up too much space. We are debating between option 2 and 3.

Thoughts/comparisons on the JBL Eon G2 10s vs the Yamaha BR12Ms?

I was trying to compare max volume and which would have the best dispersion and be louder but I am having a tough time. I also think we are underpowering the Yamaha's with the DCM 1000 amp as I think the speakers are 300 watts and the amp is putting out 200 per side at 8 ohms.

Im thinking that the Yamaha's will be louder and put out more sound if we got a more powerful amp....... but we all like the ease of setup and portability of the Eons.

magichand · #2 07-15-2011, 07:48 AM

go with the eon g2 10, less to bring. it's loud enough for monitoring. the the volume gets loud then there will be other issues you'll need to look after anyways. Yamaha BR12M is still the option if you can find a case with wheel to mount the amp with the mixer.

bucksbass · #3 07-15-2011, 07:56 AM

In ear monitors. Small, light and don't bleed into the main sound or cause feedback issues with acoustic guitars & basses.

philter25 · #4 07-15-2011, 08:02 AM

^ the problem is we are a 6 piece. MC, vocals/acoustic, vocals/keys, vocals/electric, bass, drums.

Its much cheaper to get a single new eon or a better amp than it is to get IEM's for the entire band.

I can get a used Eon for ~250-300 off craigslist/ebay and could sell the Carvin amp and upgrade wfor ~200 bucks.

I dont know of a good IEM set that I could get for the entire band for that price.

pbasswil · #5 07-15-2011, 08:19 AM

Just to widen the field a bit:

Where I live a lot of sound companies use 10" powered monitors from one of those Italian companies, FBT. (I don't know how available they are in your neck of the woods.)

They're called Maxx 2A's. They weigh under 29 lbs, have 3 band EQ, and they sound really good! They even sound good with bass, up to their (significant) volume capabilities.

FBT Elettronica S.p.a - 200W + 50W - 121dB SPL Processed Active Monitor

Here's a powered speaker/monitor shootout review:

http://goo.gl/PhGvG

philter25 · #6 07-15-2011, 09:07 AM

^ Nice review! Ive heard the Eon G2 (obviousy) and have tested the Mackie 350s and the ART 310s. I overall agree with the review and the critiques based on my past experiences.

pbasswil · #7 07-15-2011, 09:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by philter25

^ Nice review! Ive heard the Eon G2 (obviousy) and have tested the Mackie 350s and the ART 310s. I overall agree with the review and the critiques based on my past experiences.

Glad you got something from it.

I'm an electric player who's starting to get more serious about double bass. I recently played thru the little FBT, and it sounded seriously good! (DB with a Realist pickup.)

The newer 10" RCF are great too, and insanely light: 23 1/2 lbs! But more $$. And no EQ or mixer built in.

allexcosta · #8 07-15-2011, 10:08 AM

The FBT's are better than most speakers mentioned in this thread, but 10's are a bit small IMO. The keyboard left hand or even some bass singer won't go well through them.

pbasswil · #9 07-15-2011, 10:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by allexcosta

The FBT's are better than most speakers mentioned in this thread, but 10's are a bit small IMO. The keyboard left hand or even some bass singer won't go well through them.

10's work fine in my commercial band; but we don't blast on stage at all.