Powered PA cabs for DB

Jason Hollar · #1 04-08-2006, 09:54 AM

OK, so I searched the previous threads for posts on this topic and there was some good info...mostly from last year.

However, I'm wondering if anyone has tried or is currently using any of the newer powered PA speakers regularly for DB.

I stopped by my local GC last week and tried one of the newer JBL Eon 10" speakers. It was on a speaker stand about ear level. I also used a decent ABG because I wasn't lugging my DB around with me that day.

Anyway, the little speaker sounded quite good! I'm sure it would sound better on the floor tilted back in its monitor position or only slightly raised on a chair. The cool thing about the JBL is that it had 1/4" inputs plus an XLR in/thru. I really wanted to try the similar sized Mackie/EAW but it only had an XLR input.

I don't currently have a preamp (DTAR, Raven, etc.) with an XLR out -- plus I'm looking for quick plug & play action for quiet, drummerless gigs only. For jobs that require more punch and loudness, my SWR 2x10 sounds pretty nice.

GC also had the larger Yamaha powered speakers (with flexible inputs & some EQ) as well as the full line of upscale Mackie loud speakers. They may have even had some of the Peavey powered models, but I didn't have that much time to poke around.

I'm going to make an appointment to visit the store with my DB and try a few of these speakers just for fun. I do like the idea of being able to run an SM58 into the mic input in case someone wants to make an announcement at a function.

How many times has that happened to you...some important mofo comes up and asks the smallish jazz combo (with no obvious speaker system) if he could use their microphone? What f***ing microphone sir?! I've been saved on several occasions by handy keyboard players and their snazzy four-channel amps when this happens. One guy I work with has the 200 watt Motion Sound box and we can actually run a vocalist through it with excellent results.

On the combo side I've been seriously gassing for an EA rig -- but would also love to find something a bit cheaper and slightly more flexible in terms of inputs/application.

Anyone currently using powered PA speakers? Happy/unhappy? Ideas? Thoughts? Suggestions???

fdeck · #2 04-08-2006, 11:08 AM

Hats off to JBL for providing a response curve for the EON 10 speaker. Given that you already have the SWR, the EON looks like a nice option. It will not have huge deep bass, as the response curve begins its 24 dB/octave rolloff around 100 Hz. Thus if I had to guess, it is designed primarily for vocals. But on the other hand, so many of us are already using highpass filtering on our amps, so you could just let the speaker do the filtering for you.

Like you say, being able to plug in a mic is useful. I find it handy to just bring along a cheap $19 mike from Best Buy, and my spare preamp which I can feed into the aux input of my amp.

tombowlus · #3 04-10-2006, 10:32 AM

Well, the Bergantino IP cabs are not only powered, but they are specifically designed for use with bass, so I think you might find them evern more suitable for your purpose. I recently did a shootout with the IP112, HT112, and EA Wizzy, and IME/IMHO, the IP112 is the new standard for my upright amplification.

Tom.

**Chris Fitzgerald** · #4 04-10-2006, 10:59 AM

I agree that the JBL speakers can sound pretty good for DB - I use one in rehearsals occasionally and it does a nice job. But it definitely needs a preamp of some kind for impedance matching, and for some rudimentary tone shaping. I've also noticed that they sound much better up on the stands than on the floor...but this has been my experience with bass speakers in general.

mrpc · #5 04-10-2006, 02:29 PM

Yamaha is making a mini P.A. with two 8" cabs and a 300 watt (150 per side stereo) mixer that is removable from the back of one of the cabs. Got one...$500, Guitar Center.... Sounds really good, bought it mainly for the portability factor to use for vocals/acoustic guitar, but have been surprised, and, pleased when using for reinforcing acoustic bass.

Jason Hollar · #6 04-11-2006, 10:24 PM

Thanks guys.

Good to hear about the JBLs and Yamahas.

Good point Chris on the preamp. I guess the input of these things would be a bit unkind to a piezo pickup...

Guess I'll have to go try for myself...

Still wondering about a proper bass cab though...

bassame · #7 06-14-2006, 03:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mrpc

Yamaha is making a mini P.A. with two 8" cabs and a 300 watt (150 per side stereo) mixer that is removable from the back of one of the cabs. Got one...$500, Guitar Center.... Sounds really good, bought it mainly for the portability factor to use for vocals/acoustic guitar, but have been surprised, and, pleased when using for reinforcing acoustic bass.

Hi. Can you give us some more details about this after you have used it with other musicians? It sounds like a good deal. How was the tone? Was it loud enough to hear yourself and have the audience here you? How big was the band? Thanks.

mrpc · #8 06-17-2006, 03:58 PM

Well, first of all this isn't my main setup, and it's designed as a general all round mini P.A., so using an external preamp with extra eq and D.I. isn't a bad idea for upright. (So far I haven't) But IHMO, it works much, much better than the GK150 I use to have ever did. (And the GK is a very nice amp) That's the best comparison I can think of. It is very responsive. I haven't pushed it into loud volumes. Not sure how the drivers would hold up if you pushed them really hard. Though they (8" inch drivers) seem seem very tough, I'm not going to try that. I haven't tried it with any other cabinets yet either. It's got very nice headroom for a mini type of setup. 300 watts, 150 per side at 8ohms. The best thing you can do is to try it yourself! Hope this helps, that's all I'm going to say!

Danko · #9 06-19-2006, 06:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mrpc

Well, first of all this isn't my main setup, and it's designed as a general all round mini P.A., so using an external preamp with extra eq and D.I. isn't a bad idea for upright. (So far I haven't) But IHMO, it works much, much better than the GK150 I use to have ever did. (And the GK is a very nice amp) That's the best comparison I can think of. It is very responsive. I haven't pushed it into loud volumes. Not sure how the drivers would hold up if you pushed them really hard. Though they (8" inch drivers) seem seem very tough, I'm not going to try that. I haven't tried it with any other cabinets yet either. It's got very nice headroom for a mini type of setup. 300 watts, 150 per side at 8ohms. The best thing you can do is to try it yourself! Hope this helps, that's all I'm going to say!

+1 on the Yamaha Stagepass 300 thumbs-up review.

I'm playing through it at the venue where we play each month. The venue uses the Stagepass 300 as a monitoring system. For monitor, this little PA kills all the monitors I've played thru so far. Clean, articulate, responsive. You don't need it to be loud to hear the band better than on any of our small-room-unamped rehersals. The sound is so good and articulate that it actually lets you hear all your intonation faults, scratches and other stuff you *think* are not there.

My combo is guitar+violin+DB+vocals. We play mostly swing. No drummer, so we have no need for a larger rig. And we are all very happy with the performance of the Yamaha. Actually so happy that I'm planning to buy it this week to amplify our street gigs.

Danko

bassame · #10 06-19-2006, 08:00 AM

Thanks MRPC and DANKO for your reviews. Danko, what will you use for power on your street gigs?

seamonkey · #11 06-19-2006, 10:16 PM

I have a couple of JBL EON G2 that I've been using for a few years. They work great for double bass, electric, keyboard, drums and vocals. The only downside to the G2 are the odd shape. It's not a simple box you can stack and set things on.
There was a world of difference for me between these the EON 10". The G2's have a lot more bass and volume so much so that I wouldn't consider the 10" for bass. The G2 do need a preamp for a piezo. I usually carry a small mixer, but the B adi-21 works great direct in.
rmcaudio.com has great prices on jbl.

I recently listened to the Mackie 12" sm450, they sounded really good. They have an automatic contour that makes them sound like they have more bass at low volumes but you can do the same with an eq. with other speakers.

But recently I'm looking for a combo for convenience, and these look like a good option over a regular bass amp:
http://www.wwbw.com/Behringer-K1800FX-i156912.music
http://www.wwbw.com/Behringer-K3000FX-i156911.music
But I first need to find the detailed specs and weight.

fdeck · #12 06-19-2006, 10:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by seamonkey

I have a couple of JBL EON G2 that I've been using for a few years. They work great for double bass, electric, keyboard, drums and vocals. The only downside to the G2 are the odd shape. It's not a simple box you can stack and set things on.
There was a world of difference for me between these the EON 10". The G2's have a lot more bass and volume so much so that I wouldn't consider the 10" for bass. The G2 do need a preamp for a piezo. I usually carry a small mixer, but the B adi-21 works great direct in.
rmcaudio.com has great prices on jbl.

I recently listened to the Mackie 12" sm450, they sounded really good. They have an automatic contour that makes them sound like they have more bass at low volumes but you can do the same with an eq. with other speakers.

But recently I'm looking for a combo for convenience, and these look like a good option over a regular bass amp:
http://www.wwbw.com/Behringer-K1800FX-i156912.music
http://www.wwbw.com/Behringer-K3000FX-i156911.music
But I first need to find the detailed specs and weight.

Looks like those B's aren't on the market yet. They don't usually release an owners manual and full specs until the product is in production.

seamonkey · #13 06-19-2006, 11:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fdeck

Looks like those B's aren't on the market yet. They don't usually release an owners manual and full specs until the product is in production.

B hasn't been good about updating their web page, but I understand they are selling. (Along with a lot of other new stuff that's not updated on their web page)
http://www.zzounds.com/item--BEHK3000FX

I'll write their cust support for the specs.

Danko · #14 06-20-2006, 02:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bassame

Thanks MRPC and DANKO for your reviews. Danko, what will you use for power on your street gigs?

Still investigating several options. But seriously considering a Honda or Yamaha quiet generator. Whichever is quieter.

We need only about 200W to power all our gear, so the smallest gen will do.

Danko

Danko · #15 06-21-2006, 02:37 AM

Ok, bought the Stagepass 300 yesterday! Wohoo. Now to sell my old PA.

Danko

Jason Hollar · #16 11-16-2006, 07:26 PM

Hey --

Wanted to bump this thread as I'm still seriously considering a powered speaker.

I'm thinking about one of the new Peavey powered 12's or 15's or the Yamaha 12. I think it's a 12...

The JBL Eon 15 looks awesome, but if I could keep the whole thing at around $400...that would be better than around $700!

Plus, I want to be able to have a speaker/monitor for vocals on another gig I'm doing. The idea originally was to have a self-powered enclosure that sounds good with DB as a portable amp option. The mixer feature on the back is a must. I need a coupla channels as well as level and some EQ.

The Peaveys look inexpensive and relatively light weight. Anyone try one yet? Thanks!

seamonkey · #17 11-16-2006, 07:47 PM

For JBL, Mackie, Peavey, and such you need to go to the places that say "Call for price" because they will be much lower than the lowest price that anyone can display online.

I wish all manufacturers would publish their frequency and polar charts.

Jason Hollar · #18 11-16-2006, 10:35 PM

Good idea.

Standalone · #19 11-18-2006, 05:17 PM

1941 Ply Kay --> Fish BP100 --> Rane AC-13 Preamp--> VLZ Pro --> 2 SRM 450s

Got my first Audience compliment on my tone last night.

Problem was he said it sounded "almost electric"

I think when I upgrade my pickup, there's gonna be a huge miprovement. The AC13 takes a TRS input (for mic plus piezo)...someday...

Go w/ the 450s, though- they are awesome gig machines, and have tons of resale value since everyone wants em-- vocalists, bands, DJs, Karaoke, etc.

Jason Hollar · #20 11-21-2006, 10:08 AM

Thanks Joe.

I bet if you find another pickup (or add a mic) you'll have less of that electric sound. I never liked my Fishman BP-100 always found it too "clacky" sounding.

Sounds like you have a nice PA system for your bass! I'm hoping to just find one speaker with a mixer built in for portability...for quiet gigs only.

I bet having two 450s plus a cool VLZ mixer sounds fat though!