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Inverter vs. Roland BA-330

selowitch

selowitch

Aug 6, 2005
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Rockville MD
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#1
I want to power my QSC K8.2 speaker outdoors without access to a wall outlet. QSC tech support advises that a 300-watt modified sine wave inverter (coupled to an appropriate deep cycle SLA battery) will do the job, but a pure sine wave inverter is preferable.

My question is whether a higher voltage 1000-watt inverter will also do the job and whether it will intelligently not draw more power than is needed.

This is the BESTEK 1000W Pure Sine Wave Power Inverter DC 12V to 110V AC Car Inverter with Digital LCD Display 4.2A Dual USB Charging Ports that I ordered. The USB ports and extra outlet seem like nice bonuses as well as the LCD display:

bestek.png
 
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#2
12 volt batteries are going to be more prevalent than 9 volt, so that's not a bad decision on that account.
Your QSC supposedly draws 1.9 amperes at 1/8th power, which they claim is typical. I don't know if it's going to be working harder i.e. drawing more power when reproducing bass, but if customer support says 300 watts is enough, the the 1000 watt inverter should suffice. Don't forget that the amp wants what it wants and will take it.

The inverter will provide 4.2 amperes, so that seems more than adequate. The ad doesn't mention any kind of power limiting, intelligent or otherwise. But all indications are that this inverter should suffice.

But you've already ordered it so I guess you get to do the proof of concept. Let us know.
 
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#3
abarson said:
But you've already ordered it so I guess you get to do the proof of concept. Let us know.
Click to expand...
Thanks, I will. It just seemed like I wanted to go a step up from the what QSC was saying would be adequate.

Now I need to choose a battery and a charger and maybe some better-quality connector cables than what come with the inverter.

I want to pick a deep-cycle marine battery that has enough juice for a three-hour gig with room to spare and which is neither to bulky nor too heavy.

One potential concern is I don't want the battery being exposed to too much heat or moisture while using it outside.
 
#7
300 watts would be the minimum for sound reinforcement applications without clipping (not going to happen with that model due to the DSP protective adaptive limiting) or limiting, but for bass guitar I would look at around 500 watts because of the possibility that you could exceed the 12.5% duty cycle that 1/8-power represents.

That said, I would be VERY careful trying to get much low frequency volume out of that cabinet, that's not its strong suit IMO. The K12 version is a HUGE step up in performance.
 
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#8
agedhorse said:
300 watts would be the minimum for sound reinforcement applications without clipping (not going to happen with that model due to the DSP protective adaptive limiting) or limiting, but for bass guitar I would look at around 500 watts because of the possibility that you could exceed the 12.5% duty cycle that 1/8-power represents.

That said, I would be VERY careful trying to get much low frequency volume out of that cabinet, that's not its strong suit IMO. The K12 version is a HUGE step up in performance.
Click to expand...
The inverter I chose is rated for 1,000 watts.
I’m planning to use the K8.2 in concert with my Phil Jones BG-75 Double Four running on its own separate battery (Poweradd Pro Pilot2). I want to run from the Line Out on the Double Four to a passive DI box and from there to the Hi-Z input of the K8.2.

Our audiences are quite modest these days as you might imagine since everyone wears masks and sits six feet apart.

I bought the K8.2 because I was afraid the K12.2 would be bigger, heavier, and more expensive ... because, well, it IS bigger, heavier, and more expensive.
 
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#9
selowitch said:
The inverter I chose is rated for 1,000 watts.
I’m planning to use the K8.2 in concert with my Phil Jones BG-75 Double Four running on its own separate battery. I want to run from the Line Out on the Double Four to a passive DI box and from there to the Hi-Zi input of the K8.2.
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Double-check the sensitivities, I am pretty sure you will need to take the passive DI (which will then be mic level) into the mic input on the K-8.2

You will also need to verify that the polarity is correct, it's a 50-50% proposition, because that signal routing is not something where the relative polarities are guaranteed to be the same.

I am assuming that the line out is post eq?
 
#10
Yeah I would hit that signal with a fairly high (for bass anyway) HPF (60+ Hz) going into the K8. Filling an outdoor space with low end takes two things.... power and speaker surface area. You'll be working with the lower end of the scale on both. Be careful.

But to stick to your question, that unit should do the job. I wouldn't worry about better clips or cables than the ones that come with it. They'll still be overrated for max power of the unit. Just make sure the clips and battery terminals are clean and you're good to go.
 
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#13
selowitch said:
Another possibility is to leave the Double Four and the QSC K8.2 at home and just bring my “usual” bass combo, a Markbass CMP 121P (perhaps with its extension cab). Would the same inverter work with that setup?
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Yes IMO.
 
#18
Of course, the simplest solution for bass guitar alone would be to get the Phil Jones Briefcase Ultimate. That's 160 watts and two 5" speakers. Add a Phil Jones C2 for two additional 5" speakers and the power output jumps to 200 watts. Under battery power, it would likely last for only half as long but it should be adequate.

The bummer, of course, is I would be spending about $1,500 for those two things new.
 
#19
selowitch said:
Of course, the simplest solution for bass guitar alone would be to get the Phil Jones Briefcase Ultimate. That's 160 watts and two 5" speakers. Add a Phil Jones C2 for two additional 5" speakers and the power output jumps to 200 watts. Under battery power, it would likely last for only half as long but it should be adequate.

The bummer, of course, is I would be spending about $1,500 for those two things new.
Click to expand...

Pretty sure the Bass Briefcase draws down the internal battery pretty fast when operated at full power. I have seen posts that say the original 100W version would play for an hour or so.

I would suggest bypassing the PJ speakers and using it like a head with a cab that is super efficient. Then you can run the amp at a lower level so the battery lasts longer. It's a trade off of compact size versus volume and playing time.

Here is a recent related thread you might want to read through. Best Deep cycle marine batteries for mobile PA system
 

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