Hard times are to soon fall upon many,
and they might want to trade some non-essential PA gear for cash.
and they might want to trade some non-essential PA gear for cash.
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Recommend me a decent cheap PA system
- Thread starter tpaul
- Start date
That's an idea. I suppose that would work, wouldn't it?
That would be the fastest and cheapest way to get started without adding a lot of gear... And we could always add some powered PA speakers later, if needed.
Thanks, I made an offer on that mg10 mixer and the seller accepted it. Total shipped is under $50. I already have mics, mic stands and xlr cables. Using the stereo idea @BassNugget suggested, we have a system.
I guess we'll see how it sounds, if it's good enough for home use that's cool, if we need powered speakers I'll get those next.
Thanks for all the suggestions!!! This has been very helpful.
Thanks, I made an offer on that mg10 mixer and the seller accepted it. Total shipped is under $50. I already have mics, mic stands and xlr cables. Using the stereo idea @BassNugget suggested, we have a system.
I guess we'll see how it sounds, if it's good enough for home use that's cool, if we need powered speakers I'll get those next.
Thanks for all the suggestions!!! This has been very helpful.
And there you go. Look into the Alto powered speakers. There are a few generations of these now. They have 8", 10", 12", 15" models. I have TX10 which are 10" 2 way speaker system. Don't overlook open box, or manufacturer refurbished deals etc. on ebay. These sound deceptively good. They are light weight, compact (easy to store). I bought my Yamaha mixer for $50 as well (you will like it). . These componants will allow you to do most indoor venues and offer good crystal clear sound for vocals and wind instruments.
1. Old yet perfectly functional and decent sounding gear is available dirt cheap. Heavy though, unmercifully heavy.
2. No band has stood back looking at their mixer and said darn it, we have unused channels, wo what a waste of money.
3. Many a band has said, we should have bought a mixer with a couple of more channels. Especially in an analog system.
2. No band has stood back looking at their mixer and said darn it, we have unused channels, wo what a waste of money.
3. Many a band has said, we should have bought a mixer with a couple of more channels. Especially in an analog system.
Have to throw in my 2 cents for the Alto TX8 and TX10s. I have a pair of the 8s, along with one 10" and am very happy with them. I originally bought the TX8s for home use and then stumbled across a used TX10.
Last year my band had a problem with a pair of new QSC CP12s that I had purchased and we were using primarily as monitors. For some reason at our first gig with them I threw the TX10 in the car as a backup. At sound check one of the CP12s cut out and I had to replace it with the Alto. It got us through the day. It took us about 8 gigs of having issues with the CP12s before QSC agreed to replace them. In that time I got to use both the TX8s and 10 far more for gigs that I ever expected. And they worked great. Since then the have become regular monitors at our gigs as well as doing home duty. They're light and reliable so they make great monitors.
If I were going to buy a set now I would spend the extra $ and go with the TX10s. They are only 3 lbs heavier than the 8s and put out noticeably more volume. If you have a drummer you'll appreciate the extra juice.
Another option is the $99 Kustom PA50 mini pa systems. I have two of these set up in a friend's garage with a small Behringer mixer. They easily keep up with the drums and handle vocal and guitar very well. You can also use them standalone as a mini PA system with one or both units. Both units chained together have 4 xlr and 4 guitar inputs. Before we got the mixer we just chained the two together and used the inputs on the speakers. No effects but they still sound very nice. They are as loud as the TX10s. For the price they sell for, I think everyone should own a PA50.
Last year my band had a problem with a pair of new QSC CP12s that I had purchased and we were using primarily as monitors. For some reason at our first gig with them I threw the TX10 in the car as a backup. At sound check one of the CP12s cut out and I had to replace it with the Alto. It got us through the day. It took us about 8 gigs of having issues with the CP12s before QSC agreed to replace them. In that time I got to use both the TX8s and 10 far more for gigs that I ever expected. And they worked great. Since then the have become regular monitors at our gigs as well as doing home duty. They're light and reliable so they make great monitors.
If I were going to buy a set now I would spend the extra $ and go with the TX10s. They are only 3 lbs heavier than the 8s and put out noticeably more volume. If you have a drummer you'll appreciate the extra juice.
Another option is the $99 Kustom PA50 mini pa systems. I have two of these set up in a friend's garage with a small Behringer mixer. They easily keep up with the drums and handle vocal and guitar very well. You can also use them standalone as a mini PA system with one or both units. Both units chained together have 4 xlr and 4 guitar inputs. Before we got the mixer we just chained the two together and used the inputs on the speakers. No effects but they still sound very nice. They are as loud as the TX10s. For the price they sell for, I think everyone should own a PA50.
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Awesome. Glad to help. Depending on the stereo and your mixer, you may need some cabling. If the mixer has RCA out, prolly all set. If the main outs are 1/4 inch Jacks, you might need a couple of 1/4 inch to RCA converters.
Among the non-premium brands of powered speakers I found Alto to be quite good. Half they price of the big guys, and quite reasonable power an fidelity.
No. There are quite literally hundreds, or even thousands, of options that would all work very well for what you want to do.
I wouldn't look for "a system", I'd put one together from the basic components I described. Which ones you pick largely depend on what's available & what's the best deal you can get for yourself. A 8-12 channel analog mixer and a couple of 2-way powered speakers can become valuable parts of your toolbox forever. "A system", that is all packaged up as a stand-alone unit may very well be useless if you ever want to upgrade or integrate it into another system.
I wouldn't spend a whole lot of time & energy into a search for the "perfect" system. Get decent-quality gear, make sure it works, & learn how to use it. If you find something specific and want a recommendation, post the details here & plenty of people will help you decide if it's a good deal or not.
Agreed; I use one for my living room jams, 2 mic's in and it's more than loud enough over 2 15w. tube guitar amps and a 25w. Ampeg bass amp and well-played acoustic drums.
Another shout for The Kustom PA50. I have a pair of PA50 daisy chained that I use with a big band primarily for vocals. If it is just for the singer she goes straight in (she doesn't like effects, no reverb). Sometimes the alto sax/flute need a little reinforcement or I want to have controls next to me, so I use a Yamaha MG10XU mixer into the Kustoms or exercise other options from the junk pile just to remind me how heavy that stuff is and how old I am.
Here's another vote for the Alto and later down the line I reccomend trying to get a Behringer Xr 18 rack or X18 console mixer for the money and pro features they are hard to beat. For my band it was a complete game changer when we got one. Our whole sound is much cleaner, tighter and overall more professional sounding it allowed us to do full stereo in ear and have control of our own mixes live and to save presets so now our sound check is basically just for a few live mics for drum overheads and vocals and quick gain stage and we are ready. As for the Alto I got mine new on ebay for around $250 each for the 3 way 15" ones and I don't feel a need to upgrade anytime soon they are loud,clean, punchy, built fairly rugged and fairly light weight considering the size.
Brandsmart, a local off-price electronics retailer, had a holiday sale where these units went on sale for $50 USD each:
iRocker XS-3000 Mk.II
1 15” speaker plus 1 1” tweeter in a molded plastic cabinet
Power specs are grossly overstated, but when fed by this mixer, a pair of these are acceptable for a home rehearsal studio PA:
BEHRINGER, 12 XENYX 1202FX, 3-pin XLR, Black https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000J5Y214/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_6DlIEb417TEGA
I bought an open box unit on Amazon for under $75 USD. I had sufficient cables in my stash to connect it all together. It’s all lived in my practice room for about two years. No problems at all in daily use. Two mics, two direct boxes (used to emulate how sound and balance will be through my Church’s board) for my jam partners and me, and stereo inputs for keys and electronic drum kit when needed. It’s cheap and workable - even supports two sets of in-ears for silent work.
Total expense was less than $200 USD, all in. Money well spent.
iRocker XS-3000 Mk.II
1 15” speaker plus 1 1” tweeter in a molded plastic cabinet
Power specs are grossly overstated, but when fed by this mixer, a pair of these are acceptable for a home rehearsal studio PA:
BEHRINGER, 12 XENYX 1202FX, 3-pin XLR, Black https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000J5Y214/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_6DlIEb417TEGA
I bought an open box unit on Amazon for under $75 USD. I had sufficient cables in my stash to connect it all together. It’s all lived in my practice room for about two years. No problems at all in daily use. Two mics, two direct boxes (used to emulate how sound and balance will be through my Church’s board) for my jam partners and me, and stereo inputs for keys and electronic drum kit when needed. It’s cheap and workable - even supports two sets of in-ears for silent work.
Total expense was less than $200 USD, all in. Money well spent.
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I think you'll find the hifi system workable but lackluster so I'll throw in another vote for Alto. One of my bands has a nice Alto TS system and I have a pair of the TX10s, all good speakers and excellent when you consider the price.
I know you've already got a mixer, but if I was buying something new for this and this alone I'd buy a [Invalid or Expired Link Removed]. Otherwise, if it was to do this and also have other uses I'd use (my current setup of) a Soundcraft Notepad and 2 Alto TX10/
I know you've already got a mixer, but if I was buying something new for this and this alone I'd buy a [Invalid or Expired Link Removed]. Otherwise, if it was to do this and also have other uses I'd use (my current setup of) a Soundcraft Notepad and 2 Alto TX10/
I would recommend a pair of EV ZLX12p speakers paired with a Yamaha MG10xu mixer. I have used this setup in some clubs and outdoor gigs with a 3 piece rock trio and it was clean and loud. My band typically uses a larger Yamaha board and a pair of QSC k12s which can get louder but it’s also three times the price. I found the EV/Yamaha setup used for under $600.
As weird as it sounds, we also use no monitors since we place the mains on stands back in the rear corners of the stage, slightly facing the center of the stage. Feedback has not been the problem that you would expect and you get a better idea of the mix that the audience hears, plus the setup is smaller and lighter to lug around without wedges. Before you laugh too hard you might try this at a gig although I’m sure some “more me” lead singers may not like it. BTW, everyone in my band, drums, guitar and bass, sing lead.
As weird as it sounds, we also use no monitors since we place the mains on stands back in the rear corners of the stage, slightly facing the center of the stage. Feedback has not been the problem that you would expect and you get a better idea of the mix that the audience hears, plus the setup is smaller and lighter to lug around without wedges. Before you laugh too hard you might try this at a gig although I’m sure some “more me” lead singers may not like it. BTW, everyone in my band, drums, guitar and bass, sing lead.
Wow your band must have a very soft and gently drummer
To have a setup like that, you must have somebody out in the audience who can tell you whether the mix is good or not. To me, it sound like it can be difficult to bring up the vocals to the audience, especially considering the fact that the vocalists level is dropping 3 dB every time you double to distance from the speaker. What you hear on stage, just next to the speakers may not be the same as the audience hear. But if its working, its superb
What you can do, and what I suggest TS to do as well (if necessary) is to buy a Behringer headphone mixer/amp/splitter and some extension cables and go wired IEM, straight from the mixer. This setup is what I recommended in a similar thread. No wedges are needed, the stage volume will be as low as it gets and the speakers will have more than enough power/SPL for rehearsal's and small to medium venues, bars etc.
On the smartphone app OfferUp or FaceBook Market Place it's pretty easy to find a used 100 watt set-up for 200 bucks or less around here.
The Peavey PA400 (100,120,400,600 .. etc) have been seen for 300 or so used.
4 channel mixer/pa plus 2 600 watt speaker and you're good to go.
The Peavey PA400 (100,120,400,600 .. etc) have been seen for 300 or so used.
4 channel mixer/pa plus 2 600 watt speaker and you're good to go.
How inexpensive do ya wanna go?
Heres cheap..and its just for messin around at home, if it dies in a year, it is what it is.
Behringer
https://www.guitarcenter.com/Harbin...qX34fyrrg0Jzq7DFIUWJoJ44usuYi5UEaAvFuEALw_wcB
Peavey (better Quality)
Invalid Link Removed
then they go up from there.
I would get an all in one package, as youll get almost everything included, usually get a package deal price, and you know its all compatable (in case you aren't up to speed on such things)
.
Heres cheap..and its just for messin around at home, if it dies in a year, it is what it is.
Behringer
https://www.guitarcenter.com/Harbin...qX34fyrrg0Jzq7DFIUWJoJ44usuYi5UEaAvFuEALw_wcB
Peavey (better Quality)
Invalid Link Removed
then they go up from there.
I would get an all in one package, as youll get almost everything included, usually get a package deal price, and you know its all compatable (in case you aren't up to speed on such things)
.
