Talking to Sweetwater they say there’s and issue shipping them in from overseas. Maybe an issue with tariffs or something else on the ships?
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Turbosound IP2000 Review
- Thread starter musicman7722
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We were using the Behringer B1200d subs. Coupled two at center stage and ran them thru a monitor out. Only sent kick and bass to the Behringers. Worked great to enhance the IPs.
great thread, lots of useful information and insights.
@musicman7722, perhaps you explained this in a prior post, but why do you end up using so many subs with your IP2000's ?
In some of the gig scenarios you have described in the thread you have 5 (?) subs running (1 with each IP tower) and 3 more.
I also notice over the approximate 2 year stretch this thread covers, you have gone from using 1 IP2000 with additional subs to 2 IP2000's and additional subs, and more recently have moved to 4 IP2000's. Is there a reason you did not go with, say .. 2 IP3000's instead of the 4 IP2000's ?
I am considering buying a PA for several bands I am working in and I have been considering more traditional tops/mains & sub systems from EV, QSC and JBL, but this IP2000 thread caught my eye.
@musicman7722, perhaps you explained this in a prior post, but why do you end up using so many subs with your IP2000's ?
In some of the gig scenarios you have described in the thread you have 5 (?) subs running (1 with each IP tower) and 3 more.
I also notice over the approximate 2 year stretch this thread covers, you have gone from using 1 IP2000 with additional subs to 2 IP2000's and additional subs, and more recently have moved to 4 IP2000's. Is there a reason you did not go with, say .. 2 IP3000's instead of the 4 IP2000's ?
I am considering buying a PA for several bands I am working in and I have been considering more traditional tops/mains & sub systems from EV, QSC and JBL, but this IP2000 thread caught my eye.
I do a lot of outdoor shows so I went from 2-4 units. I wanted the extra head room. I also do s few really large corp. type events with 9 and 11 piece bands so again more head room.
When I started out I actually had 2 subs but they were hold overs from when I used QSC K10.2's for my tops.
I now still own 3 and on occasion (again outside) I may bring 2 of them like in the country gig I posted. Notice I didn't use them with the Beatles. I do like as I can aux feed them.
When I started out I actually had 2 subs but they were hold overs from when I used QSC K10.2's for my tops.
I now still own 3 and on occasion (again outside) I may bring 2 of them like in the country gig I posted. Notice I didn't use them with the Beatles. I do like as I can aux feed them.
I'm going to start listening in here. Been on gigs with original Bose L1 (sounds nice but way too bulky and $$$$$$$$$$), L1 Compact and the old Fishman SA-220 and have gotten intrigued. After one more gig this month, I'm selling my old school setup...Carvin powered mixer, 2 Community CSX35-II, two EV100S (the ones that started the whole plastic cab thing back in the early 80s) for monitors plus cables, stands, blah blah blah....hoping to get enough to cover most or all of the price of a good stick and free up space in the basement 
I really like the Bose Tone Match mixer KISS concept but not the price. Fishman's extension mixer is cheap enough ($180) to get 6 channel capability, with Turbo and most of the others out there I'm looking at $$ for a small board (Mackie FX or similar), too.
I'm not interested in owning a full band PA any more, something that can handle primarily vocals and unamplified instruments...guitars, fiddles, sax, etc. in smaller venues. If the sub can support a bit of bass and kick drum, that's gravy. The behind-the-band-no-monitors application is what I really want, not so much for FOH usage.
SPLs are a concern...a single K8 can beat some these by 6-10dB. Fishman is at the bottom when it comes to max SPLs...a mere 113dB@1m, not sure if that's loud enough.
I really like the Bose Tone Match mixer KISS concept but not the price. Fishman's extension mixer is cheap enough ($180) to get 6 channel capability, with Turbo and most of the others out there I'm looking at $$ for a small board (Mackie FX or similar), too.
I'm not interested in owning a full band PA any more, something that can handle primarily vocals and unamplified instruments...guitars, fiddles, sax, etc. in smaller venues. If the sub can support a bit of bass and kick drum, that's gravy. The behind-the-band-no-monitors application is what I really want, not so much for FOH usage.
SPLs are a concern...a single K8 can beat some these by 6-10dB. Fishman is at the bottom when it comes to max SPLs...a mere 113dB@1m, not sure if that's loud enough.
I'm in one band that has several Fish SA220 and one SA330 (just the array, not the sub add on). They are used for acoustic guitars and violin/fiddle, and occasionally as a vocal monitor for the lead singer (used behind him). They do ok in low/med volume situations, but just can't stand by themselves in louder/bigger volume situations and have to be DI'd into a PA to be useful.
I know that string players really like them, but they are kind of bulky (mostly tall) for just stage amps and require tripod stands that eat up a lot of stage space for what you are getting.
not a knock on Fishman stuff, just relating my experience with them.
I know that string players really like them, but they are kind of bulky (mostly tall) for just stage amps and require tripod stands that eat up a lot of stage space for what you are getting.
not a knock on Fishman stuff, just relating my experience with them.
cool thanks.
I have some more questions if you or others can answer.
When using 2 IP2000's do you feel there is an absolute need for an extra sub ? I'm asking because there is a total gear haulage factor that I am trying to understand before I make any decisions about PA gear, and the less the better is the goal (as long as it covers the gig).
Do you feel like 2 IP3000's would equal 4 IP2000's ? as far as coverage and SPL ? ... although I can see where 4 IP2000's would offer more flexibility than just 2 IP3000's.
One of the reasons these Array type PA solutions is appealing is that they are supposedly able to be run behind the band and thus eliminate (or at least mostly eliminate) the need for monitors. But it seems from your gig pics (very helpful), that you pretty much put the IP2000's out front of the bands mic line and then just use traditional monitors. I did read the through the thread and the reason for doing it this way seems to be that placement behind the band gets complaints from the musicians about volume.
thanks for the thread and your answers so far.
We used two IP2000s with no monitors. One was back by the drummer and the other up front. Putting two behind you would be a lot of volume. It covered small to medium bar gigs with no extra subs. The extra subs are for larger venues and outdoors where you lose the bottom end due to volume of the venue. Did cover a 260 seat theater with two 2000s and two 12" subs.
Can't directly compare to the 3000 but the big difference is weight and dimensions of the sub/amp cab. They are heavy and huge. Having two smaller subs opens up some placement issues and saves on the back. You can also get more dedicated power to the subs and run them independent of the FOH setup. We coupled two at mid stage to enhance the bottom end. Another upside is the cost factor. Two 2000s is one of the 3000s.
@James Lavel certainly answered most of your questions for me. I have never used them behind a band. I did use one at rehearsal that way for awhile and it was fine. The IP3000's look great and I bet they kick but to big and to heavy for this 65 year old man. The ability to add subs if I feel I need it is great as well. Also I have mixed a few small shows with only a single stack.
My own band uses mostly IEM so we only have 1 wedge onstage. Guess who it is for? The lead guitar player lol
My own band uses mostly IEM so we only have 1 wedge onstage. Guess who it is for? The lead guitar player lol
Thankful for this thread. If you look it’s the only in-depth thread about this product across the Internet.
I have always run my Bose L1 MII and JBL Eon One behind me, but where it really works great is when you can space yourselves well in front and off to the side of the system. One wedding I did a couple years ago was a two night gig, with the first night being a living room concert for the wedding party and the next one at the Princess Hotel in a gigantic ballroom.
On night one, in the tiny (by hotel lounge standards) living room with the Bose right against the wall and me directly in front of it, sounded great. The next night at the hotel, with all that additional air space to fill up, sounded terrible and got no coverage into the room until I moved it about 6-8' away from the wall and moved myself another 6-8' in front and 3-4' off to the side. Typically though, I'll be 3-4' in front and only 2-3' off to the side, which has been working well for me as an acoustic soloist.
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I have two gigs this week as FOH with my system. Both are outside. The first is for a 5 piece Country band including a steel guitar. I mixed them last year. The second is a heavier rock band. Again 5 piece but with keys. I will report back.
Input Levels
Another area lacking info on the web is in the input levels and how to use them. Since these devises are two channels there are multiple gain stages to deal with. Currently I run my over all gain at +6. I go into the bass and bump that to +3. I also run channel A in at +3. Every so often I wander over and check the input level meter that is provided on the IP2000v2 units. So far at these input levels there are no indications of clipping. I plan to slowly bringing up the sub or bass level to see what it does. More later.
Another area lacking info on the web is in the input levels and how to use them. Since these devises are two channels there are multiple gain stages to deal with. Currently I run my over all gain at +6. I go into the bass and bump that to +3. I also run channel A in at +3. Every so often I wander over and check the input level meter that is provided on the IP2000v2 units. So far at these input levels there are no indications of clipping. I plan to slowly bringing up the sub or bass level to see what it does. More later.
I find that, as you said, the bose really shines with an acoustic duo or solo. It sounds good close up and mediun distances but, really drops off like most systems ar any real distance. The column array, in my experience works the best overall because the volume is more consistant at all distances. This is a generalization between the speaker designs and not brand specific. Both systems you've mentioned sound great.
I have to agree, a couple of Bose L1s don't get loud enough for full band. In my experience the L1s were fine for a significant distance but the four B1s tended to fade rather quickly with distance.
Another issue I had was the vertical dispersion of the high mids and treble is pretty narrow. An L1 on the floor is not really tall enough to get the sound up to your ears when you are standing, so I always elevated the pair I used. Unfortunately when the height was right for a standing audience, it was a little too high for a seated audience. As you sat down, you would lose the cymbals and the color from the upper range of female voices. IMHO the best solution was to elevate the L1s and then tilt them forward a few degrees. Unfortunately they are not designed to be tilted, so you could see the columns flexing in the middle where they mate together.
The IP2000 shouldn't have this problem as they use the stick array for the mids and put a horn on top of the array to cover the high range.
My band has one of each version of the Turbosound iP2000, Ver1 and Ver2.
The other week while setting up a column using the iPad app I noticed that the display showed an update firmware button. I hadn't noticed this before because I usually make any adjustment at the speaker controls.
I checked the firmware version number at the speaker display and it was version 2.0.
As you are aware there is no USB connection to these speakers, so I wondered how could the update be made. Nevertheless, I pressed the "Upgrade firmware" button on the iPad app and waited. I think the screen flickered and came back. I checked the display at the speaker and it still showed ver.2. That didn't work, I thought, so I switched off the unit and then switched back on, thinking it needed a reboot to take effect. Sure enough, the unit came back on and showed Ver. 2.2.0 in the display.
I tried to do the same procedure to my other unit, the Version 1 iP2000, but in the iPad app the display was different to that of Version 2 iP2000, with no "Update firmware" button available. Now it seems that Version 2 of the iP2000 has different smarts than has the Version 1 model.
I can only guess at how the upgrade was accomplished without a physical connection. I was in a room that did have my home wifi connection available, so maybe there was some communication between the iPad and the iP2000 speaker via wifi. I don't know. I have been unable to find any confirmation of this feature at Turbosound or the web.
But there it is. Try it
Another strange thing. I also have an iP1000 in my rehearsal room. This unit has no reverb and Turbosound's website does not show that it has. I tried the update on this unit, and now it has the reverb feature.
Well a lot of new post on the ip2000's, I have two of them plus a Behringer B1200d sub, hope to add another sub here soon....
(Firmware upgrade)
Wow, that is awesome discovery! I will definitely have to try the firmware upgrade.... So do you have any idea what the firmware upgrade features are? I also wasn't aware of the shortage of the ip2000 v2 in the USA. I also wonder if the new tariffs has anything to do with it?
(Adding Subs, and mixer options)
I do have a suggestion in using the ip2000's with subs, try using the left mono channel of your pa mixer for the ip2000's and then use the right channel to the subs. This way one has gain control over both, using the pan on the mixer to direct what signals go to the subs and ip2000's, or a combination of both, works well for me.
(Firmware upgrade)
Wow, that is awesome discovery! I will definitely have to try the firmware upgrade.... So do you have any idea what the firmware upgrade features are? I also wasn't aware of the shortage of the ip2000 v2 in the USA. I also wonder if the new tariffs has anything to do with it?
(Adding Subs, and mixer options)
I do have a suggestion in using the ip2000's with subs, try using the left mono channel of your pa mixer for the ip2000's and then use the right channel to the subs. This way one has gain control over both, using the pan on the mixer to direct what signals go to the subs and ip2000's, or a combination of both, works well for me.
Commenting on your left right out. A better use for that is to pan all channels except the bass and kick to one side. Leave the bass and kick at center. Now send that panned side to the Turbos. Send the other side to the subs. This keeps all your vocal mikes etc out of the subs while allowing all instruments including the bass and kick in the turbos. Really cleans things up.
Unfortunately I have been unable to find any documentation referencing the firmware and I haven't been able to hear any sonic difference.
To come back to the issue of the crackling distortion that some people have been refering to. I have had that problem also in my version1 and the newer version2 models. It would manifest itself mainly in vocals and appeared to be come from the top of the column where the piezo tweeter is located.
My solution has been to identify the connection to the tweeter by opening up the top speaker unit, and then snipping the wire to the tweeter, disconnecting it. Ok, I know that now I've lost the upper top end, but, in actual real life playing, it isn't that noticeable. There is still plenty of top end and clarity, and the distortion stopped.
Now, maybe the firmware upgrade addressed this problem by moving the crossover point for the tweeter to a higher frequency. I haven't yet been able to check by reconnecting the tweeter. When I get a chance I will try this out and report.
If this is indeed a fix, then sadly the version1 model wont be getting it, as there appears to be no upgrade path.
