Hi all

I'm looking for some advice re which PA system to go for under £1500/£2000 that would be well suited to reproducing acoustic piano work and perhaps a light jazz quartet.

Sound quality is the most important criteria (over things like weight, size etc). I'd appreciate any suggestions.

Thanks again,
Ray.

[This message has been edited by fourthharmonic (edited 09-05-2004).]

Logitech Z2200
http://www.bit-tech.net/review/282/

Check out Peavey Escort. It has five channels, built-in mixer, stands, effects, even a mic and cord. It is all self-contained and has rollers.
It would seem to be perfect for what you want. It has really good, clean sound, and even has a set of RCA in-outs.
The logitechs are good-sounding powered speakers, but you would need a mixer with them.
DonM

Thanks for the replies. Both look like good bets. However, I think perhaps I've not been specific enough. I'm looking for something around 300-500w per side, something that is perhaps in the same vein as the Mackie SRM450s but better at handling that all important mid range for piano.
Thanks
Ray

The 450's overheat frequently on stage & shut off.....dont lay them down either.I dumped them fast!

You will be amazed at the sound and clarity(and portability)of the JBL Eon10 G2 powered speakers. Truly "sweet" as UD says.

The Barbetta Sona 32C is wonderful. Each self-powered cabinet has 4 channels plus a mic input and 3-band e.q.
DonM

The Barbettas would not appear to be available in the UK (he quoted pounds). I have looked for a UK distributor, without success. I have emailed them several times, but no reply.

I too am interested in the idea of two powered speakers plus a small mixer for (stereo) keyboard use, and would also like to play bass throught the set up! Any ideas (must be avialable in UK)?

Cheers
Nigel

Barbetta Sona 32c's ROCK!!!

I think they fixed the overheating issue Donny. In fact I don't think there ever was a problem really. I heard a Band play through 2 Mackie SRM 450's today in 92 degree heat for three hours and they performed flawlessly. No problem at all with them overheating, shutting down because of overheating, or any audio anomalies, etc., because of heat issues or overheating.

You may have gotten a faulty pair of SRM 450's Donny. Don't throw out the baby with the bath water because of a possible isolated overheating issue with your Mackies.

PS: I have never heard of any Mackie speakers taking a nose dive because of heat related issues btw.

So with a little EQ'ing through a Mixer "fourthharmonic", the Mackie SRM 450's may well be the speakers you're looking for. The SRM 450's I heard today sounded astoundingly pristine and rock solid. No pops, quivers, rattles (no electrical smell because of heat ) or distortion of any kind that I could hear.

Best regards,
Mike

Mike ....belive me they over heat and SHUTOFF on stage during prolonged use.....defective? I think not. Bad design ?yes....Lay them down as a monitor on stage?
Enjoy waiting for the Thermo Shutoffs to kick in after about a 5 min cool down period unless you put an optonal fan on the heat sinks while 500 people wait for you on the dance floor my friend ,
I know what I'm talking about....
Buyer beware

[This message has been edited by Dnj (edited 09-06-2004).]

I used to work n a music store and all the Mackie powered stuff had big problems. That included the powered amps and speakers. Side by side the JBL eon's blew the mackies away.
I think the eons had 15's and makies had 12's.
I have a pair of Roland KC300's that sound real nice, they can be mounted on poles.

------------------
qqqwq@hotmail.com

Ray,
For your budget (which is quite "comfortable") and your quality requirements, and since weight and size do not seem to be your highest priority, let me make the same suggestion that one of the best professional jazz musicians in Portugal made to me some time ago: 2 Mackies SR1530 ( http://www.mackie.com/products/sr1530/index.html ). Since you intend to use them for jazz acoustic music, you won't need subwoofers. I had the chance to listen to a jazz concert (his jazz quartet) through this system and the quality was the best I have ever experienced. If I didn't have weight and size constraints for my amateurish one-man-band jobs, this would be me PA, with no doubts.
In your budget you mention "pounds", so you're probably in Europe. And in Europe, you have another brand (a german brand) with an excellent reputation (not very popular in USA): Dynacord. But according to many opinions this expensive brand is overated and does not offer better sound fidelity than the Mackies. Hope this helps you deciding.

-- José.

[This message has been edited by Route 66 (edited 09-06-2004).]

Donny, have you been playing inside Clubs in the middle of summer when the temperature outside is over 100° and even hotter inside plus the joint doesn't have any air conditioning - again? You outta try and stay away from that type of venue Donny...

Donny, in theory [and in the real world] the SRM450 speakers can and will go into thermal mode, i.e. shutdown - if you push them too hard in certain circumstances. The circumstances being: when the temperature is up there near or in the triple digits, or if they are placed or mounted where the air flow is restricted around the back of the speakers where the heatsinks are, and if they are in direct sunlight, again 'in very hot weather' with little or no air flow, or if you try and push them too hard for too long (and the other issues of what keeps them from going thermal aren't observed, e.g. - restricting air flow to the heatsinks, etc.).

If you want that extra assurance you can push the "Low Cut" filter button and the "Contour" button which will reduce the load on the 450's and give you more headroom and even less possiblity they will go thermal. But the best way to virtually eliminate any possibility of thermal shut off 'ever' is to use a Subwoofer along with the SRM 450's such as the Mackie SWA1501 or SWA1801.

But even if you don't get a Subwoofer you really shouldn't experience any problems with the 450's if you follow the suggestions listed above.

Btw Donny, you should put the Fans on the back 'before' you go in front of an audience not after the fact.

Best regards,
Mike

[This message has been edited by keybplayer (edited 09-06-2004).]

Mike,
Not to get into another My gear is better Then Yours............

I've only stated my experiences with the Mackie 450's....bottom line they DON'T work for "MY" Act. With that said I moved on to greener pastures my friend

Btw, I wanted to mention that the new SRM 350's are suppose to eliminate 'any' possibility of thermal shutoff by incorporating a new design implementation into the speaker which uses both Input limiting and will monitor temperature constantly and by the use of internal Fan??[s] which will regulate air flow accordingly and they will never need to shut off to cool down. The SRM350 speakers are suppose to hit the market later this month (although the launch time has been delayed several times unfortunately).

They use a 10" woofer instead of the 12" of the SRM 450. But they use a different technology and design to increase the Bass response and output so they should sound pretty similar to the 450 in the Bass department I would think. They will weigh 32 lbs. vs. the 450 at 51 lbs. plus they will cost less too - around $150 less per speaker. They don't have the raw power of the 450's of course but should suffice nicely for small to medium and medium large (200 people or less) venues.

Best regards,
Mike

I use the 450 for about 3 years now and never had a thermal-shutdown.
In fact the 450s are NOT realy designed to lay them down on a stage. Just have a look at the back and follow the ribs of the heat-sink.... to achieve airflow they need to be positioned vertically.... upright position.

I do not agree with mikeathome, telling the EONS blow away the Mackies. EONs sound 'poor' or flat compared to 450's.

btw. I would never 'spoil' the soundquality of 450's by using them only for monitors on stage. (kidding, but true !)

Thanks to the forum for the replies.

Armed with the info you've provided, I'm going to take a trip to the music
stores and try and audition some of the units mentioned.

I let you know how it goes.

Thanks again,
You guys rock!

Ray

Donny's not the only one that had this embarassing shutdown. In certain situations, with pumpin' bass, loud volumes ( like a typical wedding )mine shut down more thana few times .... same as the few times they were placed too near a corner, on the floor, on their side. ( A Mackie suggestion )
Outdoors, on poles in direct sunlight - same deal ... but not as often.
The heat sinks are inadequate for the volume levels that the 450s generate in less than optimal conditions.

I don;t care what the specs say, or what you read somewhere .... in practical application, in a real demanding musical show, I can site more than a few shutdowns that are specific to the Mackies. The sound was incredible, but the letdowns were too numerous for me to trust them again.

A few years ago there was a problem and Mackie reps knew about it. They blamed it on bad ribbon connectors in the amp section. We used to call mondays "mackie monday" because all the guys that had their system shut down the previous weekend would come in or call screaming.
It sounds like they fixed problem.

I just can't imagine why I don't see and hear more about EV products on this forum. For my money, they're the best performers. Check out the SXa100 and 100+ series.
http://www.electrovoice.com/Electrovoice/products.nsf/allpages/066D59279DD6D93886256B96005D4B0A

I had teh SXa100's and they DO sound good, but the hiss drove me nuts. Even in the off position, the amp hisses. Maybe my hearing is ultra sensitive because I've always been carefull to never be in front of my mains, but in quiet settings, the hiss is just awful. As soon as you get to stage volume - you can overcome it, but it's still there when it gets quiet again.
The 100's also tend to splat if you don't use a sub woofer with them. They are great in the mid range, but the lows don't really throw as far as the competition. Not great for modern bass and drum sounds. Great for traditional jazz and standard stuff though.