Hi all,

Could someone advise me; a good quality (cheap/light weight) Powered (Active) speakers (250/300 Watts each) that can be used with my Mackie CFX12 Channel mixer (Mixer is used by a band for live stage programs).

I've heard about Wharfedale speakers. Are they Active speakers ?

Thank you for your replies.

George

Hello

As far as I know they just started making powered speakers. The only one I know of is the LA15 (I think). Retails for $600 and can be bought for $400. It has a 15" woofer and horn. I only saw it in Molbile, AL about a week ago. It looked heavier than 40 lbs so I didn't try it. However I have been in contact with the Wharfedale company and they will be releasing powered speakers in all sizes. I don't know when, but judging by their other speakers they will definately be worth checking out.

Scott Langholff

I just heard in person the Barbetta Sona Se32 at Donny Pesce's Dance club last Thursday and these little "giants" really cook.
I am in the market for a new PA myself and these "puppies" will more than fill the bill for me at "any" price (within reason of course). See the Rave Reviews: http://www.barbetta.com/Live/Sona_32/sona_32.html
Mario

Mario
I have a pair of Barbetta 31 Pro-combo powered speakers to sell- very little use outside the home - if you are interested.

Mike H

The model 31 has those dual 8" woofers, and the bass response is no where near the output of the single 15". They sound great at lower volumes, but for a working situation, I'd have to discourage the use of the 31's. They just don't have the ooomph.
If it's home or studio use - OK, but for larger situations, clubs, weddings, etc ..... I wouldn't recommend it.
Didn't mean to spoil your day, Mike .... just passing along some "on the job" experience for the other readers.

I agree Dave,

The 15" speaker is imperative for live performance.Really gives up the bottom needed.

My 12's do the job quite well .... it's all in cabinet design, speaker efficiency etc. What I meant is that the dual 8's don't measure up to the 15. They "splat" too early and too often. The model 31 is really for small applications or practice.

So...we all agree that it's the sona SE32s with the cooling fan what I really need huh!
You happy Donny?
Scott, thanks for your good intentions.
Mike, thanks for the offer anyway. Unckie, shame on you!

Try the ev Sa100's. They are great. i just bought two of them and what a fine product. Greay clarity for keyboards, vocals, and fantastic bass response. ( check the model number, i think it's correct). I bought mine at the Guitar center in Towson Md. ( Dano's old territory) and got them for about one hundred dollars off of thier price. They are phasing out EV products for some reason, thus the price drop. I know that thier sales people are not happy campers about it. They are powered and i believe have a twelve inch speaker. I'm sure there are a few people here that could add to my comments, good or bad. Bob Lee

Noone has mentioned the JBL EON's yet which I have found to be extremely reliable and solid. They are in use everywhere. Not cheap but they seem to be built very well and they sound great.

FYI: I recently has a bad experience with the Mackie powered speakers. I was working in a club that had a pair of these sitting sideways on shelves on the stage floor as monitors, and I was using them at low power when one of them overheated and shut down on me. It turns out that if you block the heat vent fins on the back of the powered Mackies from air circulation, and especially if they are turned sideways, the Mackies will do a thermal lockout even at low volume. The fins were almost too hot to touch. It took twenty minutes on a fan to bring it back to life. Even though the Mackies have a molded "dent" on one side so you can use them as stage monitors, the fins are mounted vertically so heat cannot dissipate properly unless these speakers are used upright and on speaker stands. I think this is a poor design and a possible fire hazard.

The JBL EON's do not have external heat vent fins so they can be used anywhere regardless of air circulation. They could be used in the same monitor position as the Mackies were in my situation without any problem. I've read in other groups about people having the same experience with Mackie powered speakers doing thermal shutdowns.

I don't know if the other brands of powered speakers have heat fins on the back like Mackies but it's worth keeping in mind that some of these powered speakers require more air circulation than others.

pro,

Thats why I sold the mackie 450's, they shut down on stage with 500 people dancing! Very Embarrassing. I also had the JBL Eons (grey) and sold them after one peformance, in no way do they come close to the sound of the 450's or my Barbetta sona 32's which incidently have a unique FLAT PANEL heat sink and now the new Sona 32 SE have an internal air circulator fan alsoto virtualy eliminate overheating! www.barbetta.com. Maybe the new JBL eon G2's (black) sound better I dont know, never used them.

The EV SxA100's have external vent fins too, but I've never experienced a problem with them shutting down on me. At $349/ea(Guitar Center close out special) the SxA100's are truly a FANTASTIC bargain and my portable PA of choice. It delivers great sound in a small easy to transport package. Highly recommended. - Scott

Does anybody know how good Behringer B300 Ultrawave is?
http://www.americanmusical.com/item.asp?UID=2002090401102566&menu=&keyword=&item=BEH+B300

In my experience, Behringer mixers perform way better than their price may suggest. I hope that would hold true even for these powered speakers. I think the specs vs. price of these powered speakers is very attractive.

Thanks
Shiral

Thank you all for your valuable inputs.

George

Shiral, I haven't heard the Behringers, but I eliminated them because of their weight.
I forget the exact weight, but they are quite heavy.
DonM

Behringer B300 Ultrawave PA System

2-way bi-amping concept
Two integrated high-power amplifiers with 300 Watts total power
Complete protection against power-up noise, overloading and overheating
Optimized 24-dB/octave Linkwitz-Riley crossover
High-power compression driver with titanium dome
15" long-throw woofer with high-power magnets
High-efficiency systems for extremely high sound pressure and ultra-low distortion
Integrated 2-band equalizer with 80-Hz and 12-kHz center frequencies
High-quality microphone preamp for direct microphone connection
BEHRINGER's renowned ULN circuitry for ultra-low noise performance
Extensive phase and time correction ensures perfect system alignment
High-tech cabinet with excellent damping and gravity properties for extremely low resonance
Revolutionary cooling system for automatic convection cooling
Manufactured under ISO9000 certified management system
BEHRINGER® SUPER-X® technology built in
We've been researching and developing active crossover technology for years. Our SUPER-X is one of the most successful crossovers on the market and features phase-linear, 24-dB/octave Linkwitz-Riley filters as well as delay and limiter circuitry in every band. What could have been more logical than to incorporate this technology into the ULTRAWAVE B300?

Processor PA, bi-amping, time alignment etc.: common terms in the professional PA scene
These terms stand for technological solutions that until recently were expensive and only available to pros. Bi-amping is a method of powering individual frequency ranges in a multi-way speaker system with separate amplifiers, giving you the opportunity to use active, phase-optimized frequency crossovers. The individual bands are overload-protected via limiters, the goal being complete speaker protection and distortion-free reproduction even at maximum volume. It was obvious to our engineers that this modern solution should form the basis for the ULTRAWAVE B300. So it's fitted with two separate high-power amplifiers – one for the low frequency range and one for the high end – with a total of 300 Watts for extremely high sound pressure levels and incredibly low distortion.

ULTRAWAVE: what's in a name?
The basic problem with compression horns is their shape and the resulting dispersion pattern. Assisted by state-of-the-art computer simulation, BEHRINGER developed a new wave guide that ensures optimal sound in practically any situation. The result is an extremely wide, phase-accurate high-frequency dispersion pattern, which ensures consistent resolution in the entire room, regardless of listening position.

Active: great sound, but lots of work
If you do live sound, you've been there: active crossovers, limiters, EQ's, amps and speakers have to be transported and positioned, countless cable connections made and the frequency ranges of the individual components aligned. And even then there's no guarantee that the system will perform like you want it to. Another reason for us to invest years of research and development in an entirely new system. The result: the ULTRAWAVE B300.

BEHRINGER®'s Reflex Cooling System
Unique problems demand unique solutions. After extensive development we fitted the B300 with an intelligent cooling system. Conventionally, fans are used to increase the heat sink's efficiency by forcing air past them. Exactly this kind of airflow can be found in the bass reflex openings that serve to extend low-frequency reproduction. So what was to prevent us from constructively combining these two elements, allowing the amplifier cooling to profit from the "ventilation" created in the bass reflex tunnel? Since increased amplifier power leads to increased volume and thus to increased airflow in the tunnel, cooling increases proportionally with heat loss. Another advantage is that the complete electronic circuitry, including the heat sink, is built into the B300. No sharp corners from external heat sinks and optimal protection of the active components. Pretty cool, huh?

More than great sound
The attractive design of the fiberglass-reinforced cabinet combines functionality and mechanical durability. Place the B300 on a stand with its integrated flange or use it as a monitor wedge on stage. Or stack several boxes... Thanks to the clever construction, you still won't need to buy a truck. With its practical handles and minimal weight, the B300 is an ideal partner for all your PA applications.

Nothing else required
Balanced inputs and outputs with XLR and 1/4" connectors not only give you connective flexibility, but also insurance against interference – even when using extremely long cables. Just hook up your console's outputs to your B300s' inputs and off you go. Well, almost: there is the thing with different room acoustics, which can be extreme, varying between bright, muddy and middy. Never fear: we've integrated an ultra-musical 2-band EQ, borrowed from our console technology, with which you can master just about any acoustics you may come up against. To make your life even easier, we also added our high-quality ULN preamp, enabling you to directly connect your microphone. For perfect speech reproduction or one-man shows, all you need is your microphone and a B300. And maybe a script or lead sheets.

The active speaker system with perfect sound, unbelievable power and an innovative design
Next to our flagship B300, the B200 with a 12" woofer and the B100 will soon complete the speaker line. In addition, passive club systems and 15" subwoofers are currently in development.

ULTRAWAVE B300: the perfect active PA system!

SPECIFICATIONS

System: 2-way active
Total power: 300 Watts
High-frequency power: 75 Watts
Low-frequency power: 225 Watts
Crossover frequency: 1.8 kHz
Frequency response: 42 Hz - 20 kHz
Input impedance: 20 kOhm
Height: 27" (687 mm)
Width: 18" (457 mm)
Depth: 16 6/8" (425 mm)
Weight: 52.8 lbs (24 kg)

Shiju:
Wow! impressive array of features. One small but important item, they forgot to make it lighter for us "mature" folks to lug around. The Barettas SE 32? only 36 lb on that dept.
thanks anyway Shiju
Mario

Thanks for your response Don!

Shiral

Thanks Mario, But the price difference is almost half..!!
I already ordered a pair of Behringer Speakers.

Thank you all again.

George

George, please tell us how it sounds.

Shiral

Save the box! Behringer amps have a bad track record for service in my area. The mixers are pretty good, for what they cost, but the amp line is prone to repair. Just make sure you have some return options, my friend. I don't know ANYone who endorses this speaker ..... that should tell you something. I'd recommend waiting till you hear them, or at least - hear a solid testimonial from a happy "end user".
Your speakers are just as important as your sound source ..... maybe MORE important. Buy from experience, not advertisments !

Caveat Emptor !

(did I spell that right ?)

Uncle Dave just reminded me about reading
a thread by George Kaye a while back
explaining that he used to carry Barbetta.
But since too many were being returned for
repair, he stopped selling them.
I had also heard of Barbetta reliability problems elsewhere. Keep in mind that this
is for the older models, and not the
present line. Hopefully, their new products
have resolved past problems.
Caveat Emptor (UD,the spelling is close enough for me).

Can't seem to find contact info re: Guitar Center. Do you have any contact info? Thanks!

Angelo

Barbetta sona 32's, 350 gigs + a year NEVER HAD A PROBLEM ! its been two yrs so far!

[This message has been edited by Dnj (edited 09-05-2002).]