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.